The retelling (and twisting) of fairy tales is a common practice amongst cult fiction, whether it be The Bloody Chamber collection of stories by Angela Carter, Philip Pullman’s take on the Grimm’s Tales; even Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes gave a comical spin on well known fairy tales – particularly Red Riding Hood packing a revolver!
How To Fracture offers over twenty five different fairy tales with a twist from across Jane Yolen’s fifty-year career. They include: The Bridge’s Complaint, in which the Billy Goats Gruff are causing a nuisance to the personified bridge; The Golden Balls shows us that all is not what it seems with the Princess and The Frog; whilst Sleeping Ugly gives a twist on the obvious fairy tale counterpart from the point of view of the fairy; and Wrestling With Angels tells a story of Biblical proportions set in New York City. One of the refreshing elements of Yolen’s collection is the acknowledgement that a lot of the original stories were gruesome tales in their own right; Yolen evokes this spirit in her own work, truly fracturing the tales as the title suggests!
Meanwhile, readers will appreciate the diversity of the tales, ranging from traditional fairy, via Arthurian and Native American folklore, to the Bible. It reminds the reader that fairy tales are steeped in the culture of many countries, and this collection respects that without appropriating. However, because this anthology is drawn from an extensive career, you must appreciate that Yolen has developed as a writer so some stories are better constructed than others. Overall, How To Fracture has some well-constructed tales amongst its pages, however, whether you think they are as memorable as the work of other writers in this genre is at the discretion of the reader.
HOW TO FRACTURE A FAIRY TALE / AUTHOR: JANE YOLEN / PUBLISHER: TACHYON PUBLICATIONS / RELEASE DATE: 15TH NOVEMBER 2018
