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Fairy Tales anthology series
Black Thorn, White Rose
The compilers of Snow White, Rose Red present eighteen retellings of classic fairy tales in contemporary and adult formats, including the writings of such authors as Peter Straub and Roger Zelazny. 10,000 first printing.
386 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1994
160 people are currently reading
3154 people want to read
About the author
Ellen Datlow
271 books1,830 followersEllen Datlow has been editing science fiction, fantasy, and horror short fiction for forty years as fiction editor of OMNI Magazine and editor of Event Horizon and SCIFICTION. She currently acquires short stories and novellas for Tor.com. In addition, she has edited about one hundred science fiction, fantasy, and horror anthologies, including the annual The Best Horror of the Year series, The Doll Collection, Mad Hatters and March Hares, The Devil and the Deep: Horror Stories of the Sea, Echoes: The Saga Anthology of Ghost Stories, Edited By, and Final Cuts: New Tales of Hollywood Horror and Other Spectacles.
She's won multiple World Fantasy Awards, Locus Awards, Hugo Awards, Bram Stoker Awards, International Horror Guild Awards, Shirley Jackson Awards, and the 2012 Il Posto Nero Black Spot Award for Excellence as Best Foreign Editor. Datlow was named recipient of the 2007 Karl Edward Wagner Award, given at the British Fantasy Convention for "outstanding contribution to the genre," was honored with the Life Achievement Award by the Horror Writers Association, in acknowledgment of superior achievement over an entire career, and honored with the World Fantasy Life Achievement Award at the 2014 World Fantasy Convention.
She's won multiple World Fantasy Awards, Locus Awards, Hugo Awards, Bram Stoker Awards, International Horror Guild Awards, Shirley Jackson Awards, and the 2012 Il Posto Nero Black Spot Award for Excellence as Best Foreign Editor. Datlow was named recipient of the 2007 Karl Edward Wagner Award, given at the British Fantasy Convention for "outstanding contribution to the genre," was honored with the Life Achievement Award by the Horror Writers Association, in acknowledgment of superior achievement over an entire career, and honored with the World Fantasy Life Achievement Award at the 2014 World Fantasy Convention.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
January 20, 2021
Black Thorn, White Rose is an anthology of 18 adult fairy tales, most of them pretty dark. It was, like always, a mixed bag with some stories better than others. There could have been a bit more balance between what was on offer.
I always find it nice to have one of these on the back burner, to read a few chapters in between books.
If you love fairy tale re-tellings, this is certainly something to look into.
There is a whole series of these and all are available on Scribd.
3.4 stars
I always find it nice to have one of these on the back burner, to read a few chapters in between books.
If you love fairy tale re-tellings, this is certainly something to look into.
There is a whole series of these and all are available on Scribd.
3.4 stars
September 26, 2013
Original anthology of 18 adult fairy tales, a follow-up volume to Snow White, Blood Red.
I'd read this anthology before, but I'm getting psyched for going to Faeriecon this coming weekend, so I wanted to read some of these... This series is one of my all-time favorites, as a whole....
7 • Words Like Pale Stones • Nancy Kress •
This is an powerfully different take on the tale of "Rumplestiltskin" – portrayed with compassion, which makes the actions of the main character, the woman who is asked to spin straw into gold – or else – that much more disturbing. We feel that she – perhaps – could love the odd and magical man who grants her the boon and saves her life – but instead, she forces him, against his will, to agree to teach her son by the prince, who is obviously a truly ‘bad seed,' the ways of power. Obviously, no good will come of this...
30 • Stronger Than Time • Patricia C. Wrede •
A beautiful, and bittersweet ghost story. Perhaps the ‘ghost' aspect is more obvious, at first, than it should be, but I love this take on Sleeping Beauty. The prince destined to save the enchanted princess screwed up and missed his chance. Now, he desperately leads an aging woodcarver on the quest that should have been his...
58 • Somnus's Fair Maid • Ann Downer •
Another retelling of Sleeping Beauty, but this one formulated as a Regency Romance, without any supernatural element. The beauty here is a young woman whose nasty guardian conspires to marry her to a repulsive older man – but dashing young suitors, of course, wish to save her from this fate. I'm usually not a big fan of romance, but this story is good (and quite ‘liberated,' in the end).
86 • The Frog King, or Iron Henry • Daniel Quinn •
I actually don't like this one. Too gimmicky. Frog gets amnesia after being thrown into a wall? You can read the whole thing, for free, here: http://www.gwu.edu/~folktale/GERM232/...
98 • Near-Beauty • M. E. Beckett •
A sci-fi take on the Frog Prince. Girl meets what her boring boyfriend thinks is an Australian Cane Toad in his shower. Turns out its an alien. Soon, she's running away with him to join an interstellar circus, and interspecies romance occurs...
107 • Ogre • Michael Kandel •
A humorous story which will be sure to be appreciated by anyone who's been involved with amateur theatre productions and the trials and tribulations thereof.
120 • Can't Catch Me • Michael Cadnum •
Not the hugest fan of this one. From the point of view of the Gingerbread Man – but I didn't see that much point to it.
129 • Journeybread Recipe • Lawrence Schimel •
A short poem. I like it!
132 • The Brown Bear of Norway • Isabel Cole •
I love this story. An American highschool girl falls in love with a Norwegian penpal, and goes out to seek him across Europe... Beautifully written, meshing dream and reality wonderfully.
151 • The Goose Girl • Tim Wynne-Jones •
Having recently read Shannon Hale's Goose Girl, this retelling pales in comparison (sorry!). It's still good, however. The princess here is indeed wronged – but she's also a cold bitch, and we can't help having sympathy for the wild, sensual serving maid – even though she is indeed, self-serving.
173 • Tattercoats • Midori Snyder •
A fairy-tale romance.... Some readers might feel this story is too sappy. It's just about rekindling the love in a marriage, even though it does have fairy tale elements. But it is awfully sweet and happy...
203 • Granny Rumple • Jane Yolen •
Usually I love love love Jane Yolen. But this story, which features Rumplestiltskin as a Jewish moneylender killed in a pogrom started by the vicious woman he lent money to, is rendered much less effective by the pointed sermonizing at the end.
217 • The Sawing Boys • Howard Waldrop •
Hmm. Not sure of how I feel about this one. A 1920's gang with a cobbled-together plan to pull a heist of a rural village fair is unwittingly stopped in their tracks by the beauty of a klezmer-country-saw band. It's intentionally cartoonish.
245 • Godson • Roger Zelazny •
It's pretty useful to have Death as your godfather – especially when he encourages you to become a doctor, and does you all kinds of favors. But when Death is a big sports fan, and wants to adjust things inconveniently for your relationship in order to benefit his favorite team – well, things can get difficult. Fun story.
281 • Ashputtle • Peter Straub •
Horror story about a kindergarten teacher who's a serial killer.
306 • Silver and Gold • Ellen Steiber •
Short poem based on Red Riding Hood.
310 • Sweet Bruising Skin • Storm Constantine •
A dark fantasy take on The Princess and the Pea. A manipulative queen seeks the help of an alchemist to obtain a docile bride for her son, in order to maintain her own power. But when the use of dark arts is uncovered, and the zombie-like girl starts
developing a will of her own, things turn against the queen...
359 • The Black Swan • Susan Wade
Country-princess Ylianna is desperate to gain the heart of an already-engaged prince who has nothing but scorn for her rough ways. She turns to a servant and countryman to guide her in matters of deportment and etiquette, but soon goes far further than he recommends, trying to transform herself into the sort of woman who would catch his eye. Again – no good can come of this. The story manages to get across its rather modern anti-diet-and-fashion-magazine-type message without being too in-your-face about it.
I'd read this anthology before, but I'm getting psyched for going to Faeriecon this coming weekend, so I wanted to read some of these... This series is one of my all-time favorites, as a whole....
7 • Words Like Pale Stones • Nancy Kress •
This is an powerfully different take on the tale of "Rumplestiltskin" – portrayed with compassion, which makes the actions of the main character, the woman who is asked to spin straw into gold – or else – that much more disturbing. We feel that she – perhaps – could love the odd and magical man who grants her the boon and saves her life – but instead, she forces him, against his will, to agree to teach her son by the prince, who is obviously a truly ‘bad seed,' the ways of power. Obviously, no good will come of this...
30 • Stronger Than Time • Patricia C. Wrede •
A beautiful, and bittersweet ghost story. Perhaps the ‘ghost' aspect is more obvious, at first, than it should be, but I love this take on Sleeping Beauty. The prince destined to save the enchanted princess screwed up and missed his chance. Now, he desperately leads an aging woodcarver on the quest that should have been his...
58 • Somnus's Fair Maid • Ann Downer •
Another retelling of Sleeping Beauty, but this one formulated as a Regency Romance, without any supernatural element. The beauty here is a young woman whose nasty guardian conspires to marry her to a repulsive older man – but dashing young suitors, of course, wish to save her from this fate. I'm usually not a big fan of romance, but this story is good (and quite ‘liberated,' in the end).
86 • The Frog King, or Iron Henry • Daniel Quinn •
I actually don't like this one. Too gimmicky. Frog gets amnesia after being thrown into a wall? You can read the whole thing, for free, here: http://www.gwu.edu/~folktale/GERM232/...
98 • Near-Beauty • M. E. Beckett •
A sci-fi take on the Frog Prince. Girl meets what her boring boyfriend thinks is an Australian Cane Toad in his shower. Turns out its an alien. Soon, she's running away with him to join an interstellar circus, and interspecies romance occurs...
107 • Ogre • Michael Kandel •
A humorous story which will be sure to be appreciated by anyone who's been involved with amateur theatre productions and the trials and tribulations thereof.
120 • Can't Catch Me • Michael Cadnum •
Not the hugest fan of this one. From the point of view of the Gingerbread Man – but I didn't see that much point to it.
129 • Journeybread Recipe • Lawrence Schimel •
A short poem. I like it!
132 • The Brown Bear of Norway • Isabel Cole •
I love this story. An American highschool girl falls in love with a Norwegian penpal, and goes out to seek him across Europe... Beautifully written, meshing dream and reality wonderfully.
151 • The Goose Girl • Tim Wynne-Jones •
Having recently read Shannon Hale's Goose Girl, this retelling pales in comparison (sorry!). It's still good, however. The princess here is indeed wronged – but she's also a cold bitch, and we can't help having sympathy for the wild, sensual serving maid – even though she is indeed, self-serving.
173 • Tattercoats • Midori Snyder •
A fairy-tale romance.... Some readers might feel this story is too sappy. It's just about rekindling the love in a marriage, even though it does have fairy tale elements. But it is awfully sweet and happy...
203 • Granny Rumple • Jane Yolen •
Usually I love love love Jane Yolen. But this story, which features Rumplestiltskin as a Jewish moneylender killed in a pogrom started by the vicious woman he lent money to, is rendered much less effective by the pointed sermonizing at the end.
217 • The Sawing Boys • Howard Waldrop •
Hmm. Not sure of how I feel about this one. A 1920's gang with a cobbled-together plan to pull a heist of a rural village fair is unwittingly stopped in their tracks by the beauty of a klezmer-country-saw band. It's intentionally cartoonish.
245 • Godson • Roger Zelazny •
It's pretty useful to have Death as your godfather – especially when he encourages you to become a doctor, and does you all kinds of favors. But when Death is a big sports fan, and wants to adjust things inconveniently for your relationship in order to benefit his favorite team – well, things can get difficult. Fun story.
281 • Ashputtle • Peter Straub •
Horror story about a kindergarten teacher who's a serial killer.
306 • Silver and Gold • Ellen Steiber •
Short poem based on Red Riding Hood.
310 • Sweet Bruising Skin • Storm Constantine •
A dark fantasy take on The Princess and the Pea. A manipulative queen seeks the help of an alchemist to obtain a docile bride for her son, in order to maintain her own power. But when the use of dark arts is uncovered, and the zombie-like girl starts
developing a will of her own, things turn against the queen...
359 • The Black Swan • Susan Wade
Country-princess Ylianna is desperate to gain the heart of an already-engaged prince who has nothing but scorn for her rough ways. She turns to a servant and countryman to guide her in matters of deportment and etiquette, but soon goes far further than he recommends, trying to transform herself into the sort of woman who would catch his eye. Again – no good can come of this. The story manages to get across its rather modern anti-diet-and-fashion-magazine-type message without being too in-your-face about it.
abandoned
January 21, 2019I read the first five stories in the collection and then called it quits. I love Patricia Wrede's story "Stronger Than Time," which I've read in other anthologies and may be one of my all-time favorite short stories. I also liked Nancy Kress's "Words Like Pale Stones," which did a good job of pulling the inherent but unspoken danger out of the underlying tale into the main story.
I didn't particularly like the others I read and am less interested in the rest of the collection as a result. I think it's quite hard to write an original retelling at this point, and I probably won't make it through the rest of this.
I didn't particularly like the others I read and am less interested in the rest of the collection as a result. I think it's quite hard to write an original retelling at this point, and I probably won't make it through the rest of this.
August 7, 2019
For any reader interested in the origins of fairy tales, this series of retellings is excellent reading! But be warned - the original tales were often very dark; reading these books is setting off into a dark, menacing wood of ominous twisted trees with only your red cape and wits for company.
Overall, this collection was more uneven than the first book Snow White, Blood Red but there are some good stories that make up for the weaker entries (please see my review of the first book for a list of all the series titles).
After an informative introduction about the origins of fairy tales by Datlow and Windling, there are 18 stories.
Story Breakdown
5 Star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 2
4 Star ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5
3 Star ⭐⭐⭐ 2
2 Star ⭐⭐ 3
1 Star ⭐ 6
Highlights: 5 Star Stories
#2 "Stronger Than Time" Patricia C. Wrede (Based on Sleeping Beauty)
The ghost of the Prince guides an elderly woodcutter to rescue his Princess, at long last.
#18 "The Black Swan" Susan Wade (Based on The Black Swan)
Strongest story in the collection
A young country girl in love with her royal cousin is taught courtly manners by an ambitious footman.
4 Star Stories
#1 "Words Like Pale Stones" Nancy Cress (Based on Rumpelstiltskin)
A Fae helps a peasant woman whose mother has lied and claims she can spin straw into gold - but at a great cost.
#9 "The Brown Bear of Norway" Isobel Cole (Based on Scandinavian folktale of same name)
Hard to understand, but interesting.
#11 "Tattercoats" Midori Synder (Based on tale of same name?)
A woman is desperate to reinvigorate her marriage and seduces her husband in disguise.
#16 "Silver and Gold" (Poem) Ellen Steiber (Based on Red Riding Hood)
"Sometimes, I explain,
it's hard to tell the difference
between the ones who love you
and the ones who will eat you alive." (309)
#17 "Sweet Brusing Skin" Storm Constantine (Based on The Princess and The Pea)
A fallen Queen relates her tale of creating a wife for her son with the aid of an alchemist.
Overall, like the first volume, this book has one story I would advise skipping when reading and that is "Ashputtle" by Peter Straub, which is based on a traditional tale of the same name. Since I haven't read the original, I'm not sure how closely this retelling echoes it but it features a very gross concept .
Less impressive than the first book it is still well worth reading and I'm looking forward to reading further in the series! (A kind and generous friend sent me this one, thank you!)
Ends with a list of Recommended Reading, both Fiction and Non-Fiction; there is a short one sentence description of each fiction story.
Overall, this collection was more uneven than the first book Snow White, Blood Red but there are some good stories that make up for the weaker entries (please see my review of the first book for a list of all the series titles).
After an informative introduction about the origins of fairy tales by Datlow and Windling, there are 18 stories.
Story Breakdown
5 Star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 2
4 Star ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5
3 Star ⭐⭐⭐ 2
2 Star ⭐⭐ 3
1 Star ⭐ 6
Highlights: 5 Star Stories
#2 "Stronger Than Time" Patricia C. Wrede (Based on Sleeping Beauty)
The ghost of the Prince guides an elderly woodcutter to rescue his Princess, at long last.
#18 "The Black Swan" Susan Wade (Based on The Black Swan)
Strongest story in the collection
A young country girl in love with her royal cousin is taught courtly manners by an ambitious footman.
4 Star Stories
#1 "Words Like Pale Stones" Nancy Cress (Based on Rumpelstiltskin)
A Fae helps a peasant woman whose mother has lied and claims she can spin straw into gold - but at a great cost.
#9 "The Brown Bear of Norway" Isobel Cole (Based on Scandinavian folktale of same name)
Hard to understand, but interesting.
#11 "Tattercoats" Midori Synder (Based on tale of same name?)
A woman is desperate to reinvigorate her marriage and seduces her husband in disguise.
#16 "Silver and Gold" (Poem) Ellen Steiber (Based on Red Riding Hood)
"Sometimes, I explain,
it's hard to tell the difference
between the ones who love you
and the ones who will eat you alive." (309)
#17 "Sweet Brusing Skin" Storm Constantine (Based on The Princess and The Pea)
A fallen Queen relates her tale of creating a wife for her son with the aid of an alchemist.
Overall, like the first volume, this book has one story I would advise skipping when reading and that is "Ashputtle" by Peter Straub, which is based on a traditional tale of the same name. Since I haven't read the original, I'm not sure how closely this retelling echoes it but it features a very gross concept .
Less impressive than the first book it is still well worth reading and I'm looking forward to reading further in the series! (A kind and generous friend sent me this one, thank you!)
Ends with a list of Recommended Reading, both Fiction and Non-Fiction; there is a short one sentence description of each fiction story.
July 1, 2013
Black Thorn, White Rose is the second in Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling's series of adult fairy-tale anthologies. I'd have to say that this is my favorite of the bunch; most of the volumes are good, but this one has so many wonderful stories that have stayed with me for years. A few highlights:
"Stronger Than Time," by Patricia C. Wrede , is a sad but hopeful take on "Sleeping Beauty," told through the eyes of Arven, an ordinary peasant widower. He has lived his whole life in the shadow of a mysterious briar-guarded tower. When a prince enlists his help breaching the tower's defenses, the reader is just as surprised as Arven is. Why does the prince need Arven's help? I dare you not to mist up a little when all is revealed.... Read More:
http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
"Stronger Than Time," by Patricia C. Wrede , is a sad but hopeful take on "Sleeping Beauty," told through the eyes of Arven, an ordinary peasant widower. He has lived his whole life in the shadow of a mysterious briar-guarded tower. When a prince enlists his help breaching the tower's defenses, the reader is just as surprised as Arven is. Why does the prince need Arven's help? I dare you not to mist up a little when all is revealed.... Read More:
http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
May 27, 2017
Not the best installment in the series, and can't say I liked any retelling of those included. "The Brown Bear from Norway" was one I did find interesting, and that was it.
March 27, 2021
Over the last few months, I've been collecting the beautiful hardcover editions of Windling and Datlow's fairy tale anthologies. The earlier editions were all illustrated by Thomas Canty, whose dreamy "new romantic" art style can be found on the covers of many 1980s-1990s fantasy novels. I've been collecting this series as much for the art as for the stories - but as with all anthologies, the stories collected within "Black Thorn, White Rose" are a bit of a mixed bag.
Some of the stories really missed the mark for me - too dark ("Ashputtle"... yikes) or too flippant and odd. Others, however, were just perfect, and I didn't want them to end. My favourites were:
- "Words like Pale Stones" by Nancy Kress.
- "Stonger than Time" by Patricia C. Wrede.
- "Somnus' Fair Maid" by Ann Downer.
- "Granny Rumple" by Jane Yolen.
Each of the above writers had a distinct style and put a unique twist on the fairytale they chose to retell. Despite having the least magic, I enjoyed Yolen's "Granny Rumple" the most - it was a retelling of Rumplestiltskin set in a Jewish ghetto hundreds of years ago. I can easily imagine Yolen's retelling being the kernel of truth at the heart of the fairytale we all know.
Some of the stories really missed the mark for me - too dark ("Ashputtle"... yikes) or too flippant and odd. Others, however, were just perfect, and I didn't want them to end. My favourites were:
- "Words like Pale Stones" by Nancy Kress.
- "Stonger than Time" by Patricia C. Wrede.
- "Somnus' Fair Maid" by Ann Downer.
- "Granny Rumple" by Jane Yolen.
Each of the above writers had a distinct style and put a unique twist on the fairytale they chose to retell. Despite having the least magic, I enjoyed Yolen's "Granny Rumple" the most - it was a retelling of Rumplestiltskin set in a Jewish ghetto hundreds of years ago. I can easily imagine Yolen's retelling being the kernel of truth at the heart of the fairytale we all know.
February 15, 2021
2.5 stars. I've had this book for at least 20 years, and have never felt compelled to read it. I read the intro a few years ago and skimmed the table of contents with the intent of giving it a try or getting rid of it. I gave it a place of honor, among the books on my bedside table—where it sat unread for over three years. When a friend invited me to join a Read or Die challenge group, this was one of the first books I added to my stack of 12 to either read this year or give away. It took 3 weeks to finish—which is a long time for me and it felt longer as I refused to let myself read anything else outside of work until I’d finished.
A collection of short stories for adults inspired by classic fairy tales, this is apparently part of a series. These stories often felt more like writing experiments than stories written with the intent of engaging the reader. I think another element was that as they are based on familiar tales, the plot Is already known, there are no opportunities for twists and it takes an exceptional author and exceptional skill to present a familiar plot effectively in a fresh and engaging manner. There were some interesting efforts, but overall reading this book felt more like a chore I was determined to finish.
Of the 18 stories, there were a few authors I’d heard of and a few standout stories.
In an attempt to stay motivated, I wrote a few lines on each story after reading, and starred the ones I liked best:
- “Words Like Pale Stones” by Nancy Kress - well written story inspired by Rumpelstiltskin set in a harsher world where the prince is no prize. I didn’t quite grasp the deeper meaning, about real and unreal, the author was clearly striving for.
- * “Stronger Than Time” by Patricia C. Wrede - a solid story with a POV shift to a woodcutter living near Sleeping Beauty’s resting place. I figured out the twist about 2/3rds through, but still wanted to see what happened. I’ve enjoyed Wrede’s Enchanted Forest Chronicles, and it was a nice surprise to find her in this anthology.
- “Somnus’s Fair Maid” by Ann Downer - a Regency era romance very loosely based on “Sleeping Beauty” but to me often closer to “Rapunzel”. I liked it, though it was a little hard to keep track of the characters and I was distracted by the math. The heroine’s great aunt is “almost 80” when she is born, yet when the heroine comes of age the aunt is her guardian, which would make her almost 100 in 1830. She then tries to marry the girl to a friend of her father’s, who would be at least...in his 120s? There’s no magic/fantasy element to explain the unnatural ages, I think the author just made a mistake.
- “The Frog King, or Iron Henry” by Daniel Quinn - interesting in that it’s all dialogue, but as the protagonist is trying to remember his story, it repeats in a circular fashion. Feels more like an experiment than a story.
- “Near-Beauty” by M.E. Beckett - I didn’t care for this story in which a “nearly” beautiful woman lusts after a talking toad. It felt misogynistic, defining the heroine as a sex object more than a person.
- “Ogre” by Michael Kandel - a theater troop with an ogre in the cast. Ok. He refers to a female character as a “bimbo” which was off putting.
- * “Can”t Catch Me” by Michael Cadnum - fun first person POV from the Gingerbread Man with an entertaining modern tone. One of the stronger stories.
- “Journeybread Recipe” by Lawrence Shimek - closer to a poem than a story, and seems to turn Little Red Riding Hood into an allegory for pregnancy. I think?
- “The Brown Bear of Norway” by Isabel Cole - Another obscure story that’s hard to follow. Seems to be an allegory for young love, where a teen girl becomes pen pals with a boy in Europe and has fantasies (?) of him visiting her room, but he’s a bear. It felt like it was inspired by a relationship that ended badly.
- “The Goose Girl” by Tim Wynne-Jones - somewhat straightforward retelling, though more adult and from the POV of the king remembering how he met his queen.
- “Tattercoats” by Midori Snyder - solid adaptation of the story, featuring the original heroine’s daughter using the magic items to put a spark back in her marriage.
- * “Granny Rumple” by Jan Yolen - one of the strongest stories in the collection, telling “Rumpelstiltskin” from his POV, and making him a Jew in the Ukraine who lends money to the Miller’s daughter out of sympathy, and suffers for it.
- “The Sawing Boys” by Howard Waldrop - “The Bremen Town Musicians” with people in 1920s Kentucky. The story is so stuffed with 1920s gangster slang, Pig Latin, etc. made this a slog to read and barely comprehensible, even with the glossary, which didn’t cover everything. A 20-page short story should not require a 2-page glossary.
- * “Godson” by Roger Zelazny - an interesting blend of fairy tail and sci fi. I’m not sure what this tale, which follows a young man whose godfather is death, is based on. Apparently that would be a spoiler, and perhaps not knowing the tale enhanced it for me. There’s a quirky creativity to it and it was an accessible and engaging read. I’d try another story by this author.
- * “Ashputtle” by Peter Straub - well written psychological tale set in the modern world about a disgruntled teacher. Notably well-drawn protagonist and a slow build twist. One of, if not the, strongest story in the collection. I’ve heard of Straub, hadn’t read him, but though I’m not a fan of horror, now I’m intrigued.
- “Silver and Gold” by Ellen Steiber - a poem and I’m not a fan of poetry, but this was ok.
- “Sweet Bruising Skin” by Storm Constantine - a dark/horror take on “The Princess and the Pea” where the queen mother is a somewhat sympathetic villain due to effective use of her point of view. A longer tale, I could see this author’s style being more effective in a novel.
- “Black Swan” -Susan Wade - solid story about the lengths a woman will go for beauty, and what happens when a woman’s value is determined solely by that beauty.
A collection of short stories for adults inspired by classic fairy tales, this is apparently part of a series. These stories often felt more like writing experiments than stories written with the intent of engaging the reader. I think another element was that as they are based on familiar tales, the plot Is already known, there are no opportunities for twists and it takes an exceptional author and exceptional skill to present a familiar plot effectively in a fresh and engaging manner. There were some interesting efforts, but overall reading this book felt more like a chore I was determined to finish.
Of the 18 stories, there were a few authors I’d heard of and a few standout stories.
In an attempt to stay motivated, I wrote a few lines on each story after reading, and starred the ones I liked best:
- “Words Like Pale Stones” by Nancy Kress - well written story inspired by Rumpelstiltskin set in a harsher world where the prince is no prize. I didn’t quite grasp the deeper meaning, about real and unreal, the author was clearly striving for.
- * “Stronger Than Time” by Patricia C. Wrede - a solid story with a POV shift to a woodcutter living near Sleeping Beauty’s resting place. I figured out the twist about 2/3rds through, but still wanted to see what happened. I’ve enjoyed Wrede’s Enchanted Forest Chronicles, and it was a nice surprise to find her in this anthology.
- “Somnus’s Fair Maid” by Ann Downer - a Regency era romance very loosely based on “Sleeping Beauty” but to me often closer to “Rapunzel”. I liked it, though it was a little hard to keep track of the characters and I was distracted by the math. The heroine’s great aunt is “almost 80” when she is born, yet when the heroine comes of age the aunt is her guardian, which would make her almost 100 in 1830. She then tries to marry the girl to a friend of her father’s, who would be at least...in his 120s? There’s no magic/fantasy element to explain the unnatural ages, I think the author just made a mistake.
- “The Frog King, or Iron Henry” by Daniel Quinn - interesting in that it’s all dialogue, but as the protagonist is trying to remember his story, it repeats in a circular fashion. Feels more like an experiment than a story.
- “Near-Beauty” by M.E. Beckett - I didn’t care for this story in which a “nearly” beautiful woman lusts after a talking toad. It felt misogynistic, defining the heroine as a sex object more than a person.
- “Ogre” by Michael Kandel - a theater troop with an ogre in the cast. Ok. He refers to a female character as a “bimbo” which was off putting.
- * “Can”t Catch Me” by Michael Cadnum - fun first person POV from the Gingerbread Man with an entertaining modern tone. One of the stronger stories.
- “Journeybread Recipe” by Lawrence Shimek - closer to a poem than a story, and seems to turn Little Red Riding Hood into an allegory for pregnancy. I think?
- “The Brown Bear of Norway” by Isabel Cole - Another obscure story that’s hard to follow. Seems to be an allegory for young love, where a teen girl becomes pen pals with a boy in Europe and has fantasies (?) of him visiting her room, but he’s a bear. It felt like it was inspired by a relationship that ended badly.
- “The Goose Girl” by Tim Wynne-Jones - somewhat straightforward retelling, though more adult and from the POV of the king remembering how he met his queen.
- “Tattercoats” by Midori Snyder - solid adaptation of the story, featuring the original heroine’s daughter using the magic items to put a spark back in her marriage.
- * “Granny Rumple” by Jan Yolen - one of the strongest stories in the collection, telling “Rumpelstiltskin” from his POV, and making him a Jew in the Ukraine who lends money to the Miller’s daughter out of sympathy, and suffers for it.
- “The Sawing Boys” by Howard Waldrop - “The Bremen Town Musicians” with people in 1920s Kentucky. The story is so stuffed with 1920s gangster slang, Pig Latin, etc. made this a slog to read and barely comprehensible, even with the glossary, which didn’t cover everything. A 20-page short story should not require a 2-page glossary.
- * “Godson” by Roger Zelazny - an interesting blend of fairy tail and sci fi. I’m not sure what this tale, which follows a young man whose godfather is death, is based on. Apparently that would be a spoiler, and perhaps not knowing the tale enhanced it for me. There’s a quirky creativity to it and it was an accessible and engaging read. I’d try another story by this author.
- * “Ashputtle” by Peter Straub - well written psychological tale set in the modern world about a disgruntled teacher. Notably well-drawn protagonist and a slow build twist. One of, if not the, strongest story in the collection. I’ve heard of Straub, hadn’t read him, but though I’m not a fan of horror, now I’m intrigued.
- “Silver and Gold” by Ellen Steiber - a poem and I’m not a fan of poetry, but this was ok.
- “Sweet Bruising Skin” by Storm Constantine - a dark/horror take on “The Princess and the Pea” where the queen mother is a somewhat sympathetic villain due to effective use of her point of view. A longer tale, I could see this author’s style being more effective in a novel.
- “Black Swan” -Susan Wade - solid story about the lengths a woman will go for beauty, and what happens when a woman’s value is determined solely by that beauty.
April 8, 2022
A distinct improvement over the first entry in this anthology series. There were several stories that I especially liked:
There were only two that gave me the heebie jeebies. "Sweet Bruising Skin" by Storm Constantine was mysterious and a bit intriguing but also kind of icky, though ultimately not much more explicit than Frankenstein. "Ashputtle" by Peter Straub, though. . . THAT one was disturbing and might be triggering to a survivor of child abuse. (
Stronger Than Time by Patricia C. Wrede
Somnus's Fair Maid by Anne Downer
The Brown Bear of Norway by Isabel Cole
The Goose Girl by Tim Wynne-Jones
Tattercoats by Midori Snyder
Godson by Roger Zelazny
The Black Swan by Susan Wade
There were only two that gave me the heebie jeebies. "Sweet Bruising Skin" by Storm Constantine was mysterious and a bit intriguing but also kind of icky, though ultimately not much more explicit than Frankenstein. "Ashputtle" by Peter Straub, though. . . THAT one was disturbing and might be triggering to a survivor of child abuse. (
October 6, 2010
This is one of what I gather to be a whole host of “alternative fairy tale” short story collections. It has sat on my shelf for years, forlornly waiting to be read. I recently started picking at it, a story at a time, while reading other things. It’s solidly average-to-decent, but I actually liked it more than I thought I would.
As with most genre short story anthologies, the entries in this book all revolve around the common theme of turning a classic fairy tale on its head. The stories approach this from a number of angles, resulting in everything from alternative viewpoints to entire transplants of the setting; I only knew that some of them were related to a classic tale because they were in this book to begin with. Even so, each tale does what it sets out to do, as the settings are suitably evocative and the morals (altered and revised though some may be) are crystal clear by the end of each.
This collection suffers from the hallmark lack of consistency that plagues most short story collections, but I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of duds in this one. Granted, only one or two stories struck me enough that I’m still thinking about them, but each and every one of them were fun to read. I liked some less than others, but there were none I outright disliked, which is rare in a collection like this.
Turns out, this collection is perfect for the use I had for it: fun, escapist, bite-sized reads. Most of the tales presented have a sensual, feminist bent, but there really is something for everyone, with altered fairy tales of all different moods and directions. I’m not exactly chomping at the bit for another in this series, but I will definitely pick one up once I’m in the mood for it again, and would definitely recommend this one to those who are fans of the adult fairy tale.
As with most genre short story anthologies, the entries in this book all revolve around the common theme of turning a classic fairy tale on its head. The stories approach this from a number of angles, resulting in everything from alternative viewpoints to entire transplants of the setting; I only knew that some of them were related to a classic tale because they were in this book to begin with. Even so, each tale does what it sets out to do, as the settings are suitably evocative and the morals (altered and revised though some may be) are crystal clear by the end of each.
This collection suffers from the hallmark lack of consistency that plagues most short story collections, but I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of duds in this one. Granted, only one or two stories struck me enough that I’m still thinking about them, but each and every one of them were fun to read. I liked some less than others, but there were none I outright disliked, which is rare in a collection like this.
Turns out, this collection is perfect for the use I had for it: fun, escapist, bite-sized reads. Most of the tales presented have a sensual, feminist bent, but there really is something for everyone, with altered fairy tales of all different moods and directions. I’m not exactly chomping at the bit for another in this series, but I will definitely pick one up once I’m in the mood for it again, and would definitely recommend this one to those who are fans of the adult fairy tale.
May 20, 2012
This was quite a mixed bag of stories. Some of them were interesting, but none really gripped me? There were certain stories that I enjoyed reading at the time, but they didn't linger in the mind after I'd put the book down. And as for the not-so-good tales, oh my god. They were terrible. I had to stop reading Ashputtle because I was so disgusted. I didn't understand half of The Sawing Boys and gave up on that one too. (I discovered a glossary at the end, but wasn't tempted to go back and try again.) The Frog King, or Iron Henry was completely pointless -- I didn't get that one at all. Likewise with Ogre and Can't Catch Me -- what was the point?
But as I said, I did like some of the stories: The Goose Girl, Tattercoats, Granny Rumple, Godson, and Sweet Bruising Skin were all interesting. I thought Somnus's Fair Maid, a regency retelling of Sleeping Beauty, was very original -- I liked the voice, and the gender role reversal. And Near-Beauty, a sci-fi take on the princess and the frog theme, started off great but definitely needed more explanation at the end. (The frog suddenly starts talking about Carnival and sleep-training and how he needs a Pilot? And it's all a little too random sci-fi for me.) But it does have this great line: "[She] found him looking at her again. This time, she blushed just a little. She was, after all, only twenty-four, and had little experience of nonhuman ogling."
But as I said, I did like some of the stories: The Goose Girl, Tattercoats, Granny Rumple, Godson, and Sweet Bruising Skin were all interesting. I thought Somnus's Fair Maid, a regency retelling of Sleeping Beauty, was very original -- I liked the voice, and the gender role reversal. And Near-Beauty, a sci-fi take on the princess and the frog theme, started off great but definitely needed more explanation at the end. (The frog suddenly starts talking about Carnival and sleep-training and how he needs a Pilot? And it's all a little too random sci-fi for me.) But it does have this great line: "[She] found him looking at her again. This time, she blushed just a little. She was, after all, only twenty-four, and had little experience of nonhuman ogling."
December 3, 2009
As with all story collections, there are some better than others in this, but all in all, it's a good mix.
The one story that I really want to comment on is "The Frog King, or Iron Henry" by Daniel Quinn, and that's because, sadly, I just don't get it. I know the story of the Frog Prince, I noticed the mirrored writing Quinn used, but I just couldn't grasp what the author was trying to say with this piece. Was the king injured as a frog, causing his memory problems? Was his queen having an affair with the servant? Was there something else that went completely over my head? I feel as lost as the former frog.
Other notable stories from the collection: "Somnus's Fair Maid" by Ann Elizabeth Dower, "The Goose Girl" by Tim Wynne-Jones, "Tattercoats" by Midori Snyder, "Godson" by Roger Zelazny, and, perhaps best of all, "Granny Rumple" by Jane Yolen.
The one story that I really want to comment on is "The Frog King, or Iron Henry" by Daniel Quinn, and that's because, sadly, I just don't get it. I know the story of the Frog Prince, I noticed the mirrored writing Quinn used, but I just couldn't grasp what the author was trying to say with this piece. Was the king injured as a frog, causing his memory problems? Was his queen having an affair with the servant? Was there something else that went completely over my head? I feel as lost as the former frog.
Other notable stories from the collection: "Somnus's Fair Maid" by Ann Elizabeth Dower, "The Goose Girl" by Tim Wynne-Jones, "Tattercoats" by Midori Snyder, "Godson" by Roger Zelazny, and, perhaps best of all, "Granny Rumple" by Jane Yolen.
September 19, 2017
As usual with a collection of stories you like some more than others but most of these stories are very good with only one real clunker. The stories by Nancy Kress and Roger Zelazny, who are both well-known SF writers, are very good. Stories by Midori Snyder, Storm Constantice, and Susan Wade I particularly enjoyed, and I was surprised that they are not better known. The one I didn't care for was "The Sawing Boys" by Howard Waldrop. Reading this story I found it very hard to believe it was written in the 1990s because the characterization was so crude and hackneyed. It seemed more like something Damon Runyon and Will Rogers would have written, if they had ever worked together and both were having a very bad day. But put that aside, this is a very good book that I highly recommend.
August 10, 2011
Of the three collections I read by these editors, this was the most disappointing. Some of the stories were so obtuse as to be unrecognizable to the fairy tale that inspired the story. One of the stories even needed a glossary - LAME! If your 10 page short story needs a glossary, we have a problem. This took me forever to read, and quite frankly, I'm glad it's over. I think I'm done with short stories for a while.
July 14, 2016
More like 1.5 stars. A reread that I barely remembered, and that does not hold up well. Most of the stories are dated, a few are downright terrible; the sole standout is the Rumpelstiltskin retelling by Jane Yolen, but I suspect at least part of my appreciation of it derives from the fact that by the time I read it, I was still irritated by "Iron Henry" and "Can't Catch Me," which are a whole other level of, respectively, try-hard and pointless .
March 23, 2016
I reviewed another book in this series here. I liked the first book better than this book, but this one was good also. It is worth a read if you like fairy tale retellings!
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September 16, 2017
I genuinely enjoy all of the fairy tale collections, fantasy compilations, etc. put together by these two editors and this one was no exception. They capture a certain feel that's very hard to find these days, offering a great escape from reality. This particular collection was fairy tales.
November 20, 2015
There were only 1 or 2 stories in this collection worth reading.
February 23, 2022
I have read the first few stories/tales so far of this book, I can see the relevance to modern stories, maybe I will pick it up again, the title intrigued me.
May 24, 2022
~POTENTIAL SPOILERS~
Yes, I wanted to keep going with short story collections to ease myself back into the groove of reading more regularly again and since I liked the idea behind the first volume and thought it'd get better I decided to give this second volume a try. And did it get better with a new group of authors? Eh? This edition certainly had a greater amount of really good stories compared to the first, but also a lot of the same issues. Some stories were just weird for the sake of being weird, whereas most of them had the same dry tone to them that plagued most of the stories in the first volume.
Like why does an ogre work in community theatre in an otherwise mundane setting? Why was the Frog Prince a random alien? What was up with that gross Cinderella retelling? And again, most were just dull and hard to get through when they really didn't need to be. There's no point in reviewing them all individually because I just summed up the biggest problem with most of them, they were dull, dry, and written in uninteresting styles. Thus, I'll just talk about the ones I had the most thoughts on.
Unlike the first volume, I do think there were more works here that I liked more. Journeybread Recipe and Silver and Gold were as usual very great retellings of Little Red Riding Hood, a story I'm convinced you can't go wrong with. Somnus' Fair Maid was my favorite type of retelling, one set in an entirely historical period, this one being the Regency. Can't Catch Me is a short but great take on the story of The Gingerbread Man from his perspective.
Sweet Bruised Skin was a retelling of The Princess and the Pea which I wanted to like, I enjoyed seeing it from the queen's perspective and explain why she was the way she was, but despite it being one of the longer stories in this collection, I was still left wanting more. Same with The Goose Girl, it had a good twist but I felt like it needed more 'oomph'. The Black Swan, while officially not retelling anything, had enough similarities to Swan Lake for me to make note of it, and it was pretty good as well.
To me, one of the best was The Sawing Boys. 1920's Southern flare, what's not to love? Tattercoats was very sweet. Granny Rumple was also great, going back to what I said earlier about retellings set entirely in our history. Here 'Rumpelstiltskin' is just a Jewish moneylender living in Ukraine who gets defaced by a dumb yet greedy girl. Godson, despite its length, was easily one of the best here. Though the retelling is pretty obvious early on if you know your fairy-tales, that doesn't dampen the experience at all. The modern setting works well to play with the themes of the Brothers Grimms' Godfather Death.
Overall, this collection was much better than the first edition with more stories I liked, hence the higher rating, but it still suffered from the same overarching issue the first one had where most of the stories were overly dry and dull with disengaging styles. This review is not as long as some others purely because I don't need to keep repeating myself. Just because you're writing for adults doesn't mean you have to adopt a clinical, bored tone. Adults deserve better. Maybe the third volume will be the one that starts to understand that.
Yes, I wanted to keep going with short story collections to ease myself back into the groove of reading more regularly again and since I liked the idea behind the first volume and thought it'd get better I decided to give this second volume a try. And did it get better with a new group of authors? Eh? This edition certainly had a greater amount of really good stories compared to the first, but also a lot of the same issues. Some stories were just weird for the sake of being weird, whereas most of them had the same dry tone to them that plagued most of the stories in the first volume.
Like why does an ogre work in community theatre in an otherwise mundane setting? Why was the Frog Prince a random alien? What was up with that gross Cinderella retelling? And again, most were just dull and hard to get through when they really didn't need to be. There's no point in reviewing them all individually because I just summed up the biggest problem with most of them, they were dull, dry, and written in uninteresting styles. Thus, I'll just talk about the ones I had the most thoughts on.
Unlike the first volume, I do think there were more works here that I liked more. Journeybread Recipe and Silver and Gold were as usual very great retellings of Little Red Riding Hood, a story I'm convinced you can't go wrong with. Somnus' Fair Maid was my favorite type of retelling, one set in an entirely historical period, this one being the Regency. Can't Catch Me is a short but great take on the story of The Gingerbread Man from his perspective.
Sweet Bruised Skin was a retelling of The Princess and the Pea which I wanted to like, I enjoyed seeing it from the queen's perspective and explain why she was the way she was, but despite it being one of the longer stories in this collection, I was still left wanting more. Same with The Goose Girl, it had a good twist but I felt like it needed more 'oomph'. The Black Swan, while officially not retelling anything, had enough similarities to Swan Lake for me to make note of it, and it was pretty good as well.
To me, one of the best was The Sawing Boys. 1920's Southern flare, what's not to love? Tattercoats was very sweet. Granny Rumple was also great, going back to what I said earlier about retellings set entirely in our history. Here 'Rumpelstiltskin' is just a Jewish moneylender living in Ukraine who gets defaced by a dumb yet greedy girl. Godson, despite its length, was easily one of the best here. Though the retelling is pretty obvious early on if you know your fairy-tales, that doesn't dampen the experience at all. The modern setting works well to play with the themes of the Brothers Grimms' Godfather Death.
Overall, this collection was much better than the first edition with more stories I liked, hence the higher rating, but it still suffered from the same overarching issue the first one had where most of the stories were overly dry and dull with disengaging styles. This review is not as long as some others purely because I don't need to keep repeating myself. Just because you're writing for adults doesn't mean you have to adopt a clinical, bored tone. Adults deserve better. Maybe the third volume will be the one that starts to understand that.
June 4, 2019
Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling assemble a second collection of darker fairy tales within the pages of Black Thorn, White Rose. A variant of Rumpelstiltskin begins the volume under the title "Stronger Than Time," which sees the old spinster tricked into gaining a young apprentice. The legend of a sleeping beauty gets a 19th century update - and a hilarious romantic comedy twist - during "Somnus's Fair Maid." The titular "Frog King, or Iron Henry" is fighting amnesia over his current predicament, while a 3-foot tall frog looking to entice a maiden during a shower is the plot of the science fiction offering "Near-Beauty." Despite his appearance and appetite, the protagonist of "Ogre" is actually a fairly useful movie set aide; by contrast, the running gingerbread man from "Can't Catch Me" is surviving digestion after a series of violent altercations. "Journeybread Recipe" is a quick deconstruction of fairy tales into a set of cooking steps. Love drives "The Brown Bear of Norway" through a series of letters and missed opportunities, as "The Goose Girl" sets up a bait-and-switch for an arranged marriage that does not end well for anyone involved. The flame of a dying love is reignited thanks to a mystical cloak during "Tattercoats," love is lost in the ghetto as a young woman becomes "Granny Rumple," and the backwater musical stylings of "The Sawing Boys" prevent a town from getting snookered. The entertaining "Godson" finds himself a benefactor in Death himself, and the dark "Ashputtle" spins a twisted tale of a wandering killer with the face of a sweet old schoolteacher. "Silver and Gold" is a poetical take on the Red Riding Hood legend, "Sweet Bruising Skin" turns the princess/pea fable into a devilish story of Frankenstein-like horror, and "The Black Swan" finds a young princess capable of transforming much more than her mannerisms. The collection is quite adepts at switching genres and styles, yet manages to hold attentions by means of dark humor and fast-paced tales. Black Thorn, White Rose is a reminder to look beyond the petals to find the more entertaining objects beneath.
September 1, 2022
At first glance yet another collection of edgy fairy tale retellings, but these were far more unique and consistently high-quality than what I've read in the past. It certainly helps that this version contains works by some true heavyweights in the fantasy genre: Jane Yolen, Patricia C. Wrede, and Peter Straub to name a few. The tales they choose to focus on, while occasionally veering towards the traditional (a startling amount of takes on Sleeping beauty), also spread into unfamiliar territory: forgotten English folklore like Tattercoats, tales from the French Blue Fairy book, and little known Grimm stories such as The Juniper Tree.
My favorites were, in no particular order: The Sawing Boys, a hilarious take on a fairy tale I'd never heard before (The Breman Town Musicians) set in the 1920's American South, Godson by Roger Delaney, a clever take on The Godfather Death fairy tale from the Grimm cannon in which Death really likes chess and football and manipulating people to join the medical field, Tattercoats by Midair Snyder, which turns a Cinderella-like story into a tender second-chance romance between a long-married husband and wife, and Sweet Bruising Skin by Storm Constantine which transforms the Princess and the Pea fairytale into a frighting and fascinating story of dark magic and bonding between powerful, manipulative women.
My favorites were, in no particular order: The Sawing Boys, a hilarious take on a fairy tale I'd never heard before (The Breman Town Musicians) set in the 1920's American South, Godson by Roger Delaney, a clever take on The Godfather Death fairy tale from the Grimm cannon in which Death really likes chess and football and manipulating people to join the medical field, Tattercoats by Midair Snyder, which turns a Cinderella-like story into a tender second-chance romance between a long-married husband and wife, and Sweet Bruising Skin by Storm Constantine which transforms the Princess and the Pea fairytale into a frighting and fascinating story of dark magic and bonding between powerful, manipulative women.
October 6, 2018
“Words Like Pale Stones” by Nancy Kress (3/5 stars)
This was a version of Rumpelstiltskin. It was okay, had some darkness to it and a bit of a twist. In this version the woman wants Rumplestiltskin to take her child away.
“Stronger Than Time” by Patricia C. Wrede (4/5 stars)
A prince asks for a woodman’s help in breaching Sleeping Beauty’s castle. When they find the princess the woodcutter finds the prince is not what he seems to be. This was a decent story and very sweet.
“Somnus’s Fair Maid” by Ann Downer (4/5 stars)
I liked this one. It was a retelling of Sleeping Beauty done in Regency style. It was a fun story with an interesting twist. I struggled a bit with all the characters introduced in such a short story and the story jumped around quite a bit. However, overall I liked it.
“The Frog King, or Iron Henry” by Daniel Quinn (3/5 stars)
This was a very short story about a Prince who forgot he was a frog. Very repetitive and didn’t really like it much.
“Near-Beauty” by M.E. Beckett (3/5 stars)
A sci-fi “Princess and the Frog” sort of retelling. This time the princess falls for the frog. The story was a bit abrupt and was okay but not great.
“Ogre” by Michael Kandel (2/5 stars)
I wasn’t a fan of this one. It’s an off the wall story about a bunch of actors and one of them is an ogre. Didn’t really see the point of this one and could have left it.
“Can’t Catch Me” by Michael Cadnum (3/5 stars)
This was a story about a gingerman fleeing an oven, it was somewhat humorous but very short. I thought it was okay.
“Journeybread Recipe” by Lawrence Schimel (4/5 stars)
This was a clever little poem about how to make Journeybread. I liked the visualization and some of the cleverness in here.
“The Brown Bear of Norway” by Isabel Cole (4/5 stars)
This was a folktale style story set in the modern day world about a girl who is penpals with a bear in Norway. They fall in love and she eventually goes to find him only to find him changed. This is a well written and sweet story with good imagery.
This was a version of Rumpelstiltskin. It was okay, had some darkness to it and a bit of a twist. In this version the woman wants Rumplestiltskin to take her child away.
“Stronger Than Time” by Patricia C. Wrede (4/5 stars)
A prince asks for a woodman’s help in breaching Sleeping Beauty’s castle. When they find the princess the woodcutter finds the prince is not what he seems to be. This was a decent story and very sweet.
“Somnus’s Fair Maid” by Ann Downer (4/5 stars)
I liked this one. It was a retelling of Sleeping Beauty done in Regency style. It was a fun story with an interesting twist. I struggled a bit with all the characters introduced in such a short story and the story jumped around quite a bit. However, overall I liked it.
“The Frog King, or Iron Henry” by Daniel Quinn (3/5 stars)
This was a very short story about a Prince who forgot he was a frog. Very repetitive and didn’t really like it much.
“Near-Beauty” by M.E. Beckett (3/5 stars)
A sci-fi “Princess and the Frog” sort of retelling. This time the princess falls for the frog. The story was a bit abrupt and was okay but not great.
“Ogre” by Michael Kandel (2/5 stars)
I wasn’t a fan of this one. It’s an off the wall story about a bunch of actors and one of them is an ogre. Didn’t really see the point of this one and could have left it.
“Can’t Catch Me” by Michael Cadnum (3/5 stars)
This was a story about a gingerman fleeing an oven, it was somewhat humorous but very short. I thought it was okay.
“Journeybread Recipe” by Lawrence Schimel (4/5 stars)
This was a clever little poem about how to make Journeybread. I liked the visualization and some of the cleverness in here.
“The Brown Bear of Norway” by Isabel Cole (4/5 stars)
This was a folktale style story set in the modern day world about a girl who is penpals with a bear in Norway. They fall in love and she eventually goes to find him only to find him changed. This is a well written and sweet story with good imagery.
April 10, 2019
After reading 2 books in this series of books, I think I'm going to pass on the remaining 4. Compared to the first book, this one was much more tame in terms of dark sexuality, but as with the first book, there were very few stories that I found to be interesting.
There are 2 stories in the last 3/4 of the book that are quite good. Godson and Sweet Bruising Skin were very clever and well written, but those 2 good stories weren't quite enough to draw me into wanting to read more from this series since I had to work through ~400 pages of stuff that I just didn't care for. I'm not sure exactly why these stories aren't hitting home with me. I've grown to love the works of some current sci-fi/fantasy authors who seem to specialize in writing fairy tales geared towards adults, but the stories in the two books I've read from this collection just aren't resonating with me like other books of the same genre do.
Ah well, I tried, at least.
There are 2 stories in the last 3/4 of the book that are quite good. Godson and Sweet Bruising Skin were very clever and well written, but those 2 good stories weren't quite enough to draw me into wanting to read more from this series since I had to work through ~400 pages of stuff that I just didn't care for. I'm not sure exactly why these stories aren't hitting home with me. I've grown to love the works of some current sci-fi/fantasy authors who seem to specialize in writing fairy tales geared towards adults, but the stories in the two books I've read from this collection just aren't resonating with me like other books of the same genre do.
Ah well, I tried, at least.
November 16, 2022
Overall: 3.17 stars
01 Words Like Pale Stones by Nancy Kress 4 stars
02 Stronger Than Time by Patricia C. Wrede 3.75 stars
03 Somnus’s Fair Maid by Ann Downer 4.75 stars
04 The Frog King, or Iron Henry by Daniel Quinn 1 star
05 Near-Beauty by M. E. Beckett 2 stars
06 Ogre by Michael Kandel 1 star
07 Can’t Catch Me by Michael Cadnum 2.5 stars
08 Journeybread Recipe by Lawrence Schimel 1 star
09 The Brown Bear of Norway by Isabel Cole 2 stars
10 The Goose Girl by Tim Wynne-Jones 3.5 stars
11 Tattercoats by Midori Snyder 4.5 stars
12 Granny Rumple Jane by Yolen 5 stars
13 The Sawing Boys by Howard Waldrop 5 stars
14 Godson by Roger Zelazny 5 stars
15 Ashputtle by Peter Straub 2 stars
16 Silver and Gold by Ellen Steiber 2 stars
17 Sweet Bruising Skin by Storm Constantine 5 stars
18 The Black Swan by Susan Wade 3 stars
01 Words Like Pale Stones by Nancy Kress 4 stars
02 Stronger Than Time by Patricia C. Wrede 3.75 stars
03 Somnus’s Fair Maid by Ann Downer 4.75 stars
04 The Frog King, or Iron Henry by Daniel Quinn 1 star
05 Near-Beauty by M. E. Beckett 2 stars
06 Ogre by Michael Kandel 1 star
07 Can’t Catch Me by Michael Cadnum 2.5 stars
08 Journeybread Recipe by Lawrence Schimel 1 star
09 The Brown Bear of Norway by Isabel Cole 2 stars
10 The Goose Girl by Tim Wynne-Jones 3.5 stars
11 Tattercoats by Midori Snyder 4.5 stars
12 Granny Rumple Jane by Yolen 5 stars
13 The Sawing Boys by Howard Waldrop 5 stars
14 Godson by Roger Zelazny 5 stars
15 Ashputtle by Peter Straub 2 stars
16 Silver and Gold by Ellen Steiber 2 stars
17 Sweet Bruising Skin by Storm Constantine 5 stars
18 The Black Swan by Susan Wade 3 stars
February 17, 2019
Brilliant
There may be a couple stories in this book that don't quite grab my attention but on the whole they're all pretty darn good. Really enjoyed The Sawing Boys by Howard Waldrop, which was a retelling of The Musicians of Bremerton with a Depression era Kentucky flavor. Nancy Kress's Words Like Pale Stones and Patricia Wrede's Stronger Than Time were lovely even if the endings weren't what I expected or entirely happy. Tattercoats by Midori Snyder was another really great story about a husband and wife who had gotten so used to each other that they might be taking one another for granted and how a little change of perception makes their marriage new again.
All in all, this book is probably my favorite in the series so far.
There may be a couple stories in this book that don't quite grab my attention but on the whole they're all pretty darn good. Really enjoyed The Sawing Boys by Howard Waldrop, which was a retelling of The Musicians of Bremerton with a Depression era Kentucky flavor. Nancy Kress's Words Like Pale Stones and Patricia Wrede's Stronger Than Time were lovely even if the endings weren't what I expected or entirely happy. Tattercoats by Midori Snyder was another really great story about a husband and wife who had gotten so used to each other that they might be taking one another for granted and how a little change of perception makes their marriage new again.
All in all, this book is probably my favorite in the series so far.
November 24, 2021
A short story collection is always hard to rate, because naturally I find that some stories are better than others, or have a greater impact on me, and I'll turn back to those ones again in the future but leave others behind. This collection of fable & storybook retellings was no different, but those stories I did love truly stood out from the pack. Big shoutout to my therapist Ashley for recommending this to me to get me out of a particularly bad reading slump. I can't wait to check out the rest of this series to find more soul-bearing retellings of classic stories to fall in love with all over again.
January 22, 2023
Words Like Pale Stones: 5 stars. A fun, dark take on an already dark story. My favorite of the anthology
Stronger than Time: 5 stars. Sleeping Beauty told from the point of a third party
Somnus’s Fair Maid: 4 stars. Sleeping Beauty in Regency era. Points for the different time but not my favorite
The Frog King: 4 stars. Fun story but could have been about five pages shorter
Tattercoats: 4 stars. A little smutty and sweet
Godson: 5 stars. Not a fairytale I was familiar with so this almost read like a completely new story for me
Sweet Bruising Skin: 4 stars. Smooth, dark and bitter. A little longer than it should have been but good
Stronger than Time: 5 stars. Sleeping Beauty told from the point of a third party
Somnus’s Fair Maid: 4 stars. Sleeping Beauty in Regency era. Points for the different time but not my favorite
The Frog King: 4 stars. Fun story but could have been about five pages shorter
Tattercoats: 4 stars. A little smutty and sweet
Godson: 5 stars. Not a fairytale I was familiar with so this almost read like a completely new story for me
Sweet Bruising Skin: 4 stars. Smooth, dark and bitter. A little longer than it should have been but good
April 12, 2018
The first anthology in this series really blew the doors off modern fantasy, and I think any sequel would be doomed to a degree of sophomore slump. Most of these were just not to my taste, more cynical than the stories in Snow White, Blood Red. But there are some gems here: Isabel Cole's "Brown Bear of Norway," Tim Wynne-Jones's subversive "The Goose Girl," where the prince sourly points out some of the more problematic aspects of the classic story, and Jane Yolen's "Granny Rumple," which retells Rumplestiltskin as a family legend of Jews struggling in Eastern Europe.
April 30, 2019
I'm a longtime lover of modern retellings of fairy tales, and this collection has some wonderful ones! I didn't give it 5 stars because a couple of the stories were not my favourite (not unusual in a collection), but would have given it 4.5 if I could have. These two editors have a clear and deep grasp of what makes a good fairy tale, and I would (and do) read anything they put their names to.
I also loved the discussion of fairy tales in the Introduction, and the little blurb about each author before their story. I've found some new favourite authors this way!
I also loved the discussion of fairy tales in the Introduction, and the little blurb about each author before their story. I've found some new favourite authors this way!
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