Customer Reviews

Black Heart, Ivory Bones

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It still has its charm, however, my favorite tale was "The Cats of San Martino." That story made me open my eyes, and "The Golem" was a gem, too, but all in all, I wasn't as satisfied with it as I was with the previous anthologies. Still I recommend it, if just to add to your collection.

I've read, just about, the entire collection of these up-dated fairy tales and must say they are absolutely brilliant!
It's quite fun to see what some of the best writers in the fantasy field do with classic stories, from when we were kids...some of them are just so fabulously twisted...like a "Beauty and the Beast" up-date, the beast is a SERIEL KILLER!
All are done a bit 'tongue in cheek', so, no one should be offended. Hours of great fun, for those of us who have a bit of child still left inside. ;)

It's wonderful, first of all, that there are people writing these kinds of stories and making anthologies of them. I give the concept a couple of stars just for the principle of the thing.

That said, there are several standouts. My personal favorites are:

"Rapunzel", in which Tanith Lee oddly goes bright-and-happy on us, presenting the delightful tale of a prince who spins a tall tale about his chosen bride, knowing "the Dad" (that's the King to you and me) is a sucker for fairy tales.

"Big Hair", another take on Rapunzel, which takes place in modern times, in the beauty-pageant circuit, yet follows the old story almost exactly.

"And Still She Sleeps", a Sleeping Beauty retelling set in an alternate, magic-rich nineteenth-century England, and full of insight about the nature of "true love". Ends not happily, but perfectly.

Also check out "Black Thorn, White Rose." It's even better!

Out of sheer boredom and lack of something better to read, I picked up this book and began reading it (it was on the shelf of a friend of mine . . . dusty and abandoned. I think I felt sorry for it). Honestly, I had my doubts. After having read numerous versions of politically correct fairy tales, I thought this would be along the same vein and completely cliche' and overdone.

Surprisingly (and most wondrously) I was wrong. This is not just a bunch of fairy tales made into gory, sex laden adult fiction. It is a great collection of short stories written by people with real narrative talent. My hat goes off to the editors for finding such gems and putting them into one easy to digest book. I have (since reading this book) gone onto other books in this series and have been just as pleased. An added bonus (as well) that I thought I would add in: throughout this series, you will find a few short stories by Neil Gaiman thrown in there. They are wonderful. He is one of my favorite writers out there, and his shorts stories are great. If you decide to venture out and buy any of the Windling/Datlow collaborations, make sure you check out his stories in particular. He's just so GOOD (yum).

Overall, I would hand this book over to anybody to read. It's fun, it's got some good stuff, and it's not hardcore sci fi/fantasy stuff like you might suspect. It's very realistic and entertaining, and you'll FLY through it.

Do yourself a favor and delve into this. You'll be glad that you did. Happy reading!

This book is an anthology of twenty short stories, each something of a retelling of a classic fairytale. The stories are all very well written, with the leadoff story being written by the sensational Tanith Lee. As a matter of fact, my absolute favorite story is Tanith Lee's reworking of the story of Repunzel.

These stories run the gamut between humorous and upsetting. Some of the storylines are too much for young children, but none are unnecessarily violent or sexual. Overall, I was very impressed with the quality of these stories, and I recommend it without reservations.

Datlow and Windling (whose other compilations have included Silver Birch, Blood Moon and Black Swan, White Raven) have outdone themselves yet again with this latest treasure trove of modern and retold fairy tales. Containing both marvelous poetry and haunting prose, it is a must have for lovers of fantasy stories. Reader's will enjoy stories such as Tanith Lee's (author of Black Unicorn)"Rapunzel" and Bryan Kanar's "Dreaming Among Men", a vivid and wonderful native american story. This is a collection definately worth picking up!

Datlow and Windling's latest, and apparently final, fairy tale anthology is a keeper. The authors take well-known fairy tales and slightly twist or bend the specific's, leading to a different take on the classics. There are no outright fantastic stories in the anthology, but neither are there any stinkers.

Original highlights include: Greg Costikyan's 'And Still She Sleeps', wherein Sleeping Beauty is discoverd at an archaeological dig in England; Howard Waldrop's melding of cyberpunk and fairy tale, 'Our Mortal Span', in which a robot in a fairy tale amusement park attains sentience and rebels; and Michael Cadnum's story, a retelling of Goldilock's. In Cadnum's story, the bears in a normal village begin speaking and behaving pleasantly. One girl doesn't like it and sets out for revenge.

The lone reprint in this anthology is Charles de Lint's 'My Life as a Bird'. It's typically de Lint, meaning that it's set in his fictional Newford and features a blending between a contemporary cosmopolitan city and faery. This story is a great addition to this anthology because de Lint's short stories are often published in small publications and so aren't widely available. This story is a good one and should be read by as widely an audience as possible.

On the whole this anthology is an enjoyable reading experience. Recommended

This whole series is incredible. If you have any interest in traditional fairy tales, then these are for you. The way these authors take the well-known tales and adapt them is amazing. Hats off to Terry Windling and Ellen Datlow for creating this series. I plan to hold on to my copies of them and be sure my kids read them some day.

What a fine, and sometimes startling, collection of stories. Poetry also. This book is one to read and then keep handy, because you'll end up referring to its entirely original versions of old classics; a book that is fun to give to others, good to read aloud. Stories you won't forget. Alas, that the series has drawn to a close.

This book is wonderful. I only wish there were going to be more in the series. The story by Ellen Steiber stands out in a great collection of short stories. If you haven't read any of the other books in this series, don't delay. Fairy tale short stories make great bed time reading for adults just as the original tales did as a child.