Tag Archives: Tanith Lee

Snow-Drop by Tanith Lee

February 4, 2019Book ReviewFairy tales, Snow White Blood Red, Tanith Lee, Villainsskyebjenner

Image result for snow white, blood red book cover

Title: Snow-Drop
Author: Tanith Lee
In: Snow White, Blood Red (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling) & Redder Than Blood (Tanith Lee)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Fairy tales,
Villains
Pace: Slow, Medium, Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Signet
Year: 1993
5th sentence, 74th page: However.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Tanith Lee provides an alternate (and slightly disturbed) take on Snow White that will leave you thinking about it, and feeling incredibly uncomfortable.

Not all fairy tales have a happy ending, and in the case of Snow Drop, there is most certainly not a happy ending. At least for Snow Drop… I’m still not sure whether the ending was happy or just twisted for Cristena…

I honestly thought by the name of this short story that there would be an innocent at some point throughout. Whether it was the reworked Snow White, the reworked step mother, or some vague bystander. I thought that in some way, there would be a purity and innocence to this story that would contrast with the darkness.

I was wrong.

So very, very wrong. There is no innocence in this story. There is no purity, and the depths of depravity throughout the story just kept on exceeding my expectations. Not that I minded… it was just enough “huh” to make this story impossible to put down and even more impossible to forget.

<- Stalking Beans Review

Little Red Review ->

Image source: Amazon

Under My Hat edited by Jonathan Strahan

November 11, 2017Book ReviewCharles de Lint, Delia Sherman, Diana Peterfreund, Easy Reading, Ellen Klages, Ellen Kushner, Frances Hardinge, Garth Nix, Holly Black, Isobelle Carmody, Jane Yolen, Jonathan Strahan, M. Rickert, Margo Lanagan, Neil Gaiman, Patricia A McKillip, Peter S. Beagle, Short Story Collections, Tanith Lee, Tim Pratt, Under My Hat, Witchesskyebjenner

Title: Under My Hat: Tales from the Cauldron
Author: Jonathan Strahan, Diana Peterfreund, Frances Hardinge, Garth Nix, Holly Black, Charles de Lint, Tanith Lee, Neil Gaiman, Ellen Klages, Ellen Kushner, Delia Sherman, Patricia A. McKillip, Tim Pratt, M. Rickert, Isobelle Carmody, Jane Yolen, Peter S. Beagle, Margo Lanagan
In: Under My Hat (Jonathan Strahan)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Short story collections, Witches
Pace: Medium
Format: Collection
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: “Was he?” asked Mari.

Broomsticks.
Black Cats.
Pointy Hats.

They can mean only one thing – somewhere nearby, there must be a witch. From fairy tales to fims to fiction, witches cast their spells and capture our imaginations.

Now the biggest names in fantasy and young adult literature have come together to make a little magic of their own. Neil Gaiman, Holly Black, Diana Peterfreund, Margo Lanagan, Peter S. Beagle, and Garth Nix are just a few of the authors who have toiled over their cauldrons and conjured up bewitching new creations inspired by and celebrating the might and mystery of the witch. Assembled by one of the most well-regarded anthologists in the science fiction/fantasy world, this rich, intelligent collection will enchant readers of all ages.

Short story collections are always good fun. They’re a great way to discover new authors, and the common thread through them can be so unique and different. Sometimes I even struggle to find the common thread! Not with this amazing collection though. It’s simple. Witches.

Strahan did a great job of putting together this fun and cute little collection of witch-y tales and I’m actually kind of disappointed that it’s over. Although I bought it to read B is for Bigfoot by Jim Butcher, the rest of the stories really jumped out at me. It’s actually difficult to pick an absolute favourite – they all had this twisted, fun, unexpected adventure that they took me on. Closing the cover of the book, I feel like I’ve gone on journeys through distant lands (and realms) and come back to land squarely on earth. Which is actually kind of disappointing… time to find my next epic journey of witchcraft and wings…

<- Crow and Caper, Caper and Crow

Stray Magic ->

Image source: Frances Hardinge

Felidis by Tanith Lee

September 15, 2017Book ReviewCats, Easy Reading, Familiars, Fantasy, Tanith Lee, Under My Hat, Witchesskyebjenner

Title: Felidis
Author: Tanith Lee
In: Under My Hat (Jonathan Strahan)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Fantasy, Witches
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: There was still a lamp burning in the lower room.

Radlo is on a journey when a passerby stops him on the road to warn him not to go into the forest. He says an evil young woman with the eyes of a cat and covered in fur lives there. Thinking the man is mad, Radlo continues on his way, and when he reaches the other side of the woods, he finds a village. There, the people seems to like the cat-girl. Annoyed by all these tales he’s not even sure he believes, Radlo goads his way into meeting the cat-girl, and is shocked to find she’s real. Felidis looks exactly like the man on the road said, and she lives with dozens of cats, one of whom appears to be her favorite. Fascinated by her, he spends the night at her house, intending to leave the next day, but soon, one day turns into several, and several days into seasons. Radlo can’t seem to bring himself to leave Felidis and thinks he may be falling in love with her, but she says that she has no interest in marriage. After spending so much time with her, Radlo knows that she is a witch, but he has no idea how she works her magic. Before he finally leaves, Felidis offers to grant him a request in exchange for all he’s done for her. If she won’t give him her love, Radlo wants to know how she does magic, but the truth may surprise him.

One of the things that I love about short stories is the way in which they generally get turned completely on their heads. Or at least, some of the best ones – like Lee’s Felidis. A furry, clawed witch girl saves a boy. He falls a little in love. Then he finds out her truth. Which is completely unexpected and brilliant.

It took a little while for this story to gain traction, and for me to see where it was going. At the beginning of the story actually, I was finding it a little boring and fully expecting to put it down in disgust within moments. However, just at that crucial turning point, it dragged me in. Felidis was suddenly in the story with her cat companions and her mystery developed.

This was a really well written, slightly obscure short story. Unlike others, I don’t want to dive back into the world again, but I will happily read this tale again and again.

<- Barrio Girls Review

Witch Work Review ->

Earth and Skye

The ramblings of a bibliophile.