Toad Words and Other Stories is a collection of fairy tale retellings by T. Kingfisher (Ursula Vernon) most of which were published previously on her blog, though there is at least one new story. I’ve read a couple of the stories when they were on her blog, but there were a number that were new to me. I really enjoy Kingfisher’s approach to fairy tales, where magic may exist but that’s no reason to throw logic out the window.
For the most part this book covers the more well known fairy tales, The Little Mermaid, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, etc. There are a couple like a Loathly Lady story which may be known to fans of the fairy tale genre but aren’t Disney popular.
As with most of Kingfisher’s stories, there are animal companions, and animals are never the villains. Even Little Red Ridding Hood casts the wolf as a friend against a woodsman who won’t take no for an answer. My favorite example of this is Boar and Apples, which recasts the dwarves in Snow Whited and the Seven Dwarves as boars who dig for truffles rather then gold.
I like how Kingfisher captures the day-to-day feeling of magic in fairy tales. In the Grimm (and other collector) version of the stories people just don’t question that animals talk or magic happens and that element is very much in these stories. It might be unusual for animals to talk, but it’s not unheard of and for heroines take it all in stride.
If you like fairy tale retellings, I absolutely recommend that you check this collection out. As a bonus amusement, if you can increase the size of the cover take a look at the little blurb. If you find that even the littlest bit funny I think I can say that you’ll quite enjoy these stories.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.