Black Thorn, White Rose [Paperback]

Ellen Datlow (Author), Terri Windling (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1995

Once upon a time . . . World Fantasy Award-winners Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling compiled an extraordinary anthology of adult fairy tales entitled Snow White, Blood Red. Now, once more, they return us to the realm of myth and the fantastic - with eighteen remarkable tales that remold our most cherished childhood fables into things darker and sexier, more resonant and appealing to grown-up tastes and sensibilities. Here are the wondrous works of masters who cloak the magical fictions we heard at grandma's knee in mantles of darkness and dread. Here are stories strange and miraculous, of rare and haunting beauty - from Roger Zelazny's delightful narrative of a contemporary knight's service to his godfather Death . . . to Peter Straub's blood-chilling examination of a gargantuan Cinderella and her terrible twisted "art." Between these covers Patricia C. Wrede entices and enthralls with a tale of a keep, a curse and a love stronger than death and time . . . while Storm Constantine transforms a charming and timeless fable into a decidedly horrific yarn about a conjured princess too good to be true. Once upon a time . . . the Gingerbread Man ran gleeful and free. Now he flees in terror from the baking pan to the fire. Once upon a time . . . Rampel stillskin was a heinous villain. Now he is a victim doomed to a cruel and tragic fate. Once upon a time . . . there was a childlike innocence. Now there is only the truth.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Datlow and Windling (Snow White, Blood Red), winners of the World Fantasy Award for Best Anthology, have compiled a second volume of "fairy tales for adults"-an enchanting, witty collection of 18 original stories that in general achieve relevance without losing their patina of magic. A case in point is Jane Yolen's brilliant retelling of Rumpelstiltskin story, in which the "imp" is a Jewish moneylender caught in a pogrom because he helped the wrong princess. Equally impressive is Midori Snyder's subtly feminist story about how to keep love alive after "happily ever after" has been going on for a while. Several comic entries include Michael Cadnum's hip retelling of the Gingerbread Man story, Howard Waldrop's entry about about Prohibition gangsters at a music festival. The anthology's many powerful themes (e.g., the tyranny of beauty, the sanctity of life) are taken up as suitably by the traditional fantasy voices of Patricia C. Wrede and Nancy Kress as they are in Roger Zelazny's more experimental entry. Even more than its predecessor, this superior volume proves that the notion of modern-day Grimms, Andersens and Wildes isn't just a fairy tale.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

The editors of the annual Year's Best Fantasy and Horror concoct a potent brew of fairy tales spiked with feminism. These intoxicating delights are not meant for children or the timid. Storm Constantine retells the princess and the pea through the voice of the widowed queen of Gordania, a narrator so wickedly charming, sinister, and intimate with the use of poisons that she brings to mind ancient Rome's Livia. In Nancy Kress's version of Rumpelstiltskin, an enchanted young woman surrenders her talent to spin gold, and ultimately her own life, to save her only son. Susan Wade presents overweight princess Ylianna who, to gain the love of a prince, uses a toxic powder to metamorphose into a raven-haired beauty. Life as a mortal is so unbearable after his rejection that Ylianna transforms her wounded spirit into the magnificent black swan. Death gains a face--and a godson--in Roger Zelazny's witty story about the grim reaper who, despite his power of death-over- life, cannot resist sparing his favorite football players. No matter which tour you take through this frightening and dark enchanted wood, Datlow and Windling again prove themselves the best guides. -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: prime (October 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380771292
• ISBN-13: 978-0380771295
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,244,292 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Once upon a time fairy tales were for adults, March 18, 1998

By 

Keith Vaglienti (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Black Thorn, White Rose (Paperback)

Many people don't realize that the fairy tales we grew up on were not always stories aimed at children. As is discussed in the forward of this book, the original fairy tales were frequently much darker and disturbing than the ones we are familiar with today. Sleeping Beauty, for example, is not brought awake by the chaste kiss of Prince Charming but rather the suckling of the twin babies she has born, having been impregnated by the less-than-charming prince while she slept. It was only during the Victorian period, when realism became the fashion, that these stories were relegated by men to the domain of women and children, being sanitized in the process so as not to upset the more delicate sensibilities.

This anthology, along with its companion volumes, returns the fairy tale to its roots. In doing so it strikes a chord deep within us. The stories contained within are both familiar and strange at the same time. Because of this they are sometimes eerily disturbing, sometimes heart-wrenchingly poignant, always entertaining.

The one drawback of this collection, as with any anthology, is that style and quality vary according to author. The good news is that most of these stories are very well written and if you run across one you don't like, you can always move on to the next.

If you're looking for something enjoyable to read, you could do far worse than this collection. Overall I strongly recommend this book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best of this series I've read yet..., 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 Thorn, White Rose (Paperback)

...Now, admittedly, I'm only halfway through the series. I've read _Black Heart, Ivory Bones_ and _Ruby Slippers, Golden Tears_, liked them both for the most part, and yet this volume (second in the series, chronologically) tops them both. There are so many wonderful stories...here are some of the highlights:

"Stronger Than Time", a poignant take on Sleeping Beauty, sad yet hopeful.

"Somnus' Fair Maid", Sleeping Beauty again; this time it's a delightful Regency romp. No supernatural elements, but plenty of magic.

"The Brown Bear of Norway", a touching teen romance between a lonely girl and her mysterious pen pal.

"Tattercoats"--this is what comes _after_ "happily ever after". The Princess has been married to her beloved for ten years, and their marriage has become a dull routine...but she is going to fight for it, with the help of three magical gifts. Sexy, sexy, very sexy, and also made me cry.

"Godson", in which a young man has the Grim Reaper himself as a mentor. They fall out over whether certain people should be spared. Darkly comic; the ending is hilarious.

"The Black Swan"--seems to be a blend of Cinderella, Swan Lake, and Pygmalion. A pretentious serving-man trains an awkward princess in social graces and gives her a makeover; this story is both a heartbreaking tale of shapeshifting, and a barbed commentary on beauty standards of any time.

And the trouble is, I just know I'm going to think of three more stories I loved as soon as I log off the computer. BUY THIS BOOK. All these incredible stories, and cheap! LOL...

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More of the (great) same, April 18, 2001

By 

Fabio Rossi (Milano, MI Italy) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black Thorn, White Rose (Paperback)

The good AND bad thing about Datlow's anthologies is that they sort of lack a common theme in the selection of stories. Thus with each book you're bound to find some items which fit your tastes and capture you, and some which you'll find absurdely boring or uninteresting just because of some old grudge against a particular character or theme. Having said this, if you're even remotely interested in "mature audiences" fairytales, you'd better go and get hold of this and the other titles in the series.