Heidi Anne Heiner's Blog, page 116

Bargain Ebook: Lud-in-the-Mist (Prologue Fantasy) by Hope Mirrlees

TODAY ONLY: Lud-in-the-Mist (Prologue Fantasy) by Hope Mirrlees is bargain priced in ebook format for $.99. This book appears on many highly recommended lists and has been recommended to me over and over through the years in discussions with other readers as well as conferences. In other words, you don't have to take my word for it that it should be in your personal library. I bought it at a higher price years ago so here is your chance to get it for less than the price of a soda.

Book description:

The book that New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman considers "one of the finest [fantasy novels] in the English language"

Between the mountains and the sea, between the sea and Fairyland, lay the Free State of Dorimare and its picturesque capital, Lud-in-the-Mist. No Luddite ever had any truck with fairies or Fairyland. Bad business, those fairies. The people of Dorimare had run them out generations ago--and the Duke of Dorimare along with them.

Until the spring of his fiftieth year, Master Nathaniel Chanticleer, Mayor of Lud-in-the-Mist and High Seneschal of Dorimare, had lived a sleepy life with his only son, Ranulph. But as he grew, Ranulph was more and more fond of talking nonsense about golden cups, and snow-white ladies milking azure cows, and the sound of tinkling bridles at midnight. And when Ranulph was twelve, he got caught up with the fairies, and Nathaniel's life would never be the same.

Bargain Ebook: Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson

Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark (The Kingdom Keepers) by Ridley Pearson is bargain priced today for $2.99. There is a pattern this week since I already shared another book set in a fairy tale inspired theme park. See my post New Release: How Zoe Made Her Dreams (Mostly) Come True by Sarah Strohmeyer. Anyone know of a third since more things come in threes?

Book description:

In this fantastical thriller, five young teens tapped as models for theme park "guides" find themselves pitted against Disney villains and witches that threaten both the future of Walt Disney World and the stability of the world outside its walls. Using a cutting-edge technology called DHI--which stands for both Disney Host Interactive and Daylight Hologram Imaging--Finn Whitman, an Orlando teen, and four other kids are transformed into hologram projections that guide guests through the park. The new technology turns out, however, to have unexpected effects that are both thrilling and scary. Soon Finn finds himself transported in his DHI form into the Magic Kingdom at night. Is it real? Is he dreaming? Finn's confusion only increases when he encounters Wayne, an elderly Imagineer who tells him that the park is in grave danger. Led by the scheming witch, Maleficent, a mysterious group of characters called the Overtakers is plotting to destroy Disney's beloved realm, and maybe more. This gripping high-tech tale will thrill every kid who has ever dreamed of sneaking into Walt Disney World after hours and wondered what happens at night, when the park is closed.

Affordable DVDs: The Slipper and the Rose and Cinderella (1964)

Have you been looking for an affordable copy of The Slipper and the Rose or Cinderella (Leslie Ann Warren/1964) on DVD? The used prices are close to $100 on average for the out of print titles. Santa Flix, a small company in California, apparently has the rights to sell these and you can buy them directly for much more reasonable prices. The Slipper and the Rose is $22.95 and Cinderella is $24.95. That's considerably less than the prices on Amazon or eBay. Seriously. Search for either title on either site and you will be shocked. Or not when you consider that these are cult classics.
I haven't any experience or affiliation with Santa Flix myself although I placed my own order with them a few days ago for the long sought A Town Like Alice, a family favorite that John and I enjoy watching together. (Seriously, a DVD edition has been on my wishlist for over a decade.) So I will be seeing what their products are like soon enough. There are lots of titles on their site and I imagine one or two will interest you, fairy tales or not.
I already own the original Slipper and the Rose DVD release which I adore. It and Ever After: A Cinderella Story are my favorite Cinderella films. I was tempted to buy this one to review it, but my budget doesn't stretch that far this summer for something I already own.
And if you haven't seen Slipper and the Rose? Well, you need to love musicals. But if you do, this should fit the bill nicely. The Sherman Brothers--better known for Disney's Mary Poppins and The Jungle Book--wrote the music. And this is one of the few Cinderellas where there isn't an immediate happy ever after--there is concern that she is a commoner and that the prince's marriage isn't political. And Annette Crosbie's fairy godmother is so very traditional but then again not. Love her! If I had a fairy godmother, I imagine she'd be like Annette Crosbie.
And the 1964 version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella is a classic, too. I think of it as the "middle one" between the Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella (1957 Television Production) with Julie Andrews and the Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella (1997) with Brandy and Whitney Houston which is just too glittery for my taste. Warren makes a much more traditional princess than Andrews. I prefer Andrews myself, but Warren beats Brandy for me. 

New Release: How Zoe Made Her Dreams (Mostly) Come True by Sarah Strohmeyer

How Zoe Made Her Dreams (Mostly) Come True by Sarah Strohmeyer was released in April. This is a more unusual offering of a "fairy tale" themed book on the blog since it is a YA novel set in a fairy-tale themed amusement park inspired by Disneyland. Sounds like a light summer vacation read, especially for those planning a trip to a Disney park.

Book description:

Like Meg Cabot, Sarah Strohmeyer has a gift for creating smart, funny girls teen readers love. She’s done it again with Zoe, heroine of her latest romcom.

In YA novel How Zoe Made Her Dreams (Mostly) Come True, Zoe learns there is a dark core under the glittering façade of the fairy-tale themed amusement park (cough, Disneyland, cough) where she’s a summer intern. For starters, her boss has a blacker heart than Snow White’s stepmother, and the other interns are worse backstabbers than Cinderella’s step-sisters.

On the upside, she has the chance of romance with a real-life Prince Charming, and a shot at winning a big heap of cash. If she can just live through a summer in the Fairyland Kingdom.

Strohmeyer is no stranger to fairy tale themes either with previous adult titles like The Cinderella Pact and The Sleeping Beauty Proposal.

New Book: Handbook for Dragon Slayers by Merrie Haskell

Handbook for Dragon Slayers by Merrie Haskell is released next week. This is Haskell's second book, following her popular The Princess Curse, a favorite of SurLaLune readers. It's not a strict fairy tale retelling this time but uses fairy tale inspiration.

Book description:

Like Gail Carson Levine’s books, Merrie Haskell’s middle-grade fantasy / adventure Handbook for Dragon Slayers mixes magic, mythical creatures, thrilling action, and a wonderful cast of characters.

Political upheaval sends Princess Tilda fleeing from her kingdom in the company of two hopeful dragon slayers. The princess never had any interest in chasing dragons. The pain from her crippled foot was too great, and her dream was to write a book.

But the princess finds herself making friends with magical horses, facing the Wild Hunt, and pointing a sword at the fire-breathing creatures. While doing things she never imagined, Tilda finds qualities in herself she never knew she possessed.

Handbook for Dragon Slayers is a deeply satisfying coming-of-age tale wrapped in a magical adventure story.

Bargain Ebook: Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie

Since I'm a sucker for books that use nursery rhymes/finger plays as well as fairy tales to form their plot, I had to share that Amazon has the ebook version of Five Little Pigs (Hercule Poirot Mysteries / Queen of Mystery) by Agatha Christie bargain priced today only for $1.99. It'll be back to $6.99-7.99 tomorrow. I've not read this one--and am admittedly not a Poirot fan (I know, shame on me)--but this will make a great distraction the next time I'm stuck in a line somewhere.

I'm also gradually building up my Christie library as they are bargain priced. My favorites--the Tommy and Tuppence books--keep staying full price however. Hard to justify when they sit in paper on my shelf. And my oldest niece is a few years away from enjoying these so I'm stockpiling for her, too.

Book description:

Beautiful Caroline Crale was convicted of poisoning her husband, yet there were five other suspects: Philip Blake (the stockbroker) who went to market; Meredith Blake (the amateur herbalist) who stayed at home; Elsa Greer (the three-time divorcee) who had roast beef; Cecilia Williams (the devoted governess) who had none; and Angela Warren (the disfigured sister) who cried 'wee wee wee' all the way home.

It is sixteen years later, but Hercule Poirot just can't get that nursery rhyme out of his mind…

2013 Mythopoeic Award Finalists Announced

Yesterday the 2013 Mythopoeic Award Finalists were announced. This year's crop is less dominated by books with direct fairy tale inspiration excepting the finalists for Children's Literature. So I will share that entire list and then send you to the site for the other categories. Fairy Tale Queens: Representations of Early Modern Queenship (Queenship and Power) is also on the lists with a reminder to me that I really want to explore that one. Congrats to all the finalists, many of whom are beloved authors on SurLaLune.

Finalists for the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature


Jorge Aguirre and Rafael Rosado, Giants Beware! (First Second)

Sarah Beth Durst, Vessel (Margaret K. McElderry)

Merrie Haskell, The Princess Curse (HarperCollins)

Christopher Healy, The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom (Walden Pond Press)

Sherwood Smith, The Spy Princess (Viking Juvenile)

Today Only: Bargain Ebook for $1.99: Oz Reimagined: New Tales from the Emerald City and Beyond

Oz Reimagined: New Tales from the Emerald City and Beyond by John Joseph Adams (Editor) and Douglas Cohen (Editor) is bargain priced in ebook format on Amazon today only for $1.99.

Book description:

FOREWORD BY GREGORY MAGUIRE, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF WICKED.

When L. Frank Baum introduced Dorothy and friends to the American public in 1900, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz became an instant, bestselling hit. Today the whimsical tale remains a cultural phenomenon that continues to spawn wildly popular books, movies, and musicals. Now, editors John Joseph Adams and Douglas Cohen have brought together leading fantasy writers such as Orson Scott Card and Seanan McGuire to create the ultimate anthology for Oz fans – and, really, any reader with an appetite for richly imagined worlds. Stories include:

Frank Baum's son has the real experiences that his father later fictionalized in Orson Scott Card’s “Off to See the Emperor.”

Seanan McGuire’s “Emeralds to Emeralds, Dust to Dust” finds Dorothy grown up, bitter, and still living in Oz. And she has a murder to solve – assuming Ozma will stop interfering with her life long enough to let her do her job.

In “Blown Away,” Jane Yolen asks: What if Toto was dead and stuffed, Ozma was a circus freak, and everything you thought you knew as Oz was really right here in Kansas?

"The Cobbler of Oz" by Jonathan Maberry explores a Winged Monkey with wings too small to let her fly. Her only chance to change that rests with the Silver Slippers.

In Tad Williams’s futuristic “The Boy Detective of Oz," Orlando investigates the corrupt Oz simulation of the Otherland network.

And more…

Some stories are dystopian…Some are dreamlike…All are undeniably Oz.

Includes stories by these authors:

Dale Bailey, Orson Scott Card, Rae Carson, David Farland, C.C. Finlay, Jeffrey Ford, Theodora Goss, Simon R. Green, Kat Howard, Ken Liu, Seanan McGuire, Jonathan Maberry, Rachel Swirsky, Robin Wasserman, Tad Williams, Jane Yolen

A Note On Suggested Reading Age: L. Frank Baum’s original Oz books were works of children's fiction--albeit ones that have been known and loved by "children of all ages" throughout their existence. Though many of the stories contained in this anthology are also suitable for the aforementioned children of all ages, Oz Reimagined is intended for ages 13 and up, and as such, some of the stories deal with mature themes, so parental guidance is suggested.

Upcoming Book: Snow White and Rose Red by Kelly Vivanco

Oh, I am such a tease today. I was browsing and saw this release slated for January 2014. But it is such a different and wonderful take on Snow White and Rose Red, literally emphasizing the ying yang of the sisters. It is rare to see this scene from the tale illustrated. And it is so rare to get a Snow White and Rose Red picture book anyway, so I am quite excited about this book. You can see more of Kelly Vivanco's work on her website.

Book description:

Snow White and Rose Red are loving, happy sisters, although they are different as day and night. Together they live with their mother in cozy, peaceful cottage in the woods. Then, one snowy day, their peace is disturbed by a giant black bear looking for a warm place to rest. At first scared, the girls and their mother soon realize the bear is kind—in fact, there is more to the bear than meets the eye. Will the girls’ giving spirits rescue the bear from his troublesome and secretive fate? This age-old Brothers Grimm tale is here deftly retold and stunningly re-illustrated with modern, magical paintings by Kelly Vivanco.

 Preorder Snow White and Rose Red on Amazon.
Preorder Snow White and Rose Red on Amazon.co.uk

New Book: It's Not Fairy by Ros Asquith

 
It's Not Fairy by Ros Asquith was released in the US not too long ago. It was released first in the UK last year and I have had my eye on it since then. As you can see above, they got the same cover treatment in both countries.

I was raised on the "Life's Not Fair" refrain, a top phrase from my father. My siblings and I laugh when we hear it now, but not so much when we were kids. Anyway, I think the book is a great concept and it has been added to my wishlist.

Book description:

The IT'S NOT FAIRY flaps round all night,
sorting out what's wrong or right.
But there's so many kids saying it's not fair —
she's ranting and raving and tearing her hair.
She's shouting, 'The very next kids I meet,
I'm pretty sure I'm going to EAT!'

Billy and Mary say they don't believe in the It's Not Fairy, but that's before she turns up at their house! And it's not only the children she wants to bake into a fairy cake - Mum and Dad come in for their share of blame too. There's nothing for it - the whole family may have to change their ways and be nicer to each other!

This is a wonderful, hilarious fantasy starring a very feisty fairy on a mission, which will have the whole family laughing out loud, as well as encouraging discussion about fairness.

I especially love the fairies from the book's endpapers. You can click on these and see them a little larger.



And here are some pages from the text: