Three volumes of fairy tales re-worked in sly and surprising ways by some of the best writers of fantasy and children's literature today.
A Wolf at the Door
Created & edited with Ellen Datlow
For 8-to-12 year-old readers
Twisted, fractured, and magical retellings of Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, The Goose Girl, Snow White, The Twelve Dancing Princess and more.
"Harking back to a time when 'fairy tales were scarier...and the heroes and heroines were more interesting, thirteen fantasists spin trenchant remakes or sequels. Readers will come away from this collection satisfied, whether they're after romance or danger, psychodrama or belly laughs." - Kirkus
"The diversity of content, style, and tone makes this an excellent collection for sampling. Most of these stories ask readers to think a bit more about fairy tales and what they may be saying to and about us." - School Library Journal
Contributors: Michael Cadnum, Nancy Farmer, Neil Gaiman, Kathe Koja, Tanith Lee, Kelly Link, Gregory Maguire, Patricia A. McKillip, Garth Nix, Delia Sherman, Katherine Vaz, Janeen Webb, and Jane Yolen.
To read the book's introduction, go here.
Neil Gaiman's poem "Instructions," written for this volume, was later turned into a children's picture book, with illustrations by Charles Vess. To read the poem online, go here.
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (hardcover), Alladin (paperback)
Swan Sister
Created & edited with Ellen Datlow
For 8-to-12-year-old readers
Twisted, fractured, and magical retellings of The Seven Swans, Tom Thumb, Bluebeard, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, The Fisherman's Wife, and more.
"Noted children's and adult fantasy writers play with the bones of traditional stories, songs, and characters to create 13 vibrant, imaginative short stories. There's something for everyone in this anthology, which proves once again the immense flexibility of traditional tales in the hands of gifted storytellers." - School Library Journal
"The stories in this volume are familiar and unfamiliar. They deal easily and imaginatively, beautifully and wisely, with the sorts of situations children have to live with, like death and abandonment, sibling rivalry, first love. Everyone has little people in the family. This book would be a precious gift to them." - The Fix: Short Fiction Review
Contributors: Bruce Coville, Gregory Frost, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Kathe Koja, Tanith Lee, Gregory Maguire, Lois Metzger, Will Shetterly, Midori Snyder, Christopher Rowe, Jane Yolen, Pat York, and Katherine Vaz.
To read the book's introduction, go here.
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (hardcover), Alladin (paperback)
Troll's Eye View
Created & edited with Ellen Datlow
For 8-to-12-year-old readers
Winner of the Chronic Rift Roundtable Award
An American Library Association Notable Book
A Junior Library Guild Selection
This time, we focused on fairy tale villains: trolls, ogres, witches, evil sorcerers, and the like. What's their story?
"This anthology of fractured and reconfigured fairy tales for young readers offers an excellent introduction to the unreliability of perspective, one that plenty of adults will find provocative, too. How do the old stories look when retold from the point of view of the wicked witch, the evil wizard, the troll under the bridge? A dazzling array of contributors present the other side of the story."
- Critic's Pick, Salon.com
Contributors: Holly Black, Peter Beagle, Michael Cadnum, Nancy Farmer, Wendy Froud, Neil Gaiman, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Ellen Kushner, Kelly Link, Garth Nix, Delia Sherman, Midori Snyder, Joseph Stanton, Catherynne M. Valente, and Jane Yolen.
To read a short piece about editing Troll's Eye View, go here.
Publisher: Viking (hardcover & paperback)
The Dark of the Woods:
Fairy Tales for Modern Times
This is an omnibus edition of A Wolf at the Door and Swan Sister, with cover art by Charles Vess.
Publisher: Adaddin Books in conjunction with Barnes & Noble