What do you think?
Rate this book
Queer Folk Tales: A Book of LGBTQ Stories
The prince no longer kisses the princess, Cinderella helps her new husband to pick a new dress and the relationship between Mr Wolf and the three little pigs is a bit more complicated than you might have thought.
In this collection of delightful, empowering and often magical tales, Kevin Walker creates and adapts a host of stories for the LGBTQ+ community. These sometimes traditional and sometimes modern tales show queer people that they belong not only in today's world, but also in a storytelling tradition going back centuries, if not millennia. This is a wonderful collection for LGBTQ+ readers of all ages to enjoy and continue to tell for years to come, introducing characters who are romantic, brave, mysterious or fantastical - but always authentic.
In this collection of delightful, empowering and often magical tales, Kevin Walker creates and adapts a host of stories for the LGBTQ+ community. These sometimes traditional and sometimes modern tales show queer people that they belong not only in today's world, but also in a storytelling tradition going back centuries, if not millennia. This is a wonderful collection for LGBTQ+ readers of all ages to enjoy and continue to tell for years to come, introducing characters who are romantic, brave, mysterious or fantastical - but always authentic.
135 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 5, 2020
36 people are currently reading
452 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
June 28, 2022
Oh heck.
I want to start this by saying I truly believe the author to have nothing but the best intentions and by saying that I think a lot of these stories probably work better told at a story telling event than they do on the page. It's likely that his live delivery is more dynamic and brings some life to the text.
But these stories really don't work on the page.
My first problem is this isn't a collection of folk tales. I'm gonna be real, I bought it on the recommendation of the title because queer folk tales are my jam. This book is actually a collection of stories the author tells at storytelling events. Some are based on myths or fairy tales (though few are based on folk tales) but some are just contemporary stories, a few with a fairy tale style plot twist.
And a lot of them just aren't very good. They just don't work on the page.
Take one story, Chris. It's about an older man who marries a younger man. One day, the younger man stats acting strangely. The younger man goes away for a week and when he comes back the pov character raised he actually married a twin and, when he started acting odd, it's because the twins swapped. And it ends with him asking why. And i can kind of see how, at a story telling event, when you're being a bit loose and building things up with tone etc, that could get a laugh maybe. But as a short story in a book it just feels deeply unsatisfying. Because yes, why? Why would anyone do that? Why didn't he notice? What did anyone gain here?
It's just so weird.
I'd have probably put it down after that one of it wasn't so short...
As well as the plots being flat and the writing stilted, it also felt like a lot of wasted opportunity. These are stories that feature queer people but there almost no attempt to queer or make strange the narrative. The fact that it's two men or two women other than a man and a woman has almost nothing to the narrative. It creates no disturbance. It says nothing. Which, like, queer people do deserve to just exist and have straightforward stories but what's more interesting: the princess who sets the impossible challenge and the simple person who meets it just happens to be female or the Princess who sets the impossible challenge because she doesn't want to marry a man, she'd rather stay with her female lover, but this one clever farm boy somehow keeps completing her impossibly tasks and what are her and her lover going to do now? Because the first one is the one in this book.
Okay, general rant over. Based on this I'd have probably given three stars. Boring but readable.
It lost an extra star over gender.
There are a few stories in this correction that deal with what I believe the author thinks is a trans experience. I'm sure these were written with the best of intention but they consistently refer to anyone presenting as a male with male pronouns and anyone presenting as female with female pronouns, making gender a function of how you appear in the words not some internal truth. As though one can be a man all one's life and need only pop on a skirt to be a woman.
That's not great.
The better way (and the way that would give these stories more dept) would be to refer to the person always as the gender they feel inside. So a trans man who had not yet transitioned is still a man, for example. And a cis woman who puts on men's clothing to run away from sexual abuse is still a cis woman. Like, there could be a story in there about a person who discovers complex gender feels through having to present as the other gender but that's very much not the story presented here. Instead it's girl is nearly raped, dresses as man to run away, then referred to as male.
Like, I don't think the author is being malicious, i think he's trying to be inclusive, he's just got a really weak grasp of trans stuff for a guy writing in 2020 and I feel like someone at some point in the publication process should have checked best practice when using pronouns to refer to trans people.
I want to start this by saying I truly believe the author to have nothing but the best intentions and by saying that I think a lot of these stories probably work better told at a story telling event than they do on the page. It's likely that his live delivery is more dynamic and brings some life to the text.
But these stories really don't work on the page.
My first problem is this isn't a collection of folk tales. I'm gonna be real, I bought it on the recommendation of the title because queer folk tales are my jam. This book is actually a collection of stories the author tells at storytelling events. Some are based on myths or fairy tales (though few are based on folk tales) but some are just contemporary stories, a few with a fairy tale style plot twist.
And a lot of them just aren't very good. They just don't work on the page.
Take one story, Chris. It's about an older man who marries a younger man. One day, the younger man stats acting strangely. The younger man goes away for a week and when he comes back the pov character raised he actually married a twin and, when he started acting odd, it's because the twins swapped. And it ends with him asking why. And i can kind of see how, at a story telling event, when you're being a bit loose and building things up with tone etc, that could get a laugh maybe. But as a short story in a book it just feels deeply unsatisfying. Because yes, why? Why would anyone do that? Why didn't he notice? What did anyone gain here?
It's just so weird.
I'd have probably put it down after that one of it wasn't so short...
As well as the plots being flat and the writing stilted, it also felt like a lot of wasted opportunity. These are stories that feature queer people but there almost no attempt to queer or make strange the narrative. The fact that it's two men or two women other than a man and a woman has almost nothing to the narrative. It creates no disturbance. It says nothing. Which, like, queer people do deserve to just exist and have straightforward stories but what's more interesting: the princess who sets the impossible challenge and the simple person who meets it just happens to be female or the Princess who sets the impossible challenge because she doesn't want to marry a man, she'd rather stay with her female lover, but this one clever farm boy somehow keeps completing her impossibly tasks and what are her and her lover going to do now? Because the first one is the one in this book.
Okay, general rant over. Based on this I'd have probably given three stars. Boring but readable.
It lost an extra star over gender.
There are a few stories in this correction that deal with what I believe the author thinks is a trans experience. I'm sure these were written with the best of intention but they consistently refer to anyone presenting as a male with male pronouns and anyone presenting as female with female pronouns, making gender a function of how you appear in the words not some internal truth. As though one can be a man all one's life and need only pop on a skirt to be a woman.
That's not great.
The better way (and the way that would give these stories more dept) would be to refer to the person always as the gender they feel inside. So a trans man who had not yet transitioned is still a man, for example. And a cis woman who puts on men's clothing to run away from sexual abuse is still a cis woman. Like, there could be a story in there about a person who discovers complex gender feels through having to present as the other gender but that's very much not the story presented here. Instead it's girl is nearly raped, dresses as man to run away, then referred to as male.
Like, I don't think the author is being malicious, i think he's trying to be inclusive, he's just got a really weak grasp of trans stuff for a guy writing in 2020 and I feel like someone at some point in the publication process should have checked best practice when using pronouns to refer to trans people.
October 9, 2021
3.5*
Some of the tales are absolutely brilliant (mostly those with horror/mysterious elements), but most of them were a bit meh. The collection would benefit from an experienced editor.
Some of the tales are absolutely brilliant (mostly those with horror/mysterious elements), but most of them were a bit meh. The collection would benefit from an experienced editor.
October 5, 2020
At around 150 pages, this folktale collection contains a whole host of folktales, some short, some long, some modern, some traditional, all of which featuring queer characters and identities from across the LGBTQ+ spectrum.
Books like this are so important as a reminder that queer narratives exist and are valid, especially as fairytales and folktales are often hetero-centric and reinforce strict binary gender roles.
Whilst the majority of the folktales included have supernatural or fantastical elements, I was surprised to find that some did not, leading me to question whether they could actually be considered folktales or not.
Overall, however, this is a really fun, quirky collection of folktales that gives queer and LGBT+ identities a needed voice in the fairytale/folktale genre.
Books like this are so important as a reminder that queer narratives exist and are valid, especially as fairytales and folktales are often hetero-centric and reinforce strict binary gender roles.
Whilst the majority of the folktales included have supernatural or fantastical elements, I was surprised to find that some did not, leading me to question whether they could actually be considered folktales or not.
Overall, however, this is a really fun, quirky collection of folktales that gives queer and LGBT+ identities a needed voice in the fairytale/folktale genre.
June 25, 2022
So many awesome stories! I loved that some of the stories didn't rely on the characters being queer, but that it was just part of them. And I loved the twists of some stories that I already knew. Like the last one!
September 21, 2025
Not as queer as I'd hoped and story 8: The Kingdom Across the Sea deserves a trigger warning ⚠️
January 27, 2021
very cute and lovely to have all these soft folk tales
April 30, 2022
1. Sikander and the prince ⭐️⭐️⭐️
2. The blue rose ⭐️⭐️⭐️
3. The watch ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
4. The ogre and the princess ⭐️⭐️
5. Fifty shades of Dorian ⭐️⭐️⭐️
6. Frolicking fun with fairy stories ⭐️⭐️
7. Chris ⭐️
8. The kingdom across the sea ⭐️⭐️.5
9. Gary Mede ⭐️⭐️
10. Good king Richard ⭐️⭐️
11. Conversation ⭐️⭐️⭐️
12. The selkie ⭐️⭐️⭐️
13. The architect ⭐️⭐️⭐️
14. Red velvet ⭐️⭐️⭐️
15. The mistletoe bough ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
2. The blue rose ⭐️⭐️⭐️
3. The watch ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
4. The ogre and the princess ⭐️⭐️
5. Fifty shades of Dorian ⭐️⭐️⭐️
6. Frolicking fun with fairy stories ⭐️⭐️
7. Chris ⭐️
8. The kingdom across the sea ⭐️⭐️.5
9. Gary Mede ⭐️⭐️
10. Good king Richard ⭐️⭐️
11. Conversation ⭐️⭐️⭐️
12. The selkie ⭐️⭐️⭐️
13. The architect ⭐️⭐️⭐️
14. Red velvet ⭐️⭐️⭐️
15. The mistletoe bough ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
January 13, 2021
Wonderful retelling of many different fairy tales, without being overtly complicated. Just utter fun to read
December 21, 2022
Marked as DNF
December 28, 2021
I was really excited to read this when a friend gave it to me as a present (I absolutely love folklore and I'm always on the lookout for good queer stories), but honestly, some stories were... just okay, while others were altogether disappointing/confusing as to what the takeaway was supposed to be, slightly misinformed when it comes to trans people (tries to be inclusive/accepting, but in a few places ends up -possibly not deliberately, but nonetheless- framing transition as a matter of convenience/a thing done to make it easier to be in a relationship with someone of the same sex; there's also this passage: "the story of a young woman, transitioning from female to male, and of her full acceptance by society and her new partner and family"), and in a couple of cases all-out left me slightly shocked both with the content and the contrast to what the blurb promises (I'm fairly sure sexual assault by a family member followed by pretty serious self-harm within a couple of pages does not count as "a wonderful collection for LGBT+ readers of all ages to enjoy").
The author seems well-intentioned, but I can't help but feel like he could have done with an extra editor and some sensitivity consultants.
The author seems well-intentioned, but I can't help but feel like he could have done with an extra editor and some sensitivity consultants.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 16, 2022
I blame this book for getting me into my recent reading slump. These short stories are mostly retellings with an LGBTQ+ edge to it. And while some of them were slightly enjoyable, they were mostly unimaginative, and just plain dull. Like Kevin Walker, the author, had an idea of making a book, but didn't want to give it his all. Instead he tried to find a way in for any LGBTQ theme that would fit, and left it at that. The stories all hardly make 10 page worth of text and the short intro made it sometimes even worse, setting you up for 'a wow moment' or to be amazed, but instead it made the dullness worse. I'm giving it 2 stars basically just because I do feel that retellings in the LGBTQ-community can do wonders. And there are some amazing examples of that, but this....was just not for me. I bought it in a book store in Berlin that was open until midnight when I couldn't sleep and while I was there I decided to only buy books within the LGBTQ theme that I had never heard of, this was one of them, and I realize it was a risk, but in the end, isn't every book you buy a risk? Anyway, glad I finished it.
May 15, 2024
I bought this book at a local book fair promoting indie and fringe authors. It was a Christmas present for my daughter who is gay and a keen promoter of inclusivity, but when she returned to university and left the book here I picked it up and read it myself.
This is a quirky and gently humorous collection of retold and original tales from a gay or transgender point of view that are whimsical and well-written. Rather than militantly enforcing equality it gently persuades that understanding and acceptance is always a better way.
Cinderella helps Prince Charming pick out a new dress for the ball, Sleeping Beauty is awakened by a rather different kiss of true love, and the old fable of the Mistletoe Bride has an unexpected dark twist that I did not see coming.
Truly a lovely collection of tales for everyone, this beautiful little hardback book would make a thoughtful gift.
This is a quirky and gently humorous collection of retold and original tales from a gay or transgender point of view that are whimsical and well-written. Rather than militantly enforcing equality it gently persuades that understanding and acceptance is always a better way.
Cinderella helps Prince Charming pick out a new dress for the ball, Sleeping Beauty is awakened by a rather different kiss of true love, and the old fable of the Mistletoe Bride has an unexpected dark twist that I did not see coming.
Truly a lovely collection of tales for everyone, this beautiful little hardback book would make a thoughtful gift.
July 7, 2025
2.5*
My biggest problem was that the title was misleading as only few in collection were actual folk tales, the rest was retellings of fairy tales or contemporary stories with fairy tale like twists.
I believe these work better when they are being told but on the paper they really don't work.
Even the ones I liked were a bit basic and I felt like adding queer characters or changing the gender of love interest didn't add anything to the original stories.
My biggest problem was that the title was misleading as only few in collection were actual folk tales, the rest was retellings of fairy tales or contemporary stories with fairy tale like twists.
I believe these work better when they are being told but on the paper they really don't work.
Even the ones I liked were a bit basic and I felt like adding queer characters or changing the gender of love interest didn't add anything to the original stories.
February 26, 2024
Although all the stories and tales were queer oriented, it was the classic folk tales that I was expecting from the blurb. There was three classic tales in there and the rest were (although funny, relatable and queer) were new and created folk tales. It was good to read short story after another all being queer (yay representation) but wanted more of the classics to be queer-ified
February 17, 2025
I'm sure these are much better performed than read. There's a wee bit of awkwardness, and sometimes too much narration & not enough development. But they still charm, for sure! Rounded up for representation. Thank you OKC for having it in the collection for me to stumble upon during an IRL visit.
April 15, 2024
This wasn't it!
I'm not sure who this book is for but it didn't give me the queer energy I was looking for.
I also think some of the language used in this book was maybe a bit dated or offensive.
I'm not sure who this book is for but it didn't give me the queer energy I was looking for.
I also think some of the language used in this book was maybe a bit dated or offensive.
September 13, 2022
i enjoyed but there was some stories i didn’t really care for, and honestly i wanted more gay
June 10, 2023
Such a lovely collection of reimagined folktales.
August 6, 2023
a collection of queer tales, mostly fairy tale retellings. I have to say I wanted more from these stories. The twists and reworkings seemed a little simplistic for me.
December 10, 2023
Lovely to read about LGBTQ+ characters in traditionally comp het stories.
i enjoyed some of the stories, but some of them fell flat
i enjoyed some of the stories, but some of them fell flat
June 13, 2024
There were couple good stories, but the collection mostly fell flat.
November 7, 2024
Very fun twist on modern tales and some new ones! Love the LGBTQ twist to it all.
December 21, 2025
I had high hopes for this and was slightly let down. Some odd story choices and adaptations. Some very quite good and chilling but few and far in between.
June 23, 2024
I wanted to love this sm, but alas it was kinda mid most of the time
January 13, 2021
As someone who loves mythology and fantasy literature i always missed not seeing lgbtqa+ representation well heres a whole book full of it!!! If you're a fan of fairytales or fantasy or anything inbetween you will love this book! Captivating stories not just simple retellings and sweet narratives! A must in lgbtqa+ storytelling!!
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews