Scan barcode
siavahda's review against another edition
3.0
Anthologies are always risky propositions, in my experience, but I rolled the dice on this one almost solely on the basis of that stunning cover. It didn’t hurt that I loved – still love – the concept of crossbreeding fairytales! So I was pretty hopeful when I opened it up.
And I’m not sorry I did, because there are some real gems here. But overall, I would rate this book as…meh.
THE GREATS
Six Rusalki by Na Sulway – this was a mash-up of the Pied Piper of Hamlin and the myth of the rusalka, which is a usually-female water-spirit from Slavic folklore. This was probably my favourite story in the entire collection, with really stunning prose and a brilliant premise. It even exceeded the brief by working in a bunch of other stories as well; Excalibur shows up, as do wishing wells and what’s clearly meant as an inspiration for the Frog Prince story. It’s about women’s rage and the worldbuilding for rusalka culture is just exquisite. I’m definitely going to be looking up more of Sulway’s work!
The Waters at the End of the Worlds by Mike Morgan – a mash-up of the Well of the World’s End and the Waters of Life, but sci-fi. The youngest of seven alien princes has to try to find the water that will make his emperor-father immortal, and it was really clever and sneaky. I loved the twist ending, which felt very in line with how dark and gory the older versions of fairytales tend to be.
Strings That Ought to be Pondered, Even in Urgent Times by M. Regan – Goblin Spider + Petrosinella (aka, Rapunzel) and possibly the only story that picked Horror as its genre. I loved this one, its nice to see monster princesses, even if I felt very sorry for the poor prince!
Taketori Momogatari by Evan Dicken – okay, actually, THIS might be the best story in the whole collection; all the characters are apps and other digital creations, they live in a server-kingdom, and the monsters are worms and viruses and things. And in this setting, a woman sends three suitors off to complete quests, and ends up completing them herself. Really clever, really fun, and I would love a novel set in this universe!
Sunshine Noir for Synthetic Lovers by Lin Darrow – this was a solarpunk story with really brilliant worldbuilding, where gender is determined by whether you’re more Synthetic or more Organic (people being made up of both at this point). I do think it failed the brief, really, in that it barely touched on the Donkeyskin story it was supposed to use as part of the mash-up, but I loved it so much I don’t really care.
Mutability by Maya Chhabra – really wonderful premise of mixing the Welsh legend of Blodeuwedd with the Caliph Stork, and I think Chhabra pulled it off really well. There were one or two weaker spots, but overall I’d love to see this premise given a full novel to play in. I do think it would probably be less delightful to a reader who didn’t know about Blodeuwedd previously, but I loved it.
Where the Earth Meets the Sea and the Sea Meets the Sky by Brent Baldwin – this was the perfect story to end the book on, and it’s basically a perfect story, featuring a selkie woman who falls in love with the man who bakes her scones. It’s sweet, and clever, and wonderfully subverts the usual selkie wife stories, as well as giving a very lovely ending to another old story you’re likely to already know very well.
THE OKAYS
Little Tom’s Reality by Rebecca E. Treasure – I didn’t find this one super interesting; Tom Thumb is a boy who’s never been outside because his family live on a planet that’s still undergoing terra-forming. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t amazing.
Diamonds, Toads, and…Pumpkins? by Melissa Mead – this one really disappointed me, because I love the Diamonds and Toads story and intensely disliked how lame this short story was, but it’s not actually bad. It’s just…the tone is weirdly casual, and even with the little bit of meta it wasn’t very interesting. It was meant to be Humor + Fantasy, but it really didn’t pull off being any kind of funny.
The Rabbi’s Daughter and the Golem by Alex Langer – amazing premise (beauty and the beast, but golems) that the story itself just didn’t live up to. I think this would have done better as a novella; it felt rushed and squashed, like Langer didn’t have enough space to do it justice.
Abigail Washington and the Angelic Organ of Far Khitan by Joshua Gage – this was one of the few stories where I wasn’t familiar with the works that were being mashed up (I know The Nightingale, but I’ve never heard of Iron John), and maybe it would have made sense if I did? But as it was…it really didn’t make sense. The actual writing was quite pretty, but it felt like a moralising fable and the ending was just strange.
Lady of the Slake by Suri Parmar – this could have been amazing, but it couldn’t quite live up to its premise of the Lady of the Lake falling in love with a spoiled princess. But it did have a marvelous first line: “I knew at first sight that she would stop at nothing for her happy ending.”
Two of Our Kind by Ann Martino – this one had an interesting format, being told in the form of a biography including letters between the characters; the king of one country, and Cinderella post-ball. My biggest issue was that, not knowing the story of the Valiant Little Tailor, I didn’t get how the king and Cinderella had all these shared experiences, so the story didn’t stand on its own too well.
The Pilot by CJ Dotson – the only reason this isn’t among the Greats is because the beginning was so clunky and forced. Once the story shifted to being told via journal entries and ‘vox box’ recordings, it really shone – a brilliant inventor helps her brother woo a woman, but ends up falling for her herself.
A Dark Path Through the Forest of Stars by Jude Reid – a pretty clever mash-up of Little Red Riding Hood with Sleeping Beauty, it was just shy of getting listed with the Greats. Here, Red is working on a ship that takes the rich and fabulous to newly terraformed worlds, but has to deal with an unexpected wolf. The ending delighted me.
THE AWFULS
Red Boots Blues by Cat Rambo – the writing was pretty, but I had no clue whatsoever wtf was going on. I don’t know the story of The Girl Who Trod on a Loaf, which is half of the mash-up for this one, but still, I don’t think I should need to for your story to make sense. The ending came out of nowhere. Honestly, this one actively annoyed me.
Currants to the Sea by Taryn Haas – this started out really beautifully, but dissolved into absolute nonsense, and not even a F/F ending could save it for me. Housewife leaves her terrible husband and gets adopted by the Sea King??? Or maybe is his long-lost daughter??? It’s not at all clear, and it’s even less clear how she can help the adventurer with her impossible tasks. Really disappointing, because it started so well.
Cloak of Bearskin by Anna Madden – nothing made sense, nothing was explained, things happened at total random, I have no idea how this was accepted for publication.
The Candlewood Trail by Dennis Mombauer – this one was even worse. Again, I had absolutely no idea wtf was going on, except that maybe they were in space? And the ending was…I have no idea what that was. Somehow the mc got the better of the Corporation that owned her even though…they screwed her over??? I have no idea. This was incredibly frustrating to read, and the stupid priest’s Gnomic utterances didn’t help.
Gell Who Makes by Kit Falbo – I don’t like being actively mean, but my 14yo sister writes much, much better than this. And granted, she’s gifted, but my point of how the hell did this get published still stands. Swapping between tenses, not knowing when to break a paragraph, clunky writing, basic punctuation rules completely broken (and not for deliberate effect) – urgh. This was probably the worst story in the whole book.
The Forest Magic Protests Its Own by Jamie Lackey – okay, probably no one else would call this Awful, because on its own, this is a really beautiful little story about a carpenter’s daughter and a faun who fall in love and end up together despite everything. BUT. If you have read The Faun and the Woodcutter’s Daughter, which is one of many stories written by Barbara Leonie Picard and published in the 1960s rather than, say, something like Snow White which is centuries old and we’ll never know who made it up – if you’ve read the original, then you’ll know that Lackey sticks to it practically word for word, with just a little extra detail about the young woman’s human suitor. So this enraged me because it’s not a mash-up, it’s almost a perfect copy of Picard’s story.
*
And after all of that? I would like to mention that Upon a Once Time is a stupid title that makes no sense at all. Twice Upon a Time was right there. Right there!
In conclusion, there were some gems, plenty of okay stories, and some really bad duds (but I guess, on the whole, not many). I wouldn’t say it lives up to its cover, and the ebook formatting was so bad I hope the paperback is better, but it’s not a total trainwreck. I think quite a few people would enjoy it, if you’re a fan of retold fairytales.
Just don’t give Jamie Lackey any credit for The Forest Magic Protests Its Own by Jamie Lackey, because the story wasn’t nearly different enough from the original to be considered Lackey’s own creation.
And I’m not sorry I did, because there are some real gems here. But overall, I would rate this book as…meh.
THE GREATS
Six Rusalki by Na Sulway – this was a mash-up of the Pied Piper of Hamlin and the myth of the rusalka, which is a usually-female water-spirit from Slavic folklore. This was probably my favourite story in the entire collection, with really stunning prose and a brilliant premise. It even exceeded the brief by working in a bunch of other stories as well; Excalibur shows up, as do wishing wells and what’s clearly meant as an inspiration for the Frog Prince story. It’s about women’s rage and the worldbuilding for rusalka culture is just exquisite. I’m definitely going to be looking up more of Sulway’s work!
The Waters at the End of the Worlds by Mike Morgan – a mash-up of the Well of the World’s End and the Waters of Life, but sci-fi. The youngest of seven alien princes has to try to find the water that will make his emperor-father immortal, and it was really clever and sneaky. I loved the twist ending, which felt very in line with how dark and gory the older versions of fairytales tend to be.
Strings That Ought to be Pondered, Even in Urgent Times by M. Regan – Goblin Spider + Petrosinella (aka, Rapunzel) and possibly the only story that picked Horror as its genre. I loved this one, its nice to see monster princesses, even if I felt very sorry for the poor prince!
Taketori Momogatari by Evan Dicken – okay, actually, THIS might be the best story in the whole collection; all the characters are apps and other digital creations, they live in a server-kingdom, and the monsters are worms and viruses and things. And in this setting, a woman sends three suitors off to complete quests, and ends up completing them herself. Really clever, really fun, and I would love a novel set in this universe!
Sunshine Noir for Synthetic Lovers by Lin Darrow – this was a solarpunk story with really brilliant worldbuilding, where gender is determined by whether you’re more Synthetic or more Organic (people being made up of both at this point). I do think it failed the brief, really, in that it barely touched on the Donkeyskin story it was supposed to use as part of the mash-up, but I loved it so much I don’t really care.
Mutability by Maya Chhabra – really wonderful premise of mixing the Welsh legend of Blodeuwedd with the Caliph Stork, and I think Chhabra pulled it off really well. There were one or two weaker spots, but overall I’d love to see this premise given a full novel to play in. I do think it would probably be less delightful to a reader who didn’t know about Blodeuwedd previously, but I loved it.
Where the Earth Meets the Sea and the Sea Meets the Sky by Brent Baldwin – this was the perfect story to end the book on, and it’s basically a perfect story, featuring a selkie woman who falls in love with the man who bakes her scones. It’s sweet, and clever, and wonderfully subverts the usual selkie wife stories, as well as giving a very lovely ending to another old story you’re likely to already know very well.
THE OKAYS
Little Tom’s Reality by Rebecca E. Treasure – I didn’t find this one super interesting; Tom Thumb is a boy who’s never been outside because his family live on a planet that’s still undergoing terra-forming. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t amazing.
Diamonds, Toads, and…Pumpkins? by Melissa Mead – this one really disappointed me, because I love the Diamonds and Toads story and intensely disliked how lame this short story was, but it’s not actually bad. It’s just…the tone is weirdly casual, and even with the little bit of meta it wasn’t very interesting. It was meant to be Humor + Fantasy, but it really didn’t pull off being any kind of funny.
The Rabbi’s Daughter and the Golem by Alex Langer – amazing premise (beauty and the beast, but golems) that the story itself just didn’t live up to. I think this would have done better as a novella; it felt rushed and squashed, like Langer didn’t have enough space to do it justice.
Abigail Washington and the Angelic Organ of Far Khitan by Joshua Gage – this was one of the few stories where I wasn’t familiar with the works that were being mashed up (I know The Nightingale, but I’ve never heard of Iron John), and maybe it would have made sense if I did? But as it was…it really didn’t make sense. The actual writing was quite pretty, but it felt like a moralising fable and the ending was just strange.
Lady of the Slake by Suri Parmar – this could have been amazing, but it couldn’t quite live up to its premise of the Lady of the Lake falling in love with a spoiled princess. But it did have a marvelous first line: “I knew at first sight that she would stop at nothing for her happy ending.”
Two of Our Kind by Ann Martino – this one had an interesting format, being told in the form of a biography including letters between the characters; the king of one country, and Cinderella post-ball. My biggest issue was that, not knowing the story of the Valiant Little Tailor, I didn’t get how the king and Cinderella had all these shared experiences, so the story didn’t stand on its own too well.
The Pilot by CJ Dotson – the only reason this isn’t among the Greats is because the beginning was so clunky and forced. Once the story shifted to being told via journal entries and ‘vox box’ recordings, it really shone – a brilliant inventor helps her brother woo a woman, but ends up falling for her herself.
A Dark Path Through the Forest of Stars by Jude Reid – a pretty clever mash-up of Little Red Riding Hood with Sleeping Beauty, it was just shy of getting listed with the Greats. Here, Red is working on a ship that takes the rich and fabulous to newly terraformed worlds, but has to deal with an unexpected wolf. The ending delighted me.
THE AWFULS
Red Boots Blues by Cat Rambo – the writing was pretty, but I had no clue whatsoever wtf was going on. I don’t know the story of The Girl Who Trod on a Loaf, which is half of the mash-up for this one, but still, I don’t think I should need to for your story to make sense. The ending came out of nowhere. Honestly, this one actively annoyed me.
Currants to the Sea by Taryn Haas – this started out really beautifully, but dissolved into absolute nonsense, and not even a F/F ending could save it for me. Housewife leaves her terrible husband and gets adopted by the Sea King??? Or maybe is his long-lost daughter??? It’s not at all clear, and it’s even less clear how she can help the adventurer with her impossible tasks. Really disappointing, because it started so well.
Cloak of Bearskin by Anna Madden – nothing made sense, nothing was explained, things happened at total random, I have no idea how this was accepted for publication.
The Candlewood Trail by Dennis Mombauer – this one was even worse. Again, I had absolutely no idea wtf was going on, except that maybe they were in space? And the ending was…I have no idea what that was. Somehow the mc got the better of the Corporation that owned her even though…they screwed her over??? I have no idea. This was incredibly frustrating to read, and the stupid priest’s Gnomic utterances didn’t help.
Gell Who Makes by Kit Falbo – I don’t like being actively mean, but my 14yo sister writes much, much better than this. And granted, she’s gifted, but my point of how the hell did this get published still stands. Swapping between tenses, not knowing when to break a paragraph, clunky writing, basic punctuation rules completely broken (and not for deliberate effect) – urgh. This was probably the worst story in the whole book.
The Forest Magic Protests Its Own by Jamie Lackey – okay, probably no one else would call this Awful, because on its own, this is a really beautiful little story about a carpenter’s daughter and a faun who fall in love and end up together despite everything. BUT. If you have read The Faun and the Woodcutter’s Daughter, which is one of many stories written by Barbara Leonie Picard and published in the 1960s rather than, say, something like Snow White which is centuries old and we’ll never know who made it up – if you’ve read the original, then you’ll know that Lackey sticks to it practically word for word, with just a little extra detail about the young woman’s human suitor. So this enraged me because it’s not a mash-up, it’s almost a perfect copy of Picard’s story.
*
And after all of that? I would like to mention that Upon a Once Time is a stupid title that makes no sense at all. Twice Upon a Time was right there. Right there!
In conclusion, there were some gems, plenty of okay stories, and some really bad duds (but I guess, on the whole, not many). I wouldn’t say it lives up to its cover, and the ebook formatting was so bad I hope the paperback is better, but it’s not a total trainwreck. I think quite a few people would enjoy it, if you’re a fan of retold fairytales.
Just don’t give Jamie Lackey any credit for The Forest Magic Protests Its Own by Jamie Lackey, because the story wasn’t nearly different enough from the original to be considered Lackey’s own creation.
annieb123's review against another edition
4.0
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
Upon a Once Time is a very well curated anthology of fairy tale retellings, blendings, reinterpretations, and mash-ups. Released 1st Nov 2020, it's 232 pages and available in paperback format.
One reason I prefer collections and anthologies is that short fiction is really challenging. It's spare and the author doesn't have a wealth of wordage to develop characters or the plotting. Well written short fiction is a delight. I also love collections because if one story doesn't really grab me, there's another story just a few pages away. These 21 stories were a mixed bag; there were some standouts, a few middle-of-the-road, and only one I wasn't engaged enough to finish. I read it more or less cover to cover, which is unusual with me for anthologies; I generally hop around.
I picked up this title because of my familiarity with some of the contributors. I was surprised to find that the stories which really engaged me and kept me enthralled were from the authors with whom I hadn't developed a previous reading relationship. It's always wonderful to find authors to follow, and for this reason alone, this was a useful reading pick.
A short search online leads me to believe that these are all previously unpublished stories. The publisher and other reviewers have provided better précis than I could. I will say that a couple of the high points of this collection for me, personally, were ones which I saw panned by other reviewers. The stories run the gamut from light fantasy, through fantasy realism, as well as horror. The base source material for the stories is taken from a wide variety of countries and cultures.
The art by Serena Malyon is absolutely sublime - what a delight!
It's an entertaining and worthwhile collection. I'm fascinated (and happy) to find that it was at least partially a kickstarter project. I have admittedly been worried about the future of indie publishing given the current world situation and knowing that really top shelf fiction can successfully be crowdsourced is reassuring.
Four strong stars, several 4.5 - 5 star stories here.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Upon a Once Time is a very well curated anthology of fairy tale retellings, blendings, reinterpretations, and mash-ups. Released 1st Nov 2020, it's 232 pages and available in paperback format.
One reason I prefer collections and anthologies is that short fiction is really challenging. It's spare and the author doesn't have a wealth of wordage to develop characters or the plotting. Well written short fiction is a delight. I also love collections because if one story doesn't really grab me, there's another story just a few pages away. These 21 stories were a mixed bag; there were some standouts, a few middle-of-the-road, and only one I wasn't engaged enough to finish. I read it more or less cover to cover, which is unusual with me for anthologies; I generally hop around.
I picked up this title because of my familiarity with some of the contributors. I was surprised to find that the stories which really engaged me and kept me enthralled were from the authors with whom I hadn't developed a previous reading relationship. It's always wonderful to find authors to follow, and for this reason alone, this was a useful reading pick.
A short search online leads me to believe that these are all previously unpublished stories. The publisher and other reviewers have provided better précis than I could. I will say that a couple of the high points of this collection for me, personally, were ones which I saw panned by other reviewers. The stories run the gamut from light fantasy, through fantasy realism, as well as horror. The base source material for the stories is taken from a wide variety of countries and cultures.
The art by Serena Malyon is absolutely sublime - what a delight!
It's an entertaining and worthwhile collection. I'm fascinated (and happy) to find that it was at least partially a kickstarter project. I have admittedly been worried about the future of indie publishing given the current world situation and knowing that really top shelf fiction can successfully be crowdsourced is reassuring.
Four strong stars, several 4.5 - 5 star stories here.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
just_a_touch_of_bibliomania's review
5.0
When I began this book, I knew that it was about fairytales, but I thought it was a collection of old stories. I was so pleasantly surprised when I realized it was, infact, a collection of remained fairytales, ranging from sci-fi and fantasy to horror.
From the very first story, I had a good idea that I would love this book and I'm so excited that not one story in this anthology was less than a five star for me. Each story was wonderfully unique in its reimagining of old favorites like Beauty and the Beast, Snow White and Cinderella, with some Mother Goose even thrown in. Some stories were beautiful, some funny or amusing, and some spooky but each felt complete and each world was interesting to visit. I look forward to buying this lovely book and revisiting these stories, as I know they will be in my thoughts often.
From the very first story, I had a good idea that I would love this book and I'm so excited that not one story in this anthology was less than a five star for me. Each story was wonderfully unique in its reimagining of old favorites like Beauty and the Beast, Snow White and Cinderella, with some Mother Goose even thrown in. Some stories were beautiful, some funny or amusing, and some spooky but each felt complete and each world was interesting to visit. I look forward to buying this lovely book and revisiting these stories, as I know they will be in my thoughts often.
fernanda_moodytbr's review
4.0
Many thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.
I want to start by appreciating the beautiful cover of this compound of short stories, it was what drew my attention at first! Its so gorgeous
Now with that being said, Im a sucker for retellings so ofcourse I was interested in this anthology that not only promised Neil Gaimanesque stories and dark vibes but it actually delivered.
The fairy tales used for this anthology range from the popular ones such as Beauty and the Beast, The Pied Piper and Little Red Riding Hood to some not as populat like The Caliph Stork.
The most interesting part of this compendium is that not every tale here is set in fantasy fairy world, there is a vast range from fantasy to steampunk to horror in here.So basically there is every flavor you can think of allowing the authors to take a unique approach to these stories.
I ended up loving every entry, but the standouts to me were definitely:
- "The Rabbi's Daughter and the Golem" - Alex Langer. (Fantasy) A beauty and the Beast + THe golem myth that in a few pages tells a lot.
-"Two of Our Kind" - Anna Martino (Historical Biography) A retellikng tha waves Cinderella and The valiant little tailor together in the most interesting way. A kin to a biography we discovered what happens to Cinderella after the big wedding and how things do not always are as they seem.
ADORED this particular one.
-"The Forest Magic Protects Its Own" -Jamie Lackey. A retelling of Rumpelstiltskin set in Appalachia from author Jamie Lackey
Overall, this is a really interesting, eclectic collection of retellings that I very much enjoyed and would be a great choice for all SFF lovers.
I want to start by appreciating the beautiful cover of this compound of short stories, it was what drew my attention at first! Its so gorgeous
Now with that being said, Im a sucker for retellings so ofcourse I was interested in this anthology that not only promised Neil Gaimanesque stories and dark vibes but it actually delivered.
The fairy tales used for this anthology range from the popular ones such as Beauty and the Beast, The Pied Piper and Little Red Riding Hood to some not as populat like The Caliph Stork.
The most interesting part of this compendium is that not every tale here is set in fantasy fairy world, there is a vast range from fantasy to steampunk to horror in here.So basically there is every flavor you can think of allowing the authors to take a unique approach to these stories.
I ended up loving every entry, but the standouts to me were definitely:
- "The Rabbi's Daughter and the Golem" - Alex Langer. (Fantasy) A beauty and the Beast + THe golem myth that in a few pages tells a lot.
-"Two of Our Kind" - Anna Martino (Historical Biography) A retellikng tha waves Cinderella and The valiant little tailor together in the most interesting way. A kin to a biography we discovered what happens to Cinderella after the big wedding and how things do not always are as they seem.
ADORED this particular one.
-"The Forest Magic Protects Its Own" -Jamie Lackey. A retelling of Rumpelstiltskin set in Appalachia from author Jamie Lackey
Overall, this is a really interesting, eclectic collection of retellings that I very much enjoyed and would be a great choice for all SFF lovers.
suz_n_van's review
4.0
I was excited to read this book, as I do love fairytales and folktales. This book did not disappoint. Each author's voice was unique. I appreciated that before each story there was a page stating which tales the story was based on and what genre it was written in. I was surprised to see not just fantasy, but sci-fi, steampunk, cyberpunk, and even an Appalachian folk take. Each take was crafted with love, but my absolute favorites were:
The Rabbi's Daughter and the Golem by Alex Langer(retelling of Beauty and the Beast and The Golem of Prague), Mutability by Maya Chhabra (retelling of Caliph Stork and Blodeuwedd), The Forest Magic Protects its Own by Jamie Lackey(retelling of Rumpelstiltskin and The Faun and the Woodcutter's Daughter), and Six Rusalki by N.A. Sulway.
The Rabbi's Daughter and the Golem by Alex Langer(retelling of Beauty and the Beast and The Golem of Prague), Mutability by Maya Chhabra (retelling of Caliph Stork and Blodeuwedd), The Forest Magic Protects its Own by Jamie Lackey(retelling of Rumpelstiltskin and The Faun and the Woodcutter's Daughter), and Six Rusalki by N.A. Sulway.
lukre's review
2.0
Thanks to NetGalley and Air and Nothingness Press for the ARC
I don't mind fairy tale retellings in general, but I didn't like this one.
It was just too muddled up for me. The fact that they combined multiple tales in one story was bad enough, but then you add multiply styles/genres, and all you get is a story that doesn’t know what it wants to be when it grows up.
There are two or three that are good, or at least better than the rest. The golem retelling and the Cinderella retelling are not bad. The golem is combined with the beauty and the beast story, with the rabbi’s daughter teaching golem how to be a human, and the Cinderella being a “what happens after the happily ever after” story. I liked those. But again, these suffered from an ailment that is typical for poor short stories – it was incomplete. I felt that if the authors of these stories had been given more room to work, the stories would have been better.
All in all, a muddle and a mess. Not a book for me, I’m sorry to say.
Two stars because there were some pearls among the rest of it.
I don't mind fairy tale retellings in general, but I didn't like this one.
It was just too muddled up for me. The fact that they combined multiple tales in one story was bad enough, but then you add multiply styles/genres, and all you get is a story that doesn’t know what it wants to be when it grows up.
There are two or three that are good, or at least better than the rest. The golem retelling and the Cinderella retelling are not bad. The golem is combined with the beauty and the beast story, with the rabbi’s daughter teaching golem how to be a human, and the Cinderella being a “what happens after the happily ever after” story. I liked those. But again, these suffered from an ailment that is typical for poor short stories – it was incomplete. I felt that if the authors of these stories had been given more room to work, the stories would have been better.
All in all, a muddle and a mess. Not a book for me, I’m sorry to say.
Two stars because there were some pearls among the rest of it.
ellemnope's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I love fairy tales and folklore. Retellings are right up my alley. This collection did not disappoint. There are a lot of talented writers who came together in this book and the compilation as a whole was quite fun to read. Short story collections are difficult to find where there is a sort of "flow" from start to end, but this one moved very well. I found myself excited to start each subsequent story.
This was just a wonderful piece of escapism. There is a mix of light and dark, but things are balanced so that the whole book doesn't feel like a black hole. All of the stories were highly creative and wound around a theme of fantasy/sci-fi. There were combinations of various tales and folklore that I found quite interesting to pair and I loved that there were some lesser known tales thrown into the mix with several cultures being represented. The writing was very atmospheric in most cases and a lot of the stories felt like they could easily have been expanded into something bigger. This is the challenge with short stories. The endings are often ambiguous or leave more to be explored. Though this certainly existed within these stories, the majority of them still felt natural as standalone pieces.
Most of the individual stories fell in the 4-5 star range for me. There were a couple that weren't my speed, but these still would've landed pretty solidly in the 3-star range. They all had good writing and the pieces I didn't enjoy as much would likely get higher ratings for those who enjoy their specific subgenres.
This was a really fun read for me and a good reminder that modern short story collections can really be fantastic hidden gems.
* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *
This was just a wonderful piece of escapism. There is a mix of light and dark, but things are balanced so that the whole book doesn't feel like a black hole. All of the stories were highly creative and wound around a theme of fantasy/sci-fi. There were combinations of various tales and folklore that I found quite interesting to pair and I loved that there were some lesser known tales thrown into the mix with several cultures being represented. The writing was very atmospheric in most cases and a lot of the stories felt like they could easily have been expanded into something bigger. This is the challenge with short stories. The endings are often ambiguous or leave more to be explored. Though this certainly existed within these stories, the majority of them still felt natural as standalone pieces.
Most of the individual stories fell in the 4-5 star range for me. There were a couple that weren't my speed, but these still would've landed pretty solidly in the 3-star range. They all had good writing and the pieces I didn't enjoy as much would likely get higher ratings for those who enjoy their specific subgenres.
This was a really fun read for me and a good reminder that modern short story collections can really be fantastic hidden gems.
* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *
roshreviews's review
5.0
The description of this book on NetGalley says:
"This book gathers twenty-one authors who have brought new focus to fairy tales by combining two well known stories with a literary genre of their choice."
When you read this, your mind starts expecting a Neil Gaiman-esque fictional + fantastical bonanza. And the book does deliver to a great extent.
The fairy tales used for this anthology range from the popular ones such as Beauty and the Beast, The Pied Piper and Little Red Riding Hood to totally unheard ones (unheard at least by me!
"This book gathers twenty-one authors who have brought new focus to fairy tales by combining two well known stories with a literary genre of their choice."
When you read this, your mind starts expecting a Neil Gaiman-esque fictional + fantastical bonanza. And the book does deliver to a great extent.
The fairy tales used for this anthology range from the popular ones such as Beauty and the Beast, The Pied Piper and Little Red Riding Hood to totally unheard ones (unheard at least by me!
rowena_m_andrews's review
4.0
Firstly, I have to say that I love the cover for Upon a Once Time and it is what first caught my attention, and I am so glad that it did because I loved this anthology. I've been dipping my toes more and more into retellings this year, and I've found it a bit of a gamble, but this anthology was certainly a win. I loved the sheer variety of approaches and genres in these tales, as well as the wonderful diversity, and while I had some stories that I enjoyed more than others, every story in this collection stands out. It was a delight to see the nuggets of familiar fairy tales turn into something new, and I would highly recommend this collection.
More...