Once Upon a Time: New Fairy Tales

by Paula Guran (Editor), Theodora Goss, Caitlín R. Kiernan

Eighteen extraordinary authors devise all-new fairy tales: imaginative reinterpretations of the familiar, evocative new myths, speculations beyond the traditional realm of "once upon a time." Often dark, occasionally humorous, always enthralling, these stories find a certain Puss in a near-future New York, an empress bargaining with a dragon, a princess turned into a raven, a king's dancing daughters with powerful secrets, great heroism, terrible villainy, sparks of mischief, and a great deal more. Brilliant dreams and dazzling nightmares with meaning for today and tomorrow...

“The Giant In Repose” Nathan Ballingrud.
“Eat Me, Drink Me, Love Me” Christopher Barzak.
“Tales That Fairies Tell” Richard Bowes.
“Warrior Dreams” Cinda Williams Chima.
“Blanchefleur” Theodora Goss.
“The Road of Needles” Caitlín R. Kiernan.
“Below the Sun Beneath” by Tanith Lee.
“The Coin of Heart’s Desire” Yoon Ha Lee.
“Sleeping Beauty of Elista” Ekaterina Sedia.
“Egg” Priya Sharma.
“Lupine” Nisi Shawl.
“Castle of Masks” by Cory Skerry: this version © 2013 Cory Skerry.
(An earlier version appeared in Fairy Tales in Split Vision, ed. Cindy Lynn Speer, Drollerie Press, 2009).
“Flight” © 2013 Angela Slatter.
“The Lenten Rose” Genevieve Valentine.
“The Hush of Feathers, the Clamour of Wings” A. C. Wise.
“Born and Bread” Kaaron Warren.
“The Mirror Tells All” Erzebet YellowBoy.
“The Spinning Wheel’s Tale” Jane Yolen.

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Anthologies, Fairy Tales, Retellings, Fiction, Horror

384 pages, Paperback

First published September 29, 2013

About the author

Paula Guran is senior editor for Prime Books. She edited the Juno fantasy imprint from its small press inception through its incarnation as an imprint of Pocket Books. She is also senior editor of Prime's soon-to-launch digital imprint Masque Books. Guran edits the annual Year's Best Dark Fantasy and Horror series as well as a growing number of other anthologies. In an earlier life she produced weekly email newsletter DarkEcho (winning two Stokers, an IHG award, and a World Fantasy Award nomination), edited Horror Garage (earning another IHG and a second World Fantasy nomination), and has contributed reviews, interviews, and articles to numerous professional publications.

Reviews

[Marquise · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars overall. This anthology was much, but much better than Guran's other anthology, Beyond the Woods.

Yes, the quality is still uneven. I think by now it must be a standard disclaimer as well as a genre cliché to say that about anthologies, but it isn't less true for that. So, what makes this one better for me? For one, that the entire anthology doesn't live or die on one single star-author included in it, as was the case with the previous, that relied mainly on Tanith Lee's brilliance to succeed and I very much doubt it would've been as highly rated if not for her. Instead, in this anthology there's three authors that stand out amongst eighteen included, and that distributes the merit for its success more evenly. Many talented ones are responsible instead of just one, each with their own style and creativity. Secondly, from the authors whose stories stood out there's much more variety in styles and stories, which means more different takes on tales than there would be from just one creative.

And, since I'm on it, shouts out and bows go to Cory Skerry for his story "Castle of Masks" and to Theodora Goss for her story "Blanchefleur" as the best writers. Honourable mention goes to Caitlin Kiernan for "The Path of Needles." All three were wonderful, but Goss's is my absolute favourite and gets the top rating from me.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strong collection of fairy tales; adapted, twisted, re-imagined, re-purposed and made anew for a modern audience. These tales capture the original tales and make them feel fresh and new. And whilst most collection of short stories have a few that aren't as strong as the others, all these tales stand strong alone and collectively.


The Coin of Heart's Desire
A tale I hadn't heard of the sacrifice a ruler must make for its Kingdom. I loved the characters in it and the twists and turns.

The Lenten Rose
A stunning retelling of the Snow Queen. I really loved the narrative, the flashes between present and past and the stark red rose imagery against the white snow and those white, lenten roses, always present and creepy throughout. The Snow Queen is a tale that has always haunted me and this version just made me remember why I loved it as a child.

The Spinning Wheel's Tale
Without giving too much away with regards to this tale's twist, this was a stunning bit of work which did leave me guessing as to who was the narrator. Though really I should have known better! My own criticism, far too short! Would've loved more of an alternative perspective to the Sleeping Beauty tale.

Below the Sun Beneath
A retelling of what I believe is the 12 princesses. The tale has such beautiful imagery of the sun beneath, of what happens when the sun sets into the lands below and it was just stunning to read. I loved the tale, the tale of the bored, tyrant King and the Princesses who frightened him. I loved this story, it was a joy to read.

Warrior Dreams
Reminiscent of Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden, the warrior of our tale takes on faerie and the creatures of the Lake and waterways. Absolutely loved the style of it, loved our hero warriors and wished there could have been more. Poignant tale and truly wonderful.

Born and Bread
I have never heard of this tale, it was perfectly told though with a heroine using her skills rather than charm or looks to become the hero of the piece. I really did love Doe, though I in real life dislike dough immensely, the imagery as well was very vivid.

Tales that Fairies tell
Puss in Boots meets Gossip Girl. A world of fantasy meets reality in this modern take on Puss. Puss in Boots never engaged me as a younger reader but this, with its nods to modern fashion and our brief desires for things, made me love the tale and Puss for once.

Sleeping Beauty of Elista
A modern, possibly true, tale of Sleeping Beauty and the woes of modern medicine. This left me curious wanting to know if the tale was true.

The Road of Needles
Whilst it has some beautiful writing, this tale took some reading and didn't grip me as much as the others but still pretty strong tale.

Lupine
Who hasn't acted like an idiot in front of the person that they like? takes this idea and transforms it into a fairy tale curse. Doomed to hate those she loves and love all those she hates, Lupine is an engaging heroine who finds herself the brunt of a mother's 'love' or rather her jealousy. I loved this story but so short! I could've read more.

Flight
The transformation of a princess is a well known tale, the transformation from girl to woman or from Princess to creature is shown here with the Emer faced of transforming from Princess to ruler upon her birthday but getting a rather rude shock. The tale of the Black Bride mixed in was quite excellent and I would've loved to read more about her and the White Bride.

Egg by Priya Sharma
A tale of be careful what you wish for. I really loved this story, I could honestly sympathise with the mother and felt the heartbreak and hope she felt the whole way through. Superb writing, couldn't stop reading!

Other tales included:
Castle of Masks
The Giant in Repose
The Hush of Feathers
The Clamor of Wings
Eat me, drink me, love me
The Mirror tells all
Blanchefleur

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

As always, with an anthology, there are some stories you love, some which challenge you, some which confuse you, some which are surprisingly short, and usually one you just don't like for some reason, and this was no exception. Most of these stories meld the old and the new, so read on to see Puss In Boots, Beauty and the Beast, the Twelve Dancing Princesses, Sleeping Beauty and Red Riding Hood - amongst others - in a very different way. You'll find role reversals and substitutions, all in the same world of fairy tales and legend where promises are broken or kept with terrible or wonderful consequences, but maybe seen from a different viewpoint or where the focus of the story is new.

In the end it was hard to decide on a rating. By choice it would be 3.5 stars, but as GR doesn't do half-stars I was leaning towards 4 stars, before realizing that I probably wouldn't seek this out for a reread and therefore decided to round down. Don't think I didn't enjoy it though, because I did, and I may reread a couple of the stories again, I just wouldn't seek out the anthology.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Francesca · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

Le antologie di racconti, soprattutto se di più autori, soffrono di un bizzarro destino: o si trovano alcune chicche insperate oppure (sigh) non rendono giustizia agli autori e alle autrici, spesso anche notevoli.
Così anche per questa raccolta, Once Upon a Time: New Fairy Tales.
Ci sono delle storie che meritano menzione, come quelle di Ekaterina Sedia, Tanith Lee, Jane Yolen; altre gradevoli, altre ancora dimenticabili.
Si passa da brani impregnati di realismo magico ad altri spiccatamente fantastici e fantasy, raccogliendo un po’ tutte le ultime tendenze più nuove e fresche del fantastico degli ultimi anni.
Peccato per la qualità non eccelsa, anche dei pezzi di scrittrici altrove meritevoli.

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book years ago at a comic store. Cindy Morgan from Tron and Caddyshack was there, I remember - she was gossiping with someone and I overheard their conversation. She was found dead just last December at her home in Lake Worth of natural causes. I realize that is a macabre way to start a book review but I remember what I remember and where all my paper books came from.

Anyway, this is from Prime Books, which from what I can find is no longer in business. It was another of the fairy tale retellings I liked - most especially with the Terri Windling/Ellen Datlow edited books from back in the day.

As with all short stories, some are better than others. Tanith Lee's was great (but she is one of my favorite authors) and Theodora Goss's was as well. Genevieve Valentine's was not that great but since she wrote one of my favorite books of the last ten years, I give her a pass.

As with all my books I'm clearing out, this goes to a little free library. Enjoy!

[Nancy Hudson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I didn’t love this anthology as much as I hoped to. The stories are all very different and some really didn’t seem like fairy tale retelling. I prefer the magical elements that the originals have with talking animals, princes and princesses both good and bad, witches and crones but sometimes there are some modern stories that speak to you as well. My favorite was Blanchefleur by Theresa Goss that I had already read in her book earlier this year. I really love that story as it melds so many elements of fairy tale story telling. It is also the longest story in the book. I also enjoyed Egg, The Giant in Repose, The Mirror Tells All and Eat Me, Drink Me, Love Me. Many of the other stories were mediocre or just not good which is typical of any anthology.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no intention of getting sucked into this book! I was just going to read Caitlín R. Kiernan's story, which was nominated for a 2014 Locus Award for best short story, and maybe one or two others. (Kiernan was also nominated in the novella category and for her collection.) But the editor really got me in the intro, "Where did it all start for you?...For me it was a book title Fifty Famous Fairy Stories..." That book is on my shelf upstairs, one of the few I have from my early childhood. How I poured over that book. I think I got it at a garage sale for a quarter, so worth every cent. Then I liked the first story in the book and then kept going. They were all so easy to read, it was a pleasure after some of the hard to plow through stories I've been reading lately. It really struck me after Tanith Lee's story when I was on page 90 and had no intention of switching over to a novel (even though I had just picked up the new Jim Butcher book from the library!) that I was well and truly sucked in. Or enchanted might be a nicer and more appropriate word.

Anyway, the editing of the book was very good. I liked that each story had introductions by the author. Their thoughts on what fairy tale they wrote about and how they approached their tale added a lot to the book. Plus I hadn't heard of a number of the tales being referenced and had to look them up before reading the story to properly appreciate it. The illustrations were nice too, a pleasant change to have each chapter started with a full-page picture, even if most were just clipart. It was also nice that the stories varied in length so much, some were very brief, almost like flash fiction, and others were much longer. It gave the book a nice flow that I really haven't seen in any other anthologies. I liked reading so many international authors, there were several from Great Britain and Australia, among others. And the choice of authors seemed very deliberate. There were several authors who said that they had a specialty writing about fairy tales, sometimes with a twist, so it wasn't not just people taking a wild swing at the theme. I'd much rather read author's I've never heard of who are right for this anthology and a bunch of big names that don't have anything special to add to this theme. There was a lot to give the book variety and texture even with a strong theme like this. The book was well-edited and overall one of the better anthologies that I've read.

Yoon Ha Lee - The Coin of Heart's Desire - This story was originally written in exchange for a donation to help survivors of Hurricane Katrina. It's an neat little tale about an empress and a dragon, a little light in the end, but really pretty good. It was fun to see a completely original story to anchor the book, using Korean folklore about the Dragon King Under the Sea remembered from her childhood as an inspiration, as well as some personal family memories. The imagery of the story was very effective and lingering, which makes sense since she said that it was the illustrations from the Korean folktales that she grew up with that that she remembered more than the stories themselves. She did a good job of conveying the spirit and visuals of what she was imagining. Also, don't be fooled by her short bio, she has written a ton of short stories in addition to the collection mentioned in the book. There's a lot available online in Clarkesworld, Lightspeed, Beneath Ceaseless Skies and Tor.com at least, that was enough for me, but there might be more.

Genevieve Valentine - The Lenten Rose - It was funny to see her here, I'd just read my first story by her the day before on Tor.com. But this story wasn't such a success for me. For one thing, if I hadn't taken the time to read the article about "The Snow Queen" in Wikipedia to refresh my memory then I'd have been totally lost, it's very dependent on the original fairy tale to have any meaning. Which is fine to some degree, I ended up reading a lot of the original stories that I was unfamiliar with. But the other stories would have made sense without having read the background, they just wouldn't have resonated as much. This one was really confusing, I don't think I'd have followed well without knowing where it was going. It was so disjointed, I don't see how all of that jumping around added to the story at all. It didn't make it mysterious or mystical it just made it confusing. It didn't work. Disappointing.

Jane Yolen - The Spinning Wheel's Tale - It was fine but it's very, very short. There really wasn't much to judge here, a bit of cleverness about who the witch might have been, not so much about the wheel. Cute, short. It did intrigue me about her over eighty-five original fairy tales, as mentioned in her bio, so that was a win for the anthology model of marketing. I liked her clear style without many unnecessary flourishes. (Of course the contrast seemed even greater after the confusing last story.) Her style reminded me a bit of Seanan McGuire somehow, maybe something about the wittiness.

Tanith Lee - Below the Sun Beneath - It seemed like a pretty faithful version of the story of the twelve dancing princesses with a few added elements to make it her own and to resonate for modern readers. He "saves" her and she saves him right back. The language was a bit heavy with the fairy-tale style if you know what I mean, but it was a good story.

Cinda Williams Chima - Warrior Dreams - I've lived in Cleveland most of my life and I never heard of the Storm Hag of Lake Erie of the Black Dog of Lake Erie, so that was interesting. She included many other mythological elements too. And if was a pretty good story. But it was so urban fantasy, it didn't feel at all like a fairy tale. Putting in mythological elements doesn't make it a fairy tale, does it? I don't know, it has some elements, he was offered the sword, he killed the wicked "queen". There's certainly no happily ever after, but that doesn't matter, the real Grimm stories were pretty grim too. It just didn't feel anything like a fairy tale at any point. I don't need flowery language, I don't even like too much of it. I don't know what bothered me so much. What makes a fairy tale a fairy tale? Not just fae? It did make me curious if all if the talk about him being a Warrior was connected to her warrior YA series, which does look pretty good.

Kaaron Warren - Born and Bread - A fine short story, much shorter than the one that inspired it, "Sivka Burka". A bit more gruesome too! It didn't make me hungry, that's for sure. Nice to read an Australian, and Fijian, author, nominated for many awards including the Aurealis Award and the Ditmar Award. I've been frustrated that I wasn't able to get to any of the award-nominated stories this year, so this book is helping to sooth my frustrations.

Richard Bowes - Tales That Fairies Tell - Puss in Boots with an extra helping of Renard the Fox. He recently wrote a collection of modern feminist-centered fairy tales. I liked most of it but the end was abrupt, the intro of dragon felt out of place though the idea that the cat was indeed a monster was not. "I am a monster, but never to you." Good fairy tale stuff. Overall a good story just the pace felt kind of off, it didn't feel like it was building to an end then it was over, no crisis the end. Reynard was wasted too.

Ekaterina Sedia - Sleeping Beauty of Elista - I like her point from the intro, one thing fairy tales can do is extract some comfort from terror. They were often attempts to explain and warn about some pretty scary things, so maybe someone brave lived through the terror you should now avoid by listening to the tale you're being told as a warning, and they won a kingdom or lived happily ever after. Or died if it was some of the real original stories. Anyway, it reminded me of the article I just read on Tor.com about why we should let kid read horror. Grim, dark fairy tales can not only be actual warning of what not to do (don't go down that road or into that castle!!) but can be an emotional comfort and release that people of all ages really need.

Sedia is great at giving her modern books a fairy tale quality anyway. I've read a few that I'd qualify as urban fantasy. (I hate the term literary urban fantasy or literary anything, what does that mean, that just for fun stuff is crap with no literary value?) But her modern has a eerie, haunting quality that feels fairy tale like to me, like there's a mystical magical element floating beneath the surface of everything going on. Like I said above, just because stories have myths in them doesn't mean that they feel like fairy tales. I've read tons of urban fantasy with mythological elements that doesn't at all feel like it would fit in this book. Sedia's stories have that quality to more of a degree than most.

The story was good, she definitely transported a traditional fairy tale into a modern setting. And as I often do with her, I appreciated the international setting, this time a small city in Russia. There were no answers though. It did make me want to check out her collection, now that I'm reading so many short stories.

Caitlin R. Kiernan - The Road of Needles - This was a remarkably complete world, character, and story right from the opening and all throughout. It was a bit odd the way the woman was always referred to as Nix Severn, her full name, when she was on the ship. I guess it was to show that she was caught up in the tale, the way that Little Red Riding Hood was referred to by her full name, never Red or Hood. I loved the way the author took a fairy tale into science fiction and outer space, it wasn't at all literal and it worked great. She writes a lot of great fairy tale themed stories so this was really up her alley. It was cool that she took it in such a different direction.

Nisi Shawl - Lupine - Very short, the into and bio together were almost as long as the story. Definitely a fairy tale. The animal fixed everything but who knows why, just because the girl was so good like Cinderella was I guess. Not exactly a retelling of any story, original as far as I can tell but definite strong Cinderella influences despite the very un-Cindy like telling.

Angela Slatter - Flight - I hadn't heard of "The Raven" or "White Bride, Black Bride" but after reading them I was pretty intrigued at how she was going to weave them together, much less make them "reloaded" perhaps as she'd done in her MA work, which was writing reloaded fairy tales. Another Australian author, or I'm guessing that from the Aurealis Award she won. It's so hard to get any fiction by Aurealis Award winning authors sometimes, it's good to see them included here. She was also nominated for a BFSA and WFA so she might not be as hard to track down if I look. Anyway, she made the stories work, I was impressed.

Priya Sharma - Egg - A British doctor, another international author. I really liked this one. She wrote something new instead of reworking something old. It was very touching, very effective, on a literal and symbolic level. Mothers and daughters, a gold mine for authors, eh? She was the first one that I immediately looked up and sent stories to my kindle, instead of just looked up casually with vague ideas of paying more attention to them later.

Cory Skerry - Castle of Masks - Based on"Beauty and the Beast". I didn't like it. It isn't cool to just decide people's fates, just because it was done to you doesn't make it OK to turn around and do it to others. It doesn't matter if you think they're better off, it isn't your decision. Evil people in fairy tales do that stuff, not heroes. This wasn't a happy ending.

Nathan Ballingrud - The Giant In Repose - He has a Norwegian background so he was interested in Scandinavian folklore for his story, another one I had to look up and found interesting. His approach was interesting too, what if his hero's journey got interrupted so long ago and was resumed in a more modern era? What would it mean to him after so much time? It reminded me a bit of the Fables graphic novels in the idea that he remained young as long as he remained true to the "Story." When he came to American and abandoned his myth, his Story, he began to change and age, a cool idea. I also really liked that you didn't have to have read the original tale to enjoy this story, the author captured all of the elements in his tale. If this story was reprinted in another book or magazine without the introduction so a reader didn't know that it was about that myth, or didn't take the time to look it up like I did, the story wouldn't suffer for it. It made sense since the author knew that Scandinavian mythology isn't well known in the countries where this book was probably primarily going to be sold. It was quite a good story. A good one for this book as well, more good flow and balance.

A.C. Wise - A Hush of Feathers, A Clamor of Wings - I've read her Women to Read column in SF Signal. I like her idea from her intro that fairy tales are skeletons wanting skin. (There was more to the analogy than that.) It helps explain very simply why so many books, comics, movies, TV shows and who knows what more can continue to be created around the same simple frameworks. Old bones, new skin, new story with similar shapes, familiar yet haunting resemblance. Powerful stuff. The story was OK. It used elements from mythology and fairy tales but it didn't really feel like a fairy tale itself. Maybe because it was more a recounting of history than actually a journey In real-time. But so was the giant's tale and that worked. Whatever. It also bugged me that although I liked her idea, as stated in her into, that she was giving voice to one of the cursed birds in the original story and suggesting that all of them might not be innocent victims, I had no idea what original story she was referring to. I searched the internet for far to look for seven princes with a sister, I looked up some Sleeping Beauty stuff because the princess does have those pricked fingers from seeing the nettle shirts, I just don't get it. Circe I know, but what does that has to do with not so innocent birds? I didn't get it and it was annoying.

Christopher Barzak - Eat Me, Drink Me, Love Me - Based on the poem, "Goblin Market." This one definitely wasn't a fairy tale, it wasn't a journey of any kind or any present tense story. It was a tale about a fairy tale and it was a good story, I'm not complaining. I liked the way he read nuances into the poem and what might have been going on behind the scenes and brought it all to life as well. It was fun to have a reason to read the original poem too, after seeing the Goblin Market referred to in several urban fantasy books lately.

Erzebet Yellowboy - The Mirror Tells All - A "Snow White" story. Another one that is reminiscing of a story instead of any actual action. Makes me question the editing at the end of the book that it has so many similar stories in a row. It story was fine.

Theodora Goss - Blanchefleur - This is a fairy tale! An innocent, a dead mom, a fairy auntie instead of godmother to give him/force him Into an apprenticeship, a journey, a court of cats, three tasks, three gifts, lots of good stuff. It felt like one of the classic stories that my grandma read to me when I was a kid, I could almost see the bright colors of the book with Puss In Boots and the other characters in her hands, could imagine the lizard children in their furniture fort or the clever Professor Owl with a quill in his hand. And she did it all without using flowery language, how'd that work so well? A great story to co-anchor the book. Other than the part where they're cousins, but that makes them even more suited to be European royalty, right? It was fun to end with another original story as well.

In the end I was intrigued enough by Lee, Sharma and Ballingrud to collect several additional stories from the internet by each. I already have Kiernan's latest collection on my kindle waiting to be read. And I'm thinking about getting Sedia's short stories as well.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

As has been long documented on this blog, I adore fairy tales in pretty much all iterations so of course I was going to take the opporutnity to read the new variations contained in this book. My usual policy for short story collections is to review each individually (just a few sentences) so be ready for a long one today because we have eighteen to cover.

"The Coin of Heart's Desire" by Yoon Ha Lee: This story is based on a Korean folktale so it was not one I was familiar with but it does have dragons and is very well-written. I was not expecting the ending but loved how it all panned out.

"The Lenten Rose" by Genevieve Valentine: This is based on The Snow Queen, a story I only vaguely know and I did not really like this retelling. I wonder if more familiarity with the original tale would have helped me here. I kept feeling like I was missing something...

"The Spinning Wheel's Tale" by Jane Yolen: This is an author whose name I've seen a lot but who I actually haven't read though several of her books are on my list. Here her offering is a short variation on the tale of Sleeping Beauty, looking at the innocent at the heart of the story. It's very short so it didn't make much of an impression on me.

"Below the Sun Beneath" by Tanith Lee: The Twelve Dancing Princesses was always one of my favorite stories as a kid so I just adored this elaborate retelling. Though the beginning left me wondering where we were going, I soon caught on and was thrilled with the feminist slant included. This was probably my favorite of the stories.

"Warrior Dreams" by Cinda Williams Chima: I admire the intention behind this story which looks at a contemporary soldier struggling to reintegrate himself to civilian life and being brought into a battle with some fantastical creatures. The writing for this never clicked with me and I had trouble staying engaged with the story.

"Born and Bread" by Kaaron Warren: I've never heard of the Russian story "Sivka Burka," which inspired this interpretation but I loved how it was rolled out here. I don't have much to say about it but this was another one I liked.

"Tales That Fairies Tell" by Richard Bowes: This was a weird take on Puss in Boots though admittedly that is never one of my favorite stories despite getting to live with an adorable cat who could totally rock boots if he so chose. I did not find much to impress in this story but I'm sure it will intrigue others.

"Sleeping Beauty of Elista" by Ekaterina Sedia: takes as a starting point a pediatric AIDS outbreak in Elista and weaves in a bit of Sleeping Beauty to shake things up. This one had a heavy air of melancholy over it but was beautiful all the same.

"The Road of Needles" by Caitlin R. Kiernan: Little Red Riding Hood is the inspiration here though it's a shaky one. I thought the ending pages were most excellent but the beginning is a bit of a slog in this sci-fi twist-there are many made-up words and terms thrown at the reader. I preferred focusing more on the familial relationship.

"Lupine" by Nisi Shawl: This was such a weird story beginning with a mother who hates her daughter. I liked how this eventually ended but hated the starting point :(

"Flight" by Angela Slatter: I was not familiar with either of the stories referenced by the author in her introduction this story, which made me nervous as I tend to like the retellings more when I know their source material. Still it was beautifully written and the start, middle, and end were clearly distinguished. I especially loved the use of the sister-sister relationship as well as mother-daughter when looking at two standout parts.

"Egg" by Priya Sharma: A woman is somewhat incautious when wishing for a child and having that wish fulfilled. The heartbreak is palpable in this story as the mother struggles with her daughter and ends up doing the difficult but right thing.

"Castle of Masks" by Cory Skerry: This was such a cool story. It owes a bit to Beauty and the Beast and has so many great moments. Another standout in the collection.

"The Giant in Repose" by Nathan Ballingrud: I enjoyed this story more upon giving it a second read as I initially found the story bewildering. When I read it the second time, I knew the characters better. I liked how it played with the Story, making me think of Mercedes Lackey's fairy tale novels where the Story will impel people to fulfill certain tropes.

"The Hush of Feathers, The Clamor of Wings" by A.C. Wise: Such a sad story with a brother who chose to remain a bird after his sister's sacrifice of silence and knitting a nettle shirt for each of her seven brothers; what will he give up for her to allow her to live?

"Eat Me, Drink Me, Love Me" by Christopher Barzak: I did not really like this retelling of The Goblin Market though I suspect this is one I'd have at least enjoyed if I was familiar with that poem. Instead I just kept reading hoping to eventually fall in love but never succeeding.

"The Mirror Tells All" by Erzebet YellowBoy: I loved how the starting point for this Snow White retelling is not about mother-daughter competition or jealousy but instead is about triumph in the face of those who would "try to stifle a young woman's spirit." I thought it was very neat how the elements of the original story were woven in.

"Blanchefleur" by Theodora Goss: I think this was the longest story in the collection and it ended up being one of the best too. It really honors the traditional fairy tales with the young man who no one much values, undergoing three trials, rescuing a kingdom, and learning from a mysterious frightening woman. It may have been a bit on the long side for this collection but the characterization really benefited from that.

Overall: I enjoyed this collection, finding more stories to enjoy than skip. If you like short story fairy tale collections, this would be worth checking out.

[penny shima glanz · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Once Upon a Time, the reader is treated to eighteen new takes on different fairy tales from around the world. As with any anthology, some stories captured me more than others. Three stories stood out from the rest: "Coin of Heart's Desire" by Yoon Ha Lee, "Egg" by Priya Sharma, and "Blanchefleur" by Theodora Goss were each remarkable in their own ways. Overall, it's an enjoyable read!

While I originally received an eARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for a review, I borrowed this book from my local library in order to complete the review. The FTC wants you to know.

[E.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the stories by authors I know, that I picked up the anthology for. I liked a couple stories by authors I didn’t know or was not familiar enough with to know I liked their work already. And I skipped about a third of the stories for various reasons that boil down to “I was bored,” which is becoming rather typical of my anthology reading.

[Shazza Maddog · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of fairy tales written by a variety of authors, including some different takes on old ideas, such as the Swan Princess, Puss in Boots, and Snow White. A few were horrific, a couple were kind of funny. Some had LBGTQ representation. All were very interesting.

[Paul Decker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I really enjoyed this anthology of short stories. I highly recommend it to fans of fairytales. There were many stories referencing tales I've never heard of, so fairy tale fanatics will love this book. Averaging up all the reviews (excluding the one story I couldn't finish) gives this book a 4/5 and I agree with that.


The Coin of Heart's Desire by Yoon Ha Lee: Dragons and trickery. Questions and bargains. This is an Asian influenced fable with an interesting world where the Empire is led by the Empress and you get new names throughout your life as you accomplish things. I thought this story was original and fun. 4/5

The Lenten Rose by Genevieve Valentine: I only read 60% of this story. I was lost. It is a retelling of Hans Christian Anderson's The Snow Queen. I'm not that familiar with the original story so that may be why I couldn't follow it. --/5

The Spinning Wheel's Tale by Jane Yolen: This story shows the well known fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty from a different perspective. For a hint, just read the title. I never thought about this perspective before. I found this story short, but eloquent. 5/5

Below the Sun Beneath by Tanith Lee: This is another retelling. I remember the original story from a cartoon that used to be on HBO Family. The story involves a king searching for a man to find out what his daughters are doing at night that causes their soles to be worn in the morning. I feel that Lee added more depth to the story with the cripple and the witch. I am interested in reading the original fable now. 4/5

Warrior Dreams by Cinda Williams Chima: This story takes place in America with all the unusual magical beings you find here. I like the way Chima combined magic and science. There is mention of magic side by side with hormones, phosphates, TBI, and PTSD. 3.5/5

Born and Bread by Kaaron Warren: This was a retelling of a story I hadn't heard of before. This retelling involves a dough like lady who bakes excellent bread. There is also a very unusual sex scene. I found the story interesting. It was short and sweet. 3/5

Tales that Fairies Tell by Richard Bowes: I really liked a quote from this story. "The craving of fairy tales appears when a world is changing from one of magic to one of science and vice versa." This story takes place in a futuristic New York and features Puss in Boots. The concept was interesting and the world was cool, but I felt like it was too much for a short story. I didn't understand all the characters. And the story just kind of ended. 2.5/5

Sleeping Beauty of Elista by Ekaterina Sedia: This short story is an interesting take on the pediatric AIDS incident in Elista in the 80s. This story brings up the question of why things happen. Do all things teach lessons? This story plays with the basics of thr original Sleeping Beauty story: a witch and a victim. It was written very well. 4/5

The Road of Needles by Caitlin R. Kiernan: This story references Little Red Riding Hood. It takes place in the future when space travel is becoming commonplace. The protagonist is the only person on a soaceship when something goes wrong.The story jumps back and forth through time in its telling. There was an interesting use of the storybook. 4/5

Lupine by Nisi Shawl: This is a simple story. A girl is locked up by her mother with a curse she must overcome. 3/5

Flight by Angela Slatter: This is a complete fairy tale. It feels like its been around a long time. I could see this as a Disney movie. I would watch an animated version of this. Bird transformations, princesses, evil aunts, human eating giantess. 4/5

Egg by Priya Sharma: A woman wants a child. A hag grants her wish, but not the way she expected. This story brings up some interesting topics about parenting. 4/5

Castle of Masks by Cory Skerry: This story reminds me of a different take on Beauty and the Beast. A man poses as a women and goes to a monster as a virgin offering. I really liked how this story was told. 5/5

The Giant in Repose by Nathan Ballingrud: This story draws from Nordic myths. A man has escaped his fairytale like story and lived life. He is thrust back to a place where everything has waited for him. I liked this story. 4/5

The Hush of Feathers, the Clamor of Wings by A.C. Wise: This story had lyrical imagery, but it was kind of twisted. It is a modern tale with a witch's curse. Choice plays a big role. 3.5/5

Eat Me, Drink Me, Love Me by Christopher Barzak: This is a retelling of "Goblin Market". The original story is in this story if you aren't familiar with it. There's also an explanation for the retelling. This story features an interesting relationship between sisters. 4/5

The Mirror Tells All by Erzebet Yellowboy: There aren't many stories I've read written in second person. It was interesting to read. This is a take on Snow White. I liked this interesting and different way to tell a story. 4/5

Blanchefleur by Theodora Goss: This is an epic adventure of a boy called Idiot becoming whatever he can be. I really liked this one. There are interesting worlds and characters. Its like a blend of classic and modern. 5/5

[Cherry Abittant · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

A varied dark-leaning collection of tales, some retellings and others inspired by the genre. Interesting and twisted, I just didn't connect with most of the stories.

All stories ⭐⭐⭐

[Wendopolis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few good ones in here

[Rhys Causon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the greatest collection of short stories. There was really only one that I liked.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some stories better than others ofc ofc. But it was all an entertaining read

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took my time reading through. Unusually good collection of short stories.

[Sasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love fairy tales, and I like clever retellings. Most of these fit into the two categories.


Coin of Heart's Desire: a very cool Korean fairy tale about sacrifice and responsibility. I really liked the atmosphere and the beautiful writing. Definitely checking out the author's other books.

The Lenten Rose: Snow Queen is one of my super favorite fairy tales, and this one was done really well. Some extra character development was nice, and the theme of poison was pretty cool throughout.

The Spinning Wheel's Tale: Too obvious and boring. Maybe should've changed the title instead of spoiling the whole thing, not that the revelation would have been any more interesting. Glad this one was short.

Below the Sun Beneath: Definitely a favorite. It had the perfect fairy tale atmosphere without getting too preachy. I love the extra descriptive stories, so this one was right up my alley.

Warrior Dreams: Broke my heart. This story incorporated a real issue into (urban) fantasy without being painfully obvious or awkward. Pretty sweet references to the more obscure French fairy tales!

Born and Bread: No freaking idea where the author got the "original" twisted-ass Sivka-Burka story. I grew up with these stories and just to double-check, I read the original in Russian. NOPE, the father does not come out of the grave every night to eat bread. The sons are just supposed to guard the field, trying to catch whoever is eating all the grain. It turns out to be a horse, which MAKES SO MUCH MORE SENSE. /end rand. Other than that gross bastard of an original version, I quite liked the story. The character of Doe was very unique and likable, and she carried the whole story. Good job.

Sleeping Beauty of Elista: Meh. I see what she did there, but it was too serious of an issue to stick into the fairy tale format. It's thought-provoking, but it had no place in this collection.

The road of needles: I don't read high sci-fi, so that could be the reason why I didn't get this story at all. All the high tech words were so foreign to me that I couldn't get into it. Absolutely not for me. If you want to read a sci-fi retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, read Scarlet

Lupine: Very pretty straight-forward fairy tale. Solid 3 stars.

Flight: Cool combination of two stories (White Bride, Black Bride; The Raven). A longer fairy tale with a strong female character and a twist ending (not my favorite ending, but not bad overall)

Egg: Eeeeewww. But I still liked the modern setting and the hearbreak that comes with having a child who not what you wished for. A good one.

Castle of Masks: This one made me giggle. A cross-dressing take on Beauty and the Beast.

The Giant in Repose: A Scandinavian myth retold. It's about your destiny and stuff. I'm weird and I didn't like it that much. All the elements were there. The characters, the origin, the heroic middle and genre-defying ending. But the author needs to become a stronger story teller.

The Hush of Feathers, The Clamor of Wings: The familiar story of the sister who is forced into silence until she makes nettle shirts for her 7 brothers turned swans (pigeons in this case). This one's also set in the modern world, but it didn't make as much sense in this case. The choice seemed to be deliberate, but unnecessary in the end. The twist in this one is that it's told from the point of view of the brother who did not want to be turned back into a human, costing the freedom of his sister. It's about selfishness and sacrificed at the cost of another. Quite a doozy, and I liked it.

Eat Me, Drink Me, Love Me: A retelling of the Goblin Market. I've already read two of those, and I have to say that this one was the most messed up one. Not a fan, unfortunately. For a better one, read Lips Touch: Three Times

The Mirror Tells All: Meeeeh. A modern day, creepy Snow White story. Not executed well, too confusing. I'm all for unresolved endings, but you need to give us a bone here.

Blanchefleur: The longest tale, and one of my favorites. I loved the hero's journey feel to it. And the sassy kitty. Mreow.

Great collection!

-I got a free ARC in exchange for an honest review-

[Mel (Daily Prophecy) · Rating 2 out of 5]

http://thedailyprophecy.blogspot.nl/2...

I’m not a huge fan of anthologies, but this one features fairy tales and I thought: you can’t go wrong with that. Obviously, you can.. There were more stories I enjoyed than hated, but most of them were just enjoyable with the potential of being great. I’m going to point out the highlights and the ones I dislike, because reviewing them all would make this review too long.

Good stories:
Sleeping beauty of Elista.
The blend of the original tale with the modern world was subtle. It didn’t clashed with the charm of a fairy tale, but it created something original. It’s about vaccinations and how one girl ended up in a never-ending sleep.

Lupine.
This book is how a fairy tale is supposed to be. It already starts with a great fairytalish line. It’s about a bad mother and a lovely girl who needs to find herself to break free.

The spinning wheel’s tale.
Very interesting POV! It gives a complete other spin to the Sleeping beauty tale.

Warrior dreams.
I liked that this story was based on sacrifice. It’s not about romance and finding your true love, but it’s about sacrificing your life to protect others.

Castle of masks.
This is by far my favorite story. It vaguely reminds me of Beauty and the beast (and I swear, it’s not because of that) It’s well-written and clever. It’s about a boy who sacrifices himself to the beast by dressing up as a girl. He wants to find revenge for his sister who went the year before, but instead of a monster, he finds a friend. A friend he still needs to kill.. I didn’t saw the twist coming.

Blanchefleur.
I always like tales where the hero is portrayed like a total loser. The boy here is called ‘Idiot’, but people are not able to see his potential. I loved seeing him develop into the boy he truly is.

Bad stories:
The lenten rose.
This is a retelling of The snow queen, but it was just so slow and boring. I never felt engaged in the story and there was something off about the writing-style. It’s a shame, because this was one of the longer retellings.

Tales that fairies tell.
I have no idea what this story is about, because I skipped it. From the first page I knew this wasn’t going to work for me. I believe it’s supposed to be about Puss in boots who tells a story and it’s a strange blend with chick-lit.

The road of needles.
Weird story. I started to skim and I still don’t know what this was supposed to be.. Something with red riding hood, but it was weird.

The hush of feathers.
I like the idea of the author, but it didn’t work for me. I felt unsatisfied at the end and it was hard to get into the story.

The mirror tells all.
I guess it was the POV, but I also had troubles with the writing-style. It felt a bit choppy.

Overall, not bad. Still not good enough to give it 3 stars, but if you are a hardcore fairytale fan like me it’s definitely interesting enough to read it once, otherwise: skip it.

[Ruthsic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairytale retellings in an anthology - I was so drawn in by it. I have read anthologies before, but I don't think any retelling-based ones. So, while it took me some time to finish it, thanks to some slow stories around the middle of the book, I am glad I completed it. I found the best stories at the start and finish of the book.

The stories I liked best were Coin of Heart's Desire, Blanchefleur and Flight - they were innovative and beautifully written, at times combining two or more tales into one enjoyable story. Others like Lupine, Castle of Masks, Warrior Dreams and Below the Sun Beneath had interesting twists to the original stories, especially Castle of Masks, which was essentially a gender bender on the Beauty and Beast tale with a dash of Bluebeard thrown in. See, that's the thing I love about retellings - how an age-old story can still be made more interesting by a few tweaks. Some stories like Egg, The Giant in Repose, The Spinning Wheel Tale and Eat Me, Drink Me, Love Me were more like deep philosophy than stories - they went beyond what a story is and made me question the essence of stories and why we have them. Eat Me, Drink Me, Love Me tells a story within a story - it tells of what makes it to the ears of the listeners and how much more of the story is hidden by the storyteller. While I enjoyed more than half of the stories of the book, some of them really didn't sit right with me, an example being Born and Bread - it was downright creepy, even by Grimm standards. I really didn't get the meaning of that story. Other creepy stories included Egg, The Hush of Feathers, the Clamor of Wings and The Mirror tells All - they may have been well-written but the plot felt so weird. Finally, The Lenten Rose, Sleeping Beauty of Elista and The Road of Needles were not so well-written - in the case of Lenten Rose, keeping the timeline straight gave me a headache, while Sleeping Beauty of Elista hid behind all its symbolism and The Road of Needles was just plain exhausting to read.

So, I think this is the first time I am reviewing an anthology, though I have read quite a few. The thing about anthologies is that with so many different authors, and so many discontionus stories, it becomes difficult to judge the book overall. Story by story, I have reviewed each to compile them into the review above, while keeping in mind the theme of the anthology. Overall, it's a good collection of stories - all may not be straight retellings but a mixture of tales and anybody who enjoys them would find this book to be good. I particularly loved the introduction before each story, in which each author told the story behind the story, the inspiration as well as what they wanted to tell.

Received a copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Alexandra]

Sometimes I forget how much I love reworkings of fairy tales. How crazy is that?

Ever since my mother (I think?) gave me a lovely little collection of twisted fairy tales - I have no idea what it was called, whether they were all by the same person, or whatever - I have been passionate about people taking well worn stories and twisting them. Sometimes slightly, sometimes extremely. But, it turns out, I forget this. And then I read Troll's Eye View, and I remember... because sometimes the villain is absolutely the most interesting character, and sometimes they're not actually a villain if you look at them a certain way. And I read To Spin a Darker Stair, and the prose is wondrous and the stories gripping.

But then I forget. And I have something like Paula Guran's anthology Once Upon a Time: New Fairy Tales sitting there waiting... waiting... waiting to be read, and when I finally get around to reading the first one I think, why have I been waiting so long?

Maybe having written this, I am less likely to forget in future. I can hope.

I enjoyed every story in this anthology; some more than most, but there wasn't a one that I flicked through impatiently. There's a great range of stories. Yoon Ha Lee, whom I'm just discovering, brings a Korean-inspired story in "The Coin of Heart's Desire" that fits into the "be careful what you wish for" zone; Cinda Williams Chima brings native American folklore into a "gritty industrial landscape" a little bit like Charles de Lint. Angela Slatter turns a princess into a bird in a story of revenge, while Priya Sharma, in "Egg," wonders about all those stories where all the woman wants is a child... There are retellings, too: Genevieve Valentine plays with "The Snow Queen," Jane Yolen and Ekaterina Sedia take "Sleeping Beauty" in two completely different directions (Sedia does it better, I think); Tanith Lee uses the one about the dancing princesses. Richard Bowes brings a sardonic Puss in Boots into the world of social media and Caitlin R Kiernan takes Little Red Riding Hood into space. Cory Skerry smashes "Beauty and the Beast" and AC Wise makes "The Six Swans" a rather darker story about desire and selfishness. Perhaps most profound is Erzebet Yellowboy, whose story means I will never, ever view the (step)mother in Snow White in the same way again.

This is a glorious anthology - one that you could sit down and read cover to cover, or dip in and out of.

[Lanae · Rating 3 out of 5]

I averaged this book out at about a solid 3. That, to me, is a respectable rating for a anthology. Too often collections such as this include one story that you really like and the rest are bombs. This one is chalk full of princesses, trolls, castles, adventures, and misadventures. Like most anthologies, I wasn’t madly in love with every story. I’d rate Castle of Masks (The story of a beast who demands the company of the local maidens) and Flight (the story of a princess who is put to the test thanks to her aunt) the highest. Many of the stories are written in true classic fairy tale style while a few others are a little more abstract while still honoring the stories that inspired them. Here’s my individual ratings (the 2s were not badly written, they just weren’t my thing) -

The Coin of the Heart’s Desire by Yoon Ha Lee - 4/5 stars
The Lenten Rose by Genevieve Valentine - 3/5 stars
The Spinning Wheel’s Tale by Jane Yolen - 3/5 Stars
Below the Sun Beneath by Tanith Lee - 3/5 Stars.
Warrior Dreams by Cinda Williams Chima - There’s a monster in the lake. 3/5
Born and Bread by Kaaron Warren - 3/5 stars
Tales that Fairies Tell by Richard Bowes - 3/5
Sleeping Beauty of Elista by Ekaterina Sedia - 4/5
The Road to Needles by Caitlín R. Kiernan - 2/5
Lupine by Nisi Shawl - 4/5
Flight by Angela Slatter- 5/5
Egg by Priya Sharma - 4/5
Castle of Masks by Cory Skerry - 5/5
The Giant in Repose by Nathan Ballingrud - 3/5
The Hush of the Feathers by A.C. Wise - 2/5
Eat me, Drink Me, Love me by Christopher Barzak - 3/5
The Mirror Tells All by Erzebet YellowBoy - 2/5
Blanchefleur by Theodora Goss - 4/5



* Disclaimer: I received this book at no cost in order to review it. I offered no guarantee of a positive review, though I only request books I think I'll like because why read a book you think you’ll hate?

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once Upon a Time: New Fairy Tales edited by Paula Guran was published October 2, 2013 by Prime Books. It's a fantastic collection of 18 stories. "Contributions could be new interpretations of old fairy tales or an original story inspired by earlier fairy tales." Among the authors gathered within the pages are Caitlin R. Kiernan, A.C. Wise, Tanith Lee, and Jane Yolen.

Generally speaking, I do enjoy fairy tales, and these were no exception. Of course I did end up with a few favorites though. A few are listed here:
"The Coin of Heart's Desire" by Yoon Ha Lee - The description is so lush I swear you can feel the water.
"Blanchefleur" by Theodora Goss - I really enjoyed watching the Idiot begin to learn that he might be capable of more than he thought.
And what collection would be complete without a story by Jane Yolen "The Spinning Wheel's Tale" - I loved the change of point of view in this retake on a familiar tale and the language. "The story begins with spinning, spinning the wheel, spinning the curse, spinning the lies that lie at the heart of a mouth, a castle, a hedge. And of course it all begins with a witch."

If you enjoy fairy tales and retellings at all, you will enjoy this book. It's definitely worth the time to take a look at it. The stories are all well written and interesting. I give this collection 5 out of 5 stars.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

[Paula Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seeing this book appealed to me for two reasons , the first was that it was edited by Paula Guran and I happen to be a big fan of all the anthologies she has been the editor of and second, those who have read my blog posts and know me will know that when it comes to fairytales and renditions - I am one of their biggest fans. At first though, I thought this anthology might have been fairytales with an erotic twist as the cover has that feel to it but once I cracked open the book and started reading , it wasn't which in a way made me more relaxed and able to enjoy it better. The anthology contains a mixture of new authors I hadn't heard of , authors that I had heard of and of course my favourite authors like Jane Yolen who is famous for her remake of Briar Rose. There is something in Once Upon a Time for all readers from older fairytales like Sleeping Beauty , Red Riding Hood to Puss in Boots . To tales set in different countries like the One about the Korean Dragon Empress . Also Jane Yolen's tale of Sleeping Beauty as made the movie of Maleficent look more appealing.
If you are a fan of Fairy-tales and love reading Short Stories, then Once upon a Time is the book for you.

[Jessica Malice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it. I do fairytales though. oh! my lungs are swelling with romance. I don't even know what it is I love about them so much. maybe it is the good coming to good and bad to bad, the good justly obtaining royalty and the bad rolled about in spiked barrels and locked into red hot iron shoes, the way never happens in real life. maybe it is the magical assistance. perhaps I feel my life is one of those imporrible tasks one must complete for her life, and am hoping for an enchanted fox or crow or fish or lion to be my saviour.

anyway, having read every fairy tale I have ever found, I am so pleased for anthologies like this, where wondrous writers create anew, and recreate and reimagine all of my favourites. I loved Tanith Lee's twelve dancing princesses, and Cairlin Kiernan's red riding hood. It's funny, many reviewers seemed to have liked this one least, perhaps because it was so science fiction, but luckily I love science fiction and loved this story the best.

[J.L. Doty · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of short stories, all fairy tales, by some well-known and talented writers. They either rewrite old fairy tales with a new twist or setting, or make up knew ones, some modern, and some in the old style.

These writers are experienced, competent and talented, so the quality of the work and the writing is excellent. That said, to really enjoy this book you must be a fan of fairy tales, regarding which I am neutral. And as with all anthologies, the short stories vary considerably in scope and style, some dark, some humorous, some happy endings, some sad. It is the nature of any anthology that any single reader will probably like some of the stories, maybe most of them, but not all, and I am typical in that sense. I thoroughly enjoyed some, and there was one I didn't even finish.

[Delia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a huge fan of these "new" fairy tales I loved this book. Anyone who likes to get away from it all and enjoy a little magic now and again will enjoy this series of stories. The world seems to be captivated with breathing new life into tales that for many generations were considered for children only. I especially enjoyed the intro because I felt the editor enjoyed putting the collection together as much as I did reading it. I also like these multi author anthologies. Its a nice way to sample new authors. As with any grouping there were stories I enjoyed a ton and some that were just so, so. Overall there were some well done stories with some great twists as well as a few tales I had never heard of before. Totally worth the look.

[Tintaglia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Raccolta nel complesso piuttosto mediocre, come (c'è da dirlo) capita di solito alle antologie di più autori. Bellissimo lo straziante racconto di Ekaterina Sedia, divertente quello di Jane Yolen, suggestivo quello di Tanith Lee, piacevoli quelli di Yoon Ha Lee, Nathan Ballingrud e Kaaron Warren, ma gli altri nel complesso dimenticabili, incapaci di distinguersi nel bene come nel male.
Resta il fatto che anche solo i primi tre racconti che ho citato valgono, a mio pare, l'intera antologia, che comunque è una piacevole lettura occasionale adatta a riempire gli spazi morti fra un romanzo e un saggio più consistenti.

[Rain · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love fairy tales, so of course I was thrilled to find this collection. It is impossible for me to give it anything less than 5 stars because I could not find fault with a single story. Even though I did not like every story, I could not blame the publisher or the authors for the story just not being my taste. I can admit when a story is good even though I don't like the genre. Every story was interesting, expertly written, and interesting. I found myself laughing, crying , and holding my breath as I read. Not to mention, I felt that each story was a brand new fairytale. Everything seemed fresh and new, even to someone who has loved fairytales since the beginning of time.