Silver Birch, Blood Moon

Rating:
Summary: Loved it!
Review: The FIFTH in the series of altered faery tales, it's a heckuva good time. Evidently a modern fantasy trend, Datlow and Windling can't put these out fast enough; I believe there's at least 1 more following this. These tales are good reads in their own right, but add the satisfying pop-pyschology crunch of being able to dissect the original tale through its modern and fractured counterpart and you've got a great read. While again, these are being turned out like organic vegetarian pizzas in Hell-A, I never felt cheated or subjected to a formula. These authors are varied in language and message, even if some themes are awfully similar. The worst that can be said about this particulair series is that it may have a feminist slant at times, being written mostly (16 out of 20) by women, and likely FOR, women, screw it. If you've got a problem with it, go grab something that Mike Whelan drew the cover art for. While some of the themes are a bit heavy, (domestic violence / female oppression in "Kiss Kiss") overall, it's pretty light-hearted, and dang it (can I say it again), it makes you think in an easy, cerebral but not all-encompassing way about the folktales that shaped our imaginations and interesting modifications of them. Pick it up, and the rest, too. I'll warn you if, as is inevitable in fiction trends, it becomes overdone and heavy-handed.

Rating:
Summary: Angela Carter would be pleased
Review: The FIFTH in the series of altered faery tales, it's a heckuva good time. Evidently a modern fantasy trend, Datlow and Windling can't put these out fast enough; I believe there's at least 2 following this. These tales are good reads in their own right, but add the satisfying pop-pyschology crunch of being able to dissect the original tale through its modern and fractured counterpart and you've got a great read. While again, these are being turned out like organic vegetarian pizzas in Hell-A, I never felt cheated or subjected to a formula. These authors are varied in language and message, even if some themes are awfully similar. The worst that can be said about this particulair series is that it may have a feminist slant at times, being written mostly (16 out of 20) by women, and likely FOR, women, screw it. If you've got a problem with it, go grab something that Mike Whelan drew the cover art for. While some of the themes are a bit heavy, (domestic violence / female oppression in "Kiss Kiss") overall, it's pretty light-hearted, and dang it (can I say it again), it makes you think in an easy, cerebral but not all-encompassing way about the folktales that shaped our imaginations and interesting modifications of them. Pick it up, and the rest, too. I'll warn you if, as is inevitable in fiction trends, it becomes overdone and heavy-handed.

Rating:
Summary: A more international flavor
Review: This is Terri Windling and my fifth volume of reinterpreted and retold fairy tales for adults. Silver Birch, Blood Moon has some stories that take place outside the western tradition--eg. a tale that takes place in an imaginary Middle Eastern country, another story about a dybbuk, and a Latin American "beauty and the beast". We hope readers will enjoy this volume as much as they've enjoyed the earlier books in the series.

Rating:
Summary: Some roses among the weeds
Review: This is the latest in a series of fairy tales refashioned for 20th century grownups. Edited by Datlow and Windling, these original stories are by various authors -- some justifiably famous, others just as justifiably obscure. It's a mixed bundle. Standouts are Garry Kilworth's "The Frog Chauffeur," "Toad-Rich" Michael Cadnum, "Ivory Bones" by Susan Wade, and "The Sea Hag" by Melissa Lee Shaw. Nancy Kress is always worth looking for, and her "Clad in Gossamer" is no exception with its new twist on "The Emperor's New Clothes." Other worthwhile entries are Russell William Asplund's "The Dybbuk in the Bottle," Anne Bishop's "The Wild Heart," and Pat York's "You Wandered Off Like A Foolish Child To Break Your Heart and Mine." Disappointments are (surprisingly) Tanith Lee's "Kiss Kiss," "Toad" by Patricia A. McKillip, and (unsurprisingly) "The Shellbox" by Karawynn Long, who once again typically pads a story with too much maudlin emotional weight for its bones. Like the others in the series, this anthology is worth purchasing in paperback form. Its good stories can be excellent. Others are good to not- painful. The worst are no worse than forgettable.

Rating:
Summary: An outstanding volume of stories
Review: This volume is #5 in a series of fairy tales re-told for adults and I found it to be as satisfying and exceptional as the previous volumes. I won't list my favorite stories since every reader's taste is different, and what one likes best, another will like least. What I can tell you however is that the stories are wonderfully varied in tone and approach and the book courageously mixes Big Name authors with talented lesser known writers. I have always appreciated this about all the Datlow and Windling collections, and have learned about many wonderful new writers through them. One thing you can count on with their books is that all stories, whether to your personal taste or not, are of exceptionally high literary quality, showing why Datlow and Windling are widely considered the top editors of the fantasy field. I, for one, trust their editorial taste and am so grateful for all the hard work they have done to bring us this and many other collections over the years, and to provide a market for short story writers. I consider this a truly first rate collection, and Ms. Datlow and Ms. Windling have the deep gratitude of this lover of adult fairy tales.