Cursed

December 9, 2019
O’Regan and Kane, who previously collaborated as editors on Wonderland, an anthology of stories inspired by Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, bring together 18 new and reimagined fairy tales in this spellbinding anthology, bookended by poems from Jane Yolen. Karen Joy Fowler’s “The Black Fairy’s Curse” is a dreamy, disorienting rendition of “Sleeping Beauty”; Neil Gaiman’s lovely, tragic “Troll Bridge” draws from “Three Billy Goats Gruff”; and Angela Slatter’s standout “New Wine” is a truly chilling modernization of “Bluebeard.” While most of these stories transpose fairy tale elements into contemporary England, Lilith Saintcrow conjures a fully realized fantasy world with “Hanza and Ghana.” The anthology’s original stories also draw from folklore, as with the screaming skulls of Maura McHugh’s “Faith and Fred” and the beguiling but dangerous fae folk of Catriona Ward’s “At That Age.” These stories are by turns eerie, grotesque, and delightful, ranging in tone from the broadly humorous fantasy of Charlie Jane Anders’s “Fairy Werewolf vs. Vampire Zombie” to the visceral body horror of James Brogden’s “Skin.” Readers won’t have to be Brothers Grimm fans to appreciate this dark mélange.

February 1, 2020

In these 18 short stories and two poems, readers will find unique perspectives on curses, inspired by old stories and new ideas. In Christina Henry's story, "As Red As Blood, As White As Snow," we see Snow White face off against her Prince Charming, who holds marriage secrets deep in his castle. A young man bargains for his life through the years in "Troll Bridge" by Neil Gaiman. Charlie Jane Anders presents a love triangle, bar fight, and karaoke battle in "Fairy Werewolf vs. Vampire Zombie." Jane Yolen's two poems, "Castle Cursed" and "Castle Waking," about the beginning and end of a curse, bookend the other stories. While some characters face trials and others triumph, the stories all brim with magic and monsters, warnings and wishes. VERDICT An eclectic and delightful mix of fairy tales and modern takes, told by some of today's best speculative authors, will appeal to fans of the authors and themes alike.--Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2020
This anthology, a mixture of mostly reprints with a few stories appearing for the first time, is themed around the idea of curses. The stories range from retellings of classical fairy tales to original narratives, all united by the theme of one or more of the protagonists dealing with some sort of negative magical influence in their life. Some of these feature the unwanted attention of fairies or other spirits, such as Catriona Ward's chilling version of the changeling myth in "At That Age," the entropy manipulating demon of M.R. Carey's "Henry and the Snakewood Box," or the sinister invisible visitor of Michael Marshall Smith's "Look Inside." Entire magical worlds full of possible malevolence are also conjured up such as the long-suffering bard whose playing wakes the dead in Jen Williams' "Listen," or Margo Lanagan's "The Girl from the Hell," who escapes her magical prison to weave a spell against her grandmother. Rounded out by stories by Neil Gaiman, Lilith Saintcrow, and many others, this anthology should satisfy most fantasy readers and is well worth a look.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)