Follow a new generation of fairy tale heroines into worlds where magic awaits
What’s waiting in the deep, dark woods? Fairy tale retellings have grown into a massively popular subgenre in the last few years. Writers take the bare bones of a well-known tale like Snow White or Little Red Riding Hood and give it a spin that’s all their own. They may modernize the setting, borrow tropes from genres like horror or , or write it from a different social or cultural perspective.
There’s no better example of how fairy tales can be retold to reflect a new generation’s realities than Daniel Mallory Ortberg’s , a collection of darkly mischievous tales that upset all our expectations. Ortberg, who was in the midst of transitioning from Mallory to Daniel when his book was released, delights in shifting the gender roles of traditional fairy tales in a way that resonates strongly with LGBTQ2S audiences.
While the fairy tales we know from the Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault have a concise, simple style that condenses the stories to their basic elements, there’s a lot going on behind the scenes. They’re rich with complex family relationships, ruminations on destiny and self-determination, and some dwell on the nature of storytelling itself. These are the elements today’s fairy tale authors explore in greater depth, giving audiences a new slate of worlds and destinies to explore. They make the fairy tale the perfect springboard for with one foot in the world of magic.
There’s no better time to get lost in the woods than the fall, as the leaves turn crisp and morning mist hangs under the branches. Grab your red cape and prepare to get lost in the forest. These will lead you into worlds where peasants become princesses and witches wait in every shadow.
by Melissa Albert
A fairy tale is a dangerous thing to find yourself in. There are wolves, witches and far worse out there. Although in the children’s versions everything always works out in the end, that’s not the only way these tales are told. In Melissa Albert’s breakout The Hazel Wood, the world on the other side of the woods has a distinctively darker edge.
The Hazel Wood revisits the portal fantasy that so many people grew up loving. Every kid dreams about climbing into the closet and stepping out into Narnia. The secret doorway to a world full of magic promises an escape from the dull reality of homework and classroom bullies. But when you cross into Albert’s Hazel Wood, you see the dark truths behind the childhood fantasies. The Hazel Wood puts a chilling twist on the escapist impulse of the fantasy genre.
by Renee Ahdieh
Inspired by the great framing story of , revels in the tension between Shahrzad, the vengeful, clever protagonist and Khalid, the murderous boy-king of Khorasan. Khalid, like the king in , takes a new bride every night and to her family’s horror, each dawn she is executed. After her best friend meets this fate, Shahrzad volunteers herself, only she has a plan for revenge that will finally break the cycle.
