Category: Fairy Tale

Once Upon A Star — Anthology

By 5t4n5

Once Upon A Star -- AnthologyOooh, sci-fi fairy tales.

Escape: A Liza Roth Adventure — Anthea Sharp
True.Love — Alethea Kontis
Blow Your Planet Down — Shawntelle Madison
The Cyrano Solution: A Gaian Consortium Story — Christine Pope
Once You Wish — Evelyn Snow
By the Light of a Distant Star — Jenna Elizabeth Johnson
Vasilia and the Horse of Power — Jamie Ferguson
Echo — Nikki Jefford
Deadly Dance — Kasey Mackenzie
Through Time and Space: A Little Red Riding Hood Tale — Julia Crane
The Star Dragon’s Curse — Alexia Purdy
Zatarra — Phaedra Weldon
Loxley — Sarra Cannon
Candy House — Kay McSpadden

#scifi #fairytale #antheasharp #aletheakontis #shawntellemadison #christinepope #evelynsnow #jennaelizabethjohnson #jamieferguson #nikkijefford #kaseymackenzie #juliacrane #alexiapurdy #phaedraweldon #sarracannon #kaymcspadden

The Girl in Red — Christina Henry

By 5t4n5

The Girl in Red -- Christina HenryHaving read all of Christina’s previous books — which i’ve extremely enjoyed — i had very high hopes for this book: alas, it was not to be.

So “Red”, our protagonist and narator, is on a journey to her Grandma’s house across several hundred miles of the USA after a coughing plague has culled nearly all the people: basically it’s a post-apocalyptic survival story.

And the whole book is taken up with the first half of this journey until there’s an endoparasitoid-bursting-out-the-chest-thing — WTF!!!   Remember Alien and Sigourney Weaver?   Yeah, that’s what an endoparasitoid-bursting-out-the-chest-thing is.

The army turn up and the soldier guy who chases the endoparasitoid-bursting-out-the-chest-things admits to Red that the government made it in a lab.   He lets Red carry on with her journey instead of taking her to the quarantine camp, and in a few pages Red arrives at her Grandma’s.   It’s like the second half of Red’s journey didn’t happen, like she was just magically transported to her Grandma’s.   And no explanation as to the endoparasitoid and why the government would make such a thing.

And it’s this one single, silly, ridiculous idea of an endoparasitoid thrown into the story with no purpose whatsoever that completely ruins the book — and also the second half of Red’s journey being skipped over as though it didn’t really happen, or was in a completely different world to the first half.

We don’t even get to know how Grandma has been surviving or anything.

Basically, the ending is utter garbage and totally ruins the whole story.   It’s just a total nonsensical ending.

It just left me which such a disappointment.   This is far below Christina’s usual standard.

Ho hum: i suppose we all have to write something crap once in a while.

Christina’s Page

#fairytale #postapocalypse #christinahenry

The Path of Pins, the Path of Needles — KT Bryski

By 5t4n5

The Path of Pins, the Path of Needles -- KT BryskiSo this is a well weird tale to tell.

I like walking and other forms of exercise, and while i’m doing them i like to listen to various podcasts.   I usually have a good pile queued up on my phone to listen to, to make sure i never run out.

While i was out walking yesterday morning the next podcast on the list started to play and it was The Path of Pins, the Path of Needles, which, it just so happens, is a Little Red Riding Hood spin off.

How Lightspeed managed to justify shoehorning a Little Red Riding Hood spin off into a Sci-Fi magazine, and then also manage to shoehorn it onto my phone to play at exactly the same time i’m having a Little Red Riding Hood reading binge, i have absolutely no idea.   But it’s all pretty uncanny when you think about it: like there’s more to these fairy tales than we at first may think.

Best of all is that you can read it for free at Lightspeed magazine, or listen to the podcast like i did.

And why not sign up to Lightspeed Magazine Story Podcast while you’re here, or there, and make sure you never miss another great story?

KT’s Page

#fairytale #ktbryski

Little Red Riding Hood — Brothers Grimm

By 5t4n5

Little Red Riding Hood -- Brothers GrimmAlong with Perrault’s version, this was background reading for Christina Henry’s book: The Girl in Red.

While i don’t mind a bit of plagiarising, i do expect that when one does so that they have the ability to improve over the original.   The Grimm’s don’t manage that.

Sadly, this is the version that most people in UK know, and most think it’s the original.

Brothers Grimm’s Page

#fairytale #brothersgrimm

Little Red Riding Hood — Charles Perrault

By 5t4n5

Little Red Riding Hood -- Charles PerraultWhen i found out that Christina Henry was writing The Girl In Red, i did my usual with Christina’s books and went back to the past where her stories have their roots: this time it’s Little Red Riding Hood’s turn.

While most people have heard the Brothers Grimm version of this tale, most don’t realise that they plagiarised the whole thing from this book, which was written long, long before the Grimms were even born.

What’s striking about Perrault’s version is the very obvious metaphorical warning to young maidens about men who only have one thing in mind and how they will seek to mislead them to get what they want.

Shorter than the Grimm version, but much better.   Recommended for anyone interested in the tale being told properly.

Charles’ Page

#fairytale #charlesperrault

Once Upon A Curse — Anthology

By 5t4n5

Once Upon A Curse -- AnthologyI do love a good faerie tale and this looks like it has a few inside.

One day i’ll dip into it and have a little read.

Yarrow, Sturdy and Bright — Devon Monk
Fae Horse — Anthea Sharp
The Queen of Frost and Darkness — Christine Pope
Bones — Yasmine Galenorn
Magic After Midnight — C. Gockel
Dance With the Devil — Donna Augustine
No Gift of Words — Annie Bellet
The Grim Brother — Audrey Faye
Beast Inside Beauty — Danielle Monsch
Faescorned — Jenna Elizabeth Johnson
Drawn to the Brink — Tara Maya
The Variance Court — Alexia Purdy
The Morrigan — Phaedra Weldon
Alice — Julia Crane
Still Red — Sabrina Locke
The Final Straw — Jennifer Blackstream
The Unicorn Hunter — Alethea Kontis

#fantasy #devonmonk #antheasharp #christinepope #yasminegalenorn #cgockel #donnaaugustine #anniebellet #audreyfaye #daniellemonsch #jennaelizabethjohnson #taramaya #alexiapurdy #phaedraweldon #juliacrane #sabrinalocke #jenniferblackstream #aletheakontis