Troll's-Eye View: A Book of Villainous Tales in Into the Forest

Jan 05, 2012 Christine rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: rumpelslitken, tricksters, shakespeare, h-c-andersen, fantasy-myth-and-fairy, bluebeard, rapunzel, diverse-and-women-authors, cinderella, trolls

I've been slightly p.oed even since Datlow and Windling stopped editiing thier adult collections and focused on YA collections. Now, I understand YA is hot (though most of it seems slightly silly), but still. Anyway, with this collection I think I understand why they did it or perhaps I figured out a plus side to this.

This collection has stories told from the villian's point of view. Most of the stories are very good; in particular Peter S. Beagle's story stands out as does the ending of Ellen K ...more

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Dec 19, 2015 Katy rated it liked it

Shelves: forest_2015

Very cute stories from the villain's viewpoint. ...more

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Nov 16, 2012 Grace rated it liked it

My boyfriend and I purchased this book from the local Borders that was going out of business. I found it very enjoyable to read and well worth my time. My favorites were 'Faery Tales' by Wendy Froud, 'A Delicate Architecture' by Catherynne M. Valente, and 'The Cinderella Game' by Kelly Link.
'Faery Tales' is a poem about "what happened to the young women who find their heart's desire at the end of the fairy tale. What do they become? Perhaps in the end they become those dark characters-the stepm My boyfriend and I purchased this book from the local Borders that was going out of business. I found it very enjoyable to read and well worth my time. My favorites were 'Faery Tales' by Wendy Froud, 'A Delicate Architecture' by Catherynne M. Valente, and 'The Cinderella Game' by Kelly Link.
'Faery Tales' is a poem about "what happened to the young women who find their heart's desire at the end of the fairy tale. What do they become? Perhaps in the end they become those dark characters-the stepmothers, the witches, and the enchantresses-for the next generation of young questing women, choosing in their wisdom to be cruel or kind, benign or malevolent as they see fit." A very original concept.
I love 'A Delicate Architecture' because it retells my second favorite fairytale, Hansel and Gretel. This story is about the witch, and told by the author of The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland, which I had neither read nor heard of at the time. The writing is very lyrical and detailed, about how the witch in the classic tale was actually a girl named Constanze created out of candy by her father, a confectioner. It is a heart wrenching tale of how she is abandoned by her father in exchange for the love of the empress, whom Constanze was created in the image of. Constanze is then hung up in the castle kitchen as a mere object, to provide flavors for the royal's food from her own body parts, which are made of sweets. As she grows old, she finally escapes the kitchen to make a cottage in the forest and...we know the rest.
'The Cinderella Game' is about a boy named Peter and his little step-sister named Darcy. They are home alone and Darcy pays Peter her birthday money so that he will play a game with her. It's where Peter pretends to be an 'evil' Cinderella as they play hide and seek in the house. However, the game goes horribly wrong. I loved that the story is open to interpretation and has very realistic child voices in it.
Overall, this book is a great read for anyone who loves fairy tales and re-tellings, and the stories I mentioned in this review are reason enough to check this out. ...more

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Mar 28, 2014 Julia rated it really liked it

Shelves: fairies-fae-faeries, short-stories, ya, based-on-folksong-myth, urban-fantasy, fantasy, magical-realism, middle-grade, ya-challenge-13

“Up the Down Beanstalk: A Wife Remembers” by Peter S. Beagle is the giant’s Wife’s take on what happened when Jack climbed the Beanstalk. “The Shoes that were Danced to Pieces” by Ellen Kushner is told from the oldest responsible daughter’s POV and is a retelling of ‘The Twelve Dancing Princesses.’ “A Delicate Architecture” by Catherynne M. Valente is about a family of candy makers, or are they witches, who use sugar as their magic? It's a delightful story. Alex in “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” by Ho ...more

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Dec 05, 2011 Nora Peevy rated it liked it

Troll's Eye View: A Book of Villainous Tales edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling is a great young adult collection of retold fairy tales and new fairy tales. The twist is telling the story from the villain's perspective. I can't pick a favorite. They were all so good. This is a quick read and entertaining for adults and teens alike. ...more

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