09/24/2018
Yolen (The Emerald Circus) has put together a thought-provoking collection of reprinted and original works that explore every aspect of fairy tales. Some tell old tales from a different point of view: wolves from many stories share their perspectives in “Happy Dens or a Day in the Old Wolves’ Home,” and readers get the bridge’s view of the troll in “The Bridge’s Complaint.” Many draw on serious moments of history, such as “Granny Rumple” and “Slipping Sideways Through Eternity,” which examine the persecution of Jews. Some common stories are restructured to have a different kind of happy ending: in “Cinder Elephant,” Elly is a fan of birds and books, and the prince falls in love with her for her brain. Other tales are somber or even distressing, such as “Allerleirauh,” in which a father marries his own daughter as a replacement for her mother. Readers will find most of these stories relatable and powerful in their messages, and Yolen’s notes about each work’s origin are so interesting that they’re worth rereading in their own right. Agent: Elizabeth Harding, Curtis Brown Ltd. (Nov.)

Praise for How To Fracture a Fairy Tale

Locus Recommended Reading List

“Each of the stories in this collection are light and fun making the entire collection a breezy read with genuine smile-inducing moments.”
—John DeNardo, Kirkus

“With a glowing introduction by author Marissa Meyer, and an afterword with an author's note and poem for each story, this showcase of 28 tales highlights Yolen's delightful imagination and elegant writing in both poetry and short prose form. Her fans will be excited to see the well-crafted follow-up to The Emerald Circus.”
—Library Journal

“Readers will find most of these stories relatable and powerful in their messages, and Yolen’s notes about each work’s origin are so interesting that they’re worth rereading in their own right.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Humor, tragedy, violence, and adventure create a strong emotional arc to this substantive anthology.”
—School Library Journal

“A pioneer of the modern fairy tale retelling, Yolen’s work is foundational. This latest collection records the template on which the genre was built.”
—Foreword

“If The Emerald Circus provided an extensive overview of Yolen’s dialogue with many of her literary predecessors from Andersen to Baum, How to Fracture a Fairy Tale serves as a useful and timely companion volume, demonstrating an equally astute and critical dialogue with the world’s folk traditions.”
—Locus

“Fans will be delighted with the story notes and poems that cap off her fantastic collection of fairy-tale retellings and fractured legends.”
—Booklist

“These Tachyon volumes are an invaluable reminder of Yolen’s central role in contemporary fantasy, and perhaps an equally invaluable start¬ing point for readers.”
—Locus on The Emerald Circus and How to Fracture a Fairy Tale

“I absolutely fell in love with this collection of short stories.”
—Epilogue Reviews

“Every page was a treat to read.”
—The Book Lover’s Boudoir

“A master storyteller at her best. I’ve been a fan of Jane Yolen and fractured fairytales for years and this collection doesn’t disappoint.”
—Chanda Hahn, New York Times bestselling author of Reign (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale)

“Yolen’s writing bone-deep sort of magical, where you find yourself unsure where the original fairytale ends and her interpretation begins. These stories got into my skin, and my head, and my heart—the perfect blend of beautiful and frightening.”
—Jackson Pearce, author of Cold Spell and Sisters Red

“This collection is Jane Yolen at her best, telling stories you’ve never seen before but have known all your life, and stories as familiar as your left hand that you barely recognize, spun from shadows and moonlight and breathed through silvered glass. This is magic.”
—Patricia C. Wrede, author of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles

“Yolen’s deftly-flowing prose highlights each unique perspective or imaginative speculation. Her tales, once fractured, don’t splinter—they sparkle.”
—Alex Flinn, author of Beastly and Beheld

“How to Fracture a Fairy Tale is a fascinating exploration of how old stories we all think we know can become fresh and new and stunning in the hands of the masterful Jane Yolen. So many of Yolen’s stories here are like origami—with expert snips and twists and turns, she transforms the ordinary into fantastic art. This book can be read just for sheer pleasure or as a study for other writers in what is possible.
—Margaret Peterson Haddix, author of The Missing series and The Shadow Children series

“No one can spin a tale as magical as Jane Yolen, full of beauty and wonder, and more than a few sharp thorns!”
—Jessica Day George, author of the Rose Legacy series and the Dragon Slippers trilogy

“Ever the master storyteller, Jane Yolen weaves and spins and fractures her way through a far-ranging, culturally diverse array of fairy-tales.
Ranging from the comic (various famous fairy tale wolves kvetching in an Old Wolves Home) to the disturbing (a take on Cinderella involving incest) to the poetic (a lovely version of the Native American tale ‘The Woman Who Loved a Bear’), each tale is a finely crafted gemstone. Readers will be filled with wonder and delight, pain and joy, and may even be inspired to try their own hand at fracturing a fairy tale.
I particularly loved Yolen’s explanatory ‘How I Fractured These Stories’ section at the end, identifying the origin tale, each one accompanied by a luminous poem.”
—Edith Pattou, author of West and East

“Yolen is a master of the fairy tale form–you’ll find her writing style both enchanting and enticing as you wind through these modern adaptations to discover her unique perspective. The collection is a masterpiece of fairy tale storytelling.”
—Reviews and Robots

“Overall, this was quite an eclectic collection, and it was wonderful “catching up” with Ms. Yolen again. Highly recommended for fans of fairy tale retellings!”
—Llama Reads Books

“5/5 stars. If you enjoy fairy tales and would want to read them in a different perspective then this book is definitely for you.”
—Things in Her Head

“Deeply moving and poignant reimaginings of the tales many of us know and love.”
—Reader Fox and a Box of Books

“This collection of fractured fairy tales is a must-read for any lover of folklore. All of the stories are beautiful in their own way, and some are truly amazing. If you like fairy tales, especially retellings of them, you need to read this book.”
—Hazel G. Evans

“Yolen takes well-known fairy tales and splits them apart, sometimes leaving them still quite familiar and other times shining a light from an unfamiliar angle to reveal new truths and possibilities”
—Margo Kelly, author of Unlocked

“Last year I read and reviewed The Emerald Circus and fell in love with Jane Yolen’s storytelling. Having just closed the back cover on How to Fracture a Fairy Tale I can’t help but wonder how such levels of creativity are possible.”
—Infinite Text

“Since Jane Yolen understands and appreciates the art of the fairy tale, studying all the classics and then some, she obviously knows the adage that when you know all the rules, you can break them. So breaking those rules, boundaries and expectations is what the How to Fracture a Fairy Tale collection is all about. Yolen breaks them in the right places.”
—True Review

“Yolen has long been a major voice in children’s literature, and this story collection offers a chance to meld fairy tales with fantasy with the same brilliance of The Emerald Circus.”
—NerdMuch

“Jane Yolen has an impressive array of devices in her writer’s toolbox; she truly is a master of her craft.”
—Way Too Fantasy

“In How to Fracture a Fairy Tale Yolen employs all the necessary tools to keep readers engaged. Her stories are funny, outrageous, epic, dreamy, and everything in between.”
—Universe in Words


Praise for Jane Yolen

“The Hans Christian Andersen of America”
—Newsweek

“The Aesop of the twentieth century”
—The New York Times

“Jane Yolen is a gem in the diadem of science fiction and fantasy.”
—Analog

Praise for The Emerald Circus

“A brilliant example of short-form storytelling by one of the treasures of the science fiction community.”
—Brandon Sanderson, New York Times bestselling author of Mistborn

[STARRED REVIEW] “After more than a decade, Yolen (Briar Rose; Sister Emily’s Starship and Other Stories) returns with 16 stories that take readers sideways and upside down through beloved fairy tales and classic tales such as Peter Pan and The Wizard of Oz, while also reimagining the lives of famous storytellers such as Hans Christian Anderson, Edgar Allan Poe and Emily Dickinson. Verdict: These delightful retellings of favorite stories will captivate newcomers and fans of Yolen as she once again delivers the magic, humor, and lovely prose that has attracted readers for years.”
—Library Journal

[STARRED REVIEW] “VERDICT: These highly entertaining retellings are perfect for teens fans of fairy tales and classic literature, though they are easily enjoyed without any background knowledge.”
—School Library Journal

“Ever the wordsmith, Yolen dazzles with her first short story collection for adults in years.”
—Booklist

“An impressive overview of the author’s breadth and career, this collection will appeal to the author’s existing devotees—or to anyone who has ever thought that “happily ever after” left too many questions.”
—Kirkus

“Jane Yolen’s [The] Emerald Circus may be my favorite book of the year, period, with apologies to Jeff Vandermeer’s Borne. Many years ago, when I had my own blog, I wrote a post celebrating the versatility of Yolen—one of the few authors who can write top-shelf books at any age level. [The] Emerald Circus is a perfect example of her fluid but rock-solid prose.”
—Adult Books for Teens, School Library Journal

“Jane Yolen’s The Emerald Circus is full of marvels. From Snow Queen to spaceship, The Emerald Circus is a delight.”
—Patricia A. McKillip, author of the Riddle-Master trilogy and The Forgotten Beasts of Eld

“Jane Yolen facets her glittering stories with the craft of a master jeweller. Everything she writes, including The Emerald Circus, is original and timeless, deliciously creepy and disturbingly lovely.”
—Elizabeth Wein, author of Code Name Verity

“In this masterful collection, Jane Yolen draws upon myth, fairy tales, history, poetry, and children's classics from Alice to Oz to fashion new tales from the bones of the old. There is simply no better storyteller working in the fantasy field today. She's a national treasure.”
—Terri Windling, author of The Wood Wife and The Essential Bordertown

“I absolutely fell in love with this collection of short stories.”
—Epilogue Reviews