The Gruagagh

Mucking about in the Archives this afternoon resulted in a nice look at how a folk motif can change over time. Take the matter of a Gruagach…

We reviewed a double CD set of Robin Williamson’s Four Gruagach Tales. As our reviewer says, ‘Some may be asking ‘What, pray tell, is a gruagach?’ In many . . . → Read More: The Gruagagh

Banned Books Week 2011

A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle. Roald Dahl’s The Witches. A Light in the Attic, by Shel Silverstein. The House of the Spirits, by Isabel Allende. Grimm’s Fairy Tales. The Harry Potter series. The Handmaid’s Tale. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The Where’s Waldo?series.

All of these diverse books have something in common, . . . → Read More: Banned Books Week 2011

Rat Fiddlers (A Pub Tale)

Oh, the tale I was going to tell? It concerns the Rat Fiddlers…

The staff is engaged in a discussion to name the group that the Rat Fiddlers are thinking of putting together — medieval music with small pipes, hurdy gurdy, and fiddles.

Who are these Rat Fiddlers, you ask? And why haven’t I heard . . . → Read More: Rat Fiddlers (A Pub Tale)

Alan Garner’s Collected Folk Tales

The definitive collection of traditional British folk tales, selected and retold by the renowned Alan Garner will be published in Collected Folk Tales, coming out in October. Collected here are all of Alan’s folk tales, told with his unique storytelling skill and unmistakable narrative style.

Though Alan Garner can be compared to fellow Englishman Robert Holdstock . . . → Read More: Alan Garner’s Collected Folk Tales

Biting Dog Press: new digital publications (Press Release)

Three titles by masters of the genre!   Now available as e-books, three titles by masters of the genre Neil Gaiman and Jack Ketchum: “Snow, Glass, Apples” and “Murder Mysteries” by Gaiman, and “Transformed Mouse” by Ketchum.   Originally published as extremely limited collectible editions, these books are now available in a beautiful and affordable . . . → Read More: Biting Dog Press: new digital publications (Press Release)

Words: Stories and Scripts

I don’t really need to comment on our first offering as our reviewer did a far better job of doing so than I ever could. ‘I don’t think I’m alone in thinking of “dark fantasy” as a sort of combination of urban fantasy and horror: vampires, werewolves, ghosts, zombies, and less pleasant creatures confronting more . . . → Read More: Words: Stories and Scripts

Words: Four Very Different Novels

Four very different novels are offered up for your consideration this outing.

Lev Grossman’s The Magicians is a tale of what happens when happily ever after turns out not be quite all that it should be. The Magician King is his terrific follow-up to this 2009 novel and you can look for our review of . . . → Read More: Words: Four Very Different Novels

Zina Lee on Jane Yolen

Over a few pints of Guinness, I asked Zina what her favorite Jane Yolen tale was and why so. Here’s her answer:

I’ve so many favorite Yolen stories and I am so grateful to her for them all, but I suppose that right now my favorite is ‘Briar Rose’, her re-telling of Sleeping Beauty within . . . → Read More: Zina Lee on Jane Yolen