By: Patricia C. Wrede Publisher: Magic Carpet Books Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Magic Carpet Books Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 256 Publication Date: October 01, 2005 Reading Level: Ages 9-12
This witty and charming collection of ten short fantasies includes a story, set in the Enchanted Forest, about Queen Cimorene's Frying Pan of Doom; a zany yarn about a magical blue chipmunk with a passion for chestnuts; and an eerie tale of a caliph who turns his vizier's daughter into a wolf.
Magic frying pans and things that go bump in the night I bought the Enchanted Forest Chronicles on the recommendation of a friend. So enjoyed them I bought this companion book of enchanted short stories. Only one of the stories relates directly to the original 'cast' of the Forest but each and every one of them a joy to behold.
If you haven't read them all. Shame on you!
The Enchanted Forest and Other Unusual Places This collection of short stories from Patricia C. Wrede is overall fascinating and readable. For those who adore the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, you will only find two tales that come from that familiar landscape; although some are written with the same light-hearted and matter-of-fact silliness that made the EFC so enjoyable, others are more serious stories (even a little violent or macabre) and two are "modern" day tales of magic. A good addition for the collector of fairy tales or fantasy fiction.
For readers after "The Enchanted Forest Chronicles" I'll admit, Wrede is one of those authors that can make me enjoy reading silly fantasy in this world of horrible, trashy fantasy. It's just so much fun. "Book of Enchantments" is no exception.
This book of ten short stories (and one delightful recipe) is very different from Wrede's series "The Enchanted Forest Chronicles". Some stories take place in the same world (the best story has our favorite characters from there as well) while others were written for different anthologies over the years. Each story is original, drawing on classic fairy tale feels, but still fresh and interesting.
For example, the "werewolf" story. "The Sixty-two Curses of Caliph Arenschadd" is both amusing, exciting, and intriguing, while bringing to mind a Scheherezade sort of feel. It is entirely unlike most (rather boring) werewolf stories, is thankfully not too long (a short story, after all), and made me smile quite a bit. One of the my favorites among the ten.
Each story, however, is very different from the next. What is best, though, is Wrede's clear comment in the end about the origin of each story. One can see how each was born for a different reason, from a different place, and was then brought together in one book.
The best story is the last, of course. "Utensil Strength" (better remembered as "The Frying Pan of Doom") is an excellent story. I won't tell what it's about, simply because it's amazing, amusing, and is reason enough to purchase this book (it's a cheap book, after all... pretty worth it... that's what I did).
Ten stories. Ten different worlds. Ten new settings, about twenty new protagonists, and ten varying and wonderful different moods. One book. While some stories are gorier than others ("Cruel Sisters", aspects of "The Lorelei", and a few others), this is a great book, just for slightly older readers. Ages 12 and up, perhaps.
Enjoy! And remember:
Lest you forget the last, you will have missed the best!
Good read...if you like short stories I did enjoy the stories quite a bit, especially Roses by Midnight. They are all good stories, all very clearly written.
My only dilemma was that I have read the entire 4 part series of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Ms. Wrede and with 4 books telling one story, I was left feeling a bit lacking when 1 book contained 10 stories. Felt like there could be much more to the story that was left out, almost like reading a book and watching the movie. Even if you loved the movie, you still know the book had more depth and detail.
The book ended with an story that tied in to the Enchanted Forest Chronicles and that was a pleasant climax, and it is a good read for any C. Wrede fan, but dont expect to find an incredible literary treasure in this book.
Though the idea of her extending a few of the stories would be marvelous.
An excellent, varied collection I highly recommend this book to any fan of Patricia Wrede and any fan of YA Fantasy.
This book is a collection of short stories that are pretty varied. There's one from the DRAGONS series Wrede did (a good, funny story, but not my fav). Some of the stories are funny, some long, some short. But what I find interesting is the serious stories. Wrede goes into some very serious issues without being preachy, boring, trite, or long-winded.
My favorite story is called "The Lorelei." It puts the Siren-like German legends in today's world, with two teens trying to escape them. The conflict/resolution itself is pretty simple, but the contrast between the two teens is more interesting to me. When you read the story (like most books) you know that the main characters will be OK...but you don't know how they will be affected. Will the jock guy remember the nerdy/loner girl? Will the girl be able to rise above her shyness and step out?
Another good story deals with the choices we make, using a rose garden (and the idea of stopping to smell the roses) as an allegory. The ending is phenomenal--not a happy ending, but a true one.
Again, a very good book. One of my favorite collections of short stories.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Tailipoe
Trevor
