More Asexual Fairy Tales

by Elizabeth Hopkinson, Anna Hopkinson (Illustrator)

A girl who crafts a husband from marzipan. A man who thinks he's made of glass. A nonbinary sibling who succeeds where their brothers fail. An origin story for the asexual flag.
In this third collection, Elizabeth Hopkinson collects, combines and reinvents tales from Spain to China, El Salvador to India, bringing asexual identities to the fore. With original stories about a gender-swapped Cinderella, a poster in love, and a queer platonic relationship, this is her most inventive collection yet.

Genres: Fantasy

144 pages, Paperback

Published October 21, 2022

About the author

Elizabeth Hopkinson is best known for Asexual Fairy Tales, Silver Hands, and a range of short fantasy stories and original fairy tales.
Elizabeth describes her writing as, "seeing the magical in the ordinary". She has loved fairy tale and history since studying English Literature at Leeds University;.
She has lived all her life in Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK (home of the Bronte sisters and the Cottingley Fairies) and couldn't imagine living anywhere else.
Elizabeth has been writing ever since she used to make books out of scrap paper in wet playtimes at school. She has had around 100 short stories and articles published, and has won prizes in the James White Award, the Jane Austen Short Story Award, the Historic House contest and the Liars' League National Gallery Inspiration contest.
She has spoken at Swanwick Writers' Summer School, Ilkley Literature Festival Fringe and University of Leeds Careers Expo. Among her loves are coffee shops, the piano, and the Yorkshire arts scene.

Reviews

[Rachel Esser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very wholesome and much needed representation, but the characterization definitely felt a bit forced and overly explicit at times in the way identities were explained. Could have taken a more subtle, natural approach to character descriptions, but with short stories you only have so many words. Overall very sweet and good to read when you need a little boost of joy.

[Olosta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do appreciate the intent behind the retelling with asexual focus, I just wish the literary quality would be better.

A bit more subtlety, a little less into your face...

[Lynden Wade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elizabeth Hopkinson has drawn from a wide range of fairy tales for this collection, from the ancient, like the Mahabharata, to the semi-modern, like George Macdonald, from folklore to stories of saints, from tales of China, Spain, Germany and El Salvador to stories the author herself has spun from her own experiences. Her characters are asexual but not aromantic - often they long for a connection with someone who understands and accepts them as they are. And what curious ways the tales choose to express their connundrums! There's a man with eyes of salt, a man who thinks he's made of glass, and a woman whose head keeps flying away!

I'm not ace myself, but I found this book interesting both because I love fairy tales, especially unusual ones, and because it opened my mind to the way an asexual author might veiw the world. I was especially intrigued by the wife with the flying head, although my favourite story was "The Clockwork Bride", an amalgam of several older tales that was very quirky and charming indeed.

Each story is delicately illustrated in black and white by Anna Hopkinson, making it a delightful collaboration between mother and daughter.

[Crystal E. Fall · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5. Overall I enjoyed the tales in this collection more than the first! It was nice reading one or a few of them before bed or while travelling. Standouts for me were The golden nugget (by far my favourite), Ash - or gowns from a tree and The mirror. The wife with the flying head was also quite funny!

[Siobhan M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love what Elizabeth has done with both her Asexual Fairytales books as well as her Asexual Myths book! These are lovely stories & offer a really great non-sexual perspective on some classic, some obscure fairytales - I found them a refreshing change from the norm. I think there’s something there for everyone and the illustrations (done by her sister) are a really good addition.