Tag Archives: Black Thorn White Rose

Journeybread Recipe by Lawrence Schimel

May 19, 2020Book ReviewBlack Thorn White Rose, Fairy tales, Horror, Lawrence Schimelskyebjenner

Image result for black thorn white rose book cover

Title: Journeybread Recipe
Author: Lawrence Schimel
In: Black Thorn, White Rose (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Fairy tales, Horror
Dates read: 20th April 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Prime Books
Year: 1994
5th sentence, 74th page: Cover, and, warm and moist, let the bloated belly rise nine months.

A quaint, disturbing little recipe.

Not quite a poem, and not quite prose. This is a really disturbing two pages of reading. But, you know… disturbing in the best of ways.

I love that this is the recipe for making a Gingerbread Man. After all, there are so many different stories about the man (boy, child) himself, but so very few that feature the making of him. Or the motives behind his making… that one I’m still trying to figure out.

Although this is just two pages. It is really, seriously disturbing. It is a unique take on the very well-known fairytale. One that left me with a seriously uncomfortable and unsettled feeling at the end of it. Just brilliant.

<- Can’t Catch Me

The Brown Bear of Norway ->

Image source: Goodreads

Can’t Catch Me by Michael Cadnum

May 6, 2020Book ReviewBlack Thorn White Rose, Fairy tales, Fantasy, Michael Cadnum, Retellingsskyebjenner

Title: Can’t Catch Me
Author: Michael Cadnum
In: Black Thorn, White Rose (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Fairy tales, Fantasy, Retellings
Dates read: 6th April 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Prime Books
Year: 1994
5th sentence, 74th page: It was a shock, I can tell you, and I think I might have been a little bit more prepared, but I know everyone says Mom and Dad should have done a better job, and I get tired of people blaming someone else for their problems.

Did you ever wonder why the gingerbread man ran? Or why they chased him? This story will answer all those questions…

I just finished reading this short story and I can’t get the rhyme “you can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man!” out of my head. There is something very lyrical and stuck-in-the head about it all. And now I’m going to spend the rest of the night chanting that to my dogs and just generally freaking them out…

I’ve never really thought about how the gingerbread man felt in the story. Or even why so many people were chasing a cookie… but this short story definitely gave a new spin to an old classic. There is something in the way it’s written and the intensity of the story that made me go “duh” of course that’s the way that it was.

My favourite aspect of this story though was the very beginning. Something about those very first words completely drew me in and made me absolutely fascinated by the world in which “hot” is the beginner. And parents are just trying to do what’s best for you… even if it is keeping you in the oven.

<- Ogre

Journeybread Recipe ->

Image source: Goodreads

Ogre by Michael Kandel

April 26, 2020Book ReviewBlack Thorn White Rose, Fae, Fantasy, Michael Kandelskyebjenner

Title: Ogre
Author: Michael Kandel
In: Black Thorn, White Rose (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Fae, Fantasy
Dates read: 25th March 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Prime Books
Year: 1994
5th sentence, 74th page: At least he had no problem carrying.

All he wants is to put on an amazing play. But, with a series of blunders, an inept crew and a few others out to get him… things aren’t quite going as planned.

You know that a story is going to be kind of funny and really interesting when it starts out with someone telling another character to stop eating human flesh. Because it gives him bad breath. And that he can’t have that when acting. It’s a pretty interesting and funny start to a story. One that I was giggling about from the very beginning of this very short story.

I’ve never really had an inclination to do any form of acting. Just not my thing I suppose. But I do love the fodder that it provides for story telling. And the fact that this was shifted to include what I can only assume is a paranormal / fae cast (one of which I hope is an ogre) just made it all the more fun. And incredibly funny.

This is a seriously short story (only about 5 or 6 pages). But it’s just enough to make me enjoy Kandel’s writing and wonder at what else he has written. That, and just enjoy the journey that I got to go on with this writing in the first place. It is enjoyable, fun and totally unique. Definitely a short story that I won’t mind reading again.

<- Near-Beauty

Can’t Catch Me ->

Image source: Goodreads

Near-Beauty by M.E. Beckett

April 11, 2020Book ReviewBlack Thorn White Rose, Fairy tales, M.E. Beckett, Retellings, Science Fictionskyebjenner

Title: Near-Beauty
Author: M.E. Beckett
In: Black Thorn, White Rose (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Fairy tales, Retellings, Science fiction
Dates read: 9th March 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Prime Books
Year: 1994
5th sentence, 74th page: She became uneasy, at last, not because it was watching, but because it looked intent; if that stare had come from a human, she’d have called him horny.

She’s not quite beautiful. She’s not quite ugly. But, when she meets the toad of her dreams, she finds out that near-beauty might just be enough.

One of the things that I love the most about this story is that it’s not about a stunningly beautiful woman. Or a frog that miraculously turns into a gorgeous prince. It’s about those that are almost beautiful. That almost make the cut. It’s a great way to retell a well-known fairy tale, but with a more relatable spin to it.

This is a great sci-fi spin on The Princess and the Frog. She doesn’t magically get whisked away and find her happily ever after. Rather, she makes a choice to join an alien species and make something more. Something different of her life.

Mostly, I love that this is all about two individuals who don’t quite make the beauty boat cut. They’re almost beautiful. They’re almost everything that they want to be. But they don’t quite make it… which is far more relatable and nice to read about than a stunning beauty. It’s also a great reminder that good things don’t just happen to the stunningly beautiful, but to us more ordinary folk too.

<- The Frog King, or Iron Henry

Ogre ->

Image source: Goodreads

The Frog King, or Iron Henry by Daniel Quinn

April 6, 2020Book ReviewBlack Thorn White Rose, Fairy tales, Retellingsskyebjenner

Title: The Frog King, or Iron Henry
Author: Daniel Quinn
In: Black Thorn, White Rose (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Fairy tales, Retellings
Dates read: 6th March 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Prime Books
Year: 1994
5th sentence, 74th page: Yes.

He might be the frog the princess rescued from her enchantment, but there was an extra curse. Sometimes, in the fairy tales, there isn’t a happily ever after. Or at least, not one that’s remembered.

It takes a little while to realise which fairy tale this story is based on. Mostly because the lead has amnesia and the fairy tale has already happened. And the same sentences are repeated again and again. But then there’s the mention of the ball… and it starts to fall into place again.

Happily ever afters are not something that I strongly believe in. I love the idea of them. But I don’t think that just because two people find each other and fall in love / get married, they’re going to live happily ever after. Especially considering the fact that there is a whole lot of life left to live. This story kind of echoes this feeling, but in a seriously insane way.

I love the repetition throughout. It’s a story about amnesia, but normally you would find such tales didn’t repeat the same phrases over and over again. This one does. It drives home the idea that there isn’t a happily ever after, and sometimes we don’t remember all of the things that have happened.

<- Somnus’s Fair Maid

Near-Beauty ->

Image source: Goodreads

Somnus’s Fair Maid by Ann Downer

March 23, 2020Book ReviewAnn Downer, Black Thorn White Rose, Fairy tales, Retellingsskyebjenner

Title: Somnus’s Fair Maid
Author: Ann Downer
In: Black Thorn, White Rose (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Fairy tales, Retellings
Dates read: 13th February 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Prime Books
Year: 1994
5th sentence, 74th page: Offer for her.

A Victorian retelling of Sleeping Beauty, with a bit of a twist.

The combination of fairy tales and regency romances is absolutely perfect. I love the perfect Victorian setting. I loved the retelling of a great, traditional fairy tale. And I just loved the way that this story unfolded. The combination and the style wasn’t what I expected, but it was definitely one of my favourite short story retellings that I’ve read in a while.

One of the things I loved most about this is that it is ultimately the man who is asleep. In a completely different manner to what I was kind of anticipating… but, it was completely perfect and enjoyable. It was such a cute, sweet and easy read. One that I’m kind of sad wasn’t longer (isn’t that what I normally say about a great story?)

This is a great short story, a great take on Sleeping Beauty and the perfect fairy tale retelling. So much less dark than many of the stories which I read of a similar vein. And most of the stories in the Black Thorn, White Rose collection.

<- Stronger Than Time

The Frog King, or Iron Henry ->

Image source: Goodreads

Ashputtle by Peter Straub

February 9, 2020Book ReviewBlack Thorn White Rose, Dark Fantasy, Horror, Peter Straub, Retellings, The Monstrousskyebjenner

Image result for the monstrous ellen datlow book cover

Title: Ashputtle
Author: Peter Straub
In: The Monstrous (Ellen Datlow) & Black Thorn, White Rose (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Horror, Retellings
Dates read: 8th January 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tachyon
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: She was loved.

Ashputtle is the newest version of Cinderella. With a much darker, far more disturbing twist…

This is an incredibly insane version of Cinderella. Like, seriously insane. One that I absolutely adored. And couldn’t get enough of. And just seriously enjoyed… but it was dark, and made me think of Cinderella (or in this case Ashputtle) as more of a monster than a victim. Which is probably why I loved it so much. Nothing like a sick, disturbing story to make my crazy brain happy.

I found some of the points made about fat people really interesting. The idea that they’re presumed to be stupid or just plain ignored. It was painfully true. But also helped to create a cloak behind which Ashputtle could hide her atrocities. It’s a little bit scary how spot on these moments were and made me stop and think about how I deal with other people.

My biggest question about this short story is – what was done to the children? I know the culprit. I know that they went missing. And I even know why they were the selected victims. But what I don’t know is what was done with them? And my imagination is not leading me to nice, happy places with that…

<- A Natural History of Autumn

Giants in the Earth ->

Image source: Amazon

Stronger Than Time by Patricia C. Wrede

June 21, 2019Book ReviewBlack Thorn White Rose, Fairy tales, Patricia C. Wrede, Retellings, Romanceskyebjenner

Title: Stronger Than Time
Author: Patricia C. Wrede
In: Black Thorn, White Rose (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Fairy tales, Retellings, Romance
Dates read: 7th May 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Prime Books
Year: 1994
5th sentence, 74th page: “I know the plant,” Arven said shortly.

What would happen if Sleeping Beauty’s prince was just a bit off on his timing? How would the two star crossed lovers meet and live their happily ever after?

This was such a beautifully bittersweet storyline. Sleeping Beauty (the Disneyfied version) has always felt a little bittersweet to me. After all, a mistake on her parents’ behalf curses her to a hundred years in sleep. A hundred years in which her loved ones, friends, acquaintances are all unable to live their lives. And it is just the single kiss of a man who is fighting brambles which saves her. In this retelling, Wrede asks just what would happen if the prince were too early or too late? What would happen if the fairy tale just didn’t quite happen the way it was supposed to?

I’m a big believer in destiny. I like the idea that you have a soul mate and that there is someone out there for you. I love when I’m reading the idea of being pulled towards a certain moment or person in time. But I’ve never really thought about what happens when you’re a little too excited and you just don’t quite manage to get the timing down pat. What happens when an impulsive young fool decides that he should ignore everything that has been laid out before him. And it’s this idea that makes the storyline so bittersweet. It made me love the ending and clutch this book to my chest with a happy little sigh.

<- Words Like Pale Stones

Somnus’s Fair Maid ->

Image source: Goodreads

Words Like Pale Stones by Nancy Kress

June 17, 2019Book ReviewBlack Thorn White Rose, Fairy tales, Nancy Kress, Retellingsskyebjenner

Title: Words Like Pale Stones
Author: Nancy Kress
In: Black Thorn, White Rose (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Fairy tales, Retellings
Dates read: 6th May 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Prime Books
Year: 1994
5th sentence, 74th page: He had made me forget for a few minutes what awaited me in the morning.

A young peasant girl has a boastful mother. But, when that boasting gets her into trouble, she finds that things are going to go very, very wrong.

Rumpelstiltskin is one of my preferred fairy tales. There is just something about it that I love, and the fact that it was has been used across many of the different retellings and TV series that I have watched makes it even more thrilling. Which meant that having a Rumpelstiltskin story to open the collection Black Thorn, White Rose made me really happy. It was a great, slightly darker start to these adult fairy tale retellings.

Most stories of Rumpelstiltskin paint the young woman as an innocent, and one that falls in love with the prince. Although she still begins this story as an innocent, the prince isn’t so… pure. Actually, he’s a class A a-hole. And then there’s the fact that she is supposed to give up her first born. But, as in all good retellings, the reason why she gives up her first born isn’t quite what is expected. Actually, I really wasn’t sure why she was riding off with her child in readiness to give him away until the very last moment. And even now, I’m not sure that I like the way in which it ends…

<- Black Thorn, White Rose

Stronger Than Time ->

Image source: Goodreads

Earth and Skye

The ramblings of a bibliophile.

Tag Archives: Black Thorn White Rose

Journeybread Recipe by Lawrence Schimel

Can’t Catch Me by Michael Cadnum

Ogre by Michael Kandel

Near-Beauty by M.E. Beckett

The Frog King, or Iron Henry by Daniel Quinn

Somnus’s Fair Maid by Ann Downer

Ashputtle by Peter Straub

Stronger Than Time by Patricia C. Wrede

Words Like Pale Stones by Nancy Kress