Customer Reviews

Once upon a crime

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a sensational collection of short stories which are either parodies of classic fairy tales or short stories that the editors have found where they can see comparisons between the modern day and Black Forrest characters. Like any collection by various writers the quality varies for each story, in fact to be honest some especially the last few are pretty average but there are a substantial number of brilliant literature masterpieces.

Find out the truth about Cinderella with the story After Happily Ever. This is a superb spin on the classic tale. Of the Fog is my favourite, a sensational thriller about a guy who is targeted for vengeance by a hitchhiker who he decides not to stop for. The Better to Eat You With about a guy living in the Minnesotan wilderness who comes upon a plane crash attended by wolves is another great story. It Happened at Grandmother's House gives us an insight into what it's like to be werewolf. Clever Hans is another great tale of an Alaskan cruise gone wrong. Now Fetch Me an Axe takes the reader into the terrified writing of a girl who has just worked out she is about to murdered and has no way of escaping. Prince Charming is a who done it mystery where the hero works out who kidnapped a girl he just met and fancies. Snow White and the Eleven Dwarfs is a superb planning of catching your father's killer who happens to be your evil stepmother while hiding out from her with a group of men. There's other great stories to read as well. This is really a pretty good collection of crime stories. Once Upon a Time I read this and was happy ever after finishing it.

Children have always been fascinated by fairy tales, but many adults find the stories magical and awe inspiring also. Well renowned editors Ed Gorman and Martin H. Greenberg have come up with a collection that will tantalize the child in all of us. The famous authors put a mysterious or suspense spin on popular fairy tales like SNOW WHITE; THE EMPORER'S NEW CLOTHES, and THE BRAVE LITTLE TAILOR. Keep in mind that the endings do not always match the original story line.

There are twenty-four stories contained in the anthology that range from cozy to hard-boil. Additionally, many of the tales are placed in a contemporary setting. All the stories are fabulous, but this reviewer especially enjoined "It Happened at Grandmother's House", a tale in which the wolf is a hormonal teen (redundancy)werewolf. Anyone who enjoys fairy tales will love this entertaining short story anthology.

Harriet Klausner

Several of the stories in here were very good. There were a few that were real "stinkers"; like a rapunzel one where a computer genius escapes his captors by climbing out the window down his "hair" computer cables. And there was one that was very foul involving descriptions of very violent rapes. Overall I thought it was an ok read, but not great. I think so much more could have been done with this idea.

Ever notice most fairy tales have crimes in them? These authors certainly noticed. This anthology is a collection of crime and mystery stories based on old fairy tales. If you like crime stories, or fairy tales, or both, this book will be enjoyable to you.

Enter a world where the Snow Queen deals coke, the mob boss's twelve daughters are sneaking out every night, and Sleeping Beauty isn't sleeping but instead being held for ransom. Oh, and one of Cinderella's stepsisters is suing, and both Snow White and Rapunzel have serious mental problems.

My favorite was probably Kristine Kathryn Rusch's "Love and Justice", a sad tale in which Cinderella is found dead after becoming estranged from her husband, and a reluctant guardsman must find out whodunnit, even if he doesn't like the answer.

Fairy tales are some of my favorite types of stories. Naturally, crimes abound in these seemingly innocent tales purported to be for children. Various mystery writers have retold several well-know fairy tales using the form of the mystery genre.
The writers range from Bill Crider to Gillian Roberts. Many of the stories are average, and this audio version omits some that piqued my curiosity. For instance, Joan Hess's story about Snow White is absent. However, various narrators lend their excellent talents to this collection. This fact makes the listening experience enjoyable. My favorite stories in the collection include:

1. "After Happily Ever," by Gilian Roberts. This stoory is told from the perspective of one of Cinderella's stepsisters. She's determined to set the record straight. Is Cinderella as demure and innocent as has been reported? You decide. Barbara Rosenblat narrates this story with superb feeling.
2. "Now, Fetch Me an Ax". An English author awaits the arrival of a murderer at her door.
3. "The Brave Little Costume Designer," by Less Roberts. A hilareous spoof on Grimms' Brothers, "The Brave Little Tailor." A Broadway costume designer becomes entangled with the Mafia!
4. "Of Love and Justice." Another Cinderella variation in which guardsman at the palace must solve a murder. This story is poignant and thought-provoking.
5. "It Happened at Grandmother's House," by Bill Crider. Annother hilareous tale in which the wolf that pursues Little Red Riding-Hood is a teenage werewolf.

All in all, a good collection. God bless.