Saturday, November 18, 2017

Five top books that rewrite magic, myths, and ballads

Jane Yolen's latest collection of fantasy short fiction is The Emerald Circus, which has both fantasy short stories and poems about fairy tales, fantasy authors and their works, and back matter about how she wrote the tales. One of her five favorite books that rewrite magic, myths, and ballads, as shared at Tor.com:
Robin McKinley’s Beauty, rewriting of the fairy tale “Beauty and the Beast” is inventive, sensuous, nature-filled, and gorgeous. The story is often treated (see Disney) as a primer for battered wives. But this Beauty is not battered at all. She is wise, a reader, a tough young woman, and ready to save both herself and ultimately the beast. Yes, there’s a sequel of a sort—Rose Daughter, or at least another look at the story. And McKinley has done a number of other fairy tale rewrites—Rumplstiltskin and Donkey Skin have both been done well by her. But this book, her very first published novel, still remains in my mind and heart.
Read about another entry on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue