Mythic Fiction discussion

Sorry all, didn't mean to hijack the "favorite subgenre" thread.

I thought it might be nice to start a new one.

So how about it? All of your favorite fairy tale retellings...

I loved Wildwood Dancing from Marillier more than I thought I would. And I've read a few of Robin McKinley's. If I remember right, Some of them seem more "adult" in nature and I'm not really into that, but the ones she has designated for "youth" are better, imo. Unfortunately, my library doesn't keep them catalogued really well, so I don't know which is which until I start reading it. She has Spindle's End, which is great.

So, those of you who read those kind of novels, what are your favorites and why?

warmly,

Karin

My favorites...Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire, Red as Blood by Tanith Lee and Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier.

I also liked Spindle's End by Robin McKinley. Beauty was good too.

I haven't read Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier, which fairytale is it based on?

I haven't read Confessions, although I've seen it pop up a couple of times in the last week or so...Maybe I'll have to try it.

Wildwood Dancing is based on the dancing Princesses, although very loosely. They are not princesses and there are four. I think that's right, I read it last year. It has a lot of supernatural elements to it and I really liked it. (It also tied the whole thing together with another fairy tale, but if I told you it would be a major spoiler. I'll say if you really want me to. :-) )

I haven't read Beauty either. I'll have to try that one.

I'll have to get Wildwood Dancing then, sounds good. :)

I love the Maguire books. Some of my other favorites are Tam Lin by Pamela Dean and Robin McKinley's Beauty. If you like retellings, give The True Story of the Three Little Pigs a try. It's a children's book, but it cracks me up.

And does anyone else love Fables, the graphic novels by Bill Willingham? I borrowed the first one from a friend and went out and bought three more right after. Talk about your fractured fairy tales...

I love Fables. I only read it in graphic novel form (rather than flimsy issues) but I can't wait for each installment. I wish the art was a little more consistent, but I love the writing. And every time you think you've seen it all, there's a whole other aspect he opens up to explore.

I have been reading the collected Fables as well, and I have enjoyed them very much, however (without giving away anything to anyone who has not read them) I was rather disappointed in who turned out to be “The Adversary” I mean COME ON! Him? Really… He took out Narnia, and Oz, and the Knight of the Round Table all the other lands? him? Had a “well we better come up with somebody but we don’t have any ideas” feel to me at least.

Terry

I don't know -- look at what the Adversary did to the blue fairy... (shudder)

I couldn't really get into beauty though it did take me a wile to get through the beginning of spindle's end. I loved snow by tracy lynn and midnight pearls by debbie viguie. I was really pleased by the ending debbie gave to her version of the little mermaid.

I'll have to second Beauty by Robin McKinley (although I also like her second retelling of the story in Rose Daughter.) I've also read Snow by Tracy Lynn and enjoyed it immensely as retelling of Snow White. Some of my favorite retellings are actually short stories (like Kelly Link's story about the Snow Queen which can be found in The Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet anthology.)

I've enjoyed the YA collection by Francesca Lia Block called the Rose and the Beast that is a collection of short stories that are all fairy tale retellings.

Donna Jo Napoli's books are also fantastic like Bound, Zel, Jack, Beast. Ella Enchanted is equally light and fun (especially for younger readers -- upper elementary, middle grades--but I love to read it as well.)

If I were at home, I could tell you more. I enjoy the genre of fairy tale retellings and am addicted to searching them out.

Oh, I almost forgot the darker retellings -- Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber is fantastic. (retellings in that collection include Bluebeard, Beauty and the Beast, Little Red, etc.)

The Fables series is a fun play on fairy tales for novices and aficionados.

I love all books by gail carson levine- some r childish, but they r funny and good re-tellings.

I wrote an article about this topic, it lists a lot of fairy tale retellings, I'm happy to share!

http://www.examiner.com/books-in-boul...

I've been trying to find a book I loved, but I don't remember the author or the title! I think it came out in the 1990s, and was a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, in which the 'commoner' wound up going back into Beauty's land via a magic wood. Does that sound familiar to anyone?

Hey Liz, if you don't get any responses here you might try asking in this group. (I don't have any ideas about the book; sorry.)

Thanks, Nikki. I'll do that.

There's a retelling of Sleeping Beauty called Briar Rose based more in the Holocaust, it's very interesting, but I guess wouldn't be mythic fiction. It's worth a look though!

The compilation Black Thorn, White Rose features great Mythic Fiction/ Magical Realism retellings of fairytales.

I really like Fables and any graphic novels by Neil Gaiman.

I'm also enjoying the Tales of the 500 Kingdoms by Mercedes Lackey. The Snow Queen This book contains elements of the Siegfried myths. I haven't been able to find the name of the novella set using the same characters as this book but it involves a mash-up between the Valkyrie and Persephone myths.

I grew up on fairy tales and have never lost my love of them. My two favorites are probably Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast and Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. Maguire also wrote a book about Snow White called Mirror Mirror. I haven't re-read this in a while, but I remember it being a little tough to follow in a few places. Still enjoyable, though.

I read Spindle's End by McKinley and thought it was good, but wasn't blown away by it. Same went for Rose Daughter, although maybe it just was because I was comparing it to Beauty, which I adored.

Another book I like is Tales from the Great Turtle, which aren't exactly fairy tales, but they are stories inspired by fables, tales, and myths of Native Americans.

Some retellings that I have read since my last post and have enjoyed...

Ash by Malinda Lo
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
The Fire Rose by Mercedes Lackey
Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan
Firebird by Mercedes Lackey
Winter Rose by Patricia A. McKillip

The Fire Rose is the first in a series, Rora. Did you read The Serpent's Shadow, the second book, which is also a fairy tale retelling? I thought it was wonderful!

Oh yes, I've read that one too and enjoyed it. : )

I confess that I just enjoyed Disney's "Tangled" - it's a retelling of a fairy tale, right?

Victoria wrote: "I confess that I just enjoyed Disney's "Tangled" - it's a retelling of a fairy tale, right?"

I liked that movie too, along with pretty much most other Disney animated movies. And those are fairy tale retellings because they are usually different then the source. For example, the Little Mermaid has a completely different ending than the original.

I have been reading fairy tale retellings a lot recently. I am reading Beastly for another group, I checked out Once Upon a Marigold from the local library (still haven't read, but planning to after finishing Uglies)and last month I read The Frog Princess and The Salamander Spell both by E.D. Baker (the Disney movie the Princess and the Frog was based of the Frog Princess, and it made me interested.)

Jewelz wrote:
"I liked that movie too, along with pretty much most other Disney animated movies. ..."

What did you think of The Princess and the Frog? I've wanted to see that but the reviews are not that good...

Victoria wrote: What did you think of The Princess and the Frog? I've wanted to see that but the reviews are..."

It was OK. I didn't really like the music, but the animation was beautiful. The plot was basic and predictable, but that's expected from a Disney fairy tale. I did like Tiana as the lead though. Wasn't on par with the Disney classics that came out in the last century.

There is a great website about fairy tales, that features annotated texts of the original story, and the titles of all the re-tellings. It started out as a graduate student's project but it has ended up being a labor of love. It is a
Fantastic resource.

www.surlalunefairytales.com

Apologies if this has been discussed before.

I love Spindle's End and the Fables series, and enjoyed Shannon Hale's The Goose Girl.

Three I really loved when I was younger were Nicholas Stuart Gray's The Stone Cage (based on Rapunzel) and The Seventh Swan (related to the Wild Swans), and Katharine Mary Briggs's Kate Crackernuts (a beautiful retelling of a little-known Scottish folktale). I must read them again soon!

Ooh, and I must mention Clementine by Sophie Masson, an unusual take on the Sleeping Beauty, with two girls, and set in two separate periods of French history.

Not a book, but I can't go without mentioning The 10th Kingdom, which puts all of the fairy tales in a single world - each of the big ones getting their own kingdom - and it is set a few centuries after they took place, so most of the original princesses are dead. It follows a New Yorker, her father, Wendell White (Snow White's grandson), and a half-wolf. Plays with the tropes, while also adhering to them. There is a novelization, The 10th Kingdom, but I'd probably just watch it. It's also seven hours.

I *love* The 10th Kingdom! I made all my friends come over and watch it. Although I was unaware about the novelization.

Like others have said, I love "Beauty" by Robin McKinley. Another favorite is "Enchantment" by Orson Scott Card. It's a retelling of Sleeping Beauty - but involves Russian ancient history and time travel. It focuses more on the Sleeping Beauty and her "prince" getting to know and love one another.

Has anyone else read the Sevenwaters Trilogy by Juliet Marillier? The first in that trilogy "Daughter of the Forest" is a gorgeous retelling of the fairy tale Seven Swans.

Also, pretty much anything in Mercedes Lackey's Elemental Masters series. "The Fire Rose" is my favorite, but I also am partial to "Reserved for the Cat." That one is a retelling of Puss in Boots, amazingly enough!

I loved The 10th Kingdom too, one of my all time favorites. I wish they had made more miniseries, the cast and storylines were so great.

Ashleigh wrote: "I am starting The Fourth Bear- it's about Jack Spratt who is a reporter and he is investigating the murderous Gingerbread Man. It sounds way more cutesy than it actually is. I read the first few pa..."

The Jack Spratt series is one of my favorites -- but I've been a Jasper Fforde fan since The Eyre Affair. There are definitely things I prefer about the Nursery Crime books, though -- such as the presence of Prometheus, who is a hoot.

One of my all-time favorite genres to read is the fairy tale retelling. I just picked up a new book today that I'm excited to start. It's called The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart. I'd looked at it a few times at the book store, and finally decided to get it when I read a review describing it as being modeled after the grimmest of Grimm's fairy tales.

Ooh, Sara, that description makes me want to get it too!

A Kiss In Time and Beastly by Alex Flinn.

A Kiss In Time (a retelling of Sleeping Beauty) http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52...
This book is my favorite out of all the retold stories Alex Flinn has done. The story is spunky and refreshing. The two main characters, i just fell in love with.
Beastly (a retelling of Beauty and the Beast)
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54...
Beastly was the second book I read out of Flinn's retelling collection, but WAY before Hollywood made it into a movie with a bad leading actress (aka Vanessa Hudgens). The story line was unique and cute.

Sara wrote: "One of my all-time favorite genres to read is the fairy tale retelling. I just picked up a new book today that I'm excited to start. It's called [book:The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart|6436602..."

Have you read it yet Sara? I read in reviews that is dark and kind of gory.

Rora wrote: "Sara wrote: "One of my all-time favorite genres to read is the fairy tale retelling. I just picked up a new book today that I'm excited to start. It's called [book:The Sad Tale of the Brothers Gros..."

I haven't read it yet, but I did read reviews saying it was gory too. They made a comparison to Chuck Palahniuk in the reviews I read in relation to the gore aspect.

Rora wrote: "My favorites...Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire, Red as Blood by Tanith Lee and Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier.

I also liked Spindle's End by Robin McKinley. Beau..."

I love Greogry Maguire's book, I have read Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister and Mirror Mirror as well as the Wicked Years. I also love Juliet Marillier. I have read all of the Sevenwaters series up to date and have been reading the Bridei Chronicles recently.

Another series to consider is the “Princess” series by Jim C. Hines in which he turns the various princesses and others (Red Riding Hood is also in the mix) from fairy tale characters into action adventure / fantasy characters.

The ones I know about are:

The Stepsister Scheme
The Mermaid’s Madness
Red Hood’s Revenge
&
The Snow Queen’s Shadow

Hello all :)

I recently read Robin McKinley's Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast and really enjoyed it! It does take a while to get into it (at least it did for me). I thought the first quarter or so was a tad slow, but after that I was quite absorbed.

I enjoy Robin McKinley's retellings. Juliet Marillier is also good. I really enjoyed Daughter of the Forest although the rest of that series didn't impress me. Some other good ones are East by Edith Pattou and Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George both retellings of East of the Sun and West of the Moon. An Earthly Knight by Janet McNaughton a retelling of Tam Lin and Black Swan by Mercedes Lackey were also enjoyable.

Melissa wrote: "I enjoy Robin McKinley's retellings. Juliet Marillier is also good. I really enjoyed Daughter of the Forest although the rest of that series didn't impress me. Some other good ones are East by E..."

I hadn't heard of Marillier - I'll have to look up some of her books :D

I liked Heart's Blood by her too, though not as much as Daughter of the Forest. It's a retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

Some others I've read recently and enjoyed...
Sisters Red by by Jackson Pearce (Little Red Riding Hood)
The Child Thief by Brom (Peter Pan)
The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood (The Robber Bridegroom)
Toads and Diamonds by Heather Tomlinson (Toads and Diamonds)

Thanks so much for this thread. Many books mentioned here have now moved to the top of my to-read list. Can't wait to get started on them! : )

Kissing the Witch: Old Tales in New Skins. This is an amazing retelling of a number of fairy tales, all sort of chained together. Writing is excellent, and approaches to the fairy tales very original and yet true to their spirit. Five stars.

Red as Blood, or Tales from the Sisters Grimmer. Her version of Rapunzel still sticks with me after reading it years ago.

Mythago Wood and its sequels: a "wild wood" in England spawns archetypes from the recent to the ancient: the wild girl, the wild hunt,

Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold, a retelling of Cupid and Psyche.

Waking the Moon, a new tale of an old goddess.

Unicorns in the Rain, out of print and hard to find, but an amazing modern rendition of Noah and the flood that's spare and yet heart-wrenching.

Michele wrote: "Kissing the Witch: Old Tales in New Skins. This is an amazing retelling of a number of fairy tales, all sort of chained together. Writing is excellent, and approaches to the fairy ta..."

Disappointed with the couple of Mythago Wood sequels I've read: grim re-runs of the same scenario (rather like Cornelia Funke's imaginative but depressing Inkworld series) and wanton misspellings of Celtic (especially Welsh) mythological names (Gate of Ivory Gate of Horn Mythago Wood Cycle Book 6 springs to mind) made one title much like another for me.

Chris wrote: "Disappointed with the couple of Mythago Wood sequels I've read..."

This is true. The first one I loved, the second I liked, and the third was only so-so. But there are SIX of them?? I had no idea!

Hi, my first post in this group. I see many great books mentioned up thread.

However, I did not see any of Datlow and Windling's works including Snow White, Blood Red which I think fit the genre. Also no mention of Jane Yolen who while geared towards kid still wrote Tam Lin which is very well regarded.

Shomeret wrote: "The Fire Rose is the first in a series, Rora. Did you read The Serpent's Shadow, the second book, which is also a fairy tale retelling? I thought it was wonderful!"

I just finished The Serpent's Shadow today! (Somehow, I missed that The Fire Rose was the first, but I will be backtracking to that title.) It was really amazing to me how much Lackey made the story her own. Whenever the mirror was involved, I was reminded that I was reading a retelling of Snow White, but most of the time it was very easy for me to forget that she was actually rewriting another story.

Sounds really interesting--I'll have to check that one out. : )