Keskmine, aga mitte kõva, vaid nõks allapoole. Kaks väga head juttu, paar head, ülejäänu oli suht läbinärimise ja ohkamise teema. ( )

I was pretty excited to get into another of Terri Windling and Ellen Datlow’s collections of reimagined fairy tales, but I found the stories in this particular collection rather underwhelming. After reflecting on them all, I can’t really even think of one story that has stuck around in my memory… Looking at the table of contents very few stories quickly come back to mind, but at least there were a few seeds for thought - even if they did more to potentially inspire some stories I plan on writing in the near future myself. Nalo Hopkinson’s “Riding the Red” was disconcerting in its sexual overtones, but was a stark reminder (alongside another collection of grouped folk/fairytales I’m reading) that the story of Little Red Riding Hood is not as innocent as recent renditions have us believe; much can be said about wolfish men, the symbolism of red cloaks, and the discovery of wandering in the woods. “Godmother Death” by Jane Yolen takes its place as a strong and rightful closing note for the collection, playing on the idea of Death walking the world and the games we play as we live life; Yolen has done other stronger stories (in my opinion), but this story feels mythic and classic in its telling, and I am glad she chose not to modernize it too much. The rest? A handful of tales that twig memories of being annoyed at linguistic choices, overtly male-gaze awkwardness, and predictable enough plotlines even for their retelling. ( )

I got this anthology because I love all things Anne Bishop and she has a story in here. I found it a mixed bag, but on the whole I enjoyed most of the stories. This anthology is a retelling of classic and old fairy tales, some by well-known authors like Jane Yolen and Joyce Carol Oates and others I didn't know.
Anne Bishop's Rapunzel retelling is a favorite, told in multiple POVs. I also liked Michael Cadman's The Flounder's Kiss, On Lickerish Hill by Susanna Clarke, True Thomas by Bruce Glassco, and Godmother Death by Jane Yolen.
Many of these stories are dark though, in truth, most fairy tales are also dark and full of monsters, murder, and mayhem. I'm sure other readers would like ones that I didn't care for; there's really something for everyone here to enjoy. ( )

The amazing Ellen Datlow, anthologist supreme, partners with Terri Windling for Black Swan, White Raven, the fourth in the series of anthologies of stories that have fairy tales as their point of origin. The best-known names in this collection are Karen Joy Fowler (The Jane Austen Book Club; We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves); Joyce Carol Oates (too many books to list, the most recent being The Sacrifice); Nancy Kress (Yesterday’s Kin) and the inimitable Jane Yolen, best known for her work in children’s and young adult books.

Some stories seem to be more attractive than others for re-envisioning. Fowler is one of several authors who offer up alternative readings of the story of Sleeping Beauty: one in which she’s wakened from a really good dream; another in which she turns out to be a rather self-destructive beauty queen in need of another long nap; and a third (“The Dog Rose” by Sten Westgard) in which it isn’t a princess who waits on the other side of the briar wall, but resolution of a relationship. Garry Kilworth’s “The Trial of Hansel and Gretel” puts a juvenile justice spin on the story of lost children, while John Crowley re-interprets the tale (“Lost and Abandoned”) as a way to cope with custody loss following divorce, and Nina Kiriki Hoffman (“The Breadcrumb Tale”) paints their story as a coming-of-age fable.

Nancy Kress gives Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Steadfast Tin Soldier” a noir-ish remake in “Steadfast,” and the final story—Jane Yolen’s “Godmother Death”—fittingly reminds us that cheating has consequences.

Overall, the only disappointment is Oates’ “In the Insomniac Night,” which isn’t a bad story at all—it’s just hard to match up with the fairy tale that inspired it—and that’s a good a reason as any to crack open some Brothers Grimm.

Reviewed on Lit/Rant: www.litrant.tumblr.com ( )

see http://www.sfsite.com/11a/blac44.htm ( )