As a queer girl rising up, it was fairly simple to neg on all issues fairy-tale. Maybe I had purpose to, as mockery of all issues Disney has grown fashionable lately.
The reality, although, was that regardless of how eye-rollingly saccharine and over-the-top fairy tales have been, my greatest criticism was that I couldn’t see myself or folks like me of their pages or on my tv display. That bitterness put me off fairy tales proper up till I found a pivotal style: queer fairy-tale retellings.
Queer retellings have grown more and more fashionable over time. The breadth of mythological tales provides authors room so as to add their very own spin, reworking previous heteronormative tales into one thing recent and thrilling.
To have fun Grownup Fairy Tales Week, we’ve rounded up one of the best queer fairy-tale reads — from younger grownup romance to spine-chilling horror — that you simply owe it to your self to learn at the very least as soon as.
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Cinder (2012) by Marie Sexton
Cinderella? Attempt Cinderfella.
Sexton’s quick novella that reimagines the traditional story, staying true to the unique whereas including a enjoyable, homosexual twist. Eldon Cinder needs solely to see his buddy, Prince Xavier, one final time on the royal ball. However solely ladies are invited to bounce with the prince. So Eldon visits a neighborhood witch, who grants his want — with an enormous catch.
Sexton’s tackle the story is deliciously and deliriously camp, however with an edge to her prose that doesn’t trigger Cinder to really feel ridiculous. The story runs on the quick facet, however that solely enhances the pacing, making Cinder a straightforward learn to complete in a single sitting.
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Unburied Fables (2016) by Artistic Aces Publishing
Graphic: Polygon
What’s higher than one queer fairy-tale reimagining? A number of of them, in fact! That includes authors that ranged from college students to seasoned skilled writers, Unburied Fables tackles quite a lot of completely different fairy-tale classics like Magnificence and the Beast, in addition to extra unknown, non-Western tales that you could be not have heard of earlier than.
As with every anthology, the standard of every story varies however that’s what makes Unburied Fables so intriguing within the first place. There’s one thing for everybody, from a polyamorous twist to an aromantic protagonist who doesn’t actually wish to be in a fairy-tale in any respect.
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The 100 Nights of Hero (2016) by Isabel Greenberg
Graphic: Polygon
The 100 Nights of Hero is a graphic novel that follows Cherry, a noblewoman whose husband, Jerome, places her up for grabs in a wager together with his buddy Manfred: if he seduces Cherry in lower than 100 nights, he will get her and Jerome’s citadel. Fortuitously for Cherry, her maid and lover Hero has simply the factor to maintain Manfred at bay: epic tales of affection and betrayal.
Whereas not a standard retelling, The 100 Nights of Hero is probably the most blatant sapphic, feminist reimagining of The Arabian Nights we’ve had the possibility to learn. It’s additionally unfathomably sensible, with Greenberg’s vivid artwork model and darkly humorous narrative leaving you guffawing one second and feeling morose in regards to the state of the world the subsequent.
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Extra Than Sufficient (2017) by Elizabeth Wambhein
Graphic: Polygon
Whereas many queer retellings of traditional fairy tales take a romantic strategy, Elizabeth Wambhein’s queer reimagining of Magnificence and the Beast takes a really completely different path—and is all of the extra compelling for it.
As an alternative of Belle, we comply with Petra, a gardener on the nation manor Prince Fier — a noble recognized to be extra beast than man — deserted years earlier. Solely, is Fier really gone, and if not, what does this imply for Petra and Fier’s relationship?
Complicated and sickeningly candy, Wambhein unpacks the unique story in such an modern and distinctive method that you simply’ll be hard-pressed to discover a higher reimagining.
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Peter Darling (2017) by Austin Chant
Graphic: Polygon
The concept of a magical, far-off place the place you by no means should develop up has all the time sounded thrilling as a baby. Nonetheless, as Austin Chant explores in his queer retelling of Peter Pan, the fantasy doesn’t fairly reside as much as the fact for Peter. Quite the opposite, after 10 years away dwelling in the actual world as Wendy Darling, Peter’s return alerts a brand new, awfully huge journey.
Although it is a quick learn, Peter Darling is a terrific romp that has Peter grappling with what it actually means to be Peter Pan, the chief of the Misplaced Boys, whereas staying true to the unique story’s marvel and magic. And if that doesn’t persuade you to attempt Peter Darling, maybe the concept of Peter discovering a lot to like in his previous rival, the terrifying Captain Hook, will likely be sufficient to push you over the sting.
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The Magic Fish (2020) by Trung Le Nguyen
Graphic: Polygon
Trung Le Nguyen’s beautiful graphic novel debut attracts on the whimsy of fairy tales like Cinderella and The Little Mermaid, reimagining them to bridge the communication hole between Tien, a younger boy, and his Vietnamese immigrant dad and mom.
Via fairy tales, Tien’s dad and mom enhance their English over time, and their bond with Tien continues to develop. Le Nguyen’s story addresses queerness and cultural clashes with empathy and intelligence, making it an ideal story for younger youngsters and youths.
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Cinderella Is Lifeless (2020) by Kalynn Bayron
For those who’ve ever craved a fairy-tale romance with a sickeningly candy and queer twist on Cinderella, then Cinderella Is Lifeless isn’t the e book for you. As an alternative, Bayron’s fast-paced fantasy is about 200 years after the unique story, with 16-year-old Sophie dwelling in a world the place ladies are seen, not heard, and in the event that they aren’t picked to be wed by a person on the annual King’s Ball, they’re by no means heard from once more. Robust crowd.
A dystopian, queer retelling of Cinderella isn’t what we might count on, however Bayron weaves an enthralling story that tackles homophobia, misogyny, and racism—and makes the unique story really feel much less like a romance and extra like horror. If we needed to sum up Cinderella Is Lifeless in a number of phrases, we’d name it “Starvation Video games however make it queer and fairy-tale-esque.”
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Malice (2021) by Heather Walter
Graphic: Polygon
Everybody is aware of the story of Sleeping Magnificence — a younger woman is cursed by an evil sorceress to prick her finger on a spinning needle and fall into an eternal sleep, to be awoken solely by real love’s kiss from a dashing prince. Malice shakes up that idea by having Princess Aurora fall for another person: the sorceress whose energy introduced the curse to life within the first place.
Whereas the enemies-to-lovers vibes are robust right here, Malice has extra to it than meets the attention, focusing extra on redeeming the sorceress, Alyce, than on her totally leaning into the evil she’s painted as. Higher but, if you happen to come away from studying Malice wanting extra, you’re in luck: the sequel, Misrule, is as gripping and darkish as the unique that kicked off the duology.
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The Grimrose Ladies (2021) by Laura Pohl
Graphic: Polygon
Darkish academia with queer fairy-tale protagonists who problem the unique narrative of tales like Magnificence and the Beast and Snow White? Signal us up.
In The Grimrose Ladies, Pohl reimagines traditional fairy-tale protagonists as younger ladies who develop into the speak of Grimrose Académie after their buddy Ariane dies. However they quickly uncover that there’s extra to her dying—and to themselves—than they ever imagined. The result’s a gritty but fantastical story full of various characters and loads of intriguing, advanced twists for readers to uncover.
