Troll's Eye View: A Book of Villainous Tales by Ellen Datlow, Terri Windling

From the Publisher

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!

Children's Literature

Fifteen short stories and poems make up this collection reimagining notorious fairy tale villains. Garth Nix, Peter S. Beagle, Holly Black, Neil Gaiman, Kelly Link, and many others put their unique spins on well-known characters. Standout stories include Black's "The Boy Who Cried Wolf." Black tells of Alex, a boy who cannot resist smelling a white flower, even though he is fairly certain it will turn him into a werewolf. After his transformation, he runs through the woods and encounters someone's grandmother. The reader can guess what happens from there. Nancy Farmer takes on Bluebeard in "Castle Othello." When Othello's new wife looks into the forbidden room, she expects to find his dead former wives, but gets an even bigger surprise by what is actually there. Other characters who get to tell their stories include an allegedly evil wizard, an independent—not necessarily wicked—witch, the wife of the giant Jack supposedly killed, the dimwitted troll from "Three Billy Goats Gruff," a duped Rumpelstiltskin, and many more. The brief stories are sometimes creepy, sometimes funny, and always clever. All of the stories were written specifically for this book, so fans of the many popular authors here will be happy to find original contributions. The editors include biographies for each contributor as well as lists of collections, novels, and online resources for further reading Reviewer: Amanda MacGregor

VOYA

The bad boys and girls of the fairy tale world get a voice in this deliciously dark compilation of short stories and poetry from some of young adult literature's best fantasy writers, including Holly Black, Nancy Farmer, Neil Gaiman, Garth Nix, and Jane Yolen. Many of the villains are portrayed sympathetically, such as the giant in Molly, Midori Snyder's version of Molly Whuppie, who is clearly depicted as the victim of prejudice. Even so, most keep at least one foot firmly on the dark side, like Michael Cadnum's Rumplestiltskin, who gave freely of his creative talents, yet could not—or would not—deny his taste for human babies in 'Skin. Catherynne M. Valente's haunting prequel to the Hansel and Gretel tale, A Delicate Architecture, gives a chilling account of the transformation from treasured child to wicked witch. There is humor here, too, in Neil Gaiman's poem "Observing the Formalities" in which the evil fairy from Sleeping Beauty gives a sardonic treatise on the importance of manners. The fifteen stories and poems in this character-driven collection represent a wide range of styles. Some are set in the traditional fairy-tale world, whereas others have a modern, urban feel. Whether using a familiar tale or a lesser-known one, each author creates a fresh, original world. Fans of fractured tales will be eager to explore this shadowy landscape. Reviewer: Heather Christensen

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8

In their third collection for younger readers, Datlow and Windling have solicited original pieces from 15 well-known authors; the focus this time is on the bad guys of the fairy-tale world. Some tell a traditional tale from the villain's point of view, such as Nina Kiriki Hoffman's "Rags and Riches," a version of "The Goose Girl." Others demonstrate that change in perspective puts a whole different slant on fairy tales, as in Garth Nix's Rapunzel-based "An Unwelcome Guest" and Jane Yolen's "Troll," a revisionist look at "Three Billy Goats Gruff." Several poems are included as well; Neil Gaiman's "Observing the Formalities" is priceless and wouldn't be out of place in the New Yorker . Some stories are more successful than others, but almost all are both highly readable and thought-provoking. Many are funny, several are quite scary or creepy, and the final story, Kelly Link's "The Cinderella Game," is subtly yet powerfully chilling. A solid choice, particularly where sophisticated fractured fairy tales are popular.-Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library

Kirkus Reviews

Fifteen authors, nearly all well known to fantasy readers, move to the folktale villain's side. Jane Yolen's "Troll" develops a taste for goat only after a lightning bolt cooks one on his bridge; Rapunzel is portrayed not as a witch's captive but "An Unwelcome Guest" by Garth Nix; the giant's beleaguered wife happily sees off both Jack and her oafish husband in Peter Beagle's "Up the Down Beanstalk." In one of the collection's three poems, Neil Gaiman gives Sleeping Beauty's wicked fairy voice as she insists on the importance of "Observing the Formalities." Several supposed baddies-most notably the Bluebeard figure in Nancy Farmer's "Castle Othello"-turn out to be victims of bad press, and despite his appetite for human babies even the helpful sprite in Michael Cadnum's " 'Skin" might earn some sympathy. Well, maybe not-but there's still plenty in this all-new collection to please, challenge and amuse fans of the editors' earlier gatherings, A Wolf at the Door (2000) and Swan Sister (2003). Brief author bios follow each selection; a list of further reading rounds it all out. (Fantasy/anthology. 10-13)

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