manjirbag's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting concept and editorial approach, though a bit hit or miss on the tales themselves. Will be revisiting this text academically in the future, I think.
elusivity's review
4.0
Pretty good. Very symbolic of the ways we fool ourselves, with some lovely descriptive language.
The message was a bit overwhelming for me, and the ending is clichèd. Why must romantic love and marriage always be the inevitable happy ending (even with the twist)?
The message was a bit overwhelming for me, and the ending is clichèd. Why must romantic love and marriage always be the inevitable happy ending (even with the twist)?
jammasterjamie's review
3.0
Solid three stars for me. Some of the stories were really great, and some of them were really grating, so it all sort of averaged out in the end. Part of my disappointment with this anthology is that I took the cover at its word and thought that I'd be getting New Fairy Tales, but rather these are all re-imaginings of mostly classics and some lesser-known stories of yore (and I have to admit that I'm almost tempted to add another star to this review simply for allowing me to use the word 'yore' naturally in a sentence as I don't think I've ever done that before, so that's exciting!). I bought this one at Fan Expo Toronto (along with what I thought was a better offering from the same editors - Robots vs Fairies), and I guess I didn't read the back closely enough to have caught that these were retellings, so that's on me, although it doesn't help to curb my disappointment.
All of that said, some of the stories in this collection were truly spectacular - The three biggest stand-outs for me were 'Seasons of Glass and Iron' by Amal El-Mohtar (based on "The Glass Mountain" and "The Black Bull of Norway" - two tales I was unfamiliar with), 'Spinning Silver' by Naomi Novik (based on "Rumplestilskin"), and 'The Other Thea' by Theodora Goss (based on "The Shadow"), not to that others weren't good, although not all of them were, but those three were the stand-outs for me and felt like they were the best-told stories of the crop.
All of that said, some of the stories in this collection were truly spectacular - The three biggest stand-outs for me were 'Seasons of Glass and Iron' by Amal El-Mohtar (based on "The Glass Mountain" and "The Black Bull of Norway" - two tales I was unfamiliar with), 'Spinning Silver' by Naomi Novik (based on "Rumplestilskin"), and 'The Other Thea' by Theodora Goss (based on "The Shadow"), not to that others weren't good, although not all of them were, but those three were the stand-outs for me and felt like they were the best-told stories of the crop.
abitofmoxie's review
3.0
Some of these are great and some of them are terrible. Following up on the authors of the great ones...
rodica_b's review
4.0
3.5 stars. It’s a short story book, the stories being inspired by different folk and magic tales. I purchased the book because of Naomi Novik’s short story. I am currently reading “Spinning silver”, her novel that started as a short story in this book and I was curious to see how it all started. Plus, I love fairy tales and stories inspired by them.
It is to be expected the results may be uneven. Not everybody is O.Henry. Not everybody can bring to life plots and characters in the span of several pages. Some of the novellas are strange in a bad way. Questionable interpretations, meant to seem cool and deep, that are in fact Rushed and overintelectualized. I am all about stereotype bending and irony and defying expectations, but it has to be done in style. With gusto. Not just because the author is trying to prove a point and drive their message home. Some of the stories are borderline depressing. I don’t mind dark, but I do believe fairy tales, even if dark, usually deal with the darkness in a very matter-of-fact way and leave room for hope or revenge or punishing the evil somehow. It doesn’t help that some of these stories have stick figures instead of characters.
Some of the stories though are poignant, mysterious and well written. The authors built worlds that I would love to read about in standalone books.
I liked the first story, inspired by the Little Red Riding Hood and the Hansel and Gretel one, which reminded me of the crazy ride that is Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (I think it’s done on purpose).
“The super ultra duchess of Fedora Forest” is witty and ironic. I really enjoyed it. And I was surprised I could not remember the source story by Brothers Grimm, as I read their collection over and over again as a child.
I liked the Season of Glass and Iron quite a lot for its message of empowering women and being able to make choices. It’s a bit message driven, but still good.
I loved “penny for a match” by Garth Nix, I hope the author comes up with a book about the match selling girl who had magic powers. I was left curious about what happens to her after the story ended. It’s on the darker side, but there is also plenty of Justice and hope and light at the end.
The Thousand eyes is well written, well paced with colorful and memorable characters.
The world created in Theodora Goss’ “The Other Thea” is both charming and promising. I could imagine a Y/A novel about the world where doors could be open by beautiful poetry and shadows lead a life of their own.
It is to be expected the results may be uneven. Not everybody is O.Henry. Not everybody can bring to life plots and characters in the span of several pages. Some of the novellas are strange in a bad way. Questionable interpretations, meant to seem cool and deep, that are in fact Rushed and overintelectualized. I am all about stereotype bending and irony and defying expectations, but it has to be done in style. With gusto. Not just because the author is trying to prove a point and drive their message home. Some of the stories are borderline depressing. I don’t mind dark, but I do believe fairy tales, even if dark, usually deal with the darkness in a very matter-of-fact way and leave room for hope or revenge or punishing the evil somehow. It doesn’t help that some of these stories have stick figures instead of characters.
Some of the stories though are poignant, mysterious and well written. The authors built worlds that I would love to read about in standalone books.
I liked the first story, inspired by the Little Red Riding Hood and the Hansel and Gretel one, which reminded me of the crazy ride that is Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (I think it’s done on purpose).
“The super ultra duchess of Fedora Forest” is witty and ironic. I really enjoyed it. And I was surprised I could not remember the source story by Brothers Grimm, as I read their collection over and over again as a child.
I liked the Season of Glass and Iron quite a lot for its message of empowering women and being able to make choices. It’s a bit message driven, but still good.
I loved “penny for a match” by Garth Nix, I hope the author comes up with a book about the match selling girl who had magic powers. I was left curious about what happens to her after the story ended. It’s on the darker side, but there is also plenty of Justice and hope and light at the end.
The Thousand eyes is well written, well paced with colorful and memorable characters.
The world created in Theodora Goss’ “The Other Thea” is both charming and promising. I could imagine a Y/A novel about the world where doors could be open by beautiful poetry and shadows lead a life of their own.
archaicgambit's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Favourites:
-seasons of glass and iron
-the sleeping beauty one
-seasons of glass and iron
-the sleeping beauty one
marimoose's review against another edition
4.0
Initial thoughts: As with any short story collection, this little gem had stellar stories, great stories, good stories, and those that weren't for me. Personal favorites were definitely "Spinning Silver," "Even the Crumbs Were Delicious," "Seasons of Glass and Iron," and "The Briar and the Rose".
tehani's review
3.0
Normally I adore fairy tale retellings, but I really struggled with many of the stories in this book. There were some fantastic pieces, but I bounced off more than I immersed in, which is really unusual for me for this type of story.
titusfortner's review
4.0
I think this Goodreaads page used to just be for Amal El–Mohtar's short story Seasons of Glass and Iron, since that is all I've read, and what this review is based on.
One of the 2017 Hugo nominations for short story.
This one might be a little too on the nose as far as allegories go, but it is enjoyable and tender and overall worked for me as a short story.
One of the 2017 Hugo nominations for short story.
This one might be a little too on the nose as far as allegories go, but it is enjoyable and tender and overall worked for me as a short story.
dja777's review
Some of the last stories in this book dragged a bit, but in general I enjoyed these retold fairy tales. My favorites were: Even the Crumbs Were Delicious by Daryl Gregory; The Super Ultra Duchess of Fedora Forest by Charlie Jane Anders; The Briar and the Rose by Marjorie Liu; and Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik.