Aural Sects

Retold Fairy Tales: A Recs List

ifshehadwings:

So, I really love retold fairy tales.  I’ve read … a lot of them.  And after spamming you all with that frozen rose picture for a while, Caly indicated that she would not be averse to a recs list.  So … here they are.  They are retold fairy tales that I have enjoyed.  That’s the only qualification.  In no particular order. Enjoy!  (Links are to the Amazon pages.) 

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine - This book is always my #1 rec in this genre.  Please never see the movie, or forget all about it if you’ve had the misfortune.  It destroyed everything that was amazing about the book.  This is an interesting take on Cinderella which flips the idea that Ella is obedient because she’s such a pure and perfect soul on its head.  Ella is given the “gift” of obedience by a misguided fairy when she is a baby.  She must obey any direct order she is given, and suffers nausea and other horrible symptoms if she tries to resist.  Rather than being docile and submissive, Ella is gloriously contrary.  The book tells the story of her attempts to find the fairy and get her to remove her gift.  

Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix - A completely different take on Cinderella from the above.  This Ella is also determined to carve out her own fate, but this story is set after the traditional Happily Ever After.  Only it turns out the Charmings are … really not so charming.  Features some terrifying enforcement of gender roles and Ella digging herself out of a dungeon.  Literally.  

The Rumpelstiltskin Problem by Vivian Vande Velde - A lighthearted collection of seven different versions of Rumpelstiltskin that address what the author sees as the patently ridiculous plot holes in the original story.  The introduction cracks me up EVERY. TIME.  I tried to read it out loud once and just failed utterly.  

Beauty by Robin McKinley - An absolutely wonderful retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Really, do I need to say more than Robing McKinley?  

Briar Rose by Jane Yolen - Not a light read by any means.  Yolen uses the story of Briar Rose/Sleeping Beauty as a way into talking about the atrocities of the Holocaust.  I haven’t been able to reread this since the first time, but it’s very much worth the effort.  

Fairy Tales: Traditional Stories Retold for Gay Men by Peter Cashorali - An absolutely delightful collection that includes retellings of both well-known and more obscure stories with, you guessed it, gay male protagonists.  

The Magic Circle by Donna Jo Napoli - This book is very short and absolutely unforgettable to me.  It’s Hansel and Gretel from the witch’s point of view.  I’m having trouble coming up with the appropriate words to explain its brilliance.  The setting is medieval and it’s based upon a very medieval view of Christianity.  A devout midwife is tricked into witchcraft by demons, and this is the story of her torment.  It’s not an easy read, but it is amazing.  

Beauty Sleep by Cameron Dokey - An interesting retelling of Sleeping Beauty in which a boy named Oswald is originally called Prince Charming because he really isn’t.  I love the voice and the cadence of this story.  It just pulls you right in.  

Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones - This … is probably a bit of a stretch for the category, but it’s my recs list, so I do what I want.  Based on Tam Lin and Thomas the Rhymer, which are best known as folk ballads.  One of my all time favorite books by one of my all time favorite authors.  19 year old Polly sees a photograph entitled “Fire and Hemlock” and begins to regain memories that contradict what she believes to be her past.  In particular, all traces of a man named Tom Lynn seem to have disappeared.  Honestly there’s not much I can say that would sum up this book.  It’s complex and mysterious and perhaps not perfectly executed, but it’s lovely.  And Polly is a wonderful character at any age.  

Further Reading

Most if not all of the authors mentioned above have written more in the retold fairy tale or fantasy genres, and most if not all of those works are good as far as I have read them.  

In fairy tale adjacent fantasy, I would encourage you to check out more by Diana Wynne Jones.  Howl’s Moving Castle (again, please ignore the movie, although in this case, I liked the film, just not as an adaptation of the book) and its sequels, in particular, make use of fairy tale  conventions in delightful ways.  I also especially adore the Chronicles of Chrestomanci (Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3). 

Patricia C. Wrede turns fairy tale conventions delightfully on their heads in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, which I was first introduced to in fifth grade, and still adore to this day.  
Dealing with Dragons
Searching for Dragons
Calling on Dragons
Talking to Dragons
Book of Enchantments (a collection of stories in the Enchanted Forest Universe)

This is by no means complete.  These are just the favorites that I can bring to mind easily while my books are still in boxes.  Hope you find something you like!  

Thank you!!! *hugs*