Silver Birch, Blood Moon [Paperback]

Ellen Datlow (Editor), Terri Windling (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1999

The four previous volumes in Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling's anthology series of fairly tales retold with a distinctively modern edge have been hailded by reviewers as "brilliant," "provocative," and "disturbing." In this triumphant new collection of original fiction, twenty-one of today's leading writers spin the cherished fables of childhood into glittering gold--offering magical tales for adults, as seductive as they are sophisticated.

A jealous prince plots the destruction of his hated brother's wedding by inventing a "magic" suit of clothing visible only to the pure at heart...
A young girl's strange fairy tale obsession results in a brutal murder...
An embittered mother cares for her dying son who is trapped in a thicket that guards a sleeping beauty...
In a bleak and desolate industrial wasteland, a group of violent outcasts lays the tattered myths of one Millenium to rest, and gives terrifying birth to those of the next.

Erotic, compelling, witty, and altogether extraordinary, these stories lay bare our innermost demons and desires--imaginatively transforming our youthful fantasies into things darker, slyer, and more delightfully subversive.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Forget about Andrew Lang--Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling argue that fairy tales are not the pastel fantasies of Victorian children's books but rather are drawn with primary passions: love, hate, greed, sacrifice, joy, and sorrow. Silver Birch, Blood Moon is their fifth anthology of original stories with fairy tale sources, "reimagined" for adults.

Nancy Kress retells "The Emperor's New Clothes" with a delightful twist in "Clad in Gossamer"; Harvey Jacobs unleashes laughter with "The Vanishing Virgin," starring an untalented magician, his lovely but frozen assistant, and "a balding, sullen rabbit" called Pooper; Michael Cadnum and Nalo Hopkinson present equally pointed but distinctly different takes on the story of two sisters spelled to speak according to their natures in "Toad Rich" and "Precious"; Wendy Wheeler reworks "Beauty and the Beast" using Caribbean colors in "Skin So Green and Fine"; and Richard William Asplund blends the Arabian genie with the wonder-working rabbi of Hasidic legends to create "The Dybbuk in the Bottle."

The stories here are less gruesome than in the previous collections, and both sexes claim heroic as well as villainous characters. So enter imagination's marketplace, and watch the storytellers at work. It's amazing what they can do with a bit of old legend. --Nona Vero

From the Author

Silver Birch, Blood Moon is the winner of the World Fantasy Award in 2000 for Best Anthology.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Eos; 1st edition (March 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380786222
• ISBN-13: 978-0380786220
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #572,475 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Angela Carter would be pleased November 13, 2000

By "missxaos"

Format:Paperback

The FIFTH in the series of altered faery tales, it's a heckuva good time. Evidently a modern fantasy trend, Datlow and Windling can't put these out fast enough; I believe there's at least 2 following this. These tales are good reads in their own right, but add the satisfying pop-pyschology crunch of being able to dissect the original tale through its modern and fractured counterpart and you've got a great read. While again, these are being turned out like organic vegetarian pizzas in Hell-A, I never felt cheated or subjected to a formula. These authors are varied in language and message, even if some themes are awfully similar. The worst that can be said about this particulair series is that it may have a feminist slant at times, being written mostly (16 out of 20) by women, and likely FOR, women, screw it. If you've got a problem with it, go grab something that Mike Whelan drew the cover art for. While some of the themes are a bit heavy, (domestic violence / female oppression in "Kiss Kiss") overall, it's pretty light-hearted, and dang it (can I say it again), it makes you think in an easy, cerebral but not all-encompassing way about the folktales that shaped our imaginations and interesting modifications of them. Pick it up, and the rest, too. I'll warn you if, as is inevitable in fiction trends, it becomes overdone and heavy-handed.

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Some roses among the weeds August 5, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

This is the latest in a series of fairy tales refashioned for 20th century grownups. Edited by Datlow and Windling, these original stories are by various authors -- some justifiably famous, others just as justifiably obscure. It's a mixed bundle. Standouts are Garry Kilworth's "The Frog Chauffeur," "Toad-Rich" Michael Cadnum, "Ivory Bones" by Susan Wade, and "The Sea Hag" by Melissa Lee Shaw. Nancy Kress is always worth looking for, and her "Clad in Gossamer" is no exception with its new twist on "The Emperor's New Clothes." Other worthwhile entries are Russell William Asplund's "The Dybbuk in the Bottle," Anne Bishop's "The Wild Heart," and Pat York's "You Wandered Off Like A Foolish Child To Break Your Heart and Mine." Disappointments are (surprisingly) Tanith Lee's "Kiss Kiss," "Toad" by Patricia A. McKillip, and (unsurprisingly) "The Shellbox" by Karawynn Long, who once again typically pads a story with too much maudlin emotional weight for its bones. Like the others in the series, this anthology is worth purchasing in paperback form. Its good stories can be excellent. Others are good to not- painful. The worst are no worse than forgettable.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding volume of stories October 15, 2000

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

This volume is #5 in a series of fairy tales re-told for adults and I found it to be as satisfying and exceptional as the previous volumes. I won't list my favorite stories since every reader's taste is different, and what one likes best, another will like least. What I can tell you however is that the stories are wonderfully varied in tone and approach and the book courageously mixes Big Name authors with talented lesser known writers. I have always appreciated this about all the Datlow and Windling collections, and have learned about many wonderful new writers through them. One thing you can count on with their books is that all stories, whether to your personal taste or not, are of exceptionally high literary quality, showing why Datlow and Windling are widely considered the top editors of the fantasy field. I, for one, trust their editorial taste and am so grateful for all the hard work they have done to bring us this and many other collections over the years, and to provide a market for short story writers. I consider this a truly first rate collection, and Ms. Datlow and Ms. Windling have the deep gratitude of this lover of adult fairy tales.