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How would it be if Snow White were the real villain & the wicked queen just a sadly maligned innocent? What if awakening the Sleeping Beauty should...
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Apr 21, 2009
Werner
rated it: 
The common thread binding the nine stories (five previously published in various magazines) of this collection is that they're all re-imagined fairy tales, and all of them are of high literary quality; but otherwise they exhibit a wide variety. Lee wasn't well-served by the jacket copy, or by the above description, both of which tend to sensationalize these stories, under-stress their emotional complexity, and paint an exaggerated image of grimness. Only two of the tales could justly be called
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Nov 12, 2011
Andromeda
rated it: 
Inverse, re-arranged, and re-told fairy tales are a dime a dozen these days, but few do it with such dark glamour as Tanith Lee. Taking classic fairy tales, Lee inverts the depiction of good and evil in their classic Grimm counterparts. The Wicked Step-Mother is a benevolent witch queen attempting to deal with the plague of her demonic daughter. The Paid Piper is an ancient and primitive God of the Wood. The Prince is sometimes the devil, and sometimes he's the Christ Savior. Lee's lush des
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Dec 30, 2009
Shiyiya
rated it:
Oh my. That was *fantastic*. My favourite genre, riffs off of well-known fairy tales. Dark and twisted new takes on old stories. Lovely. Absolutely lovely. I do wonder what Black as Ink is supposed to be, though. Wikipedia says The White Duck, which is ridiculous. It has not even a nodding acquaintance with The White Duck. With the swans I'd think it was The Swan Princess, but bits of it made me think of Giselle... though Giselle isn't well-known enough for that kind of thing, generally. For tha
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Feb 23, 2009
yellowbird
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Tanith Lee writes wonderfully lyrical horror stories that sound like fairy tales, so it's only appropriate that she should rewrite some of the old standard. This book contains When the Clock Strikes, a retelling of Cinderella which is worth the price of admission alone, and The Princess and her Future , a heartwarming tale about a princess who marries a handsome prince who promises that "...I will love you for the rest of your life." He keeps his word.
While Tanith Lee's novels More...
While Tanith Lee's novels More...
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Jan 19, 2010
Kathy
rated it: 
The edition of this book I got from the library says this is a young adult book. In no way would I consider this book appropriate for anyone under the age of 14 and that's only if they're a mature 14. There's not a lot of explicit content I guess, but it's very, very dark in subject matter including mentions of black magic and satanism.
That being said, every story in here was completely original and most of them were so twisted from the original there was little connecting the tale to the More...
That being said, every story in here was completely original and most of them were so twisted from the original there was little connecting the tale to the More...
Jul 23, 2008
Sarah
rated it: 
For the last couple of years I have been focusing on including more short fiction in my reading routine. Likewise, I have been trying to go back to reading more fantasy and science fiction, two genres I devoured in my teens and early twenties but have gotten away from in recent years. Red as Blood by Tanith Lee fits both categories as it's a collection of retold fairy tales, each one with a dark twist.
The stories are based on the Grimm brothers' tales but given a feminist focus. The More...
The stories are based on the Grimm brothers' tales but given a feminist focus. The More...
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Jan 03, 2009
Sarah
rated it:
An addiction you say? Yes, I may have an addiction to Tanith Lee’s short stories. Especially since I started this one before I’d finished Dreams of Dark and Light, so it was all Tanith Lee, all the time. This collection of stories is based partly on fairy tales that we know and love, with new stories mixed in, all with Lee’s twist of the dark and the macabre.
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Sep 10, 2010
Dizzy Squid
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I had to hunt this one down after the Cinderella story was included in a college anthology of Children's Lit. The stories are so rich and vivid you can practically taste them. Lee's version of 'The Frog Prince' is particularly remarkable and a little terrifying at the end. Well worse the hassle it took me to get my hands on a copy.
Sep 15, 2010
Alice
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On the one hand, this was retellings of fairy tales. On the other, it came across as preachy, Christianized versions of classics that added nothing to the stories.
There were a few stories that escaped this trap, but the best of these offerings were the last and second to last in the collection, and I was only reading at that point so I'd have a reason to justify a two-star rating. Indeed, had the last two stories set the tone of the collection, it would've earned a much higher rating More...
There were a few stories that escaped this trap, but the best of these offerings were the last and second to last in the collection, and I was only reading at that point so I'd have a reason to justify a two-star rating. Indeed, had the last two stories set the tone of the collection, it would've earned a much higher rating More...
Dec 03, 2009
J
rated it:
holy SHIT tanith lee is BORING as a grownup. i remember her stuff being hella smutty and therefore kind of interesting when youngre but it all evaporates once you touch a boob not eblonging to yourself, BORING, BORING, BORING, tanith lee, SORRY :(:(
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Mar 01, 2009
Kara
rated it:
My favorite was definitely 'Beauty' - unlike the other short stories here its sci-fi rather than fantasy.
Lee takes the major fairy tales and dumps them on their heads by playing out the tales in a series of opposites.
Lee takes the major fairy tales and dumps them on their heads by playing out the tales in a series of opposites.
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Aug 25, 2010
Alex
rated it:
Pretty standard Tanith Lee fare, felt a bit old actually... maybe it's because I've read so much of her work that the patterns start to become obvious, but the 'refreshing' take on fairy tales usually felt a bit forced.
Still, it had the atmosphere I love so much about her books and nowhere did it make me feel bored enough to put it away.
A fairly rewarding read.
Still, it had the atmosphere I love so much about her books and nowhere did it make me feel bored enough to put it away.
A fairly rewarding read.
Jul 22, 2008
Belcantomom
rated it:
This was a wonderful book. I am generally *not* a fan of short stories. I like stories that with lots of character development and there isn't time for that in short stories. Maybe this collection was improved by already "knowing" the stories, but I don't think that's the only reason. They were definitely not for kids and one or two were rather disturbing, but riveting all the same. I would only say that one had any real innuendo, but the themes were adult (or, at least, young adul
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Jan 14, 2012
Kayla
rated it:
Most of the first stories were a little too dark (satanic) for my interest. However, making up for that was the retelling of Beauty and the Beast. It was really amazing and the ending was TOTALLY unexpected.
Dec 06, 2010
Althea
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Retellings of classic fairytales. Lots of inversions of good and evil, twisted religious/mythological allegories, poetic imagery, and deliciously ambiguous gorgeousness. A re-read for me.
Apr 24, 2010
Tammy
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I'm pretty sure I read this a long time ago, but it was a good read - love the creepy and unusual takes on well-known fairy tales.
Mar 28, 2007
Brandy
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Godliness is next to more Godliness, apparently. This collection of fairy tale re-imaginings could have been good--a lot of her ideas are excellent and I'd love to see them in the hands of a better writer--but I only got through about half the stories in this collection. And of those six or so, five were varying degrees of allegory, usually of the "wicked person worships SATAN and GOD won't save you then." A little too much in the Christian tradition for me, particularly when the st
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May 31, 2010
Sarah
rated it:
The high rating for this is for the story of Beauty and the Beast- probably my favorite retelling of the tale.
May 09, 2011
Carrie
rated it:
Creepy, weird and in the case of Black as Ink, utterly unconnected to any fairy tsle, as far as I can tell.
Apr 28, 2010
Cantbangel
rated it:
myths and magic , lee has a unique style, if you like Angela carter and vampires, you will love her.
Dec 09, 2008
Lauren
rated it:
The most excellent collection of fairy tales.
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May 04, 2010
Bettie
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Aug 29, 2009
Corrine
rated it:
Strangest, yet most INTRIGUING short story collection I've ever read!
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Jan 23, 2008
rivka
rated it:
In sort of the reverse of how fairy tales have gradually gone from Grimm to sanitized, Tanith Lee has taken 9 classic fairy tales and turned them dark.
Overall, it's an intriguing idea. However, the repeated Satan-worship theme got really old. There was only one story I really enjoyed -- the last one, "Beauty." Perhaps not coincidentally, it is the only one that is SF rather than fantasy.
Overall, it's an intriguing idea. However, the repeated Satan-worship theme got really old. There was only one story I really enjoyed -- the last one, "Beauty." Perhaps not coincidentally, it is the only one that is SF rather than fantasy.
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