Black Heart, Ivory Bones [Paperback]

Ellen Datlow (Author), Terri Windling (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2000

Hair bright as gold...Lips red as blood...Heart black as sin...Truth sharp as bone...As in their previous critically acclaimed volumes of reconsidered fairy tales, award-winning editors Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling have gathered together remarkable stories that illuminate the more sinister, sensual, and sophisticated aspects of the tales we cherished in childhood; the fables of witches and princes and lost children that we once imagined we knew." Black Heart, Ivory Bones" showcases twenty beguiling tales for the child-that-was and the adult-that-is, penned by twenty of the most creative artists in contemporary American literature. Here dissected are the darker anatomies of the timeless, seemingly simple stories we have long loved. Here wonder and truth have serious bite.

" A lovelorn prince seeking his father's blessing concocts a fantastic tale of a witch, a tower, and lustrous long hair...A pair of accursed red boots punishes a beautiful dancer for her pride...A troll-killing, princess-rescuing warrior is compelled to consider events from his adversaries' point of view...In a blistering tell-all memoir, Goldilocks reveals the sordid truth about her brutal foster parent, Papa Bear..."

Rich, surprising, funny, erotic, and unsettling, these twenty new yarns and poems offer exceptional anew treasures--as they brilliantly reveal lusts and jealousies, foibles, hatreds and dangerous obsessions, the things that slyly lurk in the midnight interior of oft-told tales.As in their previous critically acclaimed volumes of reconsidered fairy tales, award-winning editors Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling have gathered together remarkable stories that illuminate the more sinister, sensual,and sophisticated aspects of the tales we cherished in childhood; the fables of witches and princes and lost children that we once imagined we knew. BLACK HEART, IVORY BONES showcases twenty beguiling tales for the child-that-was and the adult-that-is, penned by twenty of the most creative artists in contemporary American literature. Here dissected are the darker anatomies of the timeless, seemingly simple stories we have long loved. Here wonder and truth have serious bite.

"A lovelorn prince seeking his father's blessing concocts a fantastic tale of a witch, a tower, and lustrous long hair...A pair of accursed red boots punishes a beautiful dancer for her pride...A troll-killing, princess-rescuing warrior is compelled to consider events from his adversaries' point of view...In a blistering tell-all memoir, Goldilocks reveals the sordid truth about her brutal foster parent, Papa Bear...

Rich, surprising, funny, erotic, and unsettling, these twenty new yarns and poems offer exceptional new treasures---as they brilliantly reveal lusts and jealousies, foibles, hatreds, and dangerous obsessions, the things that slyly lurk in the midnight interior of oft-told tales.As in their previous critically acclaimed volumes of reconsidered fairy tales, award-winning editors Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling have gathered together remarkable stories that illuminate the more sinister, sensual, and sophisticated aspects of the tales we cherished in childhood; the fables of witches and princes and lost children that we once imagined we knew. BLACK HEART, IVORY BONES showcases twenty beguiling tales for the child-that-was and the adult-that-is, penned by twenty of the most creative artists incontemporary American literature. Here dissected are the darker anatomies of the timeless, seemingly simple stories we have long loved. Here wonder and truth have serious bite.

"A lovelorn prince seeking his father's blessing concocts a fantastic tale of a witch, a tower, and lustrous long hair...A pair of accursed red boots punishes a beautiful dancer for her pride...A troll-killing, princess-rescuing warrior is compelled to consider events from his adversaries' point of view...In a blistering tell-all memoir, Goldilocks reveals the sordid truth about her brutal foster parent, Papa Bear...

Rich, surprising, funny, erotic, and unsettling, these twenty new yarns and poems offer exceptional new treasures---as they brilliantly reveal lusts and jealousies, foibles, hatreds, and dangerous obsessions, the things that slyly lurk in the midnight interior of oft-told tales.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This sixth anthology in the adult fairy-tale series by acclaimed editors Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling presents another diverse collection of stories and poems loosely based on folklore traditions around the world. Readers familiar with previous books in the series will recognize the names of many regular contributors, including Tanith Lee, Jane Yolen, Esther Friesner, and Joyce Carol Oates, as well as works from Neil Gaiman, Charles de Lint, and others. Tanith Lee's "Rapunzel" opens the collection with a charmingly simple reconstruction of that classic fairy tale. Esther Friesner's "Big Hair" takes the same theme into the present with less cheerful results. Greg Costikyan considers the fate of an ensorcelled sleeping beauty dug up by archaeologists centuries later in "And Still She Sleeps," while Jane Yolen's "Snow in Summer" turns the tables on Snow White's evil stepmother with a deep-dish apple pie and a fry pan. Scott Bradfield's "Goldilocks Tells All" is especially memorable for its Jerry Springer-like portrayal of the ultimate dysfunctional family. Leah Cutter considers the loneliness of living under a curse in her Texas two-step story "The Red Boots." Severna Park's feminist "The Golem" revives a Jewish folktale, while Bryn Kanar's haunting "Dreaming Among Men" draws on Native American legend. Howard Waldrop's "Our Mortal Span" is perhaps the most unique story here, a surprising blend of black comedy, killer-robot story, and fairy tale. While on the whole this collection isn't as strong as previous volumes, it still delivers a fine array of thoughtful writing on some of the best-known--and yet unknown--stories we love. --Charlene Brusso

From School Library Journal

YA-Continuing their successful project of producing rich, adult-oriented anthologies with fairy-tale motifs, the editors have enlisted 20 contemporary authors to share creations that have clear roots in fairy lore. Tanith Lee, Neil Gaiman, Jane Yolen, Brian Stableford, Michael Cadnum, Charles de Lint, and Joyce Carol Oates are among the literary luminaries who have contributed new work here. Many of the settings are contemporary, the characters share the realistic traits that make those who inhabit traditional fairy stories sympathetic, and their predicaments and exploits are compelling. Brief introductions and endnotes accompanying each tale provide just enough context to enrich readers' understanding of how and why the author may have constructed this particular tale. Esther Friesner's "Big Hair," for instance, will make readers think about the JonBenet Ramsey case, but the author disclaims this association. Severna Park provides a quick but lucid argument for the comparison her tale makes between the status of women and the status of Jews. Several of the stories are presented in alternative narrative styles, including Gaiman's blank-verse entry and Susanna Clarke's epistolary format. Teen readers dedicated to exploring fairy tale and myth will delight in this new volume. Further, it invites those who might just be experimenting with the genre to delve beyond this first taste of it. Several of the tales lend themselves to directed reading and analysis.
Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Eos (March 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380786230
• ISBN-13: 978-0380786237
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,066,414 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good stuff., July 11, 2001

By 

Hillary "jezebelxiii" (abington, ma United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black Heart, Ivory Bones (Paperback)

Out of sheer boredom and lack of something better to read, I picked up this book and began reading it (it was on the shelf of a friend of mine . . . dusty and abandoned. I think I felt sorry for it). Honestly, I had my doubts. After having read numerous versions of politically correct fairy tales, I thought this would be along the same vein and completely cliche' and overdone.

Surprisingly (and most wondrously) I was wrong. This is not just a bunch of fairy tales made into gory, sex laden adult fiction. It is a great collection of short stories written by people with real narrative talent. My hat goes off to the editors for finding such gems and putting them into one easy to digest book. I have (since reading this book) gone onto other books in this series and have been just as pleased. An added bonus (as well) that I thought I would add in: throughout this series, you will find a few short stories by Neil Gaiman thrown in there. They are wonderful. He is one of my favorite writers out there, and his shorts stories are great. If you decide to venture out and buy any of the Windling/Datlow collaborations, make sure you check out his stories in particular. He's just so GOOD (yum).

Overall, I would hand this book over to anybody to read. It's fun, it's got some good stuff, and it's not hardcore sci fi/fantasy stuff like you might suspect. It's very realistic and entertaining, and you'll FLY through it.

Do yourself a favor and delve into this. You'll be glad that you did. Happy reading!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not bad at all., December 7, 2001

By 

Kelly (Fantasy Literature) (Columbia, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Black Heart, Ivory Bones (Paperback)

It's wonderful, first of all, that there are people writing these kinds of stories and making anthologies of them. I give the concept a couple of stars just for the principle of the thing.

That said, there are several standouts. My personal favorites are:

"Rapunzel", in which Tanith Lee oddly goes bright-and-happy on us, presenting the delightful tale of a prince who spins a tall tale about his chosen bride, knowing "the Dad" (that's the King to you and me) is a sucker for fairy tales.

"Big Hair", another take on Rapunzel, which takes place in modern times, in the beauty-pageant circuit, yet follows the old story almost exactly.

"And Still She Sleeps", a Sleeping Beauty retelling set in an alternate, magic-rich nineteenth-century England, and full of insight about the nature of "true love". Ends not happily, but perfectly.

Also check out "Black Thorn, White Rose." It's even better!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Stellar Anthology, October 9, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Black Heart, Ivory Bones (Paperback)

Datlow and Windling (whose other compilations have included Silver Birch, Blood Moon and Black Swan, White Raven) have outdone themselves yet again with this latest treasure trove of modern and retold fairy tales. Containing both marvelous poetry and haunting prose, it is a must have for lovers of fantasy stories. Reader's will enjoy stories such as Tanith Lee's (author of Black Unicorn)"Rapunzel" and Bryan Kanar's "Dreaming Among Men", a vivid and wonderful native american story. This is a collection definately worth picking up!