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186th out of 926 books
—
5,289 voters
Black Thorn, White Rose (The Snow White, Blood Red Anthology Series #2)
by
Ellen Datlow (Goodreads Author) ,
Terri Windling (Goodreads Author) , Isabel Cole , Tim Wynne-Jones , Midori Snyder , Jane Yolen , Roger Zelazny , Howard Waldrop
,
more…
The award-winning editors of Snow White, Blood Red return us to distinctly adult realms of myth and the fantastic - with 18 wondrous works that cloak the magical fictions we heard at grandma's knee in mantles of darkness and dread. From Roger Zelansky's delightful tale of Death's disobedient godson to Peter Straub's blood-chilling examination of a gargantuan Cinderella and...more
Paperback, 381 pages
Published
November 1st 2007
by Prime Books
(first published January 1st 1996)
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Apr 10, 2012
Sebina (Classicmaiden)
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Readers who love Fairy Tales in the Literary tradition (Fairy Tales for adults)
Shelves:
_author_editor_terri-windling,
_fantasy,
_fantasy_fairytales-folklore-myth,
_fantasy_fairy-tale-retellings,
_editor_ellen-datlow,
_type_owned-kindle-version,
_historical_historical-romance,
_romance,
_fantasy_urban-fantasy,
_historical_historical-fiction,
_0400-1500_medieval,
_women-s-history,
_setting_america,
_type_anthology,
_setting_contemporary,
_fantasy_adult-fantasy,
_fantasy_historical-fantasy,
_fantasy_magical-realism,
_character_grey-characters,
_type_poetry,
_theme_shapeshifters,
_type_written-by-women,
_type_written-by-men,
_type_literary-fiction,
_type_short-stories
A wonderful anthology, no surprise there since it was edited by Terri Windling and Ellen Datlow.
My favorite stories were:
- STRONGER THAN TIME by Patricia C. Wrede: beautiful prose with a story based on the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale.
- SOMNUS'S FAIR MAID by Ann Downer: was an interesting Regency set story, also based on the Sleeping Beauty legend.
- THE BROWN BEAR OF NORWAY by Isabel Cole: was simply so good. I don't want to give anything away, but I Loved it! beautifully written...
- TATTERCOATS b...more
My favorite stories were:
- STRONGER THAN TIME by Patricia C. Wrede: beautiful prose with a story based on the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale.
- SOMNUS'S FAIR MAID by Ann Downer: was an interesting Regency set story, also based on the Sleeping Beauty legend.
- THE BROWN BEAR OF NORWAY by Isabel Cole: was simply so good. I don't want to give anything away, but I Loved it! beautifully written...
- TATTERCOATS b...more
This was quite a mixed bag of stories. Some of them were interesting, but none really gripped me? There were certain stories that I enjoyed reading at the time, but they didn't linger in the mind after I'd put the book down. And as for the not-so-good tales, oh my god. They were terrible. I had to stop reading Ashputtle because I was so disgusted. I didn't understand half of The Sawing Boys and gave up on that one too. (I discovered a glossary at the end, but wasn't tempted to go back and try ag...more
With a delightful exception or two, these are not sexually charged versions of traditional tales, despite the book's self-labeling as "adult". Rather, the reinvisioned stories deal with complex decisions, circumstances, and commentary that adults generally assume children lack the context and patience to understand. However, this is much more in line with the historic role of fairy tales: stories of supernatural horror, evil, and unjustice; how a misunderstanding can run away with you; how memor...more
As with all story collections, there are some better than others in this, but all in all, it's a good mix.
The one story that I really want to comment on is "The Frog King, or Iron Henry" by Daniel Quinn, and that's because, sadly, I just don't get it. I know the story of the Frog Prince, I noticed the mirrored writing Quinn used, but I just couldn't grasp what the author was trying to say with this piece. Was the king injured as a frog, causing his memory problems? Was his queen having an affair...more
The one story that I really want to comment on is "The Frog King, or Iron Henry" by Daniel Quinn, and that's because, sadly, I just don't get it. I know the story of the Frog Prince, I noticed the mirrored writing Quinn used, but I just couldn't grasp what the author was trying to say with this piece. Was the king injured as a frog, causing his memory problems? Was his queen having an affair...more
I bought this on nook even though I have a dead-tree version back home. I had honestly forgotten how full of amazing things this book is. It's hard to pick a favorite - I have a thing for Regency settings, so "Somnus' Fair Maid" was a favorite. "The Brown Bear of Norway" is hauntingly beautiful and bittersweet. Even "The Sawing Boys", while not my favorite, is a lot of fun, although the jargon got to be a bit much at times.
Really, the stories in this are beautifully written and at times disturb...more
Really, the stories in this are beautifully written and at times disturb...more
Mar 28, 2013
Nancy O'Toole
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy,
short-fiction
Black Thorn, White Rose is an anthology which seeks to embrace the more adult roots of fairy tales. Some of the stories referenced in this collection include well known tales such as “Sleeping Beauty” and “Rumpelstiltskin,” as well as lesser known ones including “Tattercoats” and “The Breman Town Musicians.” The result is a wide variety of stories that vary from rather traditional retellings to the more experimental (one is actually told in the form of a recipe). Unfortunately, like many antholo...more
This is one of what I gather to be a whole host of “alternative fairy tale” short story collections. It has sat on my shelf for years, forlornly waiting to be read. I recently started picking at it, a story at a time, while reading other things. It’s solidly average-to-decent, but I actually liked it more than I thought I would.
As with most genre short story anthologies, the entries in this book all revolve around the common theme of turning a classic fairy tale on its head. The stories approach...more
As with most genre short story anthologies, the entries in this book all revolve around the common theme of turning a classic fairy tale on its head. The stories approach...more
I got to about the fifth story in this anthology today and figured out that I've already read it (and wasn't that impressed with it). I liked Snow White, Blood Red much better. Some of the authors in this one made me raise an eyebrow--the guy who wrote Ishmael? Really? No wonder I disliked his story! I'll definitely check into some of their other reimagined fairy-tale anthologies, though.
I am done with Black Thorn, White Rose and overall I liked it. :) The stories I really enjoyed were Stronger Than Time (Sleeping Beauty based), Somnus's Fair Maiden (Sleeping Beauty based), Tattercoats (big favorite for adults, with some sexual scenes and a wonderful message about trying to keep love in a relationship), Granny Rumple (Rumplestiltskin based with a twist about Jews), Godson (big fave - I think based on Cinderella and the fairy godmother), Silver and Gold (another big favorite; it'...more
Another multi-author short story anthology- and a good one!
"Black Thorn, White Rose" takes traditional fairy-tales as its start point, & the authors therein basically pick up the ball and run with it!. The best tales in here are "tattercoats" by Midori Snyder, "Godson", by Roger Zelazny, and the excellent "Sweet Bruising Skin" by Storm Constantine.
Well worth a look.
"Black Thorn, White Rose" takes traditional fairy-tales as its start point, & the authors therein basically pick up the ball and run with it!. The best tales in here are "tattercoats" by Midori Snyder, "Godson", by Roger Zelazny, and the excellent "Sweet Bruising Skin" by Storm Constantine.
Well worth a look.
Of the three collections I read by these editors, this was the most disappointing. Some of the stories were so obtuse as to be unrecognizable to the fairy tale that inspired the story. One of the stories even needed a glossary - LAME! If your 10 page short story needs a glossary, we have a problem. This took me forever to read, and quite frankly, I'm glad it's over. I think I'm done with short stories for a while.
I bought a copy of this because I wanted to read Peter Straub's 'Ashputtle' (which was great), and as a result was unthinkingly expecting that the rest of these 'adult' fairy-tales would have a horror flavour too. They don't, and once I got past that expectation I really enjoyed the collection. Some authors made up worlds for their retellings, while others explored historical or modern real-world settings. A favourite was Howard Waldrop's 'The Sawing Boys', which has the Bremen Town Musicians tr...more
Oddly enough, in this collection of re-told fairy tales for grown ups, my favorite was probably Godson by Roger Zelany (it is odd because I've never enjoyed Zelany before). I recommend this anthology to anyone who enjoys fairy tales (especially those who want fairy tales with a bit more depth or exploration of the darker side of things).
Short story collections are rarely consistently good, and this book is no exception. Some of these are beautiful and disturbing--Words Like Pale Stones, Ashputtle, The Brown Bear of Norway, some are funny--Can't Catch Me, Godson. And some are dull--Tattercoats. Of course, Jane Yolen's contribution, Granny Rumple, is reliably good.
I would have given it three stars but I ended up skipping two of the stories. They just didn't grab me and I found my attention wandering every time I tried to read them. The majority of the stories in this collection were good, however.
A continuation of the series started by Snow White, Blood Red. Various authors and various levels of story satisfaction. Another nice Tom Canty cover.
My favorite stories were:
Words Like Pale Stones by Nancy Kress
Tattercoats by Midori Snyder
Sweet Bruising Skin by Storm Constantine
Words Like Pale Stones by Nancy Kress
Tattercoats by Midori Snyder
Sweet Bruising Skin by Storm Constantine
Better than most updated fairy tale collections, but with some awful pieces thrown in too. On the whole, though, lovely.
Brilliant! I loved most of these modern interpretations of fairy tales written for an adult audience.
I dunno. Objectively speaking this was probably very well-written and provocative. It just didn't do it for me. Part of the problem is that the editors' taste runs toward the creepy - and mine doesn't. Fans of the paranormal romances who want to broaden their reading might like it. It is a used MM pb, registered w/ bookcrossing, that I'm offering on swap.
Not as strong as the other books in the series, but it still had some fascinating stories.
Unfortunately, there is an error in my copy of this book. One page is missing, while another is duplicated in it's place. Even with the missing page, I still enjoyed this collection of short stories.
Some of my favorites were "Stronger Than Time", "The Brown Bear Of Norway", "Granny Rumple" and "Godson".
Some of my favorites were "Stronger Than Time", "The Brown Bear Of Norway", "Granny Rumple" and "Godson".
There were probably a few stories that I would have given 4 stars, especially the last one, The Black Swan, which really drew me in.
Overall a pretty mixed bag, not all of the stories impressed me, but it's nice to see all the different authors' styles of writing.
Overall a pretty mixed bag, not all of the stories impressed me, but it's nice to see all the different authors' styles of writing.
Feb 29, 2008
Eileen Phillips
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people who understand that you never outgrow fairy tales
Recommended to Eileen by:
Steph
Shelves:
sci-fi-fantasy
A great collection of retold fairy tales from all sorts of different sci-fi/fantasy authors. I love Jane Yolen the best, but that's nothing new. I read Briar Rose in high school and it was one of the most moving things I've ever read.
This is the second in the series of books that retell and reshape fairy tales, edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling. As with the other volumes, this book is excellent. The story by Midori Snyder definitely stood out for me...
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A collection of retold fairy tales by multiple authors. Something for everyone in this book. A great editing job by Datlow and Windling, a fantastic series of short story collections.
Love re-imaginings of fairy tales!!! My Favorite Stories:
Stronger then Time by Patricia C. Wrede
Tattercoats by Midori Snyder
Silver and Gold by Ellen Steiber
Stronger then Time by Patricia C. Wrede
Tattercoats by Midori Snyder
Silver and Gold by Ellen Steiber
Fairly decent. Almost as good as the first collection in this modern fairy tale series.
My favorite stories are "Tattercoats" and "Sweet Bruising Skin".
My favorite stories are "Tattercoats" and "Sweet Bruising Skin".
Nov 07, 2008
Debbie Lake
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Fans of fantasy and fairy tales
Shelves:
fantasy
What can I say? Datlow and Windling have done it again. Funny, terrifying, creepy and sad - there's a revisionist firy tale for every taste in this gem.
liked this anthology a lot more than the previous snow white, blood red. favorite story was the frog prince by daniel quinn
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Ellen Datlow has been an award-winning editor of short science fiction, fantasy, and horror for over twentyfive years.
She is editor of the Best Horror of the Year and has edited or co-edited a large number of award-winning original anthologies. Her most recent are Supernatural Noir, Naked City, Blood and Other Cravings, The Beastly Bride, Teeth, Trolls Eye View, and After (the last three with Ter...more
More about Ellen Datlow...
She is editor of the Best Horror of the Year and has edited or co-edited a large number of award-winning original anthologies. Her most recent are Supernatural Noir, Naked City, Blood and Other Cravings, The Beastly Bride, Teeth, Trolls Eye View, and After (the last three with Ter...more
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