by Melissa Marr
First published 2013
Twelve celebrated contemporary authors strip down beloved literary works to their essential elements and rebuild them for modern readers. Neil Gaiman transforms Sleeping Beauty into "The Sleeper and the Spindle," while Carrie Ryan reimagines E.M. Forster's "The Machine Stops" in "That the Machine May Progress Eternally." Holly Black draws from Le Fanu's "Carmilla" for "Millcara," and Kami Garcia retells the Brothers Grimm's "Rumpelstiltskin" as "The Soul Collector." These writers work across science fiction, fantasy, dystopian fiction, and realistic fiction to create fresh interpretations of stories ranging from Edmund Spenser's "The Faerie Queene" to Kate Chopin's "The Awakening." Each author brings their distinctive voice to tales that have shaped literature, creating new versions that speak directly to twenty-first century concerns while honoring their literary ancestors.
Genres: fiction, adaptations, literary-fiction, anthologies, fantasy, 21st-century
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, retellings
356 pages · Hardcover · Little, Brown Books for Young Readers