Four Fairy Tale Retellings

There’s a rich tradition of retelling tales, whether they’re fairy tales, folk tales, or myths. It’s probably one of my favorite tropes, which is why I’m delighted that it’s the “hot new thing” in contemporary fiction, both adult and YA. But for as much as it’s one of my favorites, it can be difficult for me to find ones that I love. For me, the most important part of a retelling is the reimagining. If you’re just going to take an old tale, why retell it if it’s just the same old story just in a different hat? It’s what can make or break a novel for me. Below are my favorites.

Best Folk Retelling: Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente

If you like Leigh Bardugo or Naomi Novak’s Uprooted, Deathless will be right up your alley. Based on stories told to her by her husband’s grandmother, Valente retells the folk story of Koschei the Deathless, reinventing Koschei through the eyes of his bride, Marya Morevna, with a backdrop of 20th century Russia. Historic fiction twisted with magic, I love Deathless for the way it twists the tropes of both typical fiction—damsels and mundane girls thrown into magical settings—and Russian ones, not only that of Koschei, but also Baba Yaga, Vasalisa, and the tradition of bride stealing. Like good Slavic food, there’s a voluptuousness to this novel that made me devour it.

Best Use of Mythical Creatures: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Of all the beasties in Irish mythology, fae folk are what make most of the trouble in novels and stories, but honestly, I think kelpies are so much cooler. Fantastic water horses that’ll drag you underwater as soon as look at you, what could be cooler? Stiefvater—with her usual penchant for creating mischief for her characters—decides it’ll be fun if what if we raced with kelpies? Throw in a heaping spoonful of wit and sarcasm, a kickass heroine who’s just trying to keep her family together,  and a large dollop of “forbidden” romance and danger, and you get The Scorpio Races.  (Sorry, not sorry for all the food metaphors. I’m in the middle of reading a food memoir while writing this.)

Best Use of Fairytale/Folklore Style: The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps by Kai Ashante Wilson

I really need to stop reading reviews on Goodreads/Amazon from people I don’t know (mostly because other people are always wrong). When I looked at reviews for The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps, there were a lot of mixed feelings and many negative ones about the way Wilson uses language, which was the hallmark of tSotW for me. Wilson’s lyricism and oratory voice made tSofW feel like a real folkstory, which made the novella stick out to me and was one of the many of its great aspects.    

Best Series: The Spiritwalker Trilogy by Kate Elliot

Though there are many series that play with this trope, I chose Kate Elliot’s Spiritwalker trilogy because of the way she blends in the mythos of her alternative history within the fabric of the world. I particularly like the way in which faith and location play an important role in how or rather what mythic creatures exist and how the “spirit realm” works. Plus two kickass heroines in Kat and her cousin Bea. What else could a fantasy nerd ask for?

Honorable Mentions: The Wind City by Wigmore Summer;  “With Roses in Their Hair” by Kayla Bashe;  The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater; The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemisin