Tag Archives: Fairy tales

Can’t Catch Me by Michael Cadnum

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

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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

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

Wolfed by Tanith Lee

February 5, 2020Book ReviewFairy tales, Lust, Retellings, Sirens and Other Daemon Lovers, Tanith Leeskyebjenner

Image result for sirens and other daemon lovers book cover

Title: Wolfed
Author: Tanith Lee
In: Sirens and Other Daemon Lovers (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling) & Redder Than Blood (Tanith Lee)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Fairy tales, Lust, Retellings
Dates read: 6th January 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: EOS
Year: 1998
5th sentence, 74th page: But then, anyway, the elevator was a private one and this was the penthouse suite, so it would be kind of unlikely he had taken the wrong route, or made any mistake at all.

Wolf is a man of the night. Then he runs into Rose, a gorgeous young woman who just wants to buy her “grandmother” a present…

I’ve just finished reading Lee’s Red as Blood collection. So I was kind of expecting something much, much darker than this story. It was incredibly lustful and intense in some ways, but it definitely wasn’t something I would call dark. There was also a point at the end which hints that they could, in fact, live happily ever after.

Actually this story didn’t just have a hint about happy endings, it had multiple. And pushed the boundaries of what I enjoy in a romance. This is the second story I’ve read which features a threesome, but, unlike the first one, I found this non-confronting. Actually, I found it kind of cute, funny and sweet in moments. Which was a very interesting reaction.

This was a fantastic short story. One that I will probably revisit in the future. There is just something fun about it, even when it’s dealing with a lot of sexuality. Maybe it’s because I’m reading a collection that deals with sexuality, but not in the truly intense way of Alien Sex.

<- Broke Heart Blues

Ashes on Her Lips ->

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Red as Blood Collection by Tanith Lee

January 17, 2020Book ReviewDark Fantasy, Fairy tales, Feminism, Red as Blood, Retellings, Short Story Collections, Tanith Leeskyebjenner

Image result for red as blood tanith lee book cover

Title: Red as Blood Collection
Author: Tanith Lee
In: Red as Blood (Tanith Lee)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Fairy tales, Feminism, Retellings, Short story collections
Dates read: 23rd October – 17th December 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Wildside
Year: 1983
5th sentence, 74th page: There were carvings in the sides of the tower, the magic symbols from the chamber as it had been, the zodiac, the Crown, the Sword, the Chalice – she knew such seals must hold the spire safely.

Here are ten devilishly twisted fairy tales as the Brothers Grimm never dared to tell them. With her brilliantly macabre pen, Tanith Lee retells some familiar tales, and concocts some new and unusual ones, as she asks us to consider the possibility that things may not work as our fairy tales have them… In the title story, Lee shows us a perfectly good stepmother, whose Princess stepdaughter reeks of evil. Then there is Ashella, the Cinderella-like girl who, “When the Clock Strikes”, intends to give her Prince Charming a deadly surprise. In “Wolfland”, Lisel takes a trip through the woods to visit her grandmother – who bears little resemblance to the loving old woman we expect. And in “Thorns” you’ll find the haunting answer to the question, “What if awakening the Sleeping Beauty turns out to be the mistake of a lifetime – of several lifetimes, in fact?”

Populated with demons and devils, vengeful gods and not-so-innocent young girls, the ten tales of Red as Blood weave a tapestry of chilling visions, spun by the incomparably fiendish imagination of Tanith Lee!

This is the second feminist collection of fairy tales I’ve ever read. And I don’t know if I like this or Angela Carter’s version better. What I do know is that I love both of them and I will read them again and again. They’re fun, kind of brilliant and super dark. Much more likely in our lives than the pretty Disney-versions that I grew up with.

There wasn’t one story in this collection that I didn’t absolutely adore. Normally I’ll find one or two that just aren’t as good… but that most certainly wasn’t the case. This was brilliant! Honestly, as I turned the last page, I could have quite happily turned around and just started this all over again. I didn’t, because I have a whole stack of other books I want to read by the end of the year… but I don’t often have that desire in the first place.

Now I need to find some more Tanith Lee books. I have one other sitting in my shelf, but I want so much more now! There is no way that I won’t love it after this. Especially when you’re looking at a story which has a beautiful wordplay on the Brothers Grimm… equally dark versions, but with a focus on the women and the battles that they face.

<- The Waters of Sorrow Review

Paid Piper Review ->

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The Waters of Sorrow by Tanith Lee

January 15, 2020Book ReviewFairy tales, Fantasy, Ghosts, Red as Blood, Tanith Leeskyebjenner

Title: The Waters of Sorrow
Author: Tanith Lee
In: Red as Blood (Tanith Lee)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Fairy tales, Fantasy, Ghosts
Dates read: 17th December 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Wildside
Year: 1983
5th sentence, 74th page: Without some attention it must have been easy to miss the spot.

Along the river there are the women who were destroyed by love. The women who find men on a long, dark night and dance him to death. But there is another story at the water of sorrows that needs to be told.

As an ending to the Red as Blood collection, this short story was completely on point. It was, interestingly enough, also the only romantic story in the whole collection. So, I kind of liked that it ended on this note. Don’t get me wrong, it was still super and dark like all of the other fairy tale retellings in the collection, but the romantic aspect made it a little more bittersweet and somehow nostalgic… I slightly (but only slightly) softer note to end on.

This was the last story I read before going to bed. And it was kind of perfect. Something about the surreal nature of the storyline and the atmosphere that sweeps you along actually worked really well when I was home alone late at night. The betrayed women late at night, dancing their deathly dance. The mystery of the young girls death… everything combined in such a brilliant way to create an unforgettable tapestry. One which worked in with the dark of outside and the time of the night.

I’m normally fairly good at predicting what is going to happen in the future… not so much in this story. There were enough hints throughout that you’re curiosity was peeked, but I never actually did predict the ending. There were just so many misleading moments throughout. Which of course, moves this to the top of my short story favourites pile… I love being drastically mislead throughout a story!

<- Beauty Review

Red as Blood Collection Review ->

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Beauty by Tanith Lee

January 14, 2020Book ReviewAliens, Fairy tales, Red as Blood, Retellings, Science Fiction, Tanith Leeskyebjenner

Title: Beauty
Author: Tanith Lee
In: Red as Blood (Tanith Lee)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Aliens, Fairy tales, Retellings, Science fiction
Dates read: 17th December 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Wildside
Year: 1983
5th sentence, 74th page: There were no words at all.

When the rose arrives, the family must give up one of their own. When her time comes, she finds that maybe this new home with an alien being could be exactly what she was missing in her life. A beautiful, science fiction retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

I’ve been enjoying Beauty and the Beast retellings lately. I have never read one which is this intense though. And a SciFi version to boot. And it was just a short story! Beauty is brilliant, fun and gives an entirely new take on an old classic. Unlike most short stories that I fall this in love with though, I actually was happy with the length. I didn’t feel like it had to be expanded and added to. I didn’t think that it actually needed to be longer, it was kind of perfect all on its own.

I love that the “beast” in this story is an alien. Part of a race that is giving, helpful and constantly providing for humanity. But, the cost is that eventually some families have to give up their own child. There is so much mystery to this practice that you spend most of the tale just wondering why this is the case. And when the face of the beast is finally revealed to the young woman, what you believe is entirely wrong. It’s a great mislead and just makes it all that much more impossible to put the story down. This might be why I was happy for it to be short… I don’t know if I could sustain that kind of intensity.

As much as I’ve tried to convey the pure amazingness of this story, I don’t actually think I have the right words. Anywhere. In anyway, shape or form. Which is completely new for me. There is just something about this retelling that left me feeling in awe as the final page was closed. Happy, in awe and just fascinated.

<- Black as Ink Review

The Waters of Sorrow Review ->

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Black as Ink by Tanith Lee

January 12, 2020Book ReviewEasy Reading, Fairy tales, Red as Blood, Tanith Leeskyebjenner

Title: Black as Ink
Author: Tanith Lee
In: Red as Blood (Tanith Lee)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Fairy tales
Dates read: 14th December 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Wildside
Year: 1983
5th sentence, 74th page: You hear me?

When Victor sees the woman of his dreams across the lake, he becomes infatuated. That is, until he meets the uncle. Years later, he runs across the same girl. And discovers that she has become black as ink.

Unlike the rest of the short stories in the Red as Blood collection, this is not a retelling of any fairy tale that I recognise. Yet, there was still that lilting, fairy tale feel to the tale that made me feel like almost, almost this could be a story which I’ve read before. If I could just remember it… that’s how it felt anyway.

As with many of the stories in this collection, the ending to this was a little tragic. Actually, something about the poetic sweetness of the ending made it all that much more unfortunate. Especially since at the beginning you kind of believe that this could be a love story… hint. It’s not. It’s something… darker about our hidden instincts and desires. The ones that are black as ink.

Like the rest of the short stories in this collection, Black as Ink is kind of dark. A little bit twisted. And a really, really enjoyable read. One that I will probably pick up again in the future when I don’t want / need all those happily ever afters that tend to fill my shelves.

<- Wolfland Review

Beauty Review ->

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Wolfland by Tanith Lee

January 7, 2020Book ReviewFairy tales, Horror, Red as Blood, Retellings, Tanith Leeskyebjenner

Title: Wolfland
Author: Tanith Lee
In: Red as Blood (Tanith Lee)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Fairy tales, Horror, Retellings
Dates read: 8th December 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Wildside
Year: 1983
5th sentence, 74th page: Gradually, then, the voices of the other wolves began to dull, eventually falling quiet.

In “Wolfland”, Lisel takes a trip through the woods to visit her grandmother – who bears little resemblance to the loving old woman we expect.

This was a really cool Red Riding Hood retelling. Not the kind I was expecting, but certainly an enjoyable one. I kind of totally adored this and was really sad that it was over so soon. I could imagine an entire saga created about this version of Red Riding Hood. And I would most definitely read it.

A bit of a spoiler here… but I loved the fact that Grandma was actually the big bad wolf… of a sorts. And her reasons for becoming such a scary beast were absolutely on point!!! Even though it was a little bit scary…

Although I seriously loved this short story, I was still completely horrified by it. Particularly the ending. Which is probably why I keep wishing that this was a bigger series.

<- The Princess and her Future Review

Black as Ink Review ->

Earth and Skye

The ramblings of a bibliophile.

Tag Archives: Fairy tales

Can’t Catch Me by Michael Cadnum

Near-Beauty by M.E. Beckett

The Frog King, or Iron Henry by Daniel Quinn

Somnus’s Fair Maid by Ann Downer

Wolfed by Tanith Lee

Red as Blood Collection by Tanith Lee

Image source: Amazon

The Waters of Sorrow by Tanith Lee

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Beauty by Tanith Lee

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Black as Ink by Tanith Lee

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Wolfland by Tanith Lee

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