The fairy tale is such an underrated genre for adults. I think sometimes when we talk about fairy tales we forget just how twisted the genre was at the beginning, and that many of the original stories weren’t intended for children. This one isn’t quite so grotesque, and while there isn’t anything that would automatically rule it out as a book for children (sex, violence, the usual), it’s clear that Gaiman wrote this with an adult audience in mind. It all starts with Snow White, […]
Great little book, Stupid name
I love Catherynne Valente’s prose. She is just plain brilliant. But I can’t for the life of me figure out why they decided to call this book “Six-Gun Snow White” when hundreds of other, non-cheesier titles were available. Written in cornpone dialogue in 3rd person, this book reads like someone transcribed a story by Gabby Hayes. All the things you might be looking for in a western reboot of the Snow White Myth are slightly here. Very well done and entertaining. Ending is kind of […]
These fun fairy-tale retellings are feminist as f*ck.
The Stepsister Scheme Jim C. Hines is honestly one of my favorite authors, even though he’s never written a book that I’ve lost my mind* over. What he writes is solid, fun fantasy with a strong feminist backbone. He also seems to have a thing for championing the underdog, and writing stories that subvert traditional story-types. The Princess series, of which I’ve read all but the last book at the time of writing this review, is particularly notable as all the main characters are ladies, […]
So Glad You Could Stay Forever
“Once we were a thousand separate kingdoms, spread over a hundred magic worlds. We were kings and cobblers. Wizards and woodcarvers. We had our sinners, our saints, and our blatant social climbers. And from the grandest lord to the lowliest peasant girl, we were, for the most part, strangers one to another.” “It took an invasion to unite us.” Reimagining fairy tales is not necessarily a new endeavor. They have ranged from the cute and fun “Tangled” to the popular TV series “Once Upon A […]
Fractured Fairy Tales: The Robber Bridegroom
This short novel is a delightful mix of fairy tale and tall tale, with a healthy sprinkling of both humor and the macabre in it. The cast of characters includes a doting father, a wicked stepmother, a lovely daughter, a dashing but deceitful suitor, Mike Fink, a band of thieves and a hick named Goat. If you enjoyed Helen Oyeyemi’s Boy, Snow, Bird or Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber, The Robber Bridegroom should be on your reading list. The tale begins in antebellum Louisiana with […]
Is this the beginning of the end?
So, I met Bill Willingham at a book signing between this book and the last one, Cubs In Toyland. That book was so freaking sad, and I told him as much and that I hoped that the next one would be lighter. That’s not what happened. Now, I’m not complaining, because as gut wrenching as it was, it was good. He just wants to make us cry,apparently. (Seriously though, he was really nice when I met him.)