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smart_girls_love_trashy_books's review against another edition
2.0
~POTENTIAL SPOILERS~
Why do I keep gravitating to short story collections of adult fairy-tale retellings as of late? They're like the only things I can seem to finish. Anyway, this was something I've been wanting to read for a long while, even longer than things like Red as Blood or The Bloody Chamber(why do all these collections mention blood?) It's better when there's multiple authors to all add their own unique styles to the book so I was excited to read it, but unfortunately it fell very flat for me.
When I first read the introduction, I got super excited because of the declaration adults should not be ashamed of fantasy and fairy-tales and take them back, to make them dark how they were, and the importance of the original fairy-tales on our culture. I agreed with all that and adult fairy-tales are my jam, but whoever collected these tales should've reminded the authors that just because something is made for adults does not mean it should be dull and dry. Sadly, that's the best way to describe the vast majority of the stories here for me.
Usually when I review a collection like this, I go through each story individually and how I'd rate it and whatnot, but I'm not going to do that here purely because almost every story here can be summarized the same way; they all had good ideas and I could see what they were going for, but their executions were too dry and in some cases, too weird. Most seemed too weird for the sake of being weird, like why was Thumbelina a genetically-modified human? How the heck did Jack manage to impregnate a giant? What was up with the comedic Italian Rapunzel version? Why would you use your own novel characters in a collection meant to appeal to a wider audience?
The worst in my opinion was Puss. I already consider Puss in Boots to be one of my least-favorite fairy-tales so any retellings have to try their absolute hardest to win me over and this flopped so hard with me. It was the longest in the collection, needlessly long, the character's twist was very bizarre, and the style was too deattatched for me to properly connect to it. Maybe in other hands, in another collection, this would've been decent, but not here. I also disliked the retellings of The Frog Prince and The Snow Queen due to confusing twists and a too-dry tone.
However, there were still some standouts that made me glad I did pick this up to read. The first story was not a retelling but rather more inspired by multiple sources and I thought it was very well-done in that regard. Dry, yes, but no less hauntingly beautiful. The two retellings of Little Red Riding Hood I thought were very good but you can't go wrong with those retellings, everyone just nails them. I did prefer Little Red a tad more over I Shall Do the Mischief in the Wood purely due to the historical thirties period, plus I think the characters were more concise. Most people seemed to dislike The Root of the Matter since it didn't stray much from the original Rapunzel story, but the way it was crafted I enjoyed, with Gothel and the Prince having their own POVs as well.
A Sound Like Angels Singing was pretty haunting in regards to its ending, same with Breadcrumbs and Stones, though I felt they could've used some more 'oomph'? Like they were good but something about their meandering tones made the twist endings too much of a chore to get to.
The two I loved the most were The Springfield Swans and Troll Bridge. The former was just how I like my retellings; clever spins on the original in fresh way. I loved the Southern style and baseball focus, with an older sister this time, and how despite it being set in the modern day it did not suspend my disbelief about how these things are happening. The latter I figured I'd like the moment I knew Neil Gaiman wrote it, and I was right. A good yet sad twist about the way life goes, written in his usual dark style, what more could I ask for?
I also appreciated the little introductions at the start of each story just to give us a run-down on what it is and who wrote it, it helped set the mood in a weird way.
Overall though, I have to give this a very low score due to the dull nature of these stories and my boredom while reading. When I hear about 'fairy-tales for adults' I think of gratuitous violence with blood everywhere and dark eroticism, which I thought would be present here, but I was sorely disappointed by the dry tones and flat deliveries present in these stories. Half the time I was asking myself where the part that made it 18+ came in. However, because this is just one collection and there's multiple ones with different authors, despite my displeasure with this one I'm still going to look into the remaining ones since there's always the chance those additions will be much better.
Why do I keep gravitating to short story collections of adult fairy-tale retellings as of late? They're like the only things I can seem to finish. Anyway, this was something I've been wanting to read for a long while, even longer than things like Red as Blood or The Bloody Chamber(why do all these collections mention blood?) It's better when there's multiple authors to all add their own unique styles to the book so I was excited to read it, but unfortunately it fell very flat for me.
When I first read the introduction, I got super excited because of the declaration adults should not be ashamed of fantasy and fairy-tales and take them back, to make them dark how they were, and the importance of the original fairy-tales on our culture. I agreed with all that and adult fairy-tales are my jam, but whoever collected these tales should've reminded the authors that just because something is made for adults does not mean it should be dull and dry. Sadly, that's the best way to describe the vast majority of the stories here for me.
Usually when I review a collection like this, I go through each story individually and how I'd rate it and whatnot, but I'm not going to do that here purely because almost every story here can be summarized the same way; they all had good ideas and I could see what they were going for, but their executions were too dry and in some cases, too weird. Most seemed too weird for the sake of being weird, like why was Thumbelina a genetically-modified human? How the heck did Jack manage to impregnate a giant? What was up with the comedic Italian Rapunzel version? Why would you use your own novel characters in a collection meant to appeal to a wider audience?
The worst in my opinion was Puss. I already consider Puss in Boots to be one of my least-favorite fairy-tales so any retellings have to try their absolute hardest to win me over and this flopped so hard with me. It was the longest in the collection, needlessly long, the character's twist was very bizarre, and the style was too deattatched for me to properly connect to it. Maybe in other hands, in another collection, this would've been decent, but not here. I also disliked the retellings of The Frog Prince and The Snow Queen due to confusing twists and a too-dry tone.
However, there were still some standouts that made me glad I did pick this up to read. The first story was not a retelling but rather more inspired by multiple sources and I thought it was very well-done in that regard. Dry, yes, but no less hauntingly beautiful. The two retellings of Little Red Riding Hood I thought were very good but you can't go wrong with those retellings, everyone just nails them. I did prefer Little Red a tad more over I Shall Do the Mischief in the Wood purely due to the historical thirties period, plus I think the characters were more concise. Most people seemed to dislike The Root of the Matter since it didn't stray much from the original Rapunzel story, but the way it was crafted I enjoyed, with Gothel and the Prince having their own POVs as well.
A Sound Like Angels Singing was pretty haunting in regards to its ending, same with Breadcrumbs and Stones, though I felt they could've used some more 'oomph'? Like they were good but something about their meandering tones made the twist endings too much of a chore to get to.
The two I loved the most were The Springfield Swans and Troll Bridge. The former was just how I like my retellings; clever spins on the original in fresh way. I loved the Southern style and baseball focus, with an older sister this time, and how despite it being set in the modern day it did not suspend my disbelief about how these things are happening. The latter I figured I'd like the moment I knew Neil Gaiman wrote it, and I was right. A good yet sad twist about the way life goes, written in his usual dark style, what more could I ask for?
I also appreciated the little introductions at the start of each story just to give us a run-down on what it is and who wrote it, it helped set the mood in a weird way.
Overall though, I have to give this a very low score due to the dull nature of these stories and my boredom while reading. When I hear about 'fairy-tales for adults' I think of gratuitous violence with blood everywhere and dark eroticism, which I thought would be present here, but I was sorely disappointed by the dry tones and flat deliveries present in these stories. Half the time I was asking myself where the part that made it 18+ came in. However, because this is just one collection and there's multiple ones with different authors, despite my displeasure with this one I'm still going to look into the remaining ones since there's always the chance those additions will be much better.
billymac1962's review against another edition
2.0
This was something I had been looking for all of my adult life: darker re-telling of classic fairy tales. It's probably the reason this was a disappointment. These aren't so much as re-tellings as they are alternate tellings to the point where where they where for the most part unrecognizable.
There are a few standouts, such as Neil Gaiman's re-telling of The Billy Goats Gruff (which reminds me I must return
to Gaiman's Sandman comics soon) and Gahan Wilson's take on The Frog Prince, but the rest left me cold. I guess I was looking for something that would capture the same wonder The Magic Realm of Fairy Tales my mom read to me when I was a wee lad. These stories were just too different and not what I expected.
There are a few standouts, such as Neil Gaiman's re-telling of The Billy Goats Gruff (which reminds me I must return
to Gaiman's Sandman comics soon) and Gahan Wilson's take on The Frog Prince, but the rest left me cold. I guess I was looking for something that would capture the same wonder The Magic Realm of Fairy Tales my mom read to me when I was a wee lad. These stories were just too different and not what I expected.
jovieve's review against another edition
Keeping, but just not in the mood to read it for now.
matosapa's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
erikaerisa's review against another edition
5.0
The children's stories we all know and love turned into horror stories? What? They seemed all the more real to me because of the horror-story-twist in them; they seemed more like the original stories that I learned years previous. I loved the new take on every single fairy tale that was included in this. A definite must-read for any fan of the original horror stories that are the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson.
moirwyn's review against another edition
4.0
Overall, I enjoyed the collection. Datlow & Windling select a variety of adult fairy tales that contain some sexual themes and elements of horror, which makes them perfect to read in the fall around Halloween. My favorite story in the collection was Patricia McKillip’s “The Snow Queen,” which explored Kay and Gerda as a modern couple estranged by conflicting lifestyles. I was also a fan of Neil Gaiman’s “Troll Bridge,” in which a boy begged the troll not to eat him, only to live a life filled with disappointment. Like any short story collection, some selections were better than others, but overall Snow White, Blood Red worked pretty well for me.
This review originally appeared on my blog, Books Without Any Pictures:
http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/2013/12/26/mini-reviews-round-2/
This review originally appeared on my blog, Books Without Any Pictures:
http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/2013/12/26/mini-reviews-round-2/
mercipourleslivres's review against another edition
4.0
Fans of Angela Carter will enjoy this darkly beautiful collection of fairy-tales retold. Ellen Datlow and Teri Windling's thoughtful introductions and essays frame each piece and offer a multitude of suggestions and recommendations for fans of the horror-fantasy genre.
My personal favorites:
The Moon is Drowning While I Sleep by Charles de Lint
Little Red by Wendy Wheeler
I Shall Do Thee Mischief in the Wood" by Kathe Koja
Troll Bridge by Neil Gaiman
A Sound Like Angels Singing by Leonard Rysdyk
Puss by Esther Friesner
My personal favorites:
The Moon is Drowning While I Sleep by Charles de Lint
Little Red by Wendy Wheeler
I Shall Do Thee Mischief in the Wood" by Kathe Koja
Troll Bridge by Neil Gaiman
A Sound Like Angels Singing by Leonard Rysdyk
Puss by Esther Friesner
smithy361's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Most of the stories were either boring or the sex was off putting. Overall, very few stories held my interest.
half_sugar's review against another edition
4.0
Honestly, over half the book has uncessary sex scenes... I feel like it is supposed to be "edgey". But honestly this collection is pretty solid. Some great interpretations and retelling. Was also introduced to new stories.
The first half I felt took itself way too seriously, but there are a few light hearted and poignant stories which made it worth the read.
The first half I felt took itself way too seriously, but there are a few light hearted and poignant stories which made it worth the read.
real_life_reading's review against another edition
1.0
As this is a compilation of short stories, I kept reading thinking that maybe I'd like the next one. Or maybe the next one. Or maybe the next. About two-thirds of the way through the book, I gave up. Just not the kind of story telling I'm interested in I guess.