If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I don’t talk much about fantasy. I don’t read it much, and I certainly don’t (can’t!) write it. My entire fantasy literature experience sums up in two titles: Lord of the Rings by Tolkien and Fire and Ice by GRR Martin. In reading Megan Haskell‘s Pixie Tamer, I know I have discovered a new favorite.

Written as a prequel to Haskell’s upcoming Sanyare: The Last Descendant, this story, more than a mere introduction, invites us into a world the author has envisioned for her protagonist, Rie, and her not so cute, but ultimately (well, we’ll see in the full novel, I guess) endearing sidekicks–the pixies. I won’t say much about them except, think tiny barracudas with wings.

As one possible demerit, I’ll say the story felt a tad short. I wanted to see more about Rie and her environs, maybe throw up some confetti and beat a piñata, or whatever they do in her Elven world when it’s your birthday. But maybe that’s not such a bad thing. The story does contain one self-resolved element, and it also sets us up for more to come. And to partially quench our hunger for more, Haskell includes an excerpt from her upcoming novel.

For additional compensation, there’s much to like and enjoy in Pixie Tamer. First, Megan Haskell writes in a straightforward, let’s get on with it manner that weaves in background information as needed, naturally, and without halting the action. Her writing is crisp, and this she uses to draw a compelling, conflicted character. This character, Rie, she firmly establishes in terms of her relationships to other important characters, including, of course, the pixies. More than that, in a short span we see how Rie, a human raised in a foreign world, faces both internal and external conflicts and challenges. That Haskell accomplishes so much with such economical prose is quite the feat.

Though I don’t claim expertise in fantasy literature, I will say that in addition to strong characters and clean prose, I look for imagination. If there is one place where an author needs imagination, it’s in writing fantasy. And here too Haskell’s invitation story promises much. I am certainly looking forward to Pixie Tamer’s follow up. I recommend you grab the invitation and see what you think.

Megan Haskell‘s Sanyare: The Last Descendant is now available for pre-order, with a scheduled release date of February 16, 2015. You can read more from Haskell at her blog, where she has posted additional Sanyare excerpts. You can also follow her on Google+ and Twitter.