Red As Blood, or Tales from the Sisters Grimmer
Encyclopedia
Red as Blood, or Tales from the Sisters Grimmer is a short story collection of dark fantasy retellings of popular fairytales by British author Tanith Lee
. Contrary to what the title may suggest, it not only includes retellings of fairytales by the Brothers Grimm
, but also by Charles Perrault
, Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve
or Alexander Afanasyev
. The title story was nominated for a Nebula Award
and a World Fantasy Award
. This collection was also nominated for a World Fantasy Award.
never dared to tell them. With her brilliantly macabre pen, Tanith Lee
retells some familiar tales, and concocts some new and unusual ones, as she asks us to consider the possibility that things may not work as our fairy tales have them... In the title story, Lee shows us a perfectly good stepmother, whose Princess stepdaughter reeks of evil. Then there in Ashella, the Cinderella-like girl who, "When the Clock Strikes" intends to give her Prince Charming a deadly surprise. In 'Wolfland', Lisel takes a trip through the woods to visit her grandmother-- who bears little resemblance to the loving old woman we expect. And in "Thorns" you'll find the haunting answer to the question, "What if awakening the Sleeping Beauty turns out to be the mistake of a lifetime-- of several lifetimes, in fact?" Populated with demons and devils, vengeful gods, and not-so-innocent young girls, the nine tales of Red As Blood weave a tapestry of chilling visions, spun by the incomparably fiendish imagination of Tanith Lee
.
Tanith Lee
Tanith Lee is a British writer of science fiction, horror and fantasy. She is the author of over 70 novels and 250 short stories, a children's picture book and many poems. She also wrote two episodes of BBC science fiction series Blake's 7...
. Contrary to what the title may suggest, it not only includes retellings of fairytales by the Brothers Grimm
Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm , Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm , were German academics, linguists, cultural researchers, and authors who collected folklore and published several collections of it as Grimm's Fairy Tales, which became very popular...
, but also by Charles Perrault
Charles Perrault
Charles Perrault was a French author who laid the foundations for a new literary genre, the fairy tale, with his works derived from pre-existing folk tales. The best known include Le Petit Chaperon rouge , Cendrillon , Le Chat Botté and La Barbe bleue...
, Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve
Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve
Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, French author , influenced by Madame d'Aulnoy, Charles Perrault, and various précieuse writers....
or Alexander Afanasyev
Alexander Afanasyev
Alexander Nikolayevich Afanasyev was a Russian folklorist who recorded and published over 600 Russian folktales and fairytales, by far the largest folktale collection by any one man in the world...
. The title story was nominated for a Nebula Award
Nebula Award
The Nebula Award is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America , for the best science fiction/fantasy fiction published in the United States during the previous year...
and a World Fantasy Award
World Fantasy Award
The World Fantasy Awards are annual, international awards given to authors and artists who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of fantasy...
. This collection was also nominated for a World Fantasy Award.
Summary
Here are nine devilishly twisted fairy tales as the Brothers GrimmBrothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm , Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm , were German academics, linguists, cultural researchers, and authors who collected folklore and published several collections of it as Grimm's Fairy Tales, which became very popular...
never dared to tell them. With her brilliantly macabre pen, Tanith Lee
Tanith Lee
Tanith Lee is a British writer of science fiction, horror and fantasy. She is the author of over 70 novels and 250 short stories, a children's picture book and many poems. She also wrote two episodes of BBC science fiction series Blake's 7...
retells some familiar tales, and concocts some new and unusual ones, as she asks us to consider the possibility that things may not work as our fairy tales have them... In the title story, Lee shows us a perfectly good stepmother, whose Princess stepdaughter reeks of evil. Then there in Ashella, the Cinderella-like girl who, "When the Clock Strikes" intends to give her Prince Charming a deadly surprise. In 'Wolfland', Lisel takes a trip through the woods to visit her grandmother-- who bears little resemblance to the loving old woman we expect. And in "Thorns" you'll find the haunting answer to the question, "What if awakening the Sleeping Beauty turns out to be the mistake of a lifetime-- of several lifetimes, in fact?" Populated with demons and devils, vengeful gods, and not-so-innocent young girls, the nine tales of Red As Blood weave a tapestry of chilling visions, spun by the incomparably fiendish imagination of Tanith Lee
Tanith Lee
Tanith Lee is a British writer of science fiction, horror and fantasy. She is the author of over 70 novels and 250 short stories, a children's picture book and many poems. She also wrote two episodes of BBC science fiction series Blake's 7...
.
Contents
Red as Blood, or Tales from the Sisters Grimmer contains the following tales:- Paid Piper- Asia: The Last Century B.C. (retelling of The Pied Piper of HamelinThe Pied Piper of HamelinThe Pied Piper of Hamelin is the subject of a legend concerning the departure or death of a great many children from the town of Hamelin , Lower Saxony, Germany, in the Middle Ages. The earliest references describe a piper, dressed in pied clothing, leading the children away from the town never...
) - Red as Blood- Europe: The Fourteenth Century (retelling of Snow WhiteSnow White"Snow White" is a fairy tale known from many countries in Europe, the best known version being the German one collected by the Brothers Grimm...
) - Thorns- Eurasia: The Fifteenth Century (retelling of Sleeping BeautySleeping BeautySleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault or Little Briar Rose by the Brothers Grimm is a classic fairytale involving a beautiful princess, enchantment, and a handsome prince...
) - When The Clock Strikes- Europe: The Sixteenth Century (retelling of CinderellaCinderella"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
) - The Golden Rope- Europe: The Seventeenth Century (retelling of RapunzelRapunzel"Rapunzel" is a German fairy tale in the collection assembled by the Brothers Grimm, and first published in 1812 as part of Children's and Household Tales. The Grimm Brothers' story is an adaptation of the fairy tale Persinette by Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de La Force originally published in 1698...
) - The Princess And Her Future- Asia: The Eighteenth Century (retelling of The Frog PrincessThe Frog PrincessThe Frog Princess is a fairy tale that exists in many versions from several countries.Russian variants include the Frog Princess or Tsarevna Frog and also Vasilisa the Wise ; Alexander Afanasyev collected variants in his Narodnye russkie skazki...
) - Wolfland- Scandinavia: The Nineteenth Century (retelling of Little Red Riding HoodLittle Red Riding HoodLittle Red Riding Hood, also known as Little Red Cap, is a French fairy tale about a young girl and a Big Bad Wolf. The story has been changed considerably in its history and subject to numerous modern adaptations and readings....
) - Black As Ink- Scandinavia: The Twentieth Century (retelling of The White DuckThe White DuckThe White Duck is a Russian fairy tale collected by Alexander Afanasyev in Narodnye russkie skazki. Andrew Lang included it in The Yellow Fairy Book.-Synopsis:...
) - Beauty- Earth: The Future (retelling of Beauty and the BeastBeauty and the BeastBeauty and the Beast is a traditional fairy tale. The first published version of the fairy tale was a rendition by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, published in La jeune américaine, et les contes marins in 1740...
)