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Archive for 'Folk & Fairy Tales'

The Secret History of Moscow

The Secret History of Moscow (2007) Ekaterina Sedia I both enjoyed this book and found it frustrating. I thoroughly enjoyed the story, which drew heavily upon Russian folklore. However, at times the writing bothered me. Some of the descriptive prose was phrased in ways that took me a moment to parse, and in the moment […]

Jack of Fables Vol 2: Jack of Hearts

Jack of Fables Vol 2: Jack of Hearts (2007) Bill Willingham, Matthew Sturges, Tony Akins, Steve Leialoha I preordered Jack of Hearts months ago, because I am a huge fan of Fables. And I was disappointed when there was a delay in publication. Unfortunately, this volume didn’t really live up to my expectations. When the […]

Fables 9: Sons of Empire

Fables 9: Sons of Empire (2007) Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Michael Allred, and Andrew Pepoy If you haven’t been reading Bill Willingham’s “Fables” then you have been missing out. In Sons of Empires we spend more time with Pinocchio and Geppetto and learn how they plan to carry the war into the Mundane […]

Fables: 1001 Night of Snowfall

Fables: 1001 Night of Snowfall (2006) Bill Willingham If you haven’t read Bill Willingham’s Fables series, then you have really been missing out. Fables tells of the characters–Fables–who have escaped the lands of fairy tales after they were drive out by the adversary, and are now living in New York, hiding their true nature from […]

Swan Sister

Swan Sister (2003) Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling I don’t think I’ve come across a short story collection put together by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling that I didn’t like, and Swan Sister is no exception to the rule. The stories are fairy tales retold, by a variety of authors–many some of my favorites. The […]

Favorite African Folktales

Favorite African Folktales (2002) edited by Nelson Mandela This is a small but excellent collection of old and new African folktales. In addition to the stories, the book tells where each tale is from, a little something about the creatures within, and the name of the translator or author of the story, and sometimes a […]

A Wolf at the Door

A Wolf at the Door (2000) edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling I love folk tales and fairy tales, and I love the idea of stories that have been told and retold, and then finally captured on paper. The problem of course, is finding an author who is good at translating stories from an […]

The Faery Reel

The Faery Reel edited by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling Any time I see a fantasy anthology edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling, I’ll often as not pick it up, because I know that it’s going to be good. Usually very good. This volume however, has the added bonus of poems by both Charles […]

Myths and Legends of Japan

Myths and Legends of Japan (1913) F. Hadland Davis Although I prefer Royall Tyler’s Japanese Tales (1987), this Dover collection is still well worth having if you like folk tales. There is a discussion and history of the Gods of Japan, as well as a section on Buddha legends, both of which were unfamiliar to […]

The Boy Who Drew Cats

The Boy Who Drew Cats Arthur A. Levine Paintings by Frederic Clement I first read this tale when I was in elementary school. It was one of the stories in my reading book (it was 4th, 5th or 6th grade, I can’t remember for certain), and for some reason, this tale stuck with me. Several […]

Saga of the Volsungs

Saga of the Volsungs Trans. Jesse L. Byock I found this book more frustrating than gratifying (but I have to admit in a way that bothers me about some folktale collections as well) in that we have a fantastic story, but no one has not bothered to do anything other than lay down a bare […]