Rumplestiltskin has always seemed such an odd name for one of the “fair folk”, but was it his real name? Here Michael Cadnum offers an alternative point of view to the classical fairy tale.
I never quite realised how weird a name ‘Rumpelstiltskin’
is. It’s just a name that has always been. But when you read a cute little
short story about how odd that is, you start to realise that it is quite an
absurd name…
There were two things that I loved about this short story.
The first was the fact that Rumpelstiltskin started out as kind
of a benevolent figure. He is constantly helping and assisting others towards a
greater future. This is so completely at odds with the original and my understanding
of him that I was kind of taken aback. Even his assistance of the girl spinning
straw into gold came from a good place. It was just her attitude that turned it
into something more sinister.
I don’t like the idea of eating babies. I thought I should
start with that, since I actually loved the fact that a baby was eaten in this story…
it kind of seemed like justice to the annoyances of the previously thought of
victim of the story. A poetic kind of revenge.
Title: The Princess in the Tower Author: Elizabeth A. Lynn In: Snow White, Blood Red (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling) Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect) My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Fairy tales, Food Date read: 28th January 2019 Pace: Medium Format: Short story Publisher: Signet Year: 1993 5th sentence, 74th page: After the examination, he told Margherita to go outside, where she was instantly encircled by a small crowd of delighted urchins, who speculated aloud about the fatal, wasting disease she had obviously contracted.
Margherita can’t seem to put on the weight that characterises the rest of her family. So they decide to put her in a tower to save her from her madness. Luckily for her, a nice young gentleman comes along and loves her… just the way she is.
This is the second Rapunzel story in the Snow White, Blood Red collection. And it is far more light-hearted and entertaining than the first. Where the previous story was a little dark and twisted, this one was fun, happy and had me smiling throughout. It also made me a little hungry with the constant mentions of pasta and food.
This short story really turns the idea of beauty on its
head. Instead of being beautiful for her slenderness, Margherita is thought to
be sick and mad. It makes those who are large and curvy beautiful, and those
who are slender somehow “wrong”. A great way to flip current societal norms on
its head. I also love that in the happily-ever-after a gain in weight and a lot
of food feature. Again, something that wouldn’t normally involve a
happily-ever-after and one that I really loved.
Title: Fairest of All: A Tale of the Wicked Queen Author: Serena Valentino Series: Villains #1 Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect) My Bookshelves:Fairy tales, Fantasy, Villains Dates read: 4th – 16th January 2019 Pace: Medium Format: Novel Publisher: Disney Press Year: 2009 5th sentence, 74th page: Given what Snow has already told us of them, I would advise we keep a close watch on the sisters, for I do not trust them.
The tale of the young princess Snow White and her evil stepmother the Wicked Queen is widely known. Despite a few variations from telling to telling, the story remains the same – the Queen was jealous of the girl’s beauty, and this jealousy culminated in the Queen’s attempt on the sweet, naive girl’s life.
Another tale far less often spoken of is the one that explains what caused the Queen to become so contemptuously vile. Still, some have attempted to guess at the reason. Perhaps the Queen’s true nature was that of a wicked hag and her beautiful, regal appearance a disguise used to fool the King. Others claim that the Queen might have hated the girl for her resemblance to the King’s first wife. Mostly, the Queen is painted as a morally abhorrent woman who never loved another being during the course of her miserable life.
In fact, the theories about exactly what caused the Queen’s obsessive vanity and jealous rage are too numerous to catalogue. This book recounts a version of the story that has remained untold until now. It is a tragic tale of love and loss, and it contains a bit of magic. It is a tale of the Wicked Queen…
I bought the first three books of this series on a whim
because I saw their pretty covers on someone’s Facebook page. Normally I do a
little research into a series before I do this. But I mostly just got a little
bit too overexcited and just went for it. And I’m really glad that I did! This story
takes the original Disney version of Snow White and gives it so many glorious
twists and turns that leaves you understanding and sympathising with the
villain. One of the scariest villains of my childhood for that matter – the
Wicked Queen.
I was expecting a story that justified the Queen’s actions
in the well-known Disney version fairy tale. What I wasn’t expecting was for
the story to continue on beyond her turning, and to her actual decision making that
occurs throughout the entire movie. And even continued on beyond the
happily-ever-after. It gave the story a much more intense and intriguing storyline
that I just wasn’t expecting.
Although you know that there isn’t really going to be a happily ever after, you still kind of hope for one. Valentino is just that good at inspiring sympathy for a villain. I haven’t had the fortune to read many villain-based tales and I thought that this was a great start into the sub- genre. Especially when considering that this is based on one of the best-known fairy tales. And it uses the Disney version which is the retellings most commonly recognised.
Throughout this story, my heart bled for the Queen. I was so incredibly attached to her and loved that although she turns evil as expected, you could understand more and more why she ended up that way. I can’t wait to pick up The Beast Within and find out how Valentino spins that tale.
Title: The Root of the Matter Author: Gregory Frost In: Snow White, Blood Red (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling) Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Fairy tales, Villains Pace: Medium Format: Short story Publisher: Signet Year: 1993 5th sentence, 74th page: The Others had seen it coming much sooner.
Mother Gothel and Rapunzel tell their stories in this slightly horrific and intense retelling of Rapunzel. Not for the young… or the faint of heart.
As with many of the retellings in Snow White, Blood Red, The Root of the Matter was filled with a sexuality that is almost missing from the traditional fairy tales. I say almost because it does kind of linger in the originals, but it’s possible to ignore and read in total innocence. You can’t read The Root of the Matter in total innocence. You can’t read it in any semblance of innocence for that matter.
Rapunzel has always been a fairy tale that I’ve enjoyed. And
when I finally discovered the full version as an adult (the one with the
blinding and wondering the desert), it made me love it all the more. There is
just something about this story. And the fact that there is an eventual happy
ending, even though there is a lot of suffering simply endears it to me all the
more. After all, I tend to find that the happiest and sweetest of endings come
from the sufferings. Can’t see the light without the dark and all of that
nonsense. So it was really nice that although this was a very adult version of Rapunzel, it still had that happy ending. The
living forever after together after both had faced their trials.
This is definitely a short story and retelling that is going
to linger. It is almost the original, but with a much more adult spin on it
that both disturbs and works beautifully.
Title: Troll Author: Jane Yolen In: Troll’s-Eye View (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling) Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Fairy tales, Villains Pace: Medium Format: Short story Publisher: Firebird Fantasy Year: 2009 5th sentence, 74th page: But Troll, having no imagination, could not fathom what that splash and crash meant.
Troll is small and doesn’t have much imagination. But that doesn’t stop him from making sure he has a decent meal every once in a while.
There’s something about trolls that is always… I guess
amusing. Probably because they are often cast as dumb, lumbering and far south
of thoughtful. And, this short story really doesn’t do anything to dispel those
ideas. What it does do is take a creature that is traditionally gross and
smelly and making him… well, kind of cute.
Although Troll is still kind of a villain in this story (he
keeps eating others), it’s hard to dislike him. That very cute, dopey characterisation
makes him seem like just a happy bystander to the eating of the goats and other
creatures. It doesn’t make it feel like a story in which there is really a bad
guy or a good guy. Rather a young fool trying to survive, and a heap of other
fools who keep going near him…
Title: Queen Rising Author: Danielle Paige Series: Stealing Snow #0.2 Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Fairy tales, Magic, Paranormal fantasy Dates read: 10th January 2019 Pace: Fast Format: Novella Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children’s Year: 2016 5th sentence, 74th page: And she felt the gravity of the boy and the dress and the promise of being something new.
Enter a world of elemental magic, forbidden romance, and betrayal in this prequel to New York Times bestselling author Danielle Paige’s upcoming Stealing Snow.
Margot grew up as an apprentice to the witches Nepenthe and Ora, but she doesn’t possess the incredible magic that they have. So when the old Snow King asked her to kidnap Ora, she obeyed his command, hiding her true motives from the witches. Though the witches could kill Margot for her betrayal, they showed her mercy–and without her old friends at her side, she must find her own way.
Leaving the world she knows behind, Margot decides to put her affinity for thieving to use by embracing the Robber trade. But she is set for a much greater fate. . . and more of the prophecy foretelling Algid’s future will be revealed. Along the way, Margot must find her way from being a magic-less apprentice to be becoming a queen in her own right.
And Margot’s role in the prophecy is only just beginning. . . In the future, she is destined to cross paths with a girl named Snow, who will have the power to change Algid forever-for better, or for worse.
This was such an amazing novella. Which I was kind of expecting because I also thought that Before the Snow was amazing. Especially as a wind up to the actual novel and the first full-length story in this series. The only thing that annoys me about this is the fact that I decided to read Stealing Snow for my Around the Year in 52 books challenge… so I don’t get to read it until the 16th of July…. That’s a loooooong time to wait.
Queen Rising follows Margot through her journey to the cusp of adulthood. Although her life intersects with that of Nepenthe and Ora (who were featured in Before the Snow), this novella introduces you to an entirely different side of Algid. Which I thoroughly enjoyed, the multiple sides of a universe that are shown in two simple novellas. It makes me wonder how the novel will unfold – so much information has been crammed into the preceding tastes that have so thoughtfully been offered.
Title: Before the Snow Author: Danielle Paige Series: Stealing Snow #0.1 Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Fairy tales, Magic, Paranormal fantasy Dates read: 8th – 9th January 2019 Pace: Fast Format: Novella Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children’s Year: 2016 5th sentence, 74th page: “Call me Nepenthe,” she ordered.
Enter a world of elemental magic, forbidden romance, and betrayal in this prequel to New York Times bestselling author Danielle Paige’s upcoming Stealing Snow.
Young Nepenthe is half-princess, half-mermaid. Though she longs for the sea, her father wants her to stay on land. But only love can make a mermaid give up the water, and Nepenthe doesn’t love anyone the way her mother loves her human father. She wants to live as a mermaid and become the River Witch, like her mother.
Then Nepenthe meets Prince Lazar, the son of the all-powerful Snow King of Algid, and she can’t help but fall for him. After a horrible tragedy strikes, Nepenthe joins forces with a young fire witch named Ora to save Lazar and protect the kingdom. But it soon becomes clear that Ora loves Lazar just as much as Nepenthe does… And now Nepenthe must decide: inherit the power of the River Witch, or betray her friend to be with the boy she loves.
And Nepenthe’s role in the prophecy is only just beginning. . . In the future, she is destined to cross paths with a girl named Snow, who will have the power to change Algid forever-for better, or for worse.
I had no idea what to expect from this novella, or even what to expect from the rest of this series. I had just bought Stealing Snow because it was cheap in the Boxing Day Sales. And the cover looked pretty. And it was one of those stories that I’m so glad I did. At least, judging from the first novella (I haven’t got to the actual novel yet).
From the very beginning it is obvious that this is a great
origins story. Not just of the villain, but also there is the hint of a key
role that the River Witch is going to play in the greater series. Starting with
the prophecy that is obviously going to govern the rest of the series drew me
in from the very beginning. And the fact that the Prince (soon to be the
Twisted King) starts off as an innocent pulled me in even further.
There is something almost sinister about the prince from the
very beginning. Partly because there is a lust for power and triumph from his
very first moment, but as his relationship with both Ora and Nepenthe develops,
it become obvious that there is much more to it. And it isn’t until the final
scene that you realise he is already beyond redemption.
Title: All the King’s Men Author: Jeffrey Ford In: Mad Hatters and March Hares (Ellen Datlow) Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Fairy tales, Medieval fantasy Pace: Medium Format: Short story Publisher: Tor Year: 2017 5th sentence, 74th page: In a flash, Dumpty’s eyes imploded, his lips crumbled, his arms snapped, and when they did, I had to wonder for a second when and from where he’d acquired arms… and legs?
Humpty Dumpty has fallen and broken into many pieces. The king wants his sister-in-law to repair the damage he’s done, but what will the final cost truly be?
I loved this take on the tale of Humpty Dumpty. He is gross, creepy and annoying. And yet there is a weird connection between him and the king. The fact that this weird, grotesque relationship is told through the eyes of an inventor and the queen’s sister kind of makes it all the more fun. Alongside the word spinning and twirling that seems to be an aspect of anything influenced by Lewis Carroll.
I thought this story would just be about the assassination
of Humpty Dumpty and the consequent way in which ‘all the king’s men’ tried to
put him back together again. So I was kind of surprised when the story
continued after this point. And it just kept getting better and better. And
better.
The ending of this short story is one that sticks in my
head. That beautiful imagery that lingers long after you have turned the final
page.
Title: I Shall Do Thee Mischief in the Wood Author: Kathe Koja In: Snow White, Blood Red (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling) Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect) My Bookshelves:Fairy tales, Villains Pace: Slow, Medium, Fast Format: Short story Publisher: Signet Year: 1993 5th sentence, 74th page: The inn-tavern was hot, hot almost as the departed day, crowded with those with something to sell, vice or service, proferring to the retinue what did not first interest their lord.
Red Riding Hood is poor, young and, too many, a little simple. So when a predator from another town fixates on her, and follows her into the woods, you think you know what’s going to happen. But you don’t. Because this is a very twisted fairy tale retelling.
In the collection, Snow White, Blood Red, I Shall Do Thee Mischief follows directly after Little Red. And I had to put this book down after Little Red because of the ick factor. So when I found out that there was a second story based on this fairy tale. Also with a sexual component… I’ll admit that I was kind of concerned. And uncomfortable. There is only so much ick I can read before I have to change over to the happy and carefree stories. Luckily for me, although the sexuality was still there, it wasn’t so intense. Or icky.
I did have to read the last page of this short story twice to feel like I fully understood what happened. And I’m still not entirely sure if my take is “correct”. But from what I absorbed… the young girl was completely able to turn the tables on her would-be predator. And, since that’s the kind of ending that I like… I’m going to stick with it.
Title: The Boy Who Cried Wolf Author: Holly Black In: Troll’s-Eye View (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling) Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect) My Bookshelves:Fairy tales, Villains, Werewolves Pace: Fast Format: Short story Publisher: Firebird Fantasy Year: 2009 5th sentence, 74th page: There was barely any wind, and the swells were small.
When a young lad sniffs a flower, he quickly finds out that not everything he reads about in books is fiction. Will he have what it takes to save his family?
While I really enjoyed this short story, what bumped up my great opinion of it was Black’sexplanation for why she wrote it in the first place. On childhood vacations, she often wished that she could turn into a wolf and eat her family – so she wrote about a boy who could. And, honestly, who hasn’t felt like that on a family vacation?
This was a fun, easy and quick read. It took the idea of a boy who doesn’t quite fit in and twisted and turned it into a tale that was a little bit scary, a little bit about being right and a lot about family. It has that darkness that I tend to associate with Holly Black and one that I thoroughly enjoy.
Earth and Skye 