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Fairy Tales anthology series
Snow White, Blood Red
Once upon a time, fairy tales
were for children . . . But no longer.
You hold in your hands a volume of wonders -- magical tales of trolls and ogres, of bewitched princesses and kingdoms accursed, penned by some of the most acclaimed fantasists of our day. But these are not bedtime stories designed to usher an innocent child gently into a realm of dreams. These are stories that bite -- lush and erotic, often dark and disturbing mystical journeys through a phantasmagoric landscape of distinctly adult sensibilities . . . where there is no such thing as "happily ever after."
413 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1993
385 people are currently reading
14179 people want to read
About the author
Ellen Datlow
274 books1,853 followersEllen Datlow has been editing science fiction, fantasy, and horror short fiction for forty years as fiction editor of OMNI Magazine and editor of Event Horizon and SCIFICTION. She currently acquires short stories and novellas for Tor.com. In addition, she has edited about one hundred science fiction, fantasy, and horror anthologies, including the annual The Best Horror of the Year series, The Doll Collection, Mad Hatters and March Hares, The Devil and the Deep: Horror Stories of the Sea, Echoes: The Saga Anthology of Ghost Stories, Edited By, and Final Cuts: New Tales of Hollywood Horror and Other Spectacles.
She's won multiple World Fantasy Awards, Locus Awards, Hugo Awards, Bram Stoker Awards, International Horror Guild Awards, Shirley Jackson Awards, and the 2012 Il Posto Nero Black Spot Award for Excellence as Best Foreign Editor. Datlow was named recipient of the 2007 Karl Edward Wagner Award, given at the British Fantasy Convention for "outstanding contribution to the genre," was honored with the Life Achievement Award by the Horror Writers Association, in acknowledgment of superior achievement over an entire career, and honored with the World Fantasy Life Achievement Award at the 2014 World Fantasy Convention.
She's won multiple World Fantasy Awards, Locus Awards, Hugo Awards, Bram Stoker Awards, International Horror Guild Awards, Shirley Jackson Awards, and the 2012 Il Posto Nero Black Spot Award for Excellence as Best Foreign Editor. Datlow was named recipient of the 2007 Karl Edward Wagner Award, given at the British Fantasy Convention for "outstanding contribution to the genre," was honored with the Life Achievement Award by the Horror Writers Association, in acknowledgment of superior achievement over an entire career, and honored with the World Fantasy Life Achievement Award at the 2014 World Fantasy Convention.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 317 reviews
January 27, 2009
Sigh...
Aside from a few surprising gems, like Neil Gaiman's thing about a troll, and something else that I forget... this book is disappointing. The trouble with "modern fairy tales" is people think that the only way to make a fairy tale "adult" or "dark" is by involving lots and lots of rape and molestation of little girls, and while I suppose that sort of thing works for a while, there's a point at which I have to say, "I'm sorry, your deep inner meaning was lost in the ICK." Get a damn imagination, people. Or stop having horrible erotic fantasies about Snow White and Rapunzel, whichever applies.
Aside from a few surprising gems, like Neil Gaiman's thing about a troll, and something else that I forget... this book is disappointing. The trouble with "modern fairy tales" is people think that the only way to make a fairy tale "adult" or "dark" is by involving lots and lots of rape and molestation of little girls, and while I suppose that sort of thing works for a while, there's a point at which I have to say, "I'm sorry, your deep inner meaning was lost in the ICK." Get a damn imagination, people. Or stop having horrible erotic fantasies about Snow White and Rapunzel, whichever applies.
October 20, 2016
A very adult collection of fairy tale re-tellings. From Little Red Riding Hood to Snow White, these are not stories that I'd share with my child or any impressionable young mind.
Fairy tales haven't always been exclusively for children as Terri Windling explains in the introduction: "..most fairy tales were never initially intended for nursery duty. They have been put there, as J.R.R. Tolkien so evocatively expressed it, like old furniture fallen out of fashion that grown-ups no longer want. And like furniture vanished to the children's playroom, the tales that have been banished from the mainstream of modern adult literature have suffered misuse as well as neglect." pg 2
But fairy tales are important because they touch on dreams, archetypes, and the psyche. However, these re-workings were far more bleak than I expected. "The fairy tale journey may look like an outward trek across plains and mountains, through castles and forests, but the actual movement is inward, into the lands of the soul." pg 10. And personally, I think that the soul is a rather light place.
The most disturbing of the bunch, in my mind was, Little Red by Wendy Wheeler, which told a tale of sexual relations between a mother/wolfish boyfriend/daughter. (A warning for any sensitive readers, triggers abound in these stories from rape to physical/sexual/emotional abuse towards adults as well as children.) "Before she climbed in, Helen looked in my face as though something in my smile disturbed her. "I've never noticed before what white teeth you have, Josef," she murmured. "So large and white." pg 140 The only saving grace for the darkness of these tales are that they're short and you're soon on to the next one.
My favorite was Puss by Esther M. Friesner: an excellent but nightmarish re-imaging of Puss-n-Boots. "Help! Help, ho!" My paws flailed the air; I brandished my plumed hat to make the coachmen see so small a creature as a cat before the horses trampled me. "Robbers, thieves, rascals and hounds! They have despoiled my good master, the Marquis of Carrabas!" pg 319
A close second was Troll Bridge by Neil Gaiman, based on The Three Billy Goats Gruff. His depiction of a troll was creepy but magical, that curious blend of two unrelated traits that Gaiman crafts so well. "Trolls can small the rainbows, trolls can smell the stars," it whispered, sadly. "Trolls can smell the dreams you dreamed before you were ever born. Come close to me and I'll eat your life." pg 286
Recommended for ages 18+ and the brave at heart. Some read-alikes, if you dare: The Book of Ballads by Charles Vess, Alice by Christina Henry or The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins.
Fairy tales haven't always been exclusively for children as Terri Windling explains in the introduction: "..most fairy tales were never initially intended for nursery duty. They have been put there, as J.R.R. Tolkien so evocatively expressed it, like old furniture fallen out of fashion that grown-ups no longer want. And like furniture vanished to the children's playroom, the tales that have been banished from the mainstream of modern adult literature have suffered misuse as well as neglect." pg 2
But fairy tales are important because they touch on dreams, archetypes, and the psyche. However, these re-workings were far more bleak than I expected. "The fairy tale journey may look like an outward trek across plains and mountains, through castles and forests, but the actual movement is inward, into the lands of the soul." pg 10. And personally, I think that the soul is a rather light place.
The most disturbing of the bunch, in my mind was, Little Red by Wendy Wheeler, which told a tale of sexual relations between a mother/wolfish boyfriend/daughter. (A warning for any sensitive readers, triggers abound in these stories from rape to physical/sexual/emotional abuse towards adults as well as children.) "Before she climbed in, Helen looked in my face as though something in my smile disturbed her. "I've never noticed before what white teeth you have, Josef," she murmured. "So large and white." pg 140 The only saving grace for the darkness of these tales are that they're short and you're soon on to the next one.
My favorite was Puss by Esther M. Friesner: an excellent but nightmarish re-imaging of Puss-n-Boots. "Help! Help, ho!" My paws flailed the air; I brandished my plumed hat to make the coachmen see so small a creature as a cat before the horses trampled me. "Robbers, thieves, rascals and hounds! They have despoiled my good master, the Marquis of Carrabas!" pg 319
A close second was Troll Bridge by Neil Gaiman, based on The Three Billy Goats Gruff. His depiction of a troll was creepy but magical, that curious blend of two unrelated traits that Gaiman crafts so well. "Trolls can small the rainbows, trolls can smell the stars," it whispered, sadly. "Trolls can smell the dreams you dreamed before you were ever born. Come close to me and I'll eat your life." pg 286
Recommended for ages 18+ and the brave at heart. Some read-alikes, if you dare: The Book of Ballads by Charles Vess, Alice by Christina Henry or The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins.
February 8, 2016
[M]ost fairy tales were never initially intended for nursery duty. They have been put there, as J. R. R. Tolkien so evocatively expressed it, like old furniture fallen out of fashion that the grown-ups no longer want. And like furniture banished to the children’s playroom, the tales that have been banished from the mainstream of modern adult literature have suffered misuse as well as neglect.
- Terri Windling
Many adults dismiss fairy tales as being too childish, too sweet and innocent, but fairy tales are far from that. The ones that touch us most deeply are often blunt about the darker side of human nature, filled with violence and atrocities…
- Ellen Datlow
For me, the above paragraph represents the quintessence of fairy tales: the purity of white versus the feral beauty of red, and blackness that hides just beneath. Because fairy tales are not the “sanitized” stories which we have read in comic books and children’s collections; they are far removed from the bowdlerised fantasies presented by Disney. Fairy tales are primal: they are frightening: they talk of taboo subjects like childhood sexuality, cannibalism, mutilation and the link between pain and pleasure. Blood features in them as prominently as snow – because fairy tales are not meant for children, but adults.
My first experience with the serious analysis of fairy tales was Bruno Bettelheim’s The Uses of Enchantment; I considered that the definitive work in the field. Now, however, I am better informed. There are a lot of dissenting views from that of Bettelheim (see the SurLaLune website for one example). Ellen Datlow, one of the editors of the book under discussion, says (in disagreement to Bettelheim’s specifications as to what a fairy tale ought to be): “We ought not underrate the subtlety of fairy tales, for their power emerges from the lack of a single, unique ‘meaning’ in each tale. Every listener finds within it something different and personal. Perhaps we must let fairy tales define themselves through the infinite variety of commonalities among them.”
It is to Bettelheim’s contention that a fairy tale must necessarily end happily that Datlow makes the above reply. She confesses herself to be an admirer of the disturbing and distressing aspects of fairy tales. Terri Windling is also of the opinion that fairy tales cannot be limited to saccharine tales for kids: “One significant result of the bowdlerization of the old stories is that the term fairy tale, like the word myth, can be used, in modern parlance, to mean a lie or an untruth. A proper fairy tale is anything but an untruth; it goes to the very heart of truth. It goes to the very hearts of men and women and speaks of the things it finds there: fear, courage, greed, compassion, loyalty, betrayal, despair, and wonder. It speaks of these things in a symbolic language that slips into our dreams, our unconscious, steeped in rich archetypal images. The deceptively simple language of fairy tales is a poetry distilled from the words of centuries of storytellers, timeworn, polished, honed by each successive generation discovering the tales anew.”
This collection is yet another instance of that new discovery. Windling and Datlow have collected tales from a fair cross-section of today’s foremost fantasy authors – most of them retelling old favourites in new light. It is a testament to the strength and endurance of these stories that one can still discover new angles. You will come across many old favourites such as Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel as you travel through these pages: also many of the lesser known characters will make their appearance. However, whatever be the story, there is always the lofty white sky of fantasy above and the blood red earth of horror below; and the guilty pleasure of sex in the hidden crannies and crevices. As the editors say:
***
As with any collection of stories, this one too, is a mixed bag. I found some really excellent ones here, along with some indifferent fare: to be fair, none of the offerings are very bad. The authors have been faithful to the cause – these are indeed fairy tale retellings (except for the first story – “Like a Red, Red Rose” by Susan Wade – which is a sort of “meta-fairy-tale” combining many motifs). The emphasis is on an alternate point of view, or a subtle (or not-so-subtle, as in the case of “Little Poucet” by Steve Rasnic Tem) enhancement of dark sexuality or horror (“I Shall Do Thee Mischief in the Wood” by Kathe Koja). The editors provide a brief introduction to each story which allows the reader to understand which fairy tale is being retold. This helps a lot with the less familiar ones, as Charles de Lint’s retelling of The Dead Moon (the story “The Moon is Drowning While I Sleep”).
To enumerate a few: there are two retellings of Rapunzel, one in tragic vein and one in comic; two of Little Red Riding Hood, one highlighting the traditional sexual angle of the story and the other, the horrific but with a twist. There is the Frog Prince on a psychiatrist’s couch and Thumbelina. There are Andersen’s Wild Swans on a baseball field, a vampiric Puss-in-Boots (“Puss” by Esther M. Freisner, where the hero of the original story is turned into a despicable villain), a licentious Jack (of the Beanstalk fame) and the Snow Queen.
The stories which stood from the rest (for me) were:
“Troll Bridge” by Neil Gaiman: A retelling of the “Three Billie Goats Gruff”, the tale is given a twist in the way only Gaiman can do it. It is a fantasy, and at the same time a statement of the human condition.
“Snow-Drop” by Tanith Lee: Here, in a futuristic SF-fantasy setting, the grim story of death and sex between the evil queen and the innocent girl is played out. However, the queen is not so evil, and the girl is not so innocent. This new take on Snow White fascinated me.
“Like Angels Singing” by Leonard Rysdyk: The POV (Point of View) is the thing. This story is a striking example of how a turning of the camera changes the movie. Very powerful.
“The Changelings” by Melanie Tem: The myth of the changeling is ever present in Europe, where fairies steal away one’s human child and put one of their own in its place. This legend has always creeped me out, and so does this story.
However, if I am asked to award the crown for the best story in the collection, it will go to the last one: “Breadcrumbs and Stones” by Lisa Goldstein. This is not a fantasy, but the brutal reality of one of the darkest periods of human history – the Nazi regime. It is the story of a survivor, and her terrible loss: what Hansel and Gretel could have been without the magical elements. This story left me with a lump in my throat, and I understood how Bruno Bettelheim could survive a concentration camp on the strength of fairy tales. The last paragraph of the story captures it all:
Yes, we do need those breadcrumbs, so that we are never lost in the woods.
- Terri Windling
Many adults dismiss fairy tales as being too childish, too sweet and innocent, but fairy tales are far from that. The ones that touch us most deeply are often blunt about the darker side of human nature, filled with violence and atrocities…
- Ellen Datlow
IT WAS the middle of winter, and the snow-flakes were falling like feathers from the sky, and a Queen sat at her window working, and her embroidery-frame was of ebony. And as she worked, gazing at times out on the snow, she pricked her finger, and there fell from it three drops of blood on the snow. And when she saw how bright and red it looked, she said to herself, “Oh that I had a child as white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as the wood of the embroidery frame!” Not very long after she had a daughter, with a skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood, and hair as black as ebony, and she was named Snow-white. And when she was born the Queen died.
“Snow White and the Seven Dwarves”, collected by the Brothers Grimm
For me, the above paragraph represents the quintessence of fairy tales: the purity of white versus the feral beauty of red, and blackness that hides just beneath. Because fairy tales are not the “sanitized” stories which we have read in comic books and children’s collections; they are far removed from the bowdlerised fantasies presented by Disney. Fairy tales are primal: they are frightening: they talk of taboo subjects like childhood sexuality, cannibalism, mutilation and the link between pain and pleasure. Blood features in them as prominently as snow – because fairy tales are not meant for children, but adults.
My first experience with the serious analysis of fairy tales was Bruno Bettelheim’s The Uses of Enchantment; I considered that the definitive work in the field. Now, however, I am better informed. There are a lot of dissenting views from that of Bettelheim (see the SurLaLune website for one example). Ellen Datlow, one of the editors of the book under discussion, says (in disagreement to Bettelheim’s specifications as to what a fairy tale ought to be): “We ought not underrate the subtlety of fairy tales, for their power emerges from the lack of a single, unique ‘meaning’ in each tale. Every listener finds within it something different and personal. Perhaps we must let fairy tales define themselves through the infinite variety of commonalities among them.”
It is to Bettelheim’s contention that a fairy tale must necessarily end happily that Datlow makes the above reply. She confesses herself to be an admirer of the disturbing and distressing aspects of fairy tales. Terri Windling is also of the opinion that fairy tales cannot be limited to saccharine tales for kids: “One significant result of the bowdlerization of the old stories is that the term fairy tale, like the word myth, can be used, in modern parlance, to mean a lie or an untruth. A proper fairy tale is anything but an untruth; it goes to the very heart of truth. It goes to the very hearts of men and women and speaks of the things it finds there: fear, courage, greed, compassion, loyalty, betrayal, despair, and wonder. It speaks of these things in a symbolic language that slips into our dreams, our unconscious, steeped in rich archetypal images. The deceptively simple language of fairy tales is a poetry distilled from the words of centuries of storytellers, timeworn, polished, honed by each successive generation discovering the tales anew.”
This collection is yet another instance of that new discovery. Windling and Datlow have collected tales from a fair cross-section of today’s foremost fantasy authors – most of them retelling old favourites in new light. It is a testament to the strength and endurance of these stories that one can still discover new angles. You will come across many old favourites such as Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel as you travel through these pages: also many of the lesser known characters will make their appearance. However, whatever be the story, there is always the lofty white sky of fantasy above and the blood red earth of horror below; and the guilty pleasure of sex in the hidden crannies and crevices. As the editors say:
It is this interplay of light and shadow that we have sought to explore in creating this collection of stories, combining the Snow White of “high” fantasy fiction with the Blood Red of horror fiction. Some of the stories contained herein fall easily into one or another of these camps; others choose instead to tread the mysterious, enchanted path between the two—both bright and dark, wondrous and disturbing, newly fashioned and old as Time.
***
As with any collection of stories, this one too, is a mixed bag. I found some really excellent ones here, along with some indifferent fare: to be fair, none of the offerings are very bad. The authors have been faithful to the cause – these are indeed fairy tale retellings (except for the first story – “Like a Red, Red Rose” by Susan Wade – which is a sort of “meta-fairy-tale” combining many motifs). The emphasis is on an alternate point of view, or a subtle (or not-so-subtle, as in the case of “Little Poucet” by Steve Rasnic Tem) enhancement of dark sexuality or horror (“I Shall Do Thee Mischief in the Wood” by Kathe Koja). The editors provide a brief introduction to each story which allows the reader to understand which fairy tale is being retold. This helps a lot with the less familiar ones, as Charles de Lint’s retelling of The Dead Moon (the story “The Moon is Drowning While I Sleep”).
To enumerate a few: there are two retellings of Rapunzel, one in tragic vein and one in comic; two of Little Red Riding Hood, one highlighting the traditional sexual angle of the story and the other, the horrific but with a twist. There is the Frog Prince on a psychiatrist’s couch and Thumbelina. There are Andersen’s Wild Swans on a baseball field, a vampiric Puss-in-Boots (“Puss” by Esther M. Freisner, where the hero of the original story is turned into a despicable villain), a licentious Jack (of the Beanstalk fame) and the Snow Queen.
The stories which stood from the rest (for me) were:
“Troll Bridge” by Neil Gaiman: A retelling of the “Three Billie Goats Gruff”, the tale is given a twist in the way only Gaiman can do it. It is a fantasy, and at the same time a statement of the human condition.
“Snow-Drop” by Tanith Lee: Here, in a futuristic SF-fantasy setting, the grim story of death and sex between the evil queen and the innocent girl is played out. However, the queen is not so evil, and the girl is not so innocent. This new take on Snow White fascinated me.
“Like Angels Singing” by Leonard Rysdyk: The POV (Point of View) is the thing. This story is a striking example of how a turning of the camera changes the movie. Very powerful.
“The Changelings” by Melanie Tem: The myth of the changeling is ever present in Europe, where fairies steal away one’s human child and put one of their own in its place. This legend has always creeped me out, and so does this story.
However, if I am asked to award the crown for the best story in the collection, it will go to the last one: “Breadcrumbs and Stones” by Lisa Goldstein. This is not a fantasy, but the brutal reality of one of the darkest periods of human history – the Nazi regime. It is the story of a survivor, and her terrible loss: what Hansel and Gretel could have been without the magical elements. This story left me with a lump in my throat, and I understood how Bruno Bettelheim could survive a concentration camp on the strength of fairy tales. The last paragraph of the story captures it all:
It seemed to me that all my life my mother had given me the wrong story, her made-up tales instead of Hansel and Gretel, had given me breadcrumbs instead of stones. That she had done this on purpose, told me the gaudiest, most wonder-filled lies she knew, so that I would not ask for anything more and stumble on her secret. It was too late now—I would have to find my own way back. But the path did not look at all familiar.
Yes, we do need those breadcrumbs, so that we are never lost in the woods.
September 12, 2007
These are retellings of classic Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson fairy tales that we're all familiar with with adult twists and turns put on them, some of them reworked in a modern setting, some not. Some of them are horror stories, some of them are suspense thrillers, all of them are at least mildly creepy. I enjoyed all of them, if only for seeing how all the tales I grew up with were subverted and twisted around. I also enjoyed learning that these tales are probably closer to the original way that they were told, before parents and the Grimms and Anderson cleaned them up for children. (And of course before Disney whitewashed all of them.) Some of them are really entertaining. Recommended for those who enjoy having their innocence somewhat corrupted. ... or just want to sock one to Walt Disney.
Read
August 26, 2016
Average rating: 3.05 stars
December 27, 2022
I always feel very tepid about short stories. So why do I keep reading them from time to time? I don't know, maybe I'll find an amazing one some day!
Well, this book did not shatter my world, but it did contain the best Puss in Boots retelling I've ever read: "Puss," by Esther M. Freisner. Context: I absolutely loathe Puss in Boots. I think it's so dumb. But this retelling was so great, involving pacts and demons and surprising emotional depth. 5 stars for that, 2 for all the rest.
Well, this book did not shatter my world, but it did contain the best Puss in Boots retelling I've ever read: "Puss," by Esther M. Freisner. Context: I absolutely loathe Puss in Boots. I think it's so dumb. But this retelling was so great, involving pacts and demons and surprising emotional depth. 5 stars for that, 2 for all the rest.
August 16, 2007
It has been a long time since I sat down and read this book, and so I can barely remember a lot of my impressions and thoughts about it. However, it retains a place in my book case for several reasons.
The first reason why it will never leave my bookcase is because it contains a story called A Sound, Like Angels Singing. This story, written by an author who I had not heard of at the time (Leonard Rysdyk), is pure genius. It is visceral, haunting, and touching -- and outshines every story in this collection.
Other stories in here still recall a fond smile. The Moon Is Drowning While I Sleep by Charles de Lint is one of those. Certainly I can't forget Tanith Lee's chilling Snow Drop. Troll Bridge by Neil Gaiman is definitely worth a read. And I still will remember bits of The Snow Queen by Patricia A. McKillip.
But one of the other reasons why this book will never leave my bookshelf is because Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling have done such a fine job of editing it. Each of their introductions is compelling and fascinating to read. They have included concise and interesting biographies of each of the contributing authors. And they have placed the stories together in a way that truly makes this collection a vibrant family of stories.
The first reason why it will never leave my bookcase is because it contains a story called A Sound, Like Angels Singing. This story, written by an author who I had not heard of at the time (Leonard Rysdyk), is pure genius. It is visceral, haunting, and touching -- and outshines every story in this collection.
Other stories in here still recall a fond smile. The Moon Is Drowning While I Sleep by Charles de Lint is one of those. Certainly I can't forget Tanith Lee's chilling Snow Drop. Troll Bridge by Neil Gaiman is definitely worth a read. And I still will remember bits of The Snow Queen by Patricia A. McKillip.
But one of the other reasons why this book will never leave my bookshelf is because Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling have done such a fine job of editing it. Each of their introductions is compelling and fascinating to read. They have included concise and interesting biographies of each of the contributing authors. And they have placed the stories together in a way that truly makes this collection a vibrant family of stories.
April 18, 2017
Very disappointing first installment, and that was a big negative surprise. In hindsight, it's turned out to be for the better that I got into these fairy tale anthologies picking the books out of order, because had I started with this, the sheer mediocrity of the stories would've probably thrown me off of reading further volumes, and it'd have been a great loss, for there's dozens of amazing stories in this collection's books.
As positives: the short story "I Shall Do Thee Mischief in the Wood" by Kathe Koja, a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, with a Red that's very unusual and a "Wolf" figure that's more roguish than sinister, that was extremely good and enjoyable in my opinion. That was about the only short story I liked, and needless to say, my favourite also. And then, there's "Breadcrumbs and Stones" by Lisa Goldtein, a Hansel and Gretel reimagining in a Holocaust setting, the same premise as Louise Murphy's The True Story of Hansel and Gretel, but different in plot and characterisation. Not that much to my taste, but one has to respect the author's creativity.
As positives: the short story "I Shall Do Thee Mischief in the Wood" by Kathe Koja, a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, with a Red that's very unusual and a "Wolf" figure that's more roguish than sinister, that was extremely good and enjoyable in my opinion. That was about the only short story I liked, and needless to say, my favourite also. And then, there's "Breadcrumbs and Stones" by Lisa Goldtein, a Hansel and Gretel reimagining in a Holocaust setting, the same premise as Louise Murphy's The True Story of Hansel and Gretel, but different in plot and characterisation. Not that much to my taste, but one has to respect the author's creativity.
March 13, 2019
These are mostly a little too nonconsensual for my taste. Too much stuff in here made me feel really icky, and not in a good, scary horror way. In a "this is practically child porn" kinda way. Not good. Skip it and read a different Datlow collection. The extra star is for the other stories, the ones that were very good and should've been put in a better collection.
August 10, 2012
Of the various fairy tale anthologies in this series that I've read, it is certainly the darkest and most unsettling. I really enjoyed Charles de Lint's story, The Moon Is Drowning While I Sleep, and I liked Patrica McKillip's The Snow Queen, but other than that, I thought that a large number of the stories were too dark for my taste.
Trigger warnings: Little Red contains implied seduction of a minor by a "wolf." In I Shall Do Thee Mischief in the Wood, it is implied that the narrator is intending to rape a woman. The Root of the Matter contains sexual child molestation. I'm not sure how to categorize it, but I found Little Poucet too disturbing for my taste. Puss contains forced sex. The Glass Casket contains rape.
If you like fairy tales for adults, I would recommend the other anthologies in the collection, unless you have a much stronger stomach than I do.
Trigger warnings: Little Red contains implied seduction of a minor by a "wolf." In I Shall Do Thee Mischief in the Wood, it is implied that the narrator is intending to rape a woman. The Root of the Matter contains sexual child molestation. I'm not sure how to categorize it, but I found Little Poucet too disturbing for my taste. Puss contains forced sex. The Glass Casket contains rape.
If you like fairy tales for adults, I would recommend the other anthologies in the collection, unless you have a much stronger stomach than I do.
February 29, 2016
A terrific collection of fairy tales told and retold in the fashion of the originals. Violent with adult themes of angst and sexuality. This is Snow White before Disney diluted the tales. A fun and exciting read.
February 18, 2016
I was really looking forward to this book. I actually recognized a few of the authors (not something that happens much for me), one of which happened to be Neil Gaiman.
Seeing this book went something like this:
Yea, that's basically how it went down in the store. Maybe a bit more fangirling and squealing, and clutching of the book. Maybe. I won't admit to it though.
I love retellings. My favorites usually are of Peter Pan (The Child Thief) and Alice in Wonderland (my most recent favorite being Alice), but a general fairy tail re-imagined is always going to peak my interest.
In the introduction White as Snow: Fairy Tails and Fantasy, Terri Windling explains that the stories we know as children were far from those lovely Disney tails. They are much darker and oh so disturbing.
If you've never read the original versions, go look them up. You'll be surprised how much dear old Walt left out when he made those cartoons we watched growing up.
Some of the stories didn't really do much for me, but reading this book is worth finding the real gems. At the beginning of each story, there's a small sentence or two so you know which tale is being retold, which I found helpful since there were some in here I had never heard of, like Little Poucet.
The Moon is Drowning While I Sleep, Troll Bridge, A Sound, Like Angels Singing, Snow-Drop, I Shall Do Thee Mischief in the Wood were some of my favorite ones.
Also Little Red, but I would proceed on that one with caution. I can see many people who might dislike this because of the subject matter, but if you go into it knowing that it gets as close to the original telling as possible while still being something new, you might enjoy it.
There were a few duds, The Frog Prince probably being my least favorite out of all of them (it was just, odd, would be the best way to put it. I can't place what I didn't like about it), but it's still worth reading just to hear the different ways authors interpreted classic tails.
I wouldn't say this book is for everyone, but if you enjoy adult fairy tales, you'd like this one.
Seeing this book went something like this:
Wow, what a neat cover. Oh, fairy tale retellings? That sounds like it would be something I'd real- OMFG NEIL GAIMAN MUST BUY NOW
Yea, that's basically how it went down in the store. Maybe a bit more fangirling and squealing, and clutching of the book. Maybe. I won't admit to it though.
I love retellings. My favorites usually are of Peter Pan (The Child Thief) and Alice in Wonderland (my most recent favorite being Alice), but a general fairy tail re-imagined is always going to peak my interest.
In the introduction White as Snow: Fairy Tails and Fantasy, Terri Windling explains that the stories we know as children were far from those lovely Disney tails. They are much darker and oh so disturbing.
In an early French version of "Little Red Riding Hood," the wolf disguised as Grandmother tells the little girl to undress herself and come lie beside him. Her clothes must be put in the fire because, he says, she will need them no more.
If you've never read the original versions, go look them up. You'll be surprised how much dear old Walt left out when he made those cartoons we watched growing up.
Some of the stories didn't really do much for me, but reading this book is worth finding the real gems. At the beginning of each story, there's a small sentence or two so you know which tale is being retold, which I found helpful since there were some in here I had never heard of, like Little Poucet.
The Moon is Drowning While I Sleep, Troll Bridge, A Sound, Like Angels Singing, Snow-Drop, I Shall Do Thee Mischief in the Wood were some of my favorite ones.
Also Little Red, but I would proceed on that one with caution. I can see many people who might dislike this because of the subject matter, but if you go into it knowing that it gets as close to the original telling as possible while still being something new, you might enjoy it.
There were a few duds, The Frog Prince probably being my least favorite out of all of them (it was just, odd, would be the best way to put it. I can't place what I didn't like about it), but it's still worth reading just to hear the different ways authors interpreted classic tails.
I wouldn't say this book is for everyone, but if you enjoy adult fairy tales, you'd like this one.
November 14, 2011
The original, or older, or simply "non-Disney" versions of most fairy tales are highly disturbing. It seems that half the authors in this collection took that as a challenge to make modern fairy tales five times as disturbing as the disturbing originals.
This does not mean the tales are bad. These are very good authors, with a highly developed sense of writing, of the magical, of imparting ideas without spelling out every minute detail, of leaving the audience with a good starting point for discussion. But the tales are often (not always) very difficult to read to to content. Consider that a disclaimer, or the rated "R" rating for content.
As with all collections of short stories, it is impossible to judge the whole by the parts. Here are my favorites:
Troll Bridge by Neil Gaiman
The Princess in the Tower by Elizabeth A. Lynn
The Moon is Drowning While I Sleep by Charles DeLint
I Shall do Thee Mischief in the Wood by Kathy Koja
Like a Red, Red Rose by Susan Wade
The Snow Queen by Patricia McKillip
As a side note, I wonder if Breadcrumbs and Stones by Lisa Goldstein was the inspiration for The True Story of Hansel and Gretel , which was published about a decade later. If you read both you will see what I am talking about.
This does not mean the tales are bad. These are very good authors, with a highly developed sense of writing, of the magical, of imparting ideas without spelling out every minute detail, of leaving the audience with a good starting point for discussion. But the tales are often (not always) very difficult to read to to content. Consider that a disclaimer, or the rated "R" rating for content.
As with all collections of short stories, it is impossible to judge the whole by the parts. Here are my favorites:
Troll Bridge by Neil Gaiman
The Princess in the Tower by Elizabeth A. Lynn
The Moon is Drowning While I Sleep by Charles DeLint
I Shall do Thee Mischief in the Wood by Kathy Koja
Like a Red, Red Rose by Susan Wade
The Snow Queen by Patricia McKillip
As a side note, I wonder if Breadcrumbs and Stones by Lisa Goldstein was the inspiration for The True Story of Hansel and Gretel , which was published about a decade later. If you read both you will see what I am talking about.
September 3, 2016
This is a collection of fairy tales re-written for adults. It seems that when the authors, who are fabulous in their own right (i.e. Charles De Lint, Tanith Lee, Patricia McKillip), were asked to do work on this project they were just told to "make them for adults". This book reads like a contest to see how much sex, violence, and gore can be crammed into a beloved fairy tale. While one or two are engaging, most are filled with violence and sexual content. We cannot recommend this collection for anyone under the age of eighteen.
February 12, 2025
Five stars as an overall rating for the book.
First in a series of books complied with short stories and poems written by a host of writers that retell fairy tales or invoke fairy tales yet with more of the dark undertones.
There is romance and drama but also some sexual situations and violence but as we know, most fairy tales were sanitized.
Twenty stories in all and some are very detailed and full of purple prose while others are fairly simple.
"Like a Red, Red Rose" by Susan Wade is a sort of Rapunzel/Snow White sort of mash-up with a "witch" raising her daughter in the forest and the teenage girl is then discovered by a handsome young man. A tragic story of a cycle that will continue with a mother and child theme.
"The Moon Is Drowning While I Sleep" by Charles de Lint. A girl named Sophie relates to her friend Jilly her dreams where she believes she is the daughter of the moon...it is really confusing at some points.
"The Frog Prince" by Gahan Wilson. Basically, the Frog prince is in therapy because he keeps having dreams about the princess not kissing him because he always wakes up before then. He's still a frog but maybe...he just thinks he's a king's son under a spell?
"Stalking Beans" by Nancy Kress shows an older Jack who is a married man but climbs up a beanstalk and cheats on his poor wife with a woman whom I assume is the giant's normal sized wife.
"Snow-Drop" by Tanith Lee is a very weird and slightly disturbing version of Snow White. A woman is married to a widower where his first wife was a painter but they were unable to have children. She use to paint portraits of a girl with white skin and black hair meant to be her daughter, the new wife keeps taking them down.
Her husband goes off on business and she starts to see on the TV performances of a circus act with dwarves and a similar girl named Snow-Drop as an acrobat. The woman is obsessed to get rid of this phantom at all costs...
"Little Red" by Wendy Wheeler is of course, Red Riding Hood in modern day Chicago. The "Big Bad Wolf" is a man named Josef having an affair with a married woman named Helen. They have trysts in the home left to her by Helen's late mother and he begins to take an interest in Helen's fourteen year old daughter Regina as well. However, Little Red isn't as innocent as you would like to think...
"I Shall Do Thee Mischief In The Woods" by Kathe Koja is another Red Riding Hood Story. A story where you think you know who the real beast might be but looks can be deceiving...
"The Root of The Matter" by Gregory Frost is a Rapunzel tale where Mother Gothel starts life as a child with a monster for a father. She grows and grows envious of a couple in her modern day apartments about to have a fourth child...she barters for the child to raise as her own. Rapunzel grows up sheltered but soon meets a young man named Jon but Gothel is not happy...
"The Princess In The Tower" by Elizabeth A. Lynn is a completely different Rapunzel story. A young girl grows up in a tower somewhere in Italy and gets the attention of a young man named Fred while singing Beatles songs. Much more humorous than the latter story...
"Persimmon" by Harvey Jacobs has the other title of "After Thumbelina by Hans Christian Andersen. A woman named Essie plants a seed and the title character emerges from the growth, an adolescent woman. Persimmon is soon to be married to the son of an undertaker but is able to escape being the wife of the mentally-disturbed young man by a twist of fate...
"Little Poucet" by Steve Rasnic Tem is an adaptation of a Perrault fairy tale which seems to be a Tom Thumb/Hansel and Gretel mash-up with very disturbing aspects. No wonder I have never heard of this one until reading this book...
"The Changelings" by Melanie Tem. Self-Explanatory as woman finds that her child was replaced by one yet she comes across her biological child and plans to get her back. Not a very happy ending for this one...
"The Springfield Swans" by Carolyn Stevermer and Ryan Edmonds. Take the story of The Wild Swans and set it in the Midwest U.S.A. where a man and his wife have a daughter and enough sons to have their own baseball team. The mother dies and the father remarries but she isn't big on baseball so when he has a heart attack, all sports talk is nixed. The next time a word is spoken about baseball, it has a funny result...
"Troll Bridge" by Neil Gaiman. Oh boy how time changes from 1993 to now...
Separating the artist from the art, a young man crosses a bridge where a troll lurks and is able to keep from being eaten...for now. Once the boy is an older man, the relationship between himself and the troll have changed.
"A Sound Like Angels Singing" by Leonard Rysdyk. The revelation of the fairy tale origin is in the very last part of this story that I won't spoil because that is the best part.
"Puss" by Esther M. Friesner. A Puss In Boots retelling that goes to some very unusual places in the most disturbing of ways...
"The Glass Casket" by Jack Dann. A truly sad tale set during the Renaissance in Italy where a man hears a voice calling to him in the wind leading him to the forest and the discovery of the greatest treasure....
"Knives" by Jane Yolen. A short poem that takes a look at the darker implications of the tale of Cinderella.
"The Snow Queen" by Patricia A. McKillip. A more modern day retelling where Gerda and Kay are a married couple until Kay meets a woman in white at a friend's party. Gerda thinks her life is over but a thief helps her discover how to move on yet...love ends up conquering all.
The last story is "Breadcrumbs And Stones" by Lisa Goldstein. Take the story of Hansel And Gretel and fit it within a family where two sisters know their mother is close to dying in her old age. A walk in the woods has her not telling a fairy tale to her grown children but a haunting story set against World War II of her own past. A truly touching story and a great way to end the book.
Stories that reflect the pure and white snow and tales that pulse red as blood...chances are you will find one that you can enjoy.
First in a series of books complied with short stories and poems written by a host of writers that retell fairy tales or invoke fairy tales yet with more of the dark undertones.
There is romance and drama but also some sexual situations and violence but as we know, most fairy tales were sanitized.
Twenty stories in all and some are very detailed and full of purple prose while others are fairly simple.
"Like a Red, Red Rose" by Susan Wade is a sort of Rapunzel/Snow White sort of mash-up with a "witch" raising her daughter in the forest and the teenage girl is then discovered by a handsome young man. A tragic story of a cycle that will continue with a mother and child theme.
"The Moon Is Drowning While I Sleep" by Charles de Lint. A girl named Sophie relates to her friend Jilly her dreams where she believes she is the daughter of the moon...it is really confusing at some points.
"The Frog Prince" by Gahan Wilson. Basically, the Frog prince is in therapy because he keeps having dreams about the princess not kissing him because he always wakes up before then. He's still a frog but maybe...he just thinks he's a king's son under a spell?
"Stalking Beans" by Nancy Kress shows an older Jack who is a married man but climbs up a beanstalk and cheats on his poor wife with a woman whom I assume is the giant's normal sized wife.
"Snow-Drop" by Tanith Lee is a very weird and slightly disturbing version of Snow White. A woman is married to a widower where his first wife was a painter but they were unable to have children. She use to paint portraits of a girl with white skin and black hair meant to be her daughter, the new wife keeps taking them down.
Her husband goes off on business and she starts to see on the TV performances of a circus act with dwarves and a similar girl named Snow-Drop as an acrobat. The woman is obsessed to get rid of this phantom at all costs...
"Little Red" by Wendy Wheeler is of course, Red Riding Hood in modern day Chicago. The "Big Bad Wolf" is a man named Josef having an affair with a married woman named Helen. They have trysts in the home left to her by Helen's late mother and he begins to take an interest in Helen's fourteen year old daughter Regina as well. However, Little Red isn't as innocent as you would like to think...
"I Shall Do Thee Mischief In The Woods" by Kathe Koja is another Red Riding Hood Story. A story where you think you know who the real beast might be but looks can be deceiving...
"The Root of The Matter" by Gregory Frost is a Rapunzel tale where Mother Gothel starts life as a child with a monster for a father. She grows and grows envious of a couple in her modern day apartments about to have a fourth child...she barters for the child to raise as her own. Rapunzel grows up sheltered but soon meets a young man named Jon but Gothel is not happy...
"The Princess In The Tower" by Elizabeth A. Lynn is a completely different Rapunzel story. A young girl grows up in a tower somewhere in Italy and gets the attention of a young man named Fred while singing Beatles songs. Much more humorous than the latter story...
"Persimmon" by Harvey Jacobs has the other title of "After Thumbelina by Hans Christian Andersen. A woman named Essie plants a seed and the title character emerges from the growth, an adolescent woman. Persimmon is soon to be married to the son of an undertaker but is able to escape being the wife of the mentally-disturbed young man by a twist of fate...
"Little Poucet" by Steve Rasnic Tem is an adaptation of a Perrault fairy tale which seems to be a Tom Thumb/Hansel and Gretel mash-up with very disturbing aspects. No wonder I have never heard of this one until reading this book...
"The Changelings" by Melanie Tem. Self-Explanatory as woman finds that her child was replaced by one yet she comes across her biological child and plans to get her back. Not a very happy ending for this one...
"The Springfield Swans" by Carolyn Stevermer and Ryan Edmonds. Take the story of The Wild Swans and set it in the Midwest U.S.A. where a man and his wife have a daughter and enough sons to have their own baseball team. The mother dies and the father remarries but she isn't big on baseball so when he has a heart attack, all sports talk is nixed. The next time a word is spoken about baseball, it has a funny result...
"Troll Bridge" by Neil Gaiman. Oh boy how time changes from 1993 to now...
Separating the artist from the art, a young man crosses a bridge where a troll lurks and is able to keep from being eaten...for now. Once the boy is an older man, the relationship between himself and the troll have changed.
"A Sound Like Angels Singing" by Leonard Rysdyk. The revelation of the fairy tale origin is in the very last part of this story that I won't spoil because that is the best part.
"Puss" by Esther M. Friesner. A Puss In Boots retelling that goes to some very unusual places in the most disturbing of ways...
"The Glass Casket" by Jack Dann. A truly sad tale set during the Renaissance in Italy where a man hears a voice calling to him in the wind leading him to the forest and the discovery of the greatest treasure....
"Knives" by Jane Yolen. A short poem that takes a look at the darker implications of the tale of Cinderella.
"The Snow Queen" by Patricia A. McKillip. A more modern day retelling where Gerda and Kay are a married couple until Kay meets a woman in white at a friend's party. Gerda thinks her life is over but a thief helps her discover how to move on yet...love ends up conquering all.
The last story is "Breadcrumbs And Stones" by Lisa Goldstein. Take the story of Hansel And Gretel and fit it within a family where two sisters know their mother is close to dying in her old age. A walk in the woods has her not telling a fairy tale to her grown children but a haunting story set against World War II of her own past. A truly touching story and a great way to end the book.
Stories that reflect the pure and white snow and tales that pulse red as blood...chances are you will find one that you can enjoy.
March 28, 2021
I enjoyed a few of the stories in this anthology, though not quite as much as those later in the series. There's so much variety in "Snow White, Blood Red", though - the retold fairytales range from Scandinavian tales of changelings to The Frog Prince. I would have liked to see more fairytales from a wider variety of cultures, but I feel like this book is a product of its time (published 1993) and Datlow and Windling would no doubt make very different decisions if they were editing this series today.
My personal favourites were:
- "The Moon is Drowning While I Sleep" by Charles de Lint.
- "The Frog Prince" by Gahan Wilson.
- "The Root of the Matter" by Gregory Frost.
- "Troll Bridge" by Neil Gaiman.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Charles de Lint's offering, as I don't usually gravitate towards urban fantasy. It's definitely made me want to explore his work more, as well as Terri Windling's Bordertown series.
My personal favourites were:
- "The Moon is Drowning While I Sleep" by Charles de Lint.
- "The Frog Prince" by Gahan Wilson.
- "The Root of the Matter" by Gregory Frost.
- "Troll Bridge" by Neil Gaiman.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Charles de Lint's offering, as I don't usually gravitate towards urban fantasy. It's definitely made me want to explore his work more, as well as Terri Windling's Bordertown series.
March 8, 2013
This was a book I really wanted to like because I love fairy tales and this book came very highly recommended to me.
But unfortunately, while there are some real gems and worthwhile stories in here there are also a lot of only okay pieces and some I plainly disliked. Either way it scored an overall solid 3/5 and the I would recommend you read this book based only on the real standouts, which shouldn't be missed.
Like A Red, Red Rose by Susan Wade.Unique new fairy tale about a witch's daughter Blanche. The rose in her mother's garden remains white as her innocence until she falls in love and they change color; she goes against her mother's wishes and tragedy ensues. Has the feel of an older fairy tale, could fit in perfectly with the classics. 3/5
The Moon Is Drowning While I Sleep by Charles de Lint. Love CDL. This is a Newford story about dreams and what could be real. Sophie dreams the moon is a woman being drowned by evil creatures and she has to save her. A lot of meaning hidden in the words, as per CDL's usual, and an appearance by Jilly Coppercorn. 5/5
The Frog Prince by Gahan Wilson. Awful. Weird guy talks to a psychiatrist because he dreams/hallucinates/wants to be (?) the frog prince. 1/5.
Stalking Greens by Nancy Kress. Adult retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk. The plot and the characterization was okay. When I went back to write the review I didn't remember what this story was about until I reread a couple of paragraphs and jogged my memory. Not bad just not good enough to be memorable. 2/5.
Snow-Drop by Tanith Lee. Creepy and interesting. Modern retelling of Snow White from the 'Queen's' perspective as a modern woman with a dysfunctional marriage and a jealous obsession with a girl. 3/5
Little Red by Wendy Wheeler. Red Riding Hood modern retelling from the wolf's perspective. He seduces Helen, a woman he likes for her fragility and later fixates on her beautiful daughter who's not quite the innocent girl from the fairy-tale. I loved his character, very entertaining. 4/5.
I Shall Do Thee Mischief In the Woods by Kathe Koja. Another Red Riding Hood from the wolf. Not really my thing I didn't like the idea of the 'wolf' taking advantage of someone with the implication of a mental disorder. 1/5
The Root of the Matter by Gregory Frost. Rapunzel retelling. Not bad and fairly consistent with the original story. I thought the writing a bit lacking if only because it was hard to get through and nothing really stood out. 2/5
The Princess In the Tower by Elizabeth A. Lynn. Loved it. Kind of based on Rapunzel with an Italian girl who just doesn't really want to eat and how it mortifies her very pleasantly plump and very Italian family. Eventually she meets a boy, they share a pizza and love happens. Witty and entertaining. 4/5
Persimmon by Harvey Jacobs. Too 'adult' for me and I found it unsettling. Retelling of Thumbelina. Apart from the ending which was kind of cool I didn't really like anything about the story. 2/5.
Little Poucett by Steve Rasnic Tem. Tom Thumb retelling. I enjoyed this, not spectacular but Poucet was a very endearing character and I do love a hero who uses his brains to get himself out of trouble. 3/5
The Changelings by Melanie Tem. I wanted to like this more because I love 'faery/changeling' type stories a lot but this was very bland for me. A woman convinced her child is a changeling and she hates her. Twist ending but I never invested in the story. 1/5
The Springfield Swans by Caroline Stevermer and Ryan Edmonds. The Wild Swans retelling with baseball. Absolutely loved it. Told in drawling Southern manner the scene is set so perfectly without it ever having to be described and language was wonderful. My favorite in the collection. 5/5.
Troll Bridge by Neil Gaiman. Based on The Three Billy Goats Gruff. A boy who meets the troll and offers up his life when it gets better, always asks for more time. Finally as an old man he returns and surrenders himself to the troll. I was never a fan of this fairy tale but Neil Gaiman really pulls it off. 3/5.
A Sound, Like Angels Singing by Leonard Rysdyk. Retelling of the Pied Piper from a tone-deaf rat's perspective as she watches her family leave her for a sound she can't hear. Liked it but it made me sad. 3/5.
Puss by Esther M. Freiser. I found the narrative a little dry but mostly this one was okay. A retelling of Puss In Boots. 2/5
The Glass Casket by Jack Dann. This is a revamp of the Glass Coffin by Brothers Grimm set in Da Vinci's Italy. Fairly goos love story with time travel, dream-travel, and a little of old skool Italian theology. 2/5.
Knives by Jane Yolen. Short poem based on Cinderella. Dark with a distinctly vicious Cinderella but I really liked it. I would've loved for it to be expanded to a short story or long poem. 4/5
The Snow Queen by Patricia McKillip. Right up there with my other favorites in this collection. Retelling of the Snow Queen with Kay as a socialite's husband who's bored with his meek little wife and moves to a more sensual woman. And Gerda, at first ready to fall to pieces, makes a good life for herself, one she can love. Excellently written. 5/5
Breadcrumbs and Stones by Lisa Goldstein. Two children who's mother survived the Holocaust grow up with their mother's made-up stories until she gets cancer and begins to open up about Hansel and Greta, leading to more of the truth she's covered up and pretended to forget about what happened in Germany when she was a teenager. Beautiful. 5/5
But unfortunately, while there are some real gems and worthwhile stories in here there are also a lot of only okay pieces and some I plainly disliked. Either way it scored an overall solid 3/5 and the I would recommend you read this book based only on the real standouts, which shouldn't be missed.
Like A Red, Red Rose by Susan Wade.Unique new fairy tale about a witch's daughter Blanche. The rose in her mother's garden remains white as her innocence until she falls in love and they change color; she goes against her mother's wishes and tragedy ensues. Has the feel of an older fairy tale, could fit in perfectly with the classics. 3/5
The Moon Is Drowning While I Sleep by Charles de Lint. Love CDL. This is a Newford story about dreams and what could be real. Sophie dreams the moon is a woman being drowned by evil creatures and she has to save her. A lot of meaning hidden in the words, as per CDL's usual, and an appearance by Jilly Coppercorn. 5/5
The Frog Prince by Gahan Wilson. Awful. Weird guy talks to a psychiatrist because he dreams/hallucinates/wants to be (?) the frog prince. 1/5.
Stalking Greens by Nancy Kress. Adult retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk. The plot and the characterization was okay. When I went back to write the review I didn't remember what this story was about until I reread a couple of paragraphs and jogged my memory. Not bad just not good enough to be memorable. 2/5.
Snow-Drop by Tanith Lee. Creepy and interesting. Modern retelling of Snow White from the 'Queen's' perspective as a modern woman with a dysfunctional marriage and a jealous obsession with a girl. 3/5
Little Red by Wendy Wheeler. Red Riding Hood modern retelling from the wolf's perspective. He seduces Helen, a woman he likes for her fragility and later fixates on her beautiful daughter who's not quite the innocent girl from the fairy-tale. I loved his character, very entertaining. 4/5.
I Shall Do Thee Mischief In the Woods by Kathe Koja. Another Red Riding Hood from the wolf. Not really my thing I didn't like the idea of the 'wolf' taking advantage of someone with the implication of a mental disorder. 1/5
The Root of the Matter by Gregory Frost. Rapunzel retelling. Not bad and fairly consistent with the original story. I thought the writing a bit lacking if only because it was hard to get through and nothing really stood out. 2/5
The Princess In the Tower by Elizabeth A. Lynn. Loved it. Kind of based on Rapunzel with an Italian girl who just doesn't really want to eat and how it mortifies her very pleasantly plump and very Italian family. Eventually she meets a boy, they share a pizza and love happens. Witty and entertaining. 4/5
Persimmon by Harvey Jacobs. Too 'adult' for me and I found it unsettling. Retelling of Thumbelina. Apart from the ending which was kind of cool I didn't really like anything about the story. 2/5.
Little Poucett by Steve Rasnic Tem. Tom Thumb retelling. I enjoyed this, not spectacular but Poucet was a very endearing character and I do love a hero who uses his brains to get himself out of trouble. 3/5
The Changelings by Melanie Tem. I wanted to like this more because I love 'faery/changeling' type stories a lot but this was very bland for me. A woman convinced her child is a changeling and she hates her. Twist ending but I never invested in the story. 1/5
The Springfield Swans by Caroline Stevermer and Ryan Edmonds. The Wild Swans retelling with baseball. Absolutely loved it. Told in drawling Southern manner the scene is set so perfectly without it ever having to be described and language was wonderful. My favorite in the collection. 5/5.
Troll Bridge by Neil Gaiman. Based on The Three Billy Goats Gruff. A boy who meets the troll and offers up his life when it gets better, always asks for more time. Finally as an old man he returns and surrenders himself to the troll. I was never a fan of this fairy tale but Neil Gaiman really pulls it off. 3/5.
A Sound, Like Angels Singing by Leonard Rysdyk. Retelling of the Pied Piper from a tone-deaf rat's perspective as she watches her family leave her for a sound she can't hear. Liked it but it made me sad. 3/5.
Puss by Esther M. Freiser. I found the narrative a little dry but mostly this one was okay. A retelling of Puss In Boots. 2/5
The Glass Casket by Jack Dann. This is a revamp of the Glass Coffin by Brothers Grimm set in Da Vinci's Italy. Fairly goos love story with time travel, dream-travel, and a little of old skool Italian theology. 2/5.
Knives by Jane Yolen. Short poem based on Cinderella. Dark with a distinctly vicious Cinderella but I really liked it. I would've loved for it to be expanded to a short story or long poem. 4/5
The Snow Queen by Patricia McKillip. Right up there with my other favorites in this collection. Retelling of the Snow Queen with Kay as a socialite's husband who's bored with his meek little wife and moves to a more sensual woman. And Gerda, at first ready to fall to pieces, makes a good life for herself, one she can love. Excellently written. 5/5
Breadcrumbs and Stones by Lisa Goldstein. Two children who's mother survived the Holocaust grow up with their mother's made-up stories until she gets cancer and begins to open up about Hansel and Greta, leading to more of the truth she's covered up and pretended to forget about what happened in Germany when she was a teenager. Beautiful. 5/5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 17, 2024
Really 3.5 but I rounded up. As with most anthologies, I really loved some stories, and I really disliked others.
March 1, 2016
I read this anthology a few years ago, but it stays in my mind pretty well. I thought a few of the stories were really creative retellings. Leonard Rysdy’s “A Sound, Like Angels Singing” was especially unique and interesting, even though it was not one of my favorites. Patricia A. McKillip’s “Snow Queen” and Lisa Goldstein’s “Breadcrumbs and Stones” were great stories that also had interesting premises. For the most part I didn’t like the other works in this book very much. It isn’t that I mind more adult versions of fairy tales in principle. As we all know by now, most fairy tales have been sanitized multiple times to make them more appropriate for young audiences. But I think that an author who chooses to tell a darker version of a particular tale should only include sex and violence to enhance the story. Tanith Lee’s novel White as Snow is a good example of a writer accomplishing this in a fairy tale retelling. Unfortunately, I couldn’t help feeling that the most of the more adult elements in these stories (particularly the sexual parts) were included just to make the stories more edgy and “dark.” It felt sort of gratuitous after a while.
October 15, 2009
As a fan of fairy tales, I had great hopes for this collection of reinvented classics. Sadly, most of the stories in the collection were fairly lackluster, neither inspiring new depth to old stories, nor faithfully recreating them. There are some stunning exceptions, however, most notably the stories by Neil Gaiman, Leonard Rysdyk, and Patricia McKillip, offering their takes on the Billy Goats Gruff, the Pied Piper, and the Snow Queen, respectively.
"Troll Bridge" has a boy who promises his life to a troll, once he's lived it and made it worth having, and is a sad story of chances missed and roads not taken.
"A Sound, Like Angels Singing" shows the infestation of Hamelin from a rat's point of view, and is all the more heart-breaking for the change.
"The Snow Queen" is a modern rendition of the classic, featuring an innocent Gerda still desperately in love with her husband, and jaded socialite Kay who longs for someone more complicated than his simple wife.
The collection is worth a read for those stories alone, but some of the others have a hint of charm here and there that makes them worth a glance of their own.
"Troll Bridge" has a boy who promises his life to a troll, once he's lived it and made it worth having, and is a sad story of chances missed and roads not taken.
"A Sound, Like Angels Singing" shows the infestation of Hamelin from a rat's point of view, and is all the more heart-breaking for the change.
"The Snow Queen" is a modern rendition of the classic, featuring an innocent Gerda still desperately in love with her husband, and jaded socialite Kay who longs for someone more complicated than his simple wife.
The collection is worth a read for those stories alone, but some of the others have a hint of charm here and there that makes them worth a glance of their own.
September 6, 2019
Maybe back in the early nineties when it was released this was shocking and horrific but it wasn't for me now. It was just gross and vaguely uncomfortable, and it dealt in topics like cannibalism and pedophilia for shock value only. I'm not a huge fan of short stories on a good day with a good anthology, and this wasn't a good anthology. Some stories were better than others but none of them blew my mind. And a lot of them used a weird sexualization of innocence that isn't shocking these days but is just sort of discomfiting and unnecessary. It's all about being edgy and adult and 'erotic' and shocking rather than telling a decent story. Someone should tell these people that sex and violence are not the only way to make these stories adult--and also, someone should remind them that the Disney versions we all know are super cleaned up. Really, I think most of the original tales are scarier. The only one that was sort of scary was Little Poucet.
The last one was fairly poignant, at least. We ended on a decent note.
The last one was fairly poignant, at least. We ended on a decent note.
September 23, 2008
This collection of short stories are re-tellings of fairy tales. Some are very recognizable, told from varying view points or told in a different time. Others are more subtle but still maintain the fairy tale theme. Most of the stories are good, though there are a few that are a bit hard to get through. Some are funny, most are sensual, and all have been re-done to appeal to adults.
There are several books in this collection, this one being the first. Fairy tale fans should enjoy this collection.
There are several books in this collection, this one being the first. Fairy tale fans should enjoy this collection.
November 13, 2021
I was a bit disappointed with some of my old favorite authors' offerings, but you know how it goes with anthologies. They have their ups and their downs.
March 28, 2019
I have a lot of thoughts about this book, but I'll try to condense it as much as possible.
My theory is that fairy tales and the realm of fantasy adult literature has changed since Neil Gaiman has come to prominence. This book was collected before he came into his own, when Good Omens was his most famous work. Since then, I feel like his take on what an adult fairy tale should be has become the gold standard, so to say. He manages to find that perfect blend of magic, realism, moral storytelling and adulthood.
That being said, I think there are a number of authors in this collection who probably should have idealized Gaiman in the way that I'm idealizing him now. Although, how could they have known how important he would become?
Many of the authors in this collection rely far too heavily on grotesque sexual themes. It's almost as if they thought in order to make these well-known fairy tales into versions for adults, they needed to incorporate incest, rape, sexual assault and all of that. Unfortunately, because of that, it sort of unravels what was written in the introduction to the book. They criticize the Disney versions of the fairy tales for making the women too helpless and too reliant on men, but I found that many of the women in this collection were equally helpless, fearful of men but still reduced to quivering nothings when their sexual nature inevitably took over. Other than the inclusion of quivering...I don't see how it's very different? Seems unfair to be critical.
Some of the stories were very well written though, so not every story relies too heavily on the sexualized themes. I would like to keep reading these collections and see how they progress over time. I'm hoping it starts to turn more into Gaiman type stories, which are not absent from sex, he's just better at writing about it than some of these people.
Fairy tales aren't going away any time soon and even with my minor complaints, it was a pleasure to read this book and to see more adult themes. Fairy tales take us back to childhood, in a way, as it was likely the first time we fell in love with stories. It's close to impossible to replicate that feeling as an adult, but with authors like Neil Gaiman existing, it's becoming more of a reality. I do wish more of the authors in this collection were able to do the same, but nevertheless, it's still an enjoyable read.
My theory is that fairy tales and the realm of fantasy adult literature has changed since Neil Gaiman has come to prominence. This book was collected before he came into his own, when Good Omens was his most famous work. Since then, I feel like his take on what an adult fairy tale should be has become the gold standard, so to say. He manages to find that perfect blend of magic, realism, moral storytelling and adulthood.
That being said, I think there are a number of authors in this collection who probably should have idealized Gaiman in the way that I'm idealizing him now. Although, how could they have known how important he would become?
Many of the authors in this collection rely far too heavily on grotesque sexual themes. It's almost as if they thought in order to make these well-known fairy tales into versions for adults, they needed to incorporate incest, rape, sexual assault and all of that. Unfortunately, because of that, it sort of unravels what was written in the introduction to the book. They criticize the Disney versions of the fairy tales for making the women too helpless and too reliant on men, but I found that many of the women in this collection were equally helpless, fearful of men but still reduced to quivering nothings when their sexual nature inevitably took over. Other than the inclusion of quivering...I don't see how it's very different? Seems unfair to be critical.
Some of the stories were very well written though, so not every story relies too heavily on the sexualized themes. I would like to keep reading these collections and see how they progress over time. I'm hoping it starts to turn more into Gaiman type stories, which are not absent from sex, he's just better at writing about it than some of these people.
Fairy tales aren't going away any time soon and even with my minor complaints, it was a pleasure to read this book and to see more adult themes. Fairy tales take us back to childhood, in a way, as it was likely the first time we fell in love with stories. It's close to impossible to replicate that feeling as an adult, but with authors like Neil Gaiman existing, it's becoming more of a reality. I do wish more of the authors in this collection were able to do the same, but nevertheless, it's still an enjoyable read.
August 7, 2020
3.2 stars. That's the exact number when I did the maths of the average rating.
My 5 stars stories are
The Princess In the Tower by Elizabeth A. Lynn - a fun and light-hearted retelling of "Repunzel". The romance was cute and has lots of delicious sounding food. Maybe I just gave this story a 5-star because I was bored of other dark and sensual retellings. Who knows?
Troll Bridge by Neil Gaiman - a retelling of "The Three Billy Goats Gruff". I don't know how to describe the story, so I'm just gonna use the words from the editors. "In this version, there's only one 'billy goat,' and while it seems to be about escaping a troll, the story actually speaks of lost chances". It was really good.
And the last and probably my favourite story is A Sound, Like Angels Singing by Leonard Rysdyk - finding out which fairy tale this story actually retell was the fun of it. It was pure genius. Kind of sad and dark too.
There were also a few 4-star stories. The others were just okay. Some are funny and some are just gross because there were "child molesting, incest and rape".
My 5 stars stories are
The Princess In the Tower by Elizabeth A. Lynn - a fun and light-hearted retelling of "Repunzel". The romance was cute and has lots of delicious sounding food. Maybe I just gave this story a 5-star because I was bored of other dark and sensual retellings. Who knows?
Troll Bridge by Neil Gaiman - a retelling of "The Three Billy Goats Gruff". I don't know how to describe the story, so I'm just gonna use the words from the editors. "In this version, there's only one 'billy goat,' and while it seems to be about escaping a troll, the story actually speaks of lost chances". It was really good.
And the last and probably my favourite story is A Sound, Like Angels Singing by Leonard Rysdyk - finding out which fairy tale this story actually retell was the fun of it. It was pure genius. Kind of sad and dark too.
There were also a few 4-star stories. The others were just okay. Some are funny and some are just gross because there were "child molesting, incest and rape".
September 2, 2019
Like a Red, Red Rose: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Moon is Drowning While I Sleep: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Frog Prince: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Stalking Beans: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Snow-Drop: ⭐️⭐️
Little Red: ⭐️
I Shall do the Mischief in the Wood: ⭐️⭐️
The Root of the Matter: ⭐️⭐️
The Princess in the Tower: ⭐️ Didn’t read. I literally couldn’t figure out what the hell the blanks are for? And it just confused me, so I skipped it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Persimmon: ⭐️
Little Poucet: ⭐️
The Changelings: ⭐️⭐️
The Springfield Swans: ⭐️
Troll Bridge: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Sound, Like Angels Singing: ⭐️
Puss: ⭐️⭐️
The Glass Casket: ⭐️
Knives: ⭐️
The Snow Queen: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Breadcrumbs and Stones: ⭐️⭐️
The Moon is Drowning While I Sleep: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Frog Prince: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Stalking Beans: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Snow-Drop: ⭐️⭐️
Little Red: ⭐️
I Shall do the Mischief in the Wood: ⭐️⭐️
The Root of the Matter: ⭐️⭐️
The Princess in the Tower: ⭐️ Didn’t read. I literally couldn’t figure out what the hell the blanks are for? And it just confused me, so I skipped it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Persimmon: ⭐️
Little Poucet: ⭐️
The Changelings: ⭐️⭐️
The Springfield Swans: ⭐️
Troll Bridge: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Sound, Like Angels Singing: ⭐️
Puss: ⭐️⭐️
The Glass Casket: ⭐️
Knives: ⭐️
The Snow Queen: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Breadcrumbs and Stones: ⭐️⭐️
October 14, 2018
There was only one story in this collection that I would say was actually good, and it was by Neil Gaiman (no surprise). There were a few others that were moderately enjoyable, but most were trying too hard to be weird, or dark, and they ended up missing the mark.
November 18, 2019
I really should've read the reviews on this one! Adult fairy tales? Yes, it is! I went in blind on this one. I saw it at the library and thought I'd enjoy reading different versions of the fairy tales I grew up on. These are not them! lol
January 9, 2022
a nostalgic reread - all of these collections were wildly uneven, as is always true of multi-author anthologies, but i do miss the guarantee of horny melodrama that fairytale retelling anthologies used to promise.
June 20, 2024
I have always really loved the anthologies Ellen Datlow edits. I had read all of this fairy tale retelling series decades ago and it holds up very well. Some of them are sad, some scary, some ominous or upsetting, some sweet.
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