Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Protagonist archetypes
Themes
Synopsis
20 fairy tales hauntingly reimagined by some of today's finest sci-fi and fantasy authors, including Joyce Carol Oates, Neil Gaiman, Tanith Lee, and more. Once upon a time, all our cherished dreams began with the words once upon a time . This is the phrase that opened our favorite tales of princes and spells and magical adventures. World Fantasy Award–winning editors Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling understand the power of beloved stories—and in Black Heart, Ivory Bones , their sixth anthology of reimagined fairy tales, they have gathered together stories and poetry from some of the most acclaimed writers of our time, including Neil Gaiman, Tanith Lee, Charles de Lint, and Joyce Carol Oates. But be forewarned: These fairy tales are not for children. A prideful Texas dancer is cursed by a pair of lustrous red boots . . . Goldilocks tells all about her brutal and wildly dysfunctional foster family, the Bears . . . An archaeologist in Victorian England is enchanted by a newly exhumed Sleeping Beauty . . . A prince of tabloid journalism is smitten by a trailer-park Rapunzel . . . A clockwork amusement park troll becomes sentient and sets out to foment an automaton revolution. These are but a few examples of the marvels that await within these pages—tales that range from the humorous to the sensuous to the haunting and horrifying, each one a treasure with a distinctly adult edge.
Black Heart, Ivory Bones: content & age rating
Intended for adult readers (18+).
This anthology reimagines classic fairy tales with explicitly adult themes including violence, horror, dysfunction, and mature situations. The stories range from dark and disturbing to sensual, and are definitively not for children.
What to know going in
This book has moderate violence, moderate sexual content, and moderate language. Content notes include domestic violence, abuse, and death (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Adult readers who enjoy dark, sophisticated retellings of familiar fairy tales will find haunting and provocative stories from acclaimed authors.