Datlow, Ellen, and Terri Windling, eds. - A Wolf at the Door and Other Retold Fairy Tales

[oyceter]

I think this is a retold fairy tale anthology for children published before Swan Sister.

Anyhow, I felt this one was stronger overall, although I may just be unduly influenced by Jane Yolen's take on Cinderella, which rocks. Also, it made me laugh a lot, which is always extremely welcome.

There were two stories which I couldn't quite make heads or tails of; I think they were going for artistic, but my baffled and sleepy brain didn't really get it. Several perfectly serviceable stories, as in most anthologies, including one about the goose girl's horse Falada, which I wish had been brilliant. "The Goose Girl" was always one of my favorites. I don't know why. Maybe the image of a beheaded talking horse really appealed to something in me.

I still like Neil Gaiman's poem "Instructions," though I've already read it once or twice already in other collections (I think one of them was another Datlow/Windling one). I was also rather fond of Kathe Koja's "Becoming Charise," which would be of interest for just being a retelling of "The Ugly Duckling," not the most retold fairy tale. I also like how Koja wove it in with a story of not being like the others and that it was ok. And I'm putting Patricia A. McKillip's "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" in my "fond of" category. It was McKillip, but not quite as beautiful or dreamy as she can be, and while the story was wonderful and comforting, it wasn't necessarily brilliant.

My very favorites were Kelly Link's "Swans," which is a great, great retelling of "The Seven Swans" in the voice of a young girl. I adore the way Link has her narrator sound like a child, so that brothers turning into swans has about the same weight as digressions into her brother playing the saxophone. Great voice. Love. And Jane Yolen's "Cinder Elephant" was wonderful and worth the entire book. It's about a not-so-skinny Cinderella, and Yolen doesn't preach or anything. She's just enormously delightful, and I love how she plays with words in the story. It also has extremely idiotic birds, which pleases me.

ETA: fixed tag

Comments

[yhlee.livejournal.com]

--there's a funky anchor tag in there, just FYI. ^_^

[oyceter]

Whoa! That it is, thanks ;).

[molly_may]

Have you read Kelly Link's collection Stranger Things Happen? She has a wonderful retelling of "The Snow Queen" in that book, as well as a story called "The Girl Detective" that has as one of its elements the Twelve Dancing Princesses.

[oyceter]

I haven't yet! I keep waiting to get a copy from the library or something, because I hear many good things about it (I am trying to be on a book-buying embargo right now.. we'll see how well that works). I've read her Snow Queen story in the Tiptree anthology and really liked it, but not the other one.

[rilina.livejournal.com]

Let me know if you can't find it; I'd be happy to lend you mine.

[oyceter]

Thank you! I will definitely keep it in mind ^_^.