Once Upon a Time...

As children, we all like a good fairy tale.  Well, many authors have reimagined or used fairy tales as a basis for books for adults. Based on lists compiled by the subscribers of the Fiction_L mailing list. Books suitable for young adults are noted with YA.

	Catherine Asaro. Quantum Rose Kamoj Argali is the young ruler of an impoverished province on a backward planet. To keep her people from starving, she has agreed to marry Jax Ironbridge, the boorish and brutal ruler of a prosperous province. But before Argali and Ironbridge are wed, a mysterious stranger from a distant planet sweeps in and forces Kamoj into marriage, throwing her world into utter chaos. Beauty & the Beast
	Margaret Atwood. Good Bones and Simple Murders In this compilation of short works that defy easy categorization, Margaret Atwood displays the trademark wit and virtuosity of her bestselling novels, brilliant stories, and insightful poetry. Among the miniatures gathered here are Gertrude offering Hamlet a piece of her mind, the real truth about the Little Red Hen, a reincarnated bat explaining how Bram Stoker got Dracula all wrong, and the five home-economist methods of making a man. There are parables, monologues, prose poems, condensed science fictions, reconfigured fairy tales, and other diminutive masterpieces -- punctuated with charming illustrations by the author. Collection
	Peter S. Beagle. The Last Unicorn A unicorn, a haphazard wizard, and a spunky scullery woman journey to the dreaded kingdom of Haggaard, an evil ruler who, with the help of a bull-shaped demon, imprisons all the unicorns of the world.
	Francesca Lia Block. The Rose and the Beast This retelling of classic fairy tales introduces Charm, Snow, and Tiny, and tells of how each heroine triumphs because of the strength she finds in a pen, a paintbrush, a lover, a friend, a mother, and, finally, herself. Collection
	A.S. Byatt. The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye The magnificent title story of this collection of fairy tales for adults describes the strange and uncanny relationship between its extravagantly intelligent heroine--a world renowned scholar of the art of story-telling--and the marvelous being that lives in a mysterious bottle, found in a dusty shop in an Istanbul bazaar. Collection
	Orson Scott Card. Enchantment The moment Ivan stumbled upon a clearing in the dense Carpathian forest, his life was forever changed. Atop a pedestal encircled by fallen leaves, the beautiful princess Katerina lay as still as death. But beneath the foliage a malevolent presence stirred and sent the ten-year-old Ivan scrambling for the safety of Cousin Marek's farm.Now, years later, Ivan is an American graduate student, engaged to be married. Yet he cannot forget that long-ago day in the forest--or convince himself it was merely a frightened boy's fantasy. Compelled to return to his native land, Ivan finds the clearing just as he left it.This time he does not run.This time he awakens the beauty with a kiss... and steps into a world that vanished a thousand years ago. Sleeping Beauty YA
	Ellen Datlow & T. Windling. Snow White, Blood Red and others The characters of fairy tale--Jack with his beanstalk, Rapunzel in her tower, Puss and his boots--may seem like the comfortable and cuddly playthings of our childhood, but in the hands of writers like Gahan Wilson, Tanith Lee, and Jane Yolen, the charming stories in our memories take on a darker, more sinister edge. Collection
	Pamela Dean. Tam Lin A modern retelling of an ancient Scottish fairy tale sets the story of a girl whose lover is stolen by the Queen of Faeries against the backdrop of a midwestern college campus in the late sixties. Celtic
	Charles De Lint. Greenmantle and others Not far from the city there is an ancient wood, forgotten by the modern world, where Mystery walks in the moonlight. He wears the shape of a stag, or a goat, or a horned man wearing a cloak of leaves. He is summoned by the music of the pipes or a fire of bones on Midsummer's Evening. He is chased by the hunt and shadowed by the wild girl. When he touches your dreams, your life will never be the same again.
	Emma Donoghue. Kissing the Witch : Old Tales in New Skins A collection of thirteen interconnected stories that give old fairy tales a new twist. Collection
	Susan Fletcher. Shadow Spinner When Marjan, a thirteen-year-old crippled girl, joins the Sultan's harem in ancient Persia, she gathers for Shahrazad the stories which will save the queen's life. Arabian Nights YA
	Neil Gaiman. Stardust and others Young Tristan Thorn vows to retrieve a fallen star to win the hand of beautiful Victoria Forester. In his search, Tristan is propelled into a strange world where fallen stars come in many guises. Contemporary YA
	Priscilla Galloway. Truly Grim Tales A guilt-ridden prince with a foot fetish seeking his glass-slippered dance partner and a beauty contest winner as Snow White's murderous stepmother are featured in two of the original " grim " plots in this young adult collection loosely based on eight traditional fairy tales. Collection YA
	Adele Geras. Watching the Roses After being raped at her eighteenth birthday party, an English girl, whose life resembles a modern version of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale, withdraws into silent thoughts of her unusual family and the events that led to her trauma. Sleeping Beauty YA
	William Goldman. The Princess Bride Fond remembrance of a fairy tale his father read to him in childhood leads an author into re-telling it to his own son. Contemporary
	Gunter Grass. The Flounder It all begins in the Stone Age, when a talking fish is caught by a fisherman at the very spot where millennia later Grass's home town, Danzig, will arise. Like the fish, the fisherman is immortal, and down through the ages they move together. Grimm's The Fisherman and His Wife
	Margaret Peterson Haddix. Just Ella In this continuation of the Cinderella story, fifteen-year-old Ella finds that accepting Prince Charming's proposal ensnares her in a suffocating tangle of palace rules and royal etiquette, so she plots to escape. Cinderella YA
	James Herbert. Once Bestselling author Herbert opens a door into a place of wonder and terrible danger; where the unexpected becomes the norm, where the separation between dreams and nightmares is thin, and where "Once upon a time . . ." doesn't always lead to a happy ending. Contemporary
	Alice Hoffman. Aquamarine A love-struck mermaid named Aquamarine supplies adventure and insights to two twelve-year-old girls, life-long friends who are spending their last summer together before one of them moves away Little Mermaid
	Graham. Joyce. The Tooth Fairy Sam and his friends are like any gang of normal young boys. Roaming wild around the outskirts of their car-factory town. Daring adults to challenge their freedom. Until the day Sam wakes to find the Tooth Fairy sitting on the edge of his bed. Not the benign figure of childhood myth, but an enigmatic presence that both torments and seduces him, changing his life forever. Is she real or just a figment of his turbulent imagination? All Sam knows, as he painfully grows from childhood to adolescence, is that she is never very far away... Contemporary
	M.M. Kaye. The Ordinary Princess At her christening, a princess is given the gift of "ordinariness" by a fairy, and the consequences of that eventually take her to a nearby palace where, as the fourteenth assistant kitchen maid, she meets the prince for her. Contemporary YA
	Patricia Kindl. Goose Chase Rather than marry a cruel king or a seemingly dim-witted prince, an enchanted goose girl endures imprisonment, capture by several ogresses, and other dangers, before learning exactly who she is. Goose Girl YA
	Ellen Kushner. Thomas the Rhymer Abducted by the Queen of Elfland, True Thomas, the brilliant Rhymer, lives unaging with her in Faerie's inhuman splendor. Finally, Thomas is returned to the world of work and passing time, with only his harp and the Queen's parting gift: the inability to speak anything but the truth. Celtic
	Mercedes Lackey. Fire Rose Accepting a governess position in San Francisco after her father's death, Rosalind Hawkins is disturbed when her only contact with her new employer is through a speaking tube but finds joy in her assignment--to read wonderful literature to him. Beauty and the Beast
	Mercedes Lackey. Firebird A young nobleman glimpses the legendary Firebird as it steals cherries from his father's orchards, and he journeys through a fantastical version of Old Russia to find the Firebird and fall in love. Firebird (Russian)
	Mercedes Lackey. Serpent's Shadow Can one young woman harness her magical powers in time to save herself from a vindictive sorceress who has followed her halfway around the world? "The Serpent's Shadow"--by the bestselling author of the Valdemar novels--is the first of three stand-alone fantasies inspired by classic fairy tales and set in turn-of-the-century London. Snow White
	Mercedes Lackey. Gates of Sleep Marina is the cherished daughter of the wealthy Saverson family, practioners of Elemental Magic. But all is not well in this elegant, aristocratic household. Evil portents have warned her father that Marina will be killed before her eighteenth birthday-by the hand of her own aunt. And no one is sure if the family magic is powerful enough to overturn the prophesy. Sleeping Beauty
	Gail Carson Levine. Ella Enchanted and others In this novel based on the story of Cinderella, Ella struggles against the childhood curse that forces her to obey any order given to her. At birth, Ella of Frell was given the gift of obedience by a fairy. Ella soon realizes that this gift is little better than a curse, for how can she truly be herself if at any time anyone can order her to hop on one foot, or cut off her hand, or betray her kingdom--and she'll have to obey? Ella 's quest to break the curse and discover who she really is, is both funny and poignant. Cinderella YA
	Rebecca Lickiss. Never After A prince in search of a bride, a lady in search of adventure, and a wizard in search of a job each follow a folktale to a remote castle buried in thorns and briars and find what they seek in this delightful non-Grimm fairy tale. YA
	Gregory Maguire. Confessions of an Ugly StepSister The acclaimed author of Wicked conjures up a fresh perspective on the timeless tale of Cinderella in this provocative, superbly written story about the true meaning of beauty. Cinderella
	Juliet Marillier. Daughter of the Forest (Sevenwaters Trilogy) This novel is the beginning of a trilogy filled with history and fantasy, myth and magic, and legend and love. Sorcha, the seventh child of Lord Column of Sevenwaters, is destined to defend her family and protect her land from the Britons Northwoods clan. Celtic
	Patricia McKillip. Winter Rose Roaming wild and barefoot in the woods that border Lynn Hall, Rois Melior meets Corbet Lynn, who has returned to rebuild the estate of his murdered grandfather, and Rois becomes obsessed with Corbet's secret past and the curse that haunts him. Celtic
	Patricia McKillip. Tower at Stony Wood During wedding celebrations for his king, Cyan Dag, a knight of Gloinmere, is told by a mysterious bard the king has married a false queen--a lie cloaked in ancient and powerful sorcery. Cyan departs on a quest to rescue the real queen, to prevent a war, and awaken magic in a land that has lost its way.
	Dennis McKiernan. Once upon a Winter's Night The bestselling author of the "Mithgar" books turns his talents to a phantasmic retelling of the classic French fairy tale "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" in which a young woman enters into a peril-filled marriage to a mysterious prince. East of the Sun, West of the Moon
	Robin McKinley. Beauty and others Kind Beauty grows to love the Beast at whose castle she is compelled to stay and through her love releases him from the spell which had turned him from a handsome prince into an ugly beast. Beauty and the Beast YA
	Donna Jo Napoli. Beast and others Elaborates on the tale of "Beauty and the Beast ," told from the point of view of the beast and set in Persia. Beauty and the Beast YA
	Donna Jo Napoli. The Magic Circle YA After learning sorcery to become a healer, a good-hearted woman is turned into a witch by evil spirits and she fights their power until her encounter with Hansel and Gretel years later. Hansel and Gretel
	Patrick O'Leary. The Gift The Gift is a story wrapped inside another story, and like any gift, the unwrapping is almost as important as what's inside. Inside this gift is a story of innocence betrayed and magic rejected. A boy named Tim is robbed of his childhood; a young king named Simon is tormented by hearing made magically acute. Both are victims of The Usher of the Night, once a boy like them, but now pathetically twisted by his own ambition and the malevolent creature of magic called Tomen. Together Simon and Tim must rid their land of the old, near-forgotten magic perverted by the misuse of Tomen and The Usher. Contemporary
	Terry Pratchett. Witches Abroad When Death takes her fairy godmother, Princess Emberella is left in the care of her other not-so-good-and-wise godmother. It's up to the three witches--Magrat Garlick, Granny Weatherwax, and Nanny Ogg--to hop on their broomsticks and make for far-distant Genua to ensure the servant girl "doesn't" marry the Prince. The 12th novel in the Discworld series. Cinderella
	Philip Pullman. I Was a Rat A little boy turns life in London upside down when he appears at the house of a lonely old couple and insists he was a rat. Cinderella YA
	Elizabeth Ann Scarborough. The Godmother (series) One day in Seattle, social worker Rose Samson made a wish for a fairy godmother to save "the whole damned city". She wasn't expecting a miracle. But then again, no one expects Felicity Fortune.
	Gary D. Schmidt. Straw into Gold Pursued by greedy villains, two boys on a quest to save innocent lives meet the banished queen whose son was stolen by Rumpelstiltskin eleven years earlier, and she provides much more than the answer they seek. Rumplestiltskin YA
	Josepha Sherman. Once upon a Galaxy Includes fifty folktales from around the world, relating them to contemporary fantasy, science fiction, and cartoon themes. Collection
	Sean Stewart. Nobody's Son After breaking a curse that has troubled the kingdom for years, Shielder's Mark is rewarded with the hand of a princess only to find married life to be as difficult as any magical foe he's ever faced. Contemporary YA
	Rosemary Sutcliff. Tristan and Iseult Retells the Celtic legend of the love between the warrior Tristan and Iseult , the wife of King Marc of Cornwall. Celtic
	Sheri Tepper. Beauty Set against a backdrop both enchanted and frightening, the story begins with a wicked aunt's curse that will afflict a young woman named Beauty on her sixteenth birthday. Though Beauty is able to sidestep tragedy, she soon finds herself embarked on an adventure of vast consequences. For it becomes clear that the enchanted places of this fantastic world--a place not unlike our own--are in danger and must be saved before it is too late. Sleeping Beauty
	Roderick Townley. The Great Good Thing Nothing ever changes inside the storybook kingdom inhabited by twelve-year-old Princess Sylvie, her parents, and many other characters until Sylvie discovers that by allying herself with the Reader she can experience new adventures beyond the confines of the book. Contemporary YA
	Vivian Vande Veldt. The Rumpelstiltskin Problem A collection of variations on the familiar story of a boastful miller and the daughter he claims can spin straw into gold. Rumpelstiltskin
	Vivian Vande Veldt. Tales From the Brothers Grimm and Sisters Weird Presents thirteen twisted versions of such familiar fairy tales as Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Hansel and Gretel, and The Three Billy Goats Gruff. Collection
	Susan Wilson. Beauty Every reader is familiar with the popular tale of Beauty and the Beast. But what if the fairy tale came true? Beauty tells the story of a modern woman who learns to love the deeper man, beyond all appearances; it is a totally credible, contemporary retelling of the classic tale. Beauty and the Beast
	Patricia C. Wrede. Snow White and Rose Red The Brothers Grimm tale about a wicked sorcerer, an enchanted prince, two beautiful sisters, and a pair of mischief makers who bring havoc to the enchanted forests of Elizabethan England is retold for adults. Snow White & Rose Red
	Jane Yolen. Briar Rose Ever since she was a child, Rebecca has been enchanted by her grandmother Gemma's stories about Briar Rose. But a promise Rebecca makes to her dying grandmother will lead her on a remarkable journey to uncover the truth of Gemma's astonishing claim: I am Briar Rose . A journey that will lead her to unspeakable brutality and horror. But also to redemption and hope. Sleeping Beauty YA
	Jane Yolen. Twelve Impossible Things Before Breakfast In these twelve modern myths and tales for the young and the young at heart, Jane Yolen transforms the impossible into the familiar and real. Among the outlandish wonders are an Alice grown tough in Wonderland, a dear--but dead--mother's homecoming, a bridge that longs for a goat-eating troll, and a mutiny among Peter Pan's troops. Collection YA