Unspun: A Collection of Tattered Fairy Tales

by Anika Arrington, Sarah Chow, Katherine Cowley

Whatever happened to “happily ever after”?

Heroes search for happiness, villains plot revenge, and nothing is as easy as it once seemed. Gretel suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, an orphan girl questions Rumpelstiltskin’s legacy, a monster cat searches for a child to eat, and the pied piper realizes stealing a hundred and thirty children may not have been his smartest idea.

Fairy tales have endured for centuries even though—or perhaps because—their conclusions are often more unsettling than satisfying. In Unspun, eleven storytellers come together to challenge and explore a few of those classic tales. Unexpected twists are sure to provoke both thought and laughter.

Gorgeous illustrations by Ruth Nickle accompany each piece.

Stories in the Anthology:
“Heart of a Thief” by Chris Cutler (Jack and the Beanstalk)
“Rumpelstiltskin’s Daughter” by Ruth Nickle (Rumpelstiltskin)
“Tsar Vislav, Tsarina Vislav, and the Firebird” by Sarah Chow (Tsarevitch Ivan, the Firebird, and the Gray Wolf)
“Tatterhood and the Prince’s Hand” by Katherine Cowley (Tatterhood)
“The Little Mermaid” by PJ Switzer (The Little Mermaid)
“Ásthildur and the Yule Cat” by Sarah Blake Johnson (The Yule Cat)
“Perfectly Real” by Robin Prehn (The Princess and the Pea)
“The Pied Piper’s Revenge” by Scott Cowley (The Pied Piper)
“Ethical Will” by Kaki Olsen (The Nutcracker)
“Breadcrumbs” by Jeanna Mason Stay (Hansel and Gretel)
“Spring’s Revenge” by Anika Arrington (Snow White)

Genres: Anthologies, Fantasy, Fairy Tales, Short Stories

298 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 10, 2018

About the author

Anika Arrington is a devoted wife, mother of six, a Scorpio, and an unabashed pluviophile. Unfortunately, she lives in the deserts of Arizona, so she passes the time with her kids baking (she is especially good at homemade macaroni and cheese, cheesecake, and pumpkin anything), reading, watching for clouds, and of course, writing.

Arrington studied communications for three years at NAU aspiring to be a speech writer before trading it all in for domestic bliss. She has studied physics at Stanford and history at Yale (free online classes count right?). And although she has been writing and occasionally illustrating her own stories since the age of 4,The Accidental Apprentice is Anika's first novel.

Reviews

[Chris Cutler]

As one of the contributing authors, I will forego a star rating. But I do want to give a review with a few examples of what I love about this anthology. I am proud of my story ("Heart of a Thief" based on Jack and the Beanstalk), and it is in good company with all of the excellent contributions from the other authors. I'll highlight a few personal favorites.

First, I love the characters. In Katherine Cowley's novella about Tatterhood, we meet a princess who is very confident in herself and in her abilities, happy with her ugly appearance and the skills she's developed. But she is not confident in the affection of her new husband, or in her affection for him. In her fairy tale she rescued her sister from trolls and was rewarded with a marriage to a foreign prince. In Cowley's continuation of the story, Tatterhood's new husband is captured by a magical creature and she has to decide how much she wants him back. It is an insightful and touching story of loyalty and confidence and acceptance--both of oneself and of others.

Second, I love the writing. In Jeanna Stay's story "Breadcrumbs," Gretel has been free of the gingerbread witch for five years, but she can't escape the nightmares that haunt her. The oven in her home goes unused, and her bottled-up fears go unsaid as she tries to cope with the everyday reminders of what she endured (and what she did). Stay's prose is beautiful and highlights Gretel's emotional interaction with everything around her.

Third, I love the humor. It turns out that the Pied Piper hates children and can't believe he ended up with 130 of them following him! Tsarevitch Ivan's new wife speaks fluent malapropism, and his father is obsessed with fruit of all types.

I'm thrilled to have my own story included, in which you can become acquainted with the old man who sold Jack the magic beans. I think you will enjoy seeing the world (and the sky) through his eyes.

There are silly stories, sad stories, and thrilling stories. Most of all, these are stories with heart. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love re-imagined fairy tales and this is a particularly good collection. It’s not saccharine or babyish, but it’s also not so horrific that I feel like I need to vomit or rush to a therapy session. (Some other fairy tale collections are beyond dark)

All of these stories take place after “happily ever after”. My favorites were the stories based on Tatterhood, Hansel and Gretel, and Snow White.

[Sophie Bowns · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*

I’d probably give the book three and a half stars. I felt some of the stories were slightly hit and miss, however the majority of them were good.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love fairy tale retellings and I hate to be sorely disappointed by lacklustre plots. Unspun: A Collection of Tattered Fairy Tales is a solid 4/5 with the brilliantly written stories pulling up the rating for some rather forgettable ones.

I admit I thought of shelving this into my did-not-finish shelf while I trudged on with the first half of Heart of a Thief. I don't understand why this was chosen as the introductory story since it doesn't have a very good hook. But the pace picks up consistently after this, with Ásthildur and the Yule Cat giving a short and sweet respite from the dark and gritty stories with imprisoned little men, trolls and ghosts. The lukewarm and falsely advertised as funny Pied Piper's Revenge was thankfully followed by an unconventional retelling of the Nutcracker in Ethical Will, which I would love to see expounded on as a standalone novel.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm reading it in installments, and it's off to a great start! I like that the stories pick up after some time has passed after the fairy tale ending, and they dig a little deeper into how things might have really turned out. (What really motivated the old man to give Jack magic beans?) It's fun to play out the future for well-known tales, but I also like that the book builds on some stories I wasn't familiar with; I liked discovering the originals through their aftermath.

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC for my honest review.

I love the concept of this collection of stories. What happens after happily ever after? Such a great idea. The stories were fun, and I enjoyed having each one written by a different author. It gave it nice variety. The authors did a wonderful job being creative and inventive.

Worth a read!

[Becca McCulloch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. What a collection.

This is a delightful collection of fairy tale retellings that take the story beyond the original ending. Not all stories are equal in quality but the ones that wow really wow. I particularly enjoyed Tatterhood and the Greek story (which was one of the best descriptions of trauma and its impact that I’ve read in a book).

[Elissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book of short stories. Some very creative takes on what happens after the fairytale ends. A few of my favorites were “Breadcrumbs,” “Tsar Vislav, Tsarina Vislav, and the Firebird,” and “Tatterhood and the Prince’s Hand.”

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice collection of short stories. All the stories have had interesting ideas but some I wish were a little more developed.

My favorite was Tatterhood and the Prince's Hand by Katherine Cowley. This selection is novella length and feels very polished. It starts out with a whimsical fairy tale and then shows us what happens after the fairytale wedding. I liked the humor and the growth of the relationship.

I also greatly enjoyed Breadcrumbs by Jeanna Mason Stay, Spring's Revenge by Anika Arrington, and Perfectly Real by Robin Prehn. If you enjoy fairy tales, I definitely recommend this collection!