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Summary
Summary
Did you ever wonder what happened to the seven dwarfs after Snow White ditched them, or what life was like for the giant in "Jack and the Beanstalk?" Can you imagine a wicked stepsister who really gets what she deserves, and a Cinderella who isn't dainty, but actually rather plump? Then this is the book for you.All the fairy tales you've heard over and over again are revisted here, made new by award-winning fantasy and science fiction authors: Garth Nix tells a twisted new version of "Hansel and Gretel," Nancy Farmer shows us what life was like for the princess's magical horse, Gregory Maguire provides a side of the seven dwarfs you've never seen, and Neil Gaiman lays out the "Instructions" that fairy tales should have taught you. In all, thirteen new stories are born from old fairy tales, some disturbing and dark, others strange and funny, but each offering something original and unexpected -- and as surprising as a wolf at the door.
Author Notes
Ellen Datlow is the editor of science fiction, fantasy, and horror anthologies. She was the fiction editor of Omni magazine and Omni Online from 1981-1998. Then she was the editor of the webzine Event Horizon: Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror from September 1998-December 1999. She has won the World Fantasy Award seven times, the Bram Stoker Award twice with her co-editors and the Hugo Award for Best Editor in 2002 and 2005. She currently lives in New York City and edits fiction for Scifi.com. In 2011 she was given the Life Achievement Award by the Horror Writers Association.She is a long time trustee of the Horror Writers Association. She has been the co-host of the Fantastic Fiction reading series at the KGB Bar since 2000, a series which features luminaries and up-and-comers in speculative fiction.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
Horn Book Review
Jane Yolen, Patricia A. McKillip, Gregory Maguire, and ten other authors are represented in this collection of stories based on fairy tales both familiar and less so. A few of the stories are heavy-handed and some are only obliquely related to their source material, but in general the imaginative retellings will provide literature and writing classes with food for thought and discussion. From HORN BOOK Spring 2001, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Gr. 6^-10. Irreverent, poetic, and thrillingly evil, these new versions of classic fairy tales are less comic and playful than the fractured fairy-tale picture books for younger readers. In fact, as the editors point out in their introduction, fairy tales were originally told to older audiences before the stories were sweetened and simplified for children. Many of these retellings are contemporary, set in the city and the schoolyard as well as the dark woods, with lots of evil stepmoms and rivalrous siblings. Garth Nix's "Hansel's Eyes" may be too lurid, even for teens, spelling out the fairy tale's elemental terror in graphic detail, with a Hagmom who gets Dad to dump the kids in a city wasteland. But many of the other stories are dark and strange and beautiful. In Gregory Maguire's "The Seven Stage Comeback," the dwarves speak in poetic monologues as they try to get back their beloved Snow White after she's left them for the prince ("We took her in when she was lost / But then we lost her in our turn"). Jane Yolen's "Cinder Elephant" is about "a lovely big girl," whose dancing slippers are size nine-and-a-half wide, very wide; she hooks the prince with her love of sports and books and her fast, funny talk. Both immediate and traditional, this dramatic collection will grab middle-graders and teens for storytelling and readers' theater. --Hazel Rochman
School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-This well-written collection revisits both familiar and lesser-known stories with creative revisions by a variety of familiar writers. The tales range from Jane Yolen's comic "Cinder Elephant" to Garth Nix's downright creepy "Hansel's Eyes," in which the witch no longer eats children, but instead harvests their organs for sale. It's easy to recognize the traditional tale in most instances, but some are likely to be unfamiliar to many readers, particularly Katherine Vaz's "The Kingdom of Melting Glances," based on two Portuguese tales. Tanith Lee's "A Wolf at the Door," set in the next ice age, and Janeen Webb's "Ali Baba and the Forty Aliens" enter the realm of science fiction. Neil Gaiman's "Instructions" is a poem of advice for those finding themselves in the midst of fairy tales. Gregory Maguire's "The Seven Stage a Comeback" is a song in which the dwarves consider taking back Snow White. The diversity of content, style, and tone makes this an excellent collection for sampling. Most of these stories ask readers to think a bit more about fairy tales and what they may be saying to and about us. Overall, Wolf is enjoyable reading for those who like fairy tales, particularly fans of revisionist versions who don't expect humor in every story.-Ellen A. Greever, University of New Orleans, LA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Harking back to a time when "fairy tales were scarier . . . and the heroes and heroines were more interesting," 13 fantasists spin trenchant remakes or sequels. The editors mix work from fixed stars and rising ones: Jane Yolen's chubby Cinderella gets her prince almost in spite of inept help from a flock of birds; Michael Cadnum envisions "Jack and the Beanstalk" from the point of view of the giant's wife; Delia Sherman ("The Months of Manhattan") and Garth Nix ("Hansel's Eyes") give their versions of well-known tales with urban settings; Nancy Farmer reworks "The Goose Girl" so that the horse Falada survives. In a lighter vein, Neil Gaiman offers "Instructions" to anyone suddenly trapped in a fairy tale ("A red metal imp hangs from the green-painted front door, / as a knocker, / do not touch it; it will bite your fingers"). Tanith Lee's well-read 14-year-old unenthusiastically works herself up to kissing a clumsy, obviously bespelled wolf, and Janeen Webb chronicles a Close Encounter in "Ali Baba and the Forty Aliens." Most of the protagonists are young, the violence is toned down (the giants do keep stepping on people but not deliberately), and readers will come away from this collection satisfied, whether they're after romance or danger, psychodrama or belly laughs. Author comments, mostly about favorite childhood fairy tales, follow each story. (Short stories. 11-15) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Table of Contents
Introduction |
The Months of ManhattanDelia Sherman |
Cinder ElephantJane Yolen |
InstructionsNeil Gaiman |
Mrs. Big: ""Jack and the Beanstalk"" RetoldMichael Cadnum |
Falada: The Goose Girl's HorseNancy Farmer |
A Wolf at the DoorTanith Lee |
Ali Baba and the Forty AliensJaneen Webb Swans Kelly Link |
The Kingdom of Melting GlancesKatherine Vaz |
Hansel's EyesGarth Nix |
Becoming ChariseKathe Koja |
The Seven Stage a ComebackGregory Maguire |
The Twelve Dancing PrincessesPatricia A. McKillip |