fairy tales Archives - Better Than Dreams

Fairytale retellings are my jam. Actually, I’m not a big fan of jam. So maybe not. Anyway. Fairytale retellings! I am absolutely obsessed with fairytale retellings and have been since my first year of university. I adore them. I haven’t read any for a while, despite having several on my TBR, but there are far more than ten with a place in my heart, so writing this was tricky…

1. ‘The Bloody Chamber’, by Angela Carter, from The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories – Beautiful, beautiful story from the queen of fairytale retellings. It’s Bluebeard, deliciously told and with a feminist twist.

2. ‘Puss in Boots’, by Angela Carter, from The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories – ‘The Bloody Chamber’ is gorgeous but it’s actually ‘Puss in Boots’ that is my favourite. It’s narrated BY THE CAT! There’s lust, there’s love, it’s masses of fun! I LOVE IT.

3. Valiant, by Holly Black – Val goes through hell and kicks butt and it’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’ without the nasty stink of Stockholm Syndrome.

4. ‘Snow’, by Francesca Lia Block, from The Rose and the Beast: Fairy Tales Retold – it hits on a lot of standard FLB tropes but it’s a perfect retelling of ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarves’.

5. Spindle’s End, by Robin McKinley – a retelling of ‘Sleeping Beauty’ that managed to be both epic and down to earth, being from the point of view of both the cursed princess and the fairy that’s trying to save her life and the kingdom.

6. Jack, the Giant Killer, by Charles de Lint – Jack is actually Jacky, and Jack is also a job description. I keep meaning to read more Charles de Lint but his books are not well stocked by libraries.

7. Ash, by Malinda Lo – a quietly beautiful retelling of Cinderella.

8. ‘The Kith of the Elf-Folk’ by Lord Dunsany (out of copyright, so click to read) – ‘The Little Mermaid’ except the Little Mermaid realises that being human is actually kind of rubbish compared to being a mermaid…

9. ‘Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf’, by Roald Dahl, from Revolting Rhymes – “The small girl smiles. One eyelid flickers…” perfect.

10. Fire and Hemlock, by Diana Wynne Jones – possibly the only retelling ever to make me cry!

If you enjoyed this you’ll probably also like to read my previous post, Top Ten Tuesday: Favourite Characters in Modern Fairy Tales and Fairy Tale Retellings.

Let me know in a comment if you did this week’s topic, and please leave recommendations for fairytale retellings you think I should read! Top Ten Tuesday was created and is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This is my seventeenth Top Ten Tuesday post! Top Ten Tuesday was created and is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is ‘Top Ten Favourite Characters in X Genre’, with the X being whatever genre you chose. Firstly, I considered writing about contemporary YA, but I decided that I write about contemporary YA almost all the time, so I’d do something different this time around! I’m not sure that ‘modern fairy tales’ or ‘fairy tale retellings’ are genres in their own right, but it’s my topic, and I’ll write what I want to, and just hope you enjoy reading the post and check out some of the books!

Photo by Wicker Paradise

How amazing is this bed‽ It would be the perfect place to lie while reading even more fantastic modern fairy tales and retellings.

Top Ten Favourite Characters in Modern Fairy Tales and Fairy Tale Retellings

1. Puss from ‘Puss in Boots’ in The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories, by Angela Carter – I love ‘The Bloody Chamber’ and the wolf tales but ‘Puss in Boots’ is my favourite story in this collection. It’s just so much fun, and Puss is a charming, funny narrator.

2. Rosie from Spindle’s End, by Robin McKinley – Rosie was born a princess, but was cursed by a witch to prick her finger on a spindle on her 21st birthday and fall asleep forever. To avoid this fate, she is taken away by a clever young fairy to grow up in a small village as an ordinary girl. I really liked Rosie. She deals with the situations she finds herself in really well, and she can talk to animals!

3. Clara, from Ash, by Malinda Lo – not the heroine this time, but a background character that I liked and found really interesting.

4. The dog from ‘The Princess Who Stood On Her Own Two Feet‘, by Jeanne Desy (also found in Don’t Bet on the Prince, edited by Jack Zipes, and The Oxford Book of Modern Fairy Tales, edited by Alison Lurie) – because he loved her then.

5. Ellie, from Avalon High, by Meg Cabot – does a King Arthur retelling count? Anyway, I really liked Ellie. She’s courageous and won’t stand for the nonsensical idea that she’s the reincarnation of tragic Elaine, rather than someone much more powerful.

6. Granny, from Fire and Hemlock, by Diana Wynne Jones – she’s so much better than either of Polly’s parents!

7. Little Red Riding Hood from Revolting Rhymes,by Roald Dahl – You have to respect a little girl that pulls a pistol from her knickers and shoots the wolf dead. Or at least fear her. The way in which she ‘helps’ the Three Little Pigs is erm, unorthodox as well.

8. The witch, from ‘Prince Amilec’, by Tanith Lee (found in Don’t Bet on the Prince, edited by Jack Zipes, and The Oxford Book of Modern Fairy Tales, edited by Alison Lurie) – She breaks all the witch stereotypes, and is very crafty.

9. Val, from Valiant, by Holly Black – Val has many flaws, but she ultimately manages to make the right decisions and fight for what is important.

10. Jacky, from Jack, the Giant Killer, by Charles de Lint – a young woman who discovers not just a whole world of magic, but also her own personal power.

Who are your favourite fairy tale characters, whether traditional, re-told, or modern?

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