Snow White, Blood Red

Rating:
Summary: A Marvelous Anthology
Review: When I was a child, fairy tales, both Eastern and Western, were simply a routine part of my life. As an adult, I have found very few books of "adult fantasy" that really hold my interest, but Datlow and Windling's Adult Fairy Tale Series is something special.

Snow White, Blood Red is a volume of about twenty fairy tales, reworked by some of the best writers in the fantasy, science fiction and horror genres. In fact, there are times when more than one writer will give his or her own unique version of an old fairy tale, making this book all the more special and unique.

I think the introductions by Datlow and Windling only serve to enrich the book and make it all the more special. In "White as Snow," Windling discusses fairy tales in general in terms of the fantasy element; in "Red as Blood," Datlow writes about the horror elements so often found in stories of this type.

There are many styles, voices and styles represented in this book, so I feel there is definitely something here for everyone. In "The Moon is Drowning While I Sleep," Charles de Lint weaves elements of an old English folk tale into a mythical and magical city as he explores the boundaries of dreams and reality (which are not so distinct as one might think). I found "The Frog Prince," (which deals with Freud and a frog) and "Stalking Beans" to contain elements of humor as well as fantasy. "Snow-Drop" is a wonderful retelling of the story of Snow White, while "Persimmon" retells the story of Thumbelina, but this time, with a lot more wit.

There are two retellings of the stories of both Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel, and while both provide new and unique subject matter, both retain much from the original story, all to their credit. I especially liked Neil Gaiman's retelling of The Three Billy Goats Gruff in "The Troll Bridge." This is a dark, haunting and melancholy piece that should make any reader feel more than a touch wistful for times gone by.

Not all of the stories are wistful or beautiful, though. Some do explore the darker aspects of the fairy tales most of us grew to love as children. "Puss," a retelling of the Puss in Boots story is one of them. I didn't really like this rather gruesome tale, but it does serve to round out the anthology.

The most beautiful story, by far, however, is a modern retelling of "The Snow Queen" by Patricia McKillip. This story alone makes the volume well worth owning.

It is obvious that Datlow and Windling set very high standards in deciding which stories to use in this volume and this is not a book for unsophisticated readers. While there were one or two stories I didn't particularly like and probably won't reread, I can't deny that they are all very well-written and present new ideas and perspectives on old fairy and folk tales.

If you're an adult who simply can't get your fill of fairy tales, I would highly recommend this anthology. The writing is first-rate, the authors have remained true to the essence of the original tale while bringing us a fresh, new perspective and the stories, in and of themselves, are just plain good. All in all, a wonderful book.

Rating:
Summary: Don't worry, they get better from here
Review: _Snow White, Blood Red_ was the first of Datlow and Windling's adult fairy tale anthologies, and I think that's part of the problem with it. The authors of the short stories herein were just beginning to try the fairy tale form, and a lot of them weren't quite sure what to do with it. "Hmmm," I can almost hear them saying, "they want me to adapt fairy tales for big folks? Well, a liberal helping of sex and gore should do it!"

Most of the stories in this collection are filled with visceral violence, and nauseated me. There is also a lot of sex. Now, normally I don't mind sex in books. But this isn't erotic sex, it tends to be twisted and sadistic sex and/or rape. It doesn't feel "sexy" at all; it just seems to be a further extension of the violence. Most of the stories don't bother being subtle or evocative when they can be gross and shocking instead.

A few exceptions: (1) The wonderful "The Moon is Drowning While I Sleep", by Charles de Lint, about a young woman having a serial dream where she has to rescue the Moon from some nasty faeries, while her waking self doesn't know whether to take these nightly adventures seriously. (2) "Like a Red, Red Rose", which does have some blood, but is also a compelling Gothic story that reminds me of Hawthorne somehow. The heroine is a witch's daughter unaware of a family curse. (3) "The Princess in the Tower", a comedic Rapunzel variation set in Italy.

I think the de Lint story is the only one that will truly stay with me, and while it's very good, it's not worth buying SWBR. De Lint has several short story collections out--I don't remember which one "The Moon..." is in, but it shouldn't be hard to find. Other than that, this book is ultimately forgettable, not nearly as good as later volumes in the series.

Rating:
Summary: Don't worry, they get better from here
Review: _Snow White, Blood Red_ was the first of Datlow and Windling's adult fairy tale anthologies, and I think that's part of the problem with it. The authors of the short stories herein were just beginning to try the fairy tale form, and a lot of them weren't quite sure what to do with it. "Hmmm," I can almost hear them saying, "they want me to adapt fairy tales for big folks? Well, a liberal helping of sex and gore should do it!"

Most of the stories in this collection are filled with visceral violence, and nauseated me. There is also a lot of sex. Now, normally I don't mind sex in books. But this isn't erotic sex, it tends to be twisted and sadistic sex and/or rape. It doesn't feel "sexy" at all; it just seems to be a further extension of the violence. Most of the stories don't bother being subtle or evocative when they can be gross and shocking instead.

A few exceptions: (1) The wonderful "The Moon is Drowning While I Sleep", by Charles de Lint, about a young woman having a serial dream where she has to rescue the Moon from some nasty faeries, while her waking self doesn't know whether to take these nightly adventures seriously. (2) "Like a Red, Red Rose", which does have some blood, but is also a compelling Gothic story that reminds me of Hawthorne somehow. The heroine is a witch's daughter unaware of a family curse. (3) "The Princess in the Tower", a comedic Rapunzel variation set in Italy.

I think the de Lint story is the only one that will truly stay with me, and while it's very good, it's not worth buying SWBR. De Lint has several short story collections out--I don't remember which one "The Moon..." is in, but it shouldn't be hard to find. Other than that, this book is ultimately forgettable, not nearly as good as later volumes in the series.