novelheartbeat's review
4.0
Three words for you: Asian. Folklore. Reimagined. If that doesn’t catch your attention, I don’t know what will! I loved the culture, mythology, and folklore in this one! It was amazing to see different mythology from different cultures in Asia, and I also loved hearing where each author drew their inspiration from.
The stories were very hit or miss for me, but the few really amazing ones definitely made it worth the read!
Favorite stories: Eyes Like Candlelight by Julie Kagawa, The Crimson Cloak by Cindy Pon, The Land of the Morning by E.C. Myers, and Bullet, Butterfly by Elsie Chapman
FORBIDDEN FRUIT BY ROSHANI CHOKSHI - 4/5
This one was very strange, yet beautiful and heartbreaking (as it seems are all Roshani stories)! I love how she took a folktale and made it into her own story. This would have made a great full length novel!
OLIVIA’S TABLE BY ALYSSA WONG - 2/5
While I liked the concept of the Ghost Festival, I’m afraid I found this one rather boring for being a short story. I have a hard time becoming emotionally invested in short stories to begin with, but I wasn’t really interested in the story which made me even less invested. The pacing was very slow despite its short length. It was cool that the main character was gay as well as Chinese, though!
STEEL SKIN BY LORI M. LEE - 4/5
Ohh, I really liked this one! What an interesting twist, I didn’t see that one coming. The world building was a little shaky, but I think Lee did a really great job with what little time she had to put things together. I loved the futuristic dystopian feel this one had, and the androids. I enjoyed her writing style and found it engaging – I’d love to read more of her work!
STILL STAR-CROSSED BY SONA CHARAIOPOTRA - 2/5
I didn’t care much for this one. I think my real issue here is that I’m not a fan of romance, and this was one. It was an interesting concept, sure, but I was rather bored with the story and the mysterious ‘swoony’ guy that kept insisting he knew her. Um, creepy much?
I did like the Indian culture, though! I confess I had to look a lot of things up, but I loved the diversity.
THE COUNTING OF VERMILLION BEADS BY ALIETTE DE BODARD - 1/5
Well that was….f*cking weird. O_O I don’t even know how to review this one. I was kind of intrigued by the wall, but the story was so odd and confusing that I couldn’t really follow. I didn’t really understand the world, or the context of the Palace (?) that the girls were trapped (??) in. Lots of question marks here lol!
THE LAND OF THE MORNING CALM BY E.C. MYERS - 5/5
Oh my gosh, I loved this one!!!! I desperately wish that this had been a full length novel. Not only was the video game aspect awesome, but I adored learning about the Korean mythology! I loved the idea of the kumiho (a nine-tailed fox spirit), gwisin (ghosts), King Yeomra (god of the dead), and Jeoseung (a grim reaper).
It’s hard to say much else without giving anything away, but I really loved the direction Myers took with the ending! I definitely want to check out more of his work!
THE SMILE BY AISHA SAEED - 3/5
This one was kind of interesting – a simple smile that can undo everything. I kind of liked that her attitude was to die free rather than live in chains, and that she found freedom in the end one way or another. I don’t have much to say about this one – nothing about it was particularly memorable but it was enjoyable to read for the most part.
GIRLS WHO TWIRL AND OTHER DANGERS BY PREETI CHHIBBER - 1/5
Wow, this one was horribly juvenile. I did enjoy the mythology story in between, but that was it. The girls taking revenge on some guy that was a “butt” (their exact words, eye roll) was super shallow and petty and just had me sighing and rolling my eyes. I felt like I was reading a story meant for 13-year-olds.
NOTHING INTO ALL BY RENEE AHDIEH - 4/5
I don’t think there’s anything Renee could write that I wouldn’t enjoy! This one was fabulous. I loved the sense of family that Charan had, and the idea of the goblins and turning nothing into all. And of course Renee always has to have an ending that leaves things wide open!
SPEAR CARRIER BY RAHUL KANAKIA - DNF
Wow, I can’t say I’ve ever DNFed a short story before. I guess there’s a first for everything.
This prose was the most incoherent, sophomoric shit I’ve ever read in my life and made me want to spoon my eyeballs out. It was so disjointed and nonsensical that half the time I didn’t even know what the flipping hell was happening, and it gave me a headache to read. And what weird BS is going on in this story, anyway?! The narrator was thrown onto some field with a bunch of tents and aliens and “a huge glass structure full of blooming vines and flowers” (what American doesn’t know what a fucking greenhouse is?) and given a weird suit “somewhere farther in the future than [the narrator was] from” which was described as thus:
Um….
And then there was no other elaboration on that. Okaaaay then. (Also, might I add that the suits were later described as skin tight??) Did I mention that the writing was horrible?
Lol? Then he meets this “crab thing” that “turned its googly eyes on” him. (Or maybe it was a her?? I’m unclear.)
[Ridiculous description of creature as goofy with “googly eyes” (yes, again. Eye roll)]
Like what the actual fuck dude. I felt like I was on some serious drugs when I was reading this, and after like 3 pages of it I just couldn’t take anymore. I would have thought that perhaps it was badly translated, but this author is apparently a best seller?? Like how??? No thanks.
CODE OF HONOR BY MELISSA DE LA CRUZ - 3/5
It’s difficult to be honorable at your worst moment and to forgive those who do you wrong, to have to battle what comes naturally to you. But that’s what it takes to be a monster living among mortals.
I’m not a huge vampire fan, but this one was alright. I liked that she was a vampire with a Code of Honor. A killer with a code, so Dexter-like! (I love Dexter, btw.)
The story was okay. It felt like fluff though, more of a prequel than an actual short story. It was basically a prequel (with different characters, maybe?) to her Blue Bloods series, which I’ve heard of and possibly own one but have never read. Or maybe I tried a long time ago and DNFed.
BULLET, BUTTERFLY BY ELSIE CHAPMAN - 4.5/5
“We’re just the dragons guarding the gate, ordered to keep breathing the fire of those who cast the spell in the first place.”
Wow!!!! What a beautiful and heartbreaking story! I absolutely loved this one! I was really impressed by how Chapman was able to bring the world and her characters to life in such a short period of time. I really enjoyed her prose, I’m definitely going to have to try more of her work!
DAUGHTER OF THE SUN BY SHVETA THAKRAR - 4/5
What a strange and beautiful story! I really enjoyed this one as well. It felt almost like magical realism in a way, but it wasn’t absurd like magical realism is. I found the premise of the story very intriguing – Satyavan is fated to die in a year’s time,
Very interesting indeed!
THE CRIMSON CLOAK BY CINDY PON - 5/5
Ohh this one was amazing!!! It was very bittersweet, but absolutely beautiful. I loved Pon’s prose and the magical world she painted. I loved the idea of a forbidden love between a goddess and a mortal. I definitely need to pick up Want asap!
I desperately wish this had been a full length novel. I have no doubt that I would have cried, given more time to really connect to the story and characters! As it was, I still had plenty of feels for this being such a short novel. Bravo, Cindy Pon!
EYES LIKE CANDLELIGHT BY JULIE KAGAWA - 5/5
Talk about saving the best for last!!! Oh my gosh, I love Julie to pieces. There’s nothing that she could write that I wouldn’t love! And Julie, why do you always have to break my heart?! There’s a reason she’s one of my favorite authors. YOU BRUTAL AUTHOR, YOU.
First of all, I love Japanese culture. Asian culture is fascinating to me, but Japanese is my favorite of all of them! Second, I freaking love the kitsune myth, so I loved it even more!
This review was originally posted on Novel Heartbeat. To see a breakdown of my assessment, please visit the full review here.
The stories were very hit or miss for me, but the few really amazing ones definitely made it worth the read!
Favorite stories: Eyes Like Candlelight by Julie Kagawa, The Crimson Cloak by Cindy Pon, The Land of the Morning by E.C. Myers, and Bullet, Butterfly by Elsie Chapman
FORBIDDEN FRUIT BY ROSHANI CHOKSHI - 4/5
This one was very strange, yet beautiful and heartbreaking (as it seems are all Roshani stories)! I love how she took a folktale and made it into her own story. This would have made a great full length novel!
OLIVIA’S TABLE BY ALYSSA WONG - 2/5
While I liked the concept of the Ghost Festival, I’m afraid I found this one rather boring for being a short story. I have a hard time becoming emotionally invested in short stories to begin with, but I wasn’t really interested in the story which made me even less invested. The pacing was very slow despite its short length. It was cool that the main character was gay as well as Chinese, though!
STEEL SKIN BY LORI M. LEE - 4/5
Ohh, I really liked this one! What an interesting twist, I didn’t see that one coming. The world building was a little shaky, but I think Lee did a really great job with what little time she had to put things together. I loved the futuristic dystopian feel this one had, and the androids. I enjoyed her writing style and found it engaging – I’d love to read more of her work!
STILL STAR-CROSSED BY SONA CHARAIOPOTRA - 2/5
I didn’t care much for this one. I think my real issue here is that I’m not a fan of romance, and this was one. It was an interesting concept, sure, but I was rather bored with the story and the mysterious ‘swoony’ guy that kept insisting he knew her. Um, creepy much?
Spoiler
I’m just not a fan of the whole reincarnated past lover thing because it feels to akin to instalove, even if they did know each other in the past (erm, her mother in this case, since he was getting them confused. Even creepier…).I did like the Indian culture, though! I confess I had to look a lot of things up, but I loved the diversity.
THE COUNTING OF VERMILLION BEADS BY ALIETTE DE BODARD - 1/5
Well that was….f*cking weird. O_O I don’t even know how to review this one. I was kind of intrigued by the wall, but the story was so odd and confusing that I couldn’t really follow. I didn’t really understand the world, or the context of the Palace (?) that the girls were trapped (??) in. Lots of question marks here lol!
THE LAND OF THE MORNING CALM BY E.C. MYERS - 5/5
Oh my gosh, I loved this one!!!! I desperately wish that this had been a full length novel. Not only was the video game aspect awesome, but I adored learning about the Korean mythology! I loved the idea of the kumiho (a nine-tailed fox spirit), gwisin (ghosts), King Yeomra (god of the dead), and Jeoseung (a grim reaper).
It’s hard to say much else without giving anything away, but I really loved the direction Myers took with the ending! I definitely want to check out more of his work!
Spoiler
It was so badass that there was a god of the dead in the game, and the souls of the gwisin were trapped in the game, ready to follow Jeoseung to the Underworld. LOVE!!THE SMILE BY AISHA SAEED - 3/5
This one was kind of interesting – a simple smile that can undo everything. I kind of liked that her attitude was to die free rather than live in chains, and that she found freedom in the end one way or another. I don’t have much to say about this one – nothing about it was particularly memorable but it was enjoyable to read for the most part.
GIRLS WHO TWIRL AND OTHER DANGERS BY PREETI CHHIBBER - 1/5
Wow, this one was horribly juvenile. I did enjoy the mythology story in between, but that was it. The girls taking revenge on some guy that was a “butt” (their exact words, eye roll) was super shallow and petty and just had me sighing and rolling my eyes. I felt like I was reading a story meant for 13-year-olds.
NOTHING INTO ALL BY RENEE AHDIEH - 4/5
I don’t think there’s anything Renee could write that I wouldn’t enjoy! This one was fabulous. I loved the sense of family that Charan had, and the idea of the goblins and turning nothing into all. And of course Renee always has to have an ending that leaves things wide open!
SPEAR CARRIER BY RAHUL KANAKIA - DNF
Wow, I can’t say I’ve ever DNFed a short story before. I guess there’s a first for everything.
This prose was the most incoherent, sophomoric shit I’ve ever read in my life and made me want to spoon my eyeballs out. It was so disjointed and nonsensical that half the time I didn’t even know what the flipping hell was happening, and it gave me a headache to read. And what weird BS is going on in this story, anyway?! The narrator was thrown onto some field with a bunch of tents and aliens and “a huge glass structure full of blooming vines and flowers” (what American doesn’t know what a fucking greenhouse is?) and given a weird suit “somewhere farther in the future than [the narrator was] from” which was described as thus:
Our bodysuits were incredibly warm, and you could piss and shit inside them with no problems.
Um….
And then there was no other elaboration on that. Okaaaay then. (Also, might I add that the suits were later described as skin tight??) Did I mention that the writing was horrible?
Cold clouds of visible air blew out of my nose and mouth.
Lol? Then he meets this “crab thing” that “turned its googly eyes on” him. (Or maybe it was a her?? I’m unclear.)
“Hey,” I said. We both looked away at the same time. Its pale fleshy body reddened. The creature said, “Hello.”
“What?” I said. “You speak…English?”
“It’s a language I have access to.”
[Ridiculous description of creature as goofy with “googly eyes” (yes, again. Eye roll)]
“Okay, wow,” I said. “Wow. This is…wow.”
“You’re American? Perhaps you can tell me…I wasn’t given that much information about why to come here.”
“That’s just…that’s fantastic.”
Like what the actual fuck dude. I felt like I was on some serious drugs when I was reading this, and after like 3 pages of it I just couldn’t take anymore. I would have thought that perhaps it was badly translated, but this author is apparently a best seller?? Like how??? No thanks.
CODE OF HONOR BY MELISSA DE LA CRUZ - 3/5
It’s difficult to be honorable at your worst moment and to forgive those who do you wrong, to have to battle what comes naturally to you. But that’s what it takes to be a monster living among mortals.
I’m not a huge vampire fan, but this one was alright. I liked that she was a vampire with a Code of Honor. A killer with a code, so Dexter-like! (I love Dexter, btw.)
The story was okay. It felt like fluff though, more of a prequel than an actual short story. It was basically a prequel (with different characters, maybe?) to her Blue Bloods series, which I’ve heard of and possibly own one but have never read. Or maybe I tried a long time ago and DNFed.
BULLET, BUTTERFLY BY ELSIE CHAPMAN - 4.5/5
“We’re just the dragons guarding the gate, ordered to keep breathing the fire of those who cast the spell in the first place.”
Wow!!!! What a beautiful and heartbreaking story! I absolutely loved this one! I was really impressed by how Chapman was able to bring the world and her characters to life in such a short period of time. I really enjoyed her prose, I’m definitely going to have to try more of her work!
DAUGHTER OF THE SUN BY SHVETA THAKRAR - 4/5
What a strange and beautiful story! I really enjoyed this one as well. It felt almost like magical realism in a way, but it wasn’t absurd like magical realism is. I found the premise of the story very intriguing – Satyavan is fated to die in a year’s time,
Spoiler
but Savitri is clever and tricks death (or in this case, a nymph) and gets to keep him for herself.Very interesting indeed!
THE CRIMSON CLOAK BY CINDY PON - 5/5
Ohh this one was amazing!!! It was very bittersweet, but absolutely beautiful. I loved Pon’s prose and the magical world she painted. I loved the idea of a forbidden love between a goddess and a mortal. I definitely need to pick up Want asap!
I desperately wish this had been a full length novel. I have no doubt that I would have cried, given more time to really connect to the story and characters! As it was, I still had plenty of feels for this being such a short novel. Bravo, Cindy Pon!
EYES LIKE CANDLELIGHT BY JULIE KAGAWA - 5/5
Talk about saving the best for last!!! Oh my gosh, I love Julie to pieces. There’s nothing that she could write that I wouldn’t love! And Julie, why do you always have to break my heart?! There’s a reason she’s one of my favorite authors. YOU BRUTAL AUTHOR, YOU.
First of all, I love Japanese culture. Asian culture is fascinating to me, but Japanese is my favorite of all of them! Second, I freaking love the kitsune myth, so I loved it even more!
This review was originally posted on Novel Heartbeat. To see a breakdown of my assessment, please visit the full review here.
francisopal's review
4.0
Full review: https://bookpeopleteens.wordpress.com/2018/12/26/review-a-thousand-beginnings-and-endings/
One of my favorite anthologies I’ve ever read, these spooky and sparkly tales will leave you totally immersed in Asian legends. Rating: four/five
Quiz: https://bookpeopleteens.wordpress.com/2018/12/27/quiz-a-thousand-beginnings-and-endings/
One of my favorite anthologies I’ve ever read, these spooky and sparkly tales will leave you totally immersed in Asian legends. Rating: four/five
Quiz: https://bookpeopleteens.wordpress.com/2018/12/27/quiz-a-thousand-beginnings-and-endings/
kpharoah's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Some of the short stories were better than others, but overall there's a good mix, with each story explaining which myth it was based on.
linaria's review
5.0
This is a collection of 15 short stories representing various Asian cultures. Told by some of my favourite authors - the tales include everything from mythological figures to folk tales. The collection features a wide variety of stories that will make you believe in love or rip your heart out. You know that this will be an absolutely spellbinding book as soon as you get a look at that gorgeous cover.
The best parts? At the end of each of the stories was an author explanation about the inspiration for the story, which was amazing to read. Also, most, if not all, of the stories are #ownvoices.
Forbidden Fruit (Roshani Chokshi): Roshani Chokshi is an absolute favourite of mine. Her story of Maria Malking did not disappoint. I just love the way that she writes. If you like her Star-Touched Queen books, definitely read this one. (5/5)
Olivia's Table (Alyssa Wong): This is the story that I most want to see made into a full length book. It had a bit of a western feel and I have a soft spot for westerns with ghosts. (5/5)
Steel Skin (Lori M. Lee): I liked what this story tried to do, and liked the deviation the author made from the myth, but certain portions felt a bit rushed, probably due to the length limitations. I still really enjoyed it! (3/5)
Still Star-Crossed (Sona Charaipotra): I liked the story. It was interesting to see a sci-fi take on a traditional folk tale. (4/5)
The Counting of Vermillion Beads (Aliette De Bodard): The pacing of this one seemed a bit odd to me. I liked the concept but I had trouble staying focused on this one. (3/5)
The Land Of The Morning Calm (E. C. Myers): I love this one! A combo of a litrpg and a traditional tale. It would be interesting to see a full length novel of this one too. I feel like I'd just love to dive into the world of LMC.(5/5)
A Smile (Aisha Saeed): This one was lovely. I haven't read anything by Aisha Saeed, but I will be sure to look for her books in the future. (4/5)
Girls Who Twirl And Other Dangers (Preeti Chhibber): I found the cutting between the modern story and the myth a little off-putting. I also had trouble with the pacing of this one. It was a pretty story though. (3/5)
Nothing Into All (Renee Ahdieh): Renee Ahdieh is my bae. This was perfect. (5/5)
Spear Carrier (Rahul Kanakia): I just couldn't get into it. It may have been the incredibly informal narration, or that we are thrown into the action without any explanation, but it wasn't for me. (2/5)
Code of Honor (Melissa de la Cruz): This was was a bit predictable for me, but overall I liked it. (3/5)
Bullet, Butterfly (Elsie Chapman): I liked this story, but I just needed more from it. It was probably a limitation of the page length but I would have liked to see more of the world and the other characters.(4/5)
Daughter of the Sun (Shveta Thakrar): This one was pretty cute. (4/5)
The Crimson Cloak (Cindy Pon): I really need to read one of Cindy Pon's books. This one was written beautifully and I loved it. (5/5)
Eyes Like Candlelight (Julie Kagawa): Kitsune are amazing. Julie has a book, Shadow of the Fox, coming out soon about a kitsune, so I was a bit worried this would be too similar. I was happy to see that the tone was completely different. (5/5) (less)
The best parts? At the end of each of the stories was an author explanation about the inspiration for the story, which was amazing to read. Also, most, if not all, of the stories are #ownvoices.
Forbidden Fruit (Roshani Chokshi): Roshani Chokshi is an absolute favourite of mine. Her story of Maria Malking did not disappoint. I just love the way that she writes. If you like her Star-Touched Queen books, definitely read this one. (5/5)
Olivia's Table (Alyssa Wong): This is the story that I most want to see made into a full length book. It had a bit of a western feel and I have a soft spot for westerns with ghosts. (5/5)
Steel Skin (Lori M. Lee): I liked what this story tried to do, and liked the deviation the author made from the myth, but certain portions felt a bit rushed, probably due to the length limitations. I still really enjoyed it! (3/5)
Still Star-Crossed (Sona Charaipotra): I liked the story. It was interesting to see a sci-fi take on a traditional folk tale. (4/5)
The Counting of Vermillion Beads (Aliette De Bodard): The pacing of this one seemed a bit odd to me. I liked the concept but I had trouble staying focused on this one. (3/5)
The Land Of The Morning Calm (E. C. Myers): I love this one! A combo of a litrpg and a traditional tale. It would be interesting to see a full length novel of this one too. I feel like I'd just love to dive into the world of LMC.(5/5)
A Smile (Aisha Saeed): This one was lovely. I haven't read anything by Aisha Saeed, but I will be sure to look for her books in the future. (4/5)
Girls Who Twirl And Other Dangers (Preeti Chhibber): I found the cutting between the modern story and the myth a little off-putting. I also had trouble with the pacing of this one. It was a pretty story though. (3/5)
Nothing Into All (Renee Ahdieh): Renee Ahdieh is my bae. This was perfect. (5/5)
Spear Carrier (Rahul Kanakia): I just couldn't get into it. It may have been the incredibly informal narration, or that we are thrown into the action without any explanation, but it wasn't for me. (2/5)
Code of Honor (Melissa de la Cruz): This was was a bit predictable for me, but overall I liked it. (3/5)
Bullet, Butterfly (Elsie Chapman): I liked this story, but I just needed more from it. It was probably a limitation of the page length but I would have liked to see more of the world and the other characters.(4/5)
Daughter of the Sun (Shveta Thakrar): This one was pretty cute. (4/5)
The Crimson Cloak (Cindy Pon): I really need to read one of Cindy Pon's books. This one was written beautifully and I loved it. (5/5)
Eyes Like Candlelight (Julie Kagawa): Kitsune are amazing. Julie has a book, Shadow of the Fox, coming out soon about a kitsune, so I was a bit worried this would be too similar. I was happy to see that the tone was completely different. (5/5) (less)
frog__42's review
4.0
I don't really like collections of short stories. I've read about one other a really long time ago and I did enjoy it but haven't been interested since. I really like Asian myths and folklore though, and this book was on sale so I thought why not! And I really enjoyed it! I liked how it had such varying stories to tell from all cultures. Some were sci-fi, some fantasy, and some more realistic, but they all had a meaning and were written well. Not a 5/5 because I just can't get fully into short stories. After I finished each my mind wandered and thought about how the story could be continued. It just felt a bit lacking, not because of the writing but because they were short. Overall 4/5, a good short story collection on Asian myths and lore :)
realz's review against another edition
3.0
The book is a collection of 15 short stories from 15 writers. Each story is inspired from an Asian myth or legend. Some of them are good, but most of them were pretty boring. On the contrary, I quite enjoyed the little notes from writers about what inspired them about the story.
I guess I was expecting more traditional form of stories but this book gives you a Black Mirrorized version of Asian legends and folklore which feel flat. Most times I was able to see how the story is going to end before I was half way into it.
My favorite story was "Bullet, Butterfly" by Elsie Chapman, who is also the editor of the book. The climax of the story hit me like a freight train.
If anyone has any suggestions for good Asian myths and legends book, please let me know in comments.
Overall rating 3/5
I guess I was expecting more traditional form of stories but this book gives you a Black Mirrorized version of Asian legends and folklore which feel flat. Most times I was able to see how the story is going to end before I was half way into it.
My favorite story was "Bullet, Butterfly" by Elsie Chapman, who is also the editor of the book. The climax of the story hit me like a freight train.
If anyone has any suggestions for good Asian myths and legends book, please let me know in comments.
Overall rating 3/5
eb00kie's review
5.0
At the beginning, if you'd said "YA anthology", you'd have found me escaping out the nearest window (try me, fuckers, I rock the Rapunzel game in a bob).
My book club flagged that newer versions (2020 and after) have an extra 16th story, that doesn’t appear in the earlier ones. It’s Ellen Oh’s “Carp, Calculus and the Leap of Faith”, it’s good — try to get newer editions that have it, as well.
Ultimately, while they average 3/7, the value of this book for me is to discover new stories, rather than as a sum of it's parts, an in that, it's a 4/5, for reasons described below.
So, no jumping out the window and YA anthologies win some goodwill.
As follows:
Each story is somehow tied to an a folklore story, which is more or less vaguely summarised at the end of each author's story. That's pretty cool. I say 'vaguely' because some stories are not giving information that appears on Wikipedia. That's not cool. Sometimes the source story is better than the new story and I want to have all the info.
Stories grouped below by order of rating.
Rules: I'm going to tag that as source story to make it easier to look up in the review below. I'll be working off of the given summaries in the book, so if stuff is missing that's clearly stated in the original work, I will not have looked it up for the purpose of this review. If the summary given in the book looks familiar to something I've seen before, I'll write a bit about that and how it's similar and how they differ.
Disclaimer: I'm trying not to swear in 2023, so bear with me. If I'm still feeling strongly about it later, I'll retcon this next year.
Here's a summary:
— >1/5, didn’t like it, not good, why write it?
Story XI Code of Honor by [a:Melissa de la Cruz|21911|Melissa de la Cruz|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1521600969p2/21911.jpg] (Filipino) - The source story is a vague reference to aswang witches. If I were to give it the best possible interpretation, I'd say it's about culture being more than genetics, and that vampiredom is a metaphor for shared values and belonging with people who are not of the same nationality. Melissa de la Cruz is an atrociously bad writer (even when you’re a teenager), but you can’t doubt her willingness to use anything and everything to plug her atrociously badly written Blue Blood books.
— >2/5 ok, nothing special or good ideas/bad execution
Story I Forbidden Fruit by [a:Roshani Chokshi|13695109|Roshani Chokshi|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1544538355p2/13695109.jpg] - It’s not set in modern times: boy meets girl, they get along, the world is cruel, the boy is faithful but she doesn’t know it and thinks he betrayed her. Stories like this are a dime a dozen. There is no source story, so much as a mythos around a mountain goddess one shouldn’t steal from, very vague. Similar to fairy/leprechaun mythos, Spirited Away and Beauty and the Beast in the tealing/eating from another realm.
Story IV Still Star-Crossed - Boring Edward Cullen approach to dating story. What's really interesting is that the murder of a lover the family doesn't like is a motif that appears twice. Since the story is apparently set in our day - that's one thing that sets it apart from the mainstream world. Now the source story is apparently a Punjabi tale of Mirza and Sahiba - similar to the Biblical tale of Samson and Delilah. Being me, I'm really into figuring out Sahiba's thought process, more than I care about why this airhead is floating through an awkward situation.
Story IX Nothing into All by [a:Renée Ahdieh|4600197|Renée Ahdieh|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1487663209p2/4600197.jpg] (Korean) - This is one of the few stories which doesn't take place in modern times and tells the tale of a family over-correcting and indulging a younger child, also espousing traditional values of humbleness and modesty. It was written in an older style, as in, if I found this inside the Grimm Fairy Tales or Perrault's tales, it wouldn't sound out of place. The source story is similar, with two boys, only vaguely referenced at the end of the main story.
Story XIV The Crimson Cloak by [a:Cindy Pon|2471183|Cindy Pon|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1259643400p2/2471183.jpg] (Chinese) - happy ending version of Story I above, with the source story being [b:The Cowherd and the Girl Weaver|36142280|The Cowherd and the Girl Weaver|Chu Yi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1503973400l/36142280._SX50_.jpg|57744274]. In this retelling, the girl played an active role and they lived HEA. Meh as all that. Similar to the stories of shapeshifter women, selkies, swans, etc. where the guys sneaks up to one of them and hides her clothes so she has to marry him. They're everywhere, it's a classic. Long live feminism, for now a woman doesn't have to marry a guy who's "seen her naked" or "gave her the big ol' Zeus Swan Hug" (as may have been written in children's mythology books). In some countries, at least.
— >3/5 mostly good - the stories in this section are ordered in the order of personal preference.
Story III - The android tale is BASIC with the plus that the character dynamic is wholesome and well-written. Good rapport takes skill to write (this is a PSA for all cookie cutter romance writers out there), so credit where credit's due - good job, and sweet well-earned ending.
As for the rest? I'm not going to spoil it, but if you take away the SF trappings, it's a story that could be written in the 80's. The main conflict is between the squares/traditionalist teachings of early 20th century of rearing children at arm's end without a lot of contact versus the new generation rebelling and arguing that emotions are genuine and human. Which makes this an old take on a boring old story. The battle lines have shifted. No one finds this innovative anymore. Don't be boring. The source story is "Yer and the Tiger" (Hmong), similar to [b:Little Red Riding Hood|9453611|Little Red Riding Hood|Jacob Grimm|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347357583l/9453611._SX50_.jpg|27039426], with the difference being that the 'beast' fools other members of the family while pretending to be human. That was a bit more sinister (very good!).
Story XIII Daughter of the Sun by [a:Shveta Thakrar|5097748|Shveta Thakrar|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1543548224p2/5097748.jpg] (South Asian) - Modern-day retelling of two South Asian stories. There's a plot device that's not explained, where a girl is born with a heart glowing golden and has to wear all-black. Because wearing a good bra is a no-no. Because black-out curtains are pure fantasy. Nooo, it's not like women already cover their chests with layers of material - let her wear black. Instead of, you know, a thicker wraparound sports bra made of non-transparent material. Anyway she's magic and it's never explained and she finds her one true love and they live happily ever after except his glowing heart (silver) has a meaning and she saves him. The source stories are from the [b:Mahabharata|118252|Mahabharata|Anonymous|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1553101923l/118252._SY75_.jpg|113831], one of Princess Savitri and Prince Satyavan and another that of goddess Ganga and King Shantanua. In short, one of a woman bargaining with Death and another of a woman drowning her babies because they are cursed god incarnations and by drowning their mortal forms, she uses a loophole in the curse to set their godly entities free while her mortal husband - who promised not to ask, poor fool - watches in horror. These two remind me of Greek mythos, Demetra roasting her child or ward over fire to give him godly powers and Alcestis offering to die instead of her husband, but will need to read the original for more info. The bargaining with Death is a common theme in many cultures, particularly for the life of a loved one. What irks me is that the lady murdering 7 babies (8?) is effectively using and abusing her husband. Sure, 'don't ask' was in the marriage contract, but watching your newborns be repeatedly drowned is deeply emotionally scarring. How come he didn't divorce her? Get a mistress? Stop having sex with her? But hey-ho, for the author, this has feminist value and I only wish to know whether the husband got himself a good therapist.
Story XV Eyes like Candlelight by [a:Julie Kagawa|2995873|Julie Kagawa|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1257816454p2/2995873.jpg] (Japanese) - Similar to Story I it also deals with taking gifts from a mountain supernatural entity. Simiar to Story I it follows similar plot beats. The reason it's a 3 not a 2 out of 5 is because the backstory is built better and because the supernatural entity goes to get her story straight, then goes on a rampage. Rampages show agency, agency shows efforts at characterisation. Rampages are rewarded with a good rating. The source story relates to the kitsune of Japanese folklore and how they may appear as either protectors or antagonists, which I like. I can't think off the top of my head of another supernatural entity that may be either one or another - in traditional works, before stereotyping was frowned on, etc. etc.
Story VII The Smile by [a:Aisha Saeed|8106586|Aisha Saeed|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1396461507p2/8106586.jpg] (South Asian) - the story is a bit vague and it took me a lot of processing to put the events in a coherent "A so B therefore C". Here is my understanding:. It would have benefitted from stronger writing. The source story about two star-crossed lovers where one ends up buried alive by someone else is similar to [a:Verdi|54564|Giuseppe Verdi|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1218143879p2/54564.jpg]'s opera [b:Aida|34730574|Verdi's AIDA OPERA STUDY GUIDE AND LIBRETTO Opera Classics Library Series|Burton D. Fisher|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1490816418l/34730574._SX50_.jpg|55913983], there's Fiona and other princesses in a tower pending their accepting a proposition and there's the Romanian Manole legend, where a woman is walled inside the wall of a church as a sacrifice to keep it standing.
Story VI The Land of the Morning Calm by [a:E. C. Myers|22957093|E. C. Myers|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] (Korean) - Interesting retelling of a ghost in a modern era; I liked the ethical / psychological implications of although they weren't really addressed. That was quite pitiful. The Korean source story was more about the fox mythology, which is indeed a powerful element in folklore and it made me curious to read more. On a surface level, it's a bit similar to Japanese kitsune.
— >4/5 - this made me feel something
Story II Olivia's Table by [a:Olivia Wong|18915855|Olivia WONG|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] - I really liked this bittersweet story. The main character's life is so focused on what makes her different, her the whole world appears insubstantial through her eyes and she appears equally closed-off. It's a good, well-written perspective, to the point that when she opens up, it creates a strong feeling of catharsis. I kept expecting a twist, similar to Story III below, but it was a straightforward story, with a bittersweet message of what it means to serve people and how everyone is essentially alone and how the only times you actually have with someone are the times you have with that person, and how people should pay attention. It's not spelled out. There is no source story, more a discussion of Chinese traditions, which was interesting to read.
Story VIII Girls Who Twirl and Other Dangers by [a:Preeti Chhibber|15600901|Preeti Chhibber|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1496408704p2/15600901.jpg] (Gujarati) - This was a fun story about three girls uniting to stop a boy, interspersed with the source story of the goddess Durga and the Navratri festival. It was really cool, the mythological aspect combined with the light-heartedness of the girls seeking justice, it created a cool narrative about why stories resonate and why old tales are relevant in modern times
Story XII Bullet, Butterfly by [a:Elsie Chapman|5441417|Elsie Chapman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1351817206p2/5441417.jpg] (Chinese) - This is a modern retelling in a more modern warfare context of source story [b:The Butterfly Lovers|7958322|The Butterfly Lovers The Legend of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai Four Versions with Related Texts|Wilt L. Idema|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1405624518l/7958322._SY75_.jpg|9313413], one of China's most famous love stories. It's often been compared to [b:Romeo and Juliet|18135|Romeo and Juliet|William Shakespeare|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1629680008l/18135._SY75_.jpg|3349450], but the retelling does away with the more objectionable things in Shakespeare's version, so there's that. Wish the retelling would have given the characters more agency, because the duty element is still all-powerful, rendering every interpersonal relation (friends, maternal) transitory and impersonal. The whole story is pretty bleak, except at the last moment. Not a fan of bleak, but well-written nonetheless.
Story X Spear Carrier by [a:Rahul Kanakia|4114729|Rahul Kanakia|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1578970946p2/4114729.jpg] (South Asian) - is a whimsical ode to the side-character in every great tale about a great war. Literally someone saying "I am aware I have a culture, there's my cosmic struggle, but I don't wantany part of it, I'm out." Mainly, the source story is the [b:Mahabharata|118252|Mahabharata|Anonymous|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1553101923l/118252._SY75_.jpg|113831]. I've read part of it (the [b:The Bhagavad Gita|99944|The Bhagavad Gita|Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1631634958l/99944._SX50_.jpg|1492580]) and it's a riot. Would recommend.
— >5/5 - this made me feel a lot of somethings
Story V The Counting of Vermillion Beads by [a:Aliette de Bodard|2918731|Aliette de Bodard|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1645728070p2/2918731.jpg] — Was brilliant. How nice it is when someone doesn't make fun of the accountant. I liked the coming-of-age aspect and the two choices of working within the system versus fleeing the system and how both were treated with maturity and insight. The sisterly bond well-written. The source story (Vietnamese) was "Tâ’M Cám" which sounds vaguely similar to Cinderella for the animosity between the step-sisters, except it occurs more after the marriage to the emperor, there's only one step-sister and a lot more murder. Murder in folklore is how you know you found the good stuff, don't quote me on that.
Story XVI Carp, Calculus and the Leap of Faith by [a:Ellen Oh|4559822|Ellen Oh|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1659679213p2/4559822.jpg] — Caught me after therapy so I was feeling emotional, so when the main actor off-screen beat off some bullies to protect an annoying smaller kid, it got it me in the feels. A bit like Puss in Boots 2 (seriously, UK releasing it late is a travesty).
There are two source stories
- Hua clan being transformed into carps to escape from raiders. This brings to mind a lot of similar Green mythology in [b:Metamorphoses|1715|Metamorphoses|Ovid|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1622739150l/1715._SY75_.jpg|2870411], mainly Daphne running from Apollo, and she was transformed into a laurel tree. Less uplifting than the carp story, granted.
- Carps jumping up a waterfall for the hope of transforming into dragons. That one doesn't say meritocracy and hard work for me necessarily. What works for me is thinking that a person wanting to achieve a noble purpose (the gate) becomes a dragon as a result of their pursuit, á la [b:Gattaca,|6397741|Gattaca The Shooting Script|Andrew Niccol|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1572022384l/6397741._SY75_.jpg|20934450] more like - I cheated and just linked the script. Good movie. So dragon before gate, rather than the gate turning them into a dragon. Maybe the metaphor is a cultural thing. I just don't dig it the way it's written. Hey ho. Different strokes for different folks.
Back to the modern story, the protagonist beats up some bullies off-screen because they were picking on a smaller child,even if the child was annoying the protagonist. Sure, violence is never the answer bla-bla-bla. But one has to say, the kid has good values, right? It’s a the bigger should protect the vulnerable sort of thing. It resonated. And when I’m sometimes feeling like lacking a purpose, a values reset turned out to be just what the doctor ordered.
My book club flagged that newer versions (2020 and after) have an extra 16th story, that doesn’t appear in the earlier ones. It’s Ellen Oh’s “Carp, Calculus and the Leap of Faith”, it’s good — try to get newer editions that have it, as well.
Ultimately, while they average 3/7, the value of this book for me is to discover new stories, rather than as a sum of it's parts, an in that, it's a 4/5, for reasons described below.
So, no jumping out the window and YA anthologies win some goodwill.
As follows:
Each story is somehow tied to an a folklore story, which is more or less vaguely summarised at the end of each author's story. That's pretty cool. I say 'vaguely' because some stories are not giving information that appears on Wikipedia. That's not cool. Sometimes the source story is better than the new story and I want to have all the info.
Stories grouped below by order of rating.
Rules: I'm going to tag that as source story to make it easier to look up in the review below. I'll be working off of the given summaries in the book, so if stuff is missing that's clearly stated in the original work, I will not have looked it up for the purpose of this review. If the summary given in the book looks familiar to something I've seen before, I'll write a bit about that and how it's similar and how they differ.
Disclaimer: I'm trying not to swear in 2023, so bear with me. If I'm still feeling strongly about it later, I'll retcon this next year.
Here's a summary:
— >1/5, didn’t like it, not good, why write it?
Story XI Code of Honor by [a:Melissa de la Cruz|21911|Melissa de la Cruz|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1521600969p2/21911.jpg] (Filipino) - The source story is a vague reference to aswang witches. If I were to give it the best possible interpretation, I'd say it's about culture being more than genetics, and that vampiredom is a metaphor for shared values and belonging with people who are not of the same nationality. Melissa de la Cruz is an atrociously bad writer (even when you’re a teenager), but you can’t doubt her willingness to use anything and everything to plug her atrociously badly written Blue Blood books.
— >2/5 ok, nothing special or good ideas/bad execution
Story I Forbidden Fruit by [a:Roshani Chokshi|13695109|Roshani Chokshi|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1544538355p2/13695109.jpg] - It’s not set in modern times: boy meets girl, they get along, the world is cruel, the boy is faithful but she doesn’t know it and thinks he betrayed her. Stories like this are a dime a dozen. There is no source story, so much as a mythos around a mountain goddess one shouldn’t steal from, very vague. Similar to fairy/leprechaun mythos, Spirited Away and Beauty and the Beast in the tealing/eating from another realm.
Story IV Still Star-Crossed - Boring Edward Cullen approach to dating story. What's really interesting is that the murder of a lover the family doesn't like is a motif that appears twice. Since the story is apparently set in our day - that's one thing that sets it apart from the mainstream world. Now the source story is apparently a Punjabi tale of Mirza and Sahiba - similar to the Biblical tale of Samson and Delilah. Being me, I'm really into figuring out Sahiba's thought process, more than I care about why this airhead is floating through an awkward situation.
Story IX Nothing into All by [a:Renée Ahdieh|4600197|Renée Ahdieh|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1487663209p2/4600197.jpg] (Korean) - This is one of the few stories which doesn't take place in modern times and tells the tale of a family over-correcting and indulging a younger child, also espousing traditional values of humbleness and modesty. It was written in an older style, as in, if I found this inside the Grimm Fairy Tales or Perrault's tales, it wouldn't sound out of place. The source story is similar, with two boys, only vaguely referenced at the end of the main story.
Story XIV The Crimson Cloak by [a:Cindy Pon|2471183|Cindy Pon|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1259643400p2/2471183.jpg] (Chinese) - happy ending version of Story I above, with the source story being [b:The Cowherd and the Girl Weaver|36142280|The Cowherd and the Girl Weaver|Chu Yi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1503973400l/36142280._SX50_.jpg|57744274]. In this retelling, the girl played an active role and they lived HEA. Meh as all that. Similar to the stories of shapeshifter women, selkies, swans, etc. where the guys sneaks up to one of them and hides her clothes so she has to marry him. They're everywhere, it's a classic. Long live feminism, for now a woman doesn't have to marry a guy who's "seen her naked" or "gave her the big ol' Zeus Swan Hug" (as may have been written in children's mythology books). In some countries, at least.
— >3/5 mostly good - the stories in this section are ordered in the order of personal preference.
Story III - The android tale is BASIC with the plus that the character dynamic is wholesome and well-written. Good rapport takes skill to write (this is a PSA for all cookie cutter romance writers out there), so credit where credit's due - good job, and sweet well-earned ending.
As for the rest? I'm not going to spoil it, but if you take away the SF trappings, it's a story that could be written in the 80's. The main conflict is between the squares/traditionalist teachings of early 20th century of rearing children at arm's end without a lot of contact versus the new generation rebelling and arguing that emotions are genuine and human. Which makes this an old take on a boring old story. The battle lines have shifted. No one finds this innovative anymore. Don't be boring. The source story is "Yer and the Tiger" (Hmong), similar to [b:Little Red Riding Hood|9453611|Little Red Riding Hood|Jacob Grimm|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347357583l/9453611._SX50_.jpg|27039426], with the difference being that the 'beast' fools other members of the family while pretending to be human. That was a bit more sinister (very good!).
Story XIII Daughter of the Sun by [a:Shveta Thakrar|5097748|Shveta Thakrar|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1543548224p2/5097748.jpg] (South Asian) - Modern-day retelling of two South Asian stories. There's a plot device that's not explained, where a girl is born with a heart glowing golden and has to wear all-black. Because wearing a good bra is a no-no. Because black-out curtains are pure fantasy. Nooo, it's not like women already cover their chests with layers of material - let her wear black. Instead of, you know, a thicker wraparound sports bra made of non-transparent material. Anyway she's magic and it's never explained and she finds her one true love and they live happily ever after except his glowing heart (silver) has a meaning and she saves him. The source stories are from the [b:Mahabharata|118252|Mahabharata|Anonymous|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1553101923l/118252._SY75_.jpg|113831], one of Princess Savitri and Prince Satyavan and another that of goddess Ganga and King Shantanua. In short, one of a woman bargaining with Death and another of a woman drowning her babies because they are cursed god incarnations and by drowning their mortal forms, she uses a loophole in the curse to set their godly entities free while her mortal husband - who promised not to ask, poor fool - watches in horror. These two remind me of Greek mythos, Demetra roasting her child or ward over fire to give him godly powers and Alcestis offering to die instead of her husband, but will need to read the original for more info. The bargaining with Death is a common theme in many cultures, particularly for the life of a loved one. What irks me is that the lady murdering 7 babies (8?) is effectively using and abusing her husband. Sure, 'don't ask' was in the marriage contract, but watching your newborns be repeatedly drowned is deeply emotionally scarring. How come he didn't divorce her? Get a mistress? Stop having sex with her? But hey-ho, for the author, this has feminist value and I only wish to know whether the husband got himself a good therapist.
Story XV Eyes like Candlelight by [a:Julie Kagawa|2995873|Julie Kagawa|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1257816454p2/2995873.jpg] (Japanese) - Similar to Story I it also deals with taking gifts from a mountain supernatural entity. Simiar to Story I it follows similar plot beats. The reason it's a 3 not a 2 out of 5 is because the backstory is built better and because the supernatural entity goes to get her story straight, then goes on a rampage. Rampages show agency, agency shows efforts at characterisation. Rampages are rewarded with a good rating. The source story relates to the kitsune of Japanese folklore and how they may appear as either protectors or antagonists, which I like. I can't think off the top of my head of another supernatural entity that may be either one or another - in traditional works, before stereotyping was frowned on, etc. etc.
Story VII The Smile by [a:Aisha Saeed|8106586|Aisha Saeed|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1396461507p2/8106586.jpg] (South Asian) - the story is a bit vague and it took me a lot of processing to put the events in a coherent "A so B therefore C". Here is my understanding:
Spoiler
the way I read it was, the story said Kareem was really keen to sign with the merchant ASAP, so I spent the first half of the story worried Kareem would sell her off to achieve that deal. Maybe then he locked her in the tower (semantics aside) to re-assert to the Merchant that ‘sure, he might be in love, but that didn’t stop he from acting like Prince Joffrey’, so the Merchant — who possibly knew Kareem was desperate for the deal —couldn’t use his ‘affection’ for her to twist the Prince’s arm about the dealStory VI The Land of the Morning Calm by [a:E. C. Myers|22957093|E. C. Myers|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] (Korean) - Interesting retelling of a ghost in a modern era; I liked the ethical / psychological implications of
Spoiler
having an ex-family member alive inside a game,Spoiler
it took them so long to cotton up she was in there— >4/5 - this made me feel something
Story II Olivia's Table by [a:Olivia Wong|18915855|Olivia WONG|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] - I really liked this bittersweet story. The main character's life is so focused on what makes her different, her the whole world appears insubstantial through her eyes and she appears equally closed-off. It's a good, well-written perspective, to the point that when she opens up, it creates a strong feeling of catharsis. I kept expecting a twist, similar to Story III below, but it was a straightforward story, with a bittersweet message of what it means to serve people and how everyone is essentially alone and how the only times you actually have with someone are the times you have with that person, and how people should pay attention. It's not spelled out. There is no source story, more a discussion of Chinese traditions, which was interesting to read.
Story VIII Girls Who Twirl and Other Dangers by [a:Preeti Chhibber|15600901|Preeti Chhibber|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1496408704p2/15600901.jpg] (Gujarati) - This was a fun story about three girls uniting to stop a boy, interspersed with the source story of the goddess Durga and the Navratri festival. It was really cool, the mythological aspect combined with the light-heartedness of the girls seeking justice, it created a cool narrative about why stories resonate and why old tales are relevant in modern times
Story XII Bullet, Butterfly by [a:Elsie Chapman|5441417|Elsie Chapman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1351817206p2/5441417.jpg] (Chinese) - This is a modern retelling in a more modern warfare context of source story [b:The Butterfly Lovers|7958322|The Butterfly Lovers The Legend of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai Four Versions with Related Texts|Wilt L. Idema|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1405624518l/7958322._SY75_.jpg|9313413], one of China's most famous love stories. It's often been compared to [b:Romeo and Juliet|18135|Romeo and Juliet|William Shakespeare|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1629680008l/18135._SY75_.jpg|3349450], but the retelling does away with the more objectionable things in Shakespeare's version, so there's that. Wish the retelling would have given the characters more agency, because the duty element is still all-powerful, rendering every interpersonal relation (friends, maternal) transitory and impersonal. The whole story is pretty bleak, except at the last moment. Not a fan of bleak, but well-written nonetheless.
Story X Spear Carrier by [a:Rahul Kanakia|4114729|Rahul Kanakia|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1578970946p2/4114729.jpg] (South Asian) - is a whimsical ode to the side-character in every great tale about a great war. Literally someone saying "I am aware I have a culture, there's my cosmic struggle, but I don't wantany part of it, I'm out." Mainly, the source story is the [b:Mahabharata|118252|Mahabharata|Anonymous|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1553101923l/118252._SY75_.jpg|113831]. I've read part of it (the [b:The Bhagavad Gita|99944|The Bhagavad Gita|Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1631634958l/99944._SX50_.jpg|1492580]) and it's a riot. Would recommend.
— >5/5 - this made me feel a lot of somethings
Story V The Counting of Vermillion Beads by [a:Aliette de Bodard|2918731|Aliette de Bodard|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1645728070p2/2918731.jpg] — Was brilliant. How nice it is when someone doesn't make fun of the accountant. I liked the coming-of-age aspect and the two choices of working within the system versus fleeing the system and how both were treated with maturity and insight. The sisterly bond well-written. The source story (Vietnamese) was "Tâ’M Cám" which sounds vaguely similar to Cinderella for the animosity between the step-sisters, except it occurs more after the marriage to the emperor, there's only one step-sister and a lot more murder. Murder in folklore is how you know you found the good stuff, don't quote me on that.
Story XVI Carp, Calculus and the Leap of Faith by [a:Ellen Oh|4559822|Ellen Oh|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1659679213p2/4559822.jpg] — Caught me after therapy so I was feeling emotional, so when the main actor off-screen beat off some bullies to protect an annoying smaller kid, it got it me in the feels. A bit like Puss in Boots 2 (seriously, UK releasing it late is a travesty).
There are two source stories
- Hua clan being transformed into carps to escape from raiders. This brings to mind a lot of similar Green mythology in [b:Metamorphoses|1715|Metamorphoses|Ovid|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1622739150l/1715._SY75_.jpg|2870411], mainly Daphne running from Apollo, and she was transformed into a laurel tree. Less uplifting than the carp story, granted.
- Carps jumping up a waterfall for the hope of transforming into dragons. That one doesn't say meritocracy and hard work for me necessarily. What works for me is thinking that a person wanting to achieve a noble purpose (the gate) becomes a dragon as a result of their pursuit, á la [b:Gattaca,|6397741|Gattaca The Shooting Script|Andrew Niccol|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1572022384l/6397741._SY75_.jpg|20934450] more like - I cheated and just linked the script. Good movie. So dragon before gate, rather than the gate turning them into a dragon. Maybe the metaphor is a cultural thing. I just don't dig it the way it's written. Hey ho. Different strokes for different folks.
Back to the modern story, the protagonist beats up some bullies off-screen because they were picking on a smaller child,even if the child was annoying the protagonist. Sure, violence is never the answer bla-bla-bla. But one has to say, the kid has good values, right? It’s a the bigger should protect the vulnerable sort of thing. It resonated. And when I’m sometimes feeling like lacking a purpose, a values reset turned out to be just what the doctor ordered.
haku's review
3.0
I know I’m complaining but it still would’ve been nice to see more than one southeast asian ethnicity mentioned (and no middle east, I noticed).
Individual Ratings:
Forbidden Fruit (Filipino) - ★★★
Chokshi’s storytelling was fantastic. I loved how she wrote it like a fable with the ‘and that is why you should not do such and such’.
Olivia's Table (Chinese) - ★★★★
This was quite slow but, as a chinese, I was pleased to see the inclusion of our ghost festival and the purpose surrounding it. I don’t always agree with our never-break-traditions mentality but it reminded me again of some of the things that are important we should not neglect in life; preserving our culture and the memory of those who lived.
Steel Skin (Hmong) - ★★★
I’m not a fan of science fiction but I did like this in the end. The ending was quite thought-provoking albeit sad.
Still Star-Crossed (Punjabi) - ★★★
I’m not really sure what to think of this one. It didn’t seem to me that the message got across. An interesting twist but one I managed to guess eventually.
The Counting of Vermillion Beads (Vietnamese) - ★★★★
I liked how feminist this one was and it tells us that we don’t let people decide our fates but us. Although there wasn’t exactly any man present in the story, there was that sort of sexist expectation on women in court which you’d often see in east asian dramas.
The Land of the Morning Calm (Korean) - ★★★★
Compared to the other stories, this was one of the more original ones and decidedly one of my faves too. It involved an odd combination of computer games and the loss of a parent whom likes cosplay. It worked well though. The result was touching and also a little bit creepy.
The Smile (South Asian) - ★★
For a feminist retelling, this was too predictable for me but that didn't make the ending any less satisfying. The message of women not belonging to men like objects? Still relevant.
Girls Who Twirl and Other Dangers (Gujarati) - ★★★★
I wouldn’t have expected to like this so much. It reads like a typical YA contemporary where the protagonist did some mean stuff to someone who may or may not deserves it and everyone was affected because of her. It’s sort of like that but better because battle comparisons to indian myth in context.
Nothing into All (Korean) - ★★★★
It's set in korea but the aspects of the story felt western-ish to me (not that I have a problem with it, though. I like it better that way). The bargains with goblins from undergound, an older sister resenting then attempts to save her younger brother. It’s like the Labyrinth movie but not really.
Spear Carrier (South Asian) - ★★
Firstly, I enjoyed the fact that the humor felt more like that in a comic fantasy and the narrator’s 'voice’ was refreshing. It was also positively philosophical? I was ultimately disappointed with this one even though my hopes were high for this at first. The story fell flat and didn’t really offer much.
Code of Honor (Filipino) - ★
My least favorite, to put it simply. The narrator made a point to say aswangs are not vampires (but share fairly similar traits). The story took place in an american school and there were mean girls and also the main character struggled with 'not belonging’? It reads exactly like a stereotypical urban fantasy with vampires. Perhaps the author thought the twist would be a clever move, I'd rather she'd use an original premise to engage readers instead.
Bullet, Butterfly (Chinese) - ★
Sadly, this wasn't my thing. This had more to do with the romance than the writing though. Was never a fan of romeo and juliet type endings.
Daughter of the Sun (South Asian) - ★★★
The writing and setting in this was simply gorgeous. I’d always like love stories with a 'sun and moon’ metaphor, even if I didn’t care for the romances themselves.
The Crimson Cloak (Chinese) - ★★★★
A retelling of a folktale in which a young goddess fell for a human. I watched a drama based on it many years ago and the couple was one of my very first otps. Like many of the other tales focused on romance, this was also fairly instalove-y. But it didn’t bothered me all that much. I loved reading from the goddess’ pov. She got all haughty towards the actions of mortals yet she’s easy to sympathize. A timeless classic for me.
Eyes like Candlelight (Korean) - ★★★★
This was also a romance but one I enjoyed nonetheless because it was so reminiscent of real Japanese folktales. A dollop of revenge, a touch of eeriness and an 'everything comes with a price’ allusion to top it all off.
Although formulaic and romance was used too frequently as a plot device, A Thousand Beginnings and Ending is an intriguing read that will, at least, satisfy the curiosity of those who are new to Asian myths and folklores.
Individual Ratings:
Forbidden Fruit (Filipino) - ★★★
Chokshi’s storytelling was fantastic. I loved how she wrote it like a fable with the ‘and that is why you should not do such and such’.
Olivia's Table (Chinese) - ★★★★
This was quite slow but, as a chinese, I was pleased to see the inclusion of our ghost festival and the purpose surrounding it. I don’t always agree with our never-break-traditions mentality but it reminded me again of some of the things that are important we should not neglect in life; preserving our culture and the memory of those who lived.
Steel Skin (Hmong) - ★★★
I’m not a fan of science fiction but I did like this in the end. The ending was quite thought-provoking albeit sad.
Still Star-Crossed (Punjabi) - ★★★
I’m not really sure what to think of this one. It didn’t seem to me that the message got across. An interesting twist but one I managed to guess eventually.
The Counting of Vermillion Beads (Vietnamese) - ★★★★
I liked how feminist this one was and it tells us that we don’t let people decide our fates but us. Although there wasn’t exactly any man present in the story, there was that sort of sexist expectation on women in court which you’d often see in east asian dramas.
The Land of the Morning Calm (Korean) - ★★★★
Compared to the other stories, this was one of the more original ones and decidedly one of my faves too. It involved an odd combination of computer games and the loss of a parent whom likes cosplay. It worked well though. The result was touching and also a little bit creepy.
The Smile (South Asian) - ★★
For a feminist retelling, this was too predictable for me but that didn't make the ending any less satisfying. The message of women not belonging to men like objects? Still relevant.
Girls Who Twirl and Other Dangers (Gujarati) - ★★★★
I wouldn’t have expected to like this so much. It reads like a typical YA contemporary where the protagonist did some mean stuff to someone who may or may not deserves it and everyone was affected because of her. It’s sort of like that but better because battle comparisons to indian myth in context.
Nothing into All (Korean) - ★★★★
It's set in korea but the aspects of the story felt western-ish to me (not that I have a problem with it, though. I like it better that way). The bargains with goblins from undergound, an older sister resenting then attempts to save her younger brother. It’s like the Labyrinth movie but not really.
Spear Carrier (South Asian) - ★★
Firstly, I enjoyed the fact that the humor felt more like that in a comic fantasy and the narrator’s 'voice’ was refreshing. It was also positively philosophical? I was ultimately disappointed with this one even though my hopes were high for this at first. The story fell flat and didn’t really offer much.
Code of Honor (Filipino) - ★
My least favorite, to put it simply. The narrator made a point to say aswangs are not vampires (but share fairly similar traits). The story took place in an american school and there were mean girls and also the main character struggled with 'not belonging’? It reads exactly like a stereotypical urban fantasy with vampires. Perhaps the author thought the twist would be a clever move, I'd rather she'd use an original premise to engage readers instead.
Bullet, Butterfly (Chinese) - ★
Sadly, this wasn't my thing. This had more to do with the romance than the writing though. Was never a fan of romeo and juliet type endings.
Daughter of the Sun (South Asian) - ★★★
The writing and setting in this was simply gorgeous. I’d always like love stories with a 'sun and moon’ metaphor, even if I didn’t care for the romances themselves.
The Crimson Cloak (Chinese) - ★★★★
A retelling of a folktale in which a young goddess fell for a human. I watched a drama based on it many years ago and the couple was one of my very first otps. Like many of the other tales focused on romance, this was also fairly instalove-y. But it didn’t bothered me all that much. I loved reading from the goddess’ pov. She got all haughty towards the actions of mortals yet she’s easy to sympathize. A timeless classic for me.
Eyes like Candlelight (Korean) - ★★★★
This was also a romance but one I enjoyed nonetheless because it was so reminiscent of real Japanese folktales. A dollop of revenge, a touch of eeriness and an 'everything comes with a price’ allusion to top it all off.
Although formulaic and romance was used too frequently as a plot device, A Thousand Beginnings and Ending is an intriguing read that will, at least, satisfy the curiosity of those who are new to Asian myths and folklores.
panda44's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5