Bargain Ebook: A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce

A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce is on sale for $1.99 in ebook format. Yes, it's inspired by Rumpelstiltskin.

Book description from the publisher:

The gold thread promises Charlotte Miller a chance to save her family’s beloved woolen mill. It promises a future for her sister, jobs for her townsfolk, security against her grasping uncle—maybe even true love. To get the thread, Charlotte must strike a bargain with its maker, the mysterious Jack Spinner. But the gleam of gold conjures a shadowy past—secrets ensnaring generations of Millers. And Charlotte’s mill, her family, her love—what do those matter to a stranger who can spin straw into gold? This is an award-winning and wholly original retelling of “Rumplestiltskin.”

“Set in a rural valley in the late 1700s, this reworking of the ‘Rumplestiltskin’ story includes ghosts, witchcraft, elements of Georgian society, and much earlier folk magic in the guise of a novel of manners.” —School Library Journal

“A Curse Dark as Gold beats the hell out of any fantasy novel I’ve read this year. Her heroine/narrator is immensely appealing; the atmosphere of a world on the cusp of the Industrial Revolution is completely believable; and the suspense of the story builds so craftily that I started taking notes on just how she does it.” —Peter S. Beagle, World Fantasy Award-winning author

“An intelligent, original, and interesting new take on an old fairy tale, and a marvelous debut novel.” —Teen Book Review

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Bargain Ebook: Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik for $2.99 TODAY ONLY

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik is on sale for $2.99 TODAY ONLY in ebook format. Pretty much everyone has heard of this one if not read it already. So I'll let the description speak for itself below.

Book description:

NEBULA AND HUGO AWARD FINALIST • NAMED ONE OF PASTE’S BEST FANTASY BOOKS OF THE DECADE • NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY AND ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review • NPR • Time • Tordotcom • Popsugar • Vox • Vulture • Paste • Bustle • Library Journal

With the Nebula Award–winning Uprooted, Naomi Novik opened a brilliant new chapter in an already acclaimed career, delving into the magic of fairy tales to craft a love story that was both timeless and utterly of the now. Spinning Silver draws readers deeper into this glittering realm of fantasy, where the boundary between wonder and terror is thinner than a breath, and safety can be stolen as quickly as a kiss.

Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father’s inability to collect his debts has left his family on the edge of poverty—until Miryem takes matters into her own hands. Hardening her heart, the young woman sets out to claim what is owed and soon gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold. When an ill-advised boast draws the attention of the king of the Staryk—grim fey creatures who seem more ice than flesh—Miryem’s fate, and that of two kingdoms, will be forever altered. She will face an impossible challenge and, along with two unlikely allies, uncover a secret that threatens to consume the lands of humans and Staryk alike.

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New Book: Tricked by Jen Calonita

Tricked by Jen Calonita was released earlier this year, the third in the Fairy Tale Reform School series. This has been a popular series with some clever usage of classic fairy tale characters and tropes.

Book description:

Things are changing at Fairy Tale Reform School.

At least, that's what Gilly's heard through the Enchantasia rumor mill. Word is, notorious trickster Rumpelstiltskin has taken over management from Headmistress Flora, and he's locked down the school tighter than the Pied Piper's pants. Not that this news concerns Gilly. She's been released from FTRS and is now suffering through attending Jack of All Trades School, where she gets to learn about different kinds of shoe leather and ways to measure feet. Truly riveting stuff.

But when Gilly's little sister Anna gets whisked off to FTRS thanks to her troublemaking new friends, Hansel and Gretel, Gilly knows she's got to get Anna out of there. There's only one thing to do; make some serious trouble and get thrown back into FTRS.

Bargain Ebook: The Wish Granter (Ravenspire Book 2) by C. J. Redwine

The Wish Granter (Ravenspire Book 2) by C. J. Redwine is bargain priced for $1.99 for the first time in ebook format. That is down from the usual price of $9.99 so grab it while you can. This is the second book in a planned lengthy series featuring fairy tale retellings, following The Shadow Queen which retold Snow White. This one takes a less commonly retold tale, Rumpelstiltskin which thrills me no end.

Book description:

An epic, romantic, and action-packed fantasy inspired by the tale of Rumpelstiltskin, about a bastard princess who must take on an evil fae to save her brother’s soul, from C. J. Redwine, the New York Times bestselling author of The Shadow Queen. Perfect for fans of Graceling and the Lunar Chronicles.

The world has turned upside down for Thad and Ari Glavan, the bastard twins of Súndraille’s king. Their mother was murdered. The royal family died mysteriously. And now Thad sits on the throne of a kingdom whose streets are suddenly overrun with violence he can’t stop.

Growing up ignored by the nobility, Ari never wanted to be a proper princess. And when Thad suddenly starts training Ari to take his place, she realizes that her brother’s ascension to the throne wasn’t fate. It was the work of a Wish Granter named Alistair Teague who tricked Thad into wishing away both the safety of his people and his soul in exchange for the crown.

So Ari recruits the help of Thad’s enigmatic new weapons master, Sebastian Vaughn, to teach her how to fight Teague. With secret ties to Teague’s criminal empire, Sebastian might just hold the key to discovering Alistair’s weaknesses, saving Ari’s brother—and herself.

But Teague is ruthless and more than ready to destroy anyone who dares stand in his way—and now he has his sights set on the princess. And if Ari can’t outwit him, she’ll lose Sebastian, her brother…and her soul.

New Book: Story Emporium: Five Funky Fairy Tale Plays by Dean Calusdian

Story Emporium: Five Funky Fairy Tale Plays by Dean Calusdian was released in May.

Book description:

Welcome to The Story Emporium where your favorite fables are sold and told!
A collection of fairy tale plays filled with witty humor, word play and wacky characters.

In a thrilling tale of nature gone berserk, the PIED PIPER must save the town of Hamlin from an invasion of rats. But are the townspeople willing to pay the price?

Trapped in a tower with nothing but straw, a poor maiden must turn to the aid of the mysterious man known only as RUMPLESTILTSKIN. But she doesn't realize who she's dealing with.

The barnyard is on the brink of destruction and there is no time for baking bread. Only the LITTLE RED HEN can save the day when Farmageddon is at hand.

You'll experience the giant excitement of JACK AND THE BEANSTALK and be enthralled by Snow White, the classic tale of power, betrayal and deadly fruit.

Story Emporium is packed with irreverent humor that keeps older students and parents thoroughly entertained without losing the charm and warmth of the stories young children know and love.

Each individual tale has a cast size of 4-7 performers. The full length play can be performed with a cast as flexible as 8-48, making it a directors dream.

Story Emporium is ideal for educational theater programs, The individual plays are quick to memorize and rehearse, with each role created to give students equal opportunities.

New Book: Rattlestiltskin by Eric A. Kimmel

Rattlestiltskin by Eric A. Kimmel (Author) and Erin Camarca (Illustrator) was released last month, the next in a series of retold fairy tales by Kimmel that include Jack and the Giant Barbecue and The Three Little Tamales.

Book description:

Rosalia is in debt to the strange little snake man Rattlestiltskin after he teaches her how to make tortillas so light they float in the air! Can she outsmart the trickster and keep her freedom? From renowned children's book author Eric A. Kimmel comes this delightful reimagining of the classic Rumplestiltskin with a Southwestern setting and Spanish vocabulary.

New Book: A Wild Swan: And Other Tales by Michael Cunningham

A Wild Swan: And Other Tales by Michael Cunningham was released in November 2015 but just now entered my radar. It is chock full of short, dark retellings of classic fairy tales from Rapunzel to Rumpelstiltskin. Of course, the title story is drawn from The Wild Swans, Hans Christian Andersen's version of The Six Swans.

Book description:

Fairy tales for our times from the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Hours

A poisoned apple and a monkey's paw with the power to change fate; a girl whose extraordinarily long hair causes catastrophe; a man with one human arm and one swan's wing; and a house deep in the forest, constructed of gumdrops and gingerbread, vanilla frosting and boiled sugar. In A Wild Swan and Other Tales, the people and the talismans of lands far, far away―the mythic figures of our childhoods and the source of so much of our wonder―are transformed by Michael Cunningham into stories of sublime revelation.

Here are the moments that our fairy tales forgot or deliberately concealed: the years after a spell is broken, the rapturous instant of a miracle unexpectedly realized, or the fate of a prince only half cured of a curse. The Beast stands ahead of you in line at the convenience store, buying smokes and a Slim Jim, his devouring smile aimed at the cashier. A malformed little man with a knack for minor acts of wizardry goes to disastrous lengths to procure a child. A loutish and lazy Jack prefers living in his mother's basement to getting a job, until the day he trades a cow for a handful of magic beans.

Reimagined by one of the most gifted storytellers of his generation, and exquisitely illustrated by Yuko Shimizu, rarely have our bedtime stories been this dark, this perverse, or this true.

CNN Article: Some fairy tales go back thousands of years, study says by Don Melvin

CNN put fairy tales on the front page this week with the article, Some fairy tales go back thousands of years, study says by Don Melvin.

From the article:

Read "Jack and the Beanstalk" to your kids this evening, and you are probably putting them in touch with human sentiments that are thousands of years old.

Same goes if you read them "Beauty and the Beast," or maybe "Rumpelstiltskin."

A new study has found that classic fairy tales may be "much older than previously believed," one of the authors, Jamshid Tehrani of the UK's Durham University, said Wednesday. Tehrani wrote the study with Sara Graca da Silva of the New University of Lisbon, in Portugal.

Click through the article link to read more--there's not much in the article, but the study link offers the full study. It is dense but makes for interesting reading.

And, of course, this isn't brand new theory. Try Fairytale in the Ancient World by Graham Anderson for one book about fairy tales before Straparola, Basile, and Perrault that is more readable than the study for the lay reader. The topics aren't the same, but the intent is similar.

I liked the illustrations, too, and wanted to share them before they disappear into the internet ether.

Rumpelstiltskin Card Game

Thanks to the Strategy Board Games Deal of the Day today, I discovered the Rumpelstiltskin Card Game. I wanted to give the game a separate post since there are plenty of images and such to share. I somehow missed this one and wanted to give it its due separate from posting about the sale.

Product Description:

If I want to win our game, I first must guess your true name! In Rumpelstiltskin, you and a friend take the roles of fey folk who have decided to engage in a name guessing contest. You must use your magical mischief to learn your opponent's secret name while protecting your own! Contents 20 Game cards, 2 Reference cards, 5 Victory point tokens Rulebook.

Here's some images of the cards. I was very thrilled to see that another Rumpelstiltskin variant is inside--Tim Tit Tot--usually Tom Tit Tot, but I am not quibbling. Someone actually read a fairy tale or two before inventing the game.

And if you want to see the game in action with a gamer's review, watch this:

Bargain Ebook: Sister Emily's Lightship: and Other Stories by Jane Yolen

Sister Emily's Lightship: and Other Stories by Jane Yolen is currently $1.99 for ebook format. This is a collection of short stories, many of which are inspired by fairy tales. I own it in paper, but am happy to add it to my digital library, too, for this price! From Rumpelstiltskin in "Granny Rumple" (this is the one I always think of first when I see the book) to "Godmother Death", you should be able to find a tale you enjoy here in a nice one-sitting sized bite.

Book description:

In these twenty-eight magnificent tales, which include two Nebula Award winners, Jane Yolen puts a provocative spin on familiar storybook worlds and beloved fairy tale characters

One of the most acclaimed and honored authors in science fiction and fantasy, Jane Yolen has been called “the Hans Christian Andersen of America” for her brilliant reimagining of classic fairy tales. In her first collection of short stories written for an adult audience (after Tales of Wonder and Dragonfield), Yolen explores themes of freedom and justice, truth and consequence, and brings new life to our most cherished fables and myths.

Here are storybook realms rendered more contemporary, and cautionary tales made grimmer than Grimm: Snow White is transported to Appalachia to match wits with a snake-handling evil stepmother and Beauty’s meeting with the Beast takes a twisty, O. Henry–esque turn; in Yolen’s Nebula Award–winning “Lost Girls,” a feminist revolt rocks Peter Pan’s Neverland and in the collection’s glorious title story—also a Nebula winner—the poet Emily Dickinson receives some unexpected and otherworldly inspiration. Sometimes dark, sometimes funny, and always enthralling, Sister Emily’s Lightship is proof positive that Yolen is truly a folklorist of our times.

This ebook features a personal history by Jane Yolen including rare images from the author’s personal collection, as well as a note from the author about the making of the book.

Five New Books in the It's Not About... Series by Veronika Martenova Charles

It's Not About... Series by Veronika Martenova Charles: I wrote about the first five books in this series almost three years ago. This year five more books were added. I missed these earlier this year, but I am thrilled to see they have been published. I haven't seen these but I saw the original five since they were sent to me for review and they are great tools for sharing different versions of fairy tales in a classroom or elsewhere--well, you know, away from SurLaLune which offers a similar service. These versions by Charles are easy reading level for early and middle readers with cool characters sharing the stories, so they are safe for the classroom, too, unlike some of the tales shared on SurLaLune.

Series description:

More first books for fledgling readers that offer the enjoyment of a good story with the thrill of accomplishment that comes from independent reading. Written in short, easy phrases with carefully selected vocabulary and plentiful illustrations, each book helps youngsters achieve success as they have fun.

The series follows three friends who love to share stories. In each book, one is reminded of a well-known story:

It's Not About the Ball! (Easy-to-Read Wonder Tales) is based on The Frog Prince and has The Promise from Scotland, The Frog Boy from Vietnam, and The Singing Frog from Chile

It's Not About the Tiny Girl! (Easy-to-Read Wonder Tales) is based on Thumbelina and has The Peanut Boy from Chile, Little Inch from Japan, and Baby-man from Native America

It's Not About the Diamonds! (Easy-to-Read Wonder Tales) is based on the story of Diamonds and Toads and has The Three Gnomes from Germany, Rice Cakes from Indonesia, and Old Man of the River from Africa

It's Not About the Straw! (Easy-to-Read Wonder Tales) is based on Rumpelstiltskin and has The Elf from Germany, Lady in Green from Scotland, and The Bridge from Japan

It's Not About the Beanstalk! (Easy-to-Read Wonder Tales) is based on Jack and the Beanstalk and has the Bean Tree from Appalachia, Olaf and the Troll from Norway, and Molly and the Giant from Scotland

As one friend starts his story, the others are reminded of versions they know so each volume has three stories within one framework. The stories come from around the world, and Veronika Martenova Charles provides a note at the end of each book to describe the origins.

Ebook Deals: Ed McBain Titles: Rumpelstiltskin and Cinderella

There is a new sale at Amazon: The Big Deal: Kindle Books Up to 85% Off. The prices are good until August 4th on this one, although I've learned that some books disappear from these sales once a quota is met. I'm going to share a few posts with links to various titles of interest from the sale.

Rumpelstiltskin (Matthew Hope) by Ed McBain is $1.99, usually $4.99.

Book description:

When Victoria Miller and her backing band, Wheat, broke out with a string of gold records in the sixties, the sultry chanteuse seemed shy of crowds, refusing to perform in public. Years after her last success, Victoria makes her stage debut, but the magic is long gone, and shortly after that, so is she—the victim of a brutal murder. Victoria’s six-year-old daughter, Allison, is missing too, but nobody’s come forward for a ransom. The only clue is a mysterious call—I’ll be stopping by to collect—but who’s collecting, and what? Even if Allison could be found, lawyer Matthew Hope can’t seem to locate Victoria’s missing will with Allison’s guardianship. And when Victoria’s old producer comes forward, claiming Victoria wasn’t quite the natural talent she’d seemed to be, Matthew’s left wondering who gave her the golden touch and why they’d take it back right now.

Part of Ed McBain’s masterful Matthew Hope series, Rumpelstiltskin finds the good-hearted lawyer in a plot where everyone’s a suspect, and all debts are paid in full.

Cinderella (Matthew Hope) by Ed McBain is $1.99, usually $4.99.

Book description:

Private detective Otto Samalson sees the tail—a black Toronado he can’t shake. One dark window rolls down, exposing the barrel of a gun, and the detective is dead.

Otto had already known his days were numbered and said as much to his friend, attorney Matthew Hope. Having hired Otto to watch a cheating husband for a client, Matthew is now left with only Otto’s tape recorder, filled with proof of an affair. But could the evidence lead to something larger, something that would drive a man to kill?

Meanwhile, a mysterious woman is on the run, her face and name unknown to all except two stepsisters who couldn’t care less if a violent pair of Cubans got their hands on her. If Matthew can decipher the clues in Otto’s evidence, there’s a chance he could reach the girl first and save her life.

A chilling addition to the Matthew Hope series from Ed McBain, Cinderella is the tale of a woman known by many names and the men who will do anything to find her.