Troll's Eye View: A Book of Villainous Tales [Hardcover]

Ellen Datlow (Author), Terri Windling (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Everyone thinks they know the real story behind the villains in fairy tales?evil, no two ways about it. But the villains themselves beg to differ. In Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling?s new anthology for younger readers, you?ll hear from the Giant?s wife (?Jack and the Beanstalk?), Rumplestiltskin, the oldest of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, and many more. A stellar lineup of authors, including Garth Nix, Holly Black, Neil Faiman and Nancy Farmer, makes sure that these old stories do new tricks!

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In this follow-up to Datlow and Windling’s A Wolf at the Door (2000) and Swan Sister (2003), the duo again amass an anthology of fairy-tale retellings, only this time they keep focus upon the backstories of well-known villains. As always with such endeavors, it’s a mixed bag of funny, quirky, and downright creepy entries. A standout on the humorous side is Peter S. Beagle’s “Up the Down Beanstalk: A Wife Remembers,” in which Mrs. Giant tells all to a newspaper reporter about that infamous rascal Jack, who scrambled up the beanstalk and ended up killing Mr. Giant. On the sinister side, Kelly Link finishes off the book with an absolutely bone-chilling offering called “The Cinderella Game,” in which Peter babysits his new stepsister. The experience ends in blood, horror, and with the sense that there is no happily ever after left for anyone. Although some stories, like Neil Gaiman’s “Observing the Formalities,” require a good deal of familiarity with the original yarns, the collection is largely accessible and very enjoyable. Grades 5-8. --Daniel Kraus

Review

...highly readable and thought-provoking...A solid choice, particularly where sophisticated fractured fairy tales are popular. --School Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Viking Juvenile; 1 edition (April 16, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670061417
• ISBN-13: 978-0670061419
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #989,955 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I've been an editor for over thirty years, first in book publishing, but mostly editing short stories for OMNI Magazine and webzine, EVENT HORIZON, a webzine, and SCIFICTION, the fiction area of SCIFI.COM. I now edit original and reprint anthologies. Born and bred New Yorker, although I travel a lot.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Trolling For Great Stories, July 25, 2009

By 

Heidi Anne Heiner (SurLaLune Fairy Tales.com) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Troll's Eye View: A Book of Villainous Tales (Hardcover)

Troll's Eye View: A Book of Villainous Tales edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling is the third in a series of short story collections of fairy tale retellings, following A Wolf at the Door and Swan Sister.

I know I always care more about the contents of a short story collection like this than an actual review since I'm certain to find the book worthwhile for at least a few stories--although more than a few make this one worthshile--so I'm kindly sharing the list with my gentle readers, too. Most of the authors are the usual suspects for a collection edited by Datlow and Windling, so fans should be thrilled and newcomers have a treat in store.

Wizard's Apprentice by Delia Sherman
An Unwelcome Guest by Garth Nix
Faery Tales by Wendy Froud
Rags and Riches by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
Up the Down Beanstalk: A W Remembers by Peter S. Beagle
The Shoes That Were Danced to Pieces by Ellen Kushner
Puss in Boots, the Sequel by Joseph Stanton
The Boy Who Cried Wolf by Holly Black
Troll by Jane Yolen
Castle Othello by Nancy Farmer
`Skin by Michael Cadnum
A Delicate Architecture by Catherynne M. Valente
Molly by Midori Snyder
Observing the Formalities by Neil Gaiman
The Cinderella Game by Kelly Link

There is a mixture of fun and trauma in the stories, ending with Link's chilling "The Cinderella Game." Don't read it at bedtime if you are subject to nightmares.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars TOO GOOD FOR KIDS ONLY!, July 7, 2009

By 

Richard Bowes (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Troll's Eye View: A Book of Villainous Tales (Hardcover)

Troll's Eye View edited by Datlow & Windling will delight children. Every kid loves a villain and the dozen stories and three poems in this beautifully designed little book have a hilarious, chilling assortment.

But there's plenty here for anyone of any age. Some of the finest fantasy writers currently working contribute and reading this book I found myself thinking of Saki and Thurber and Mrs. Lovett from Sondheim's Sweeney Todd.

There's not a dud in the bunch but my favorites were Peter S. Beagle speaking as a Giant's Wife, Catherynne M. Valente finding terror and pathos in pastry and Kelly Link playing a very old game in a very modern family.

You may buy this as a gift but you'll read it and you'll keep it so buy at least two copies.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clever retellings of classics stories from the villain's point of view, April 24, 2011

By 

Michelle Boytim (Tucson, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Troll's-Eye View: A Book of Villainous Tales (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a collection of fairy tales all written from the traditional villain's point of view. The stories are short tales, each followed by a brief explanation by the author of the inspiration for the tale. Some of the tales are taken into a modern setting while some remain in a more traditional setting. In addition to the short stories there are a few poems as well. The tellings range from humor to light horror. Garth Nix does a humorous take on Rapunzel, Peter Beagle tells Jack and the Beanstalk from the Giant's wife's point of view and Catherynne Valente has a beautifully written and creative retelling of Hansel and Gretel. For some of the stories you will guess right away what the inspiration was, and others may take some time. I enjoyed all of the tales and as the book is fairly short with large print, it was a quick read.