Fairy Tales for Adults

Read like a kid again, with these fairy tales for grown ups.

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
Recounts the quest of the last unicorn, who leaves the protection of the enchanted forest to search for her own kind, and who is joined by Schmendrick the Magician and Molly Grue in her search.

Enchantment by Orson Scott Card
Intertwining the story of Sleeping Beauty with Russian mythology, 10-year-old Ivan is strangely drawn to a beautiful woman frozen in time in the middle of the primordial forest of Russia. More than a decade later, he returns to rescue this princess. Ivan is drawn back into the princess's time, where he has no skills useful in the ninth century, yet must somehow defeat the witch Baba Yaga.

Tam Lin by Pamela C. Dean
The medieval Scottish ballad of a young woman who rescues her love from the queen of faerie undergoes a radical but convincing transformation – fantasy author Dean updates the story to modern times and relocates it to a Minnesota college campus. It vividly portrays a classic tale of love that spans the border between the worlds.

The Big Over Easy: A Nursery Crime by Jasper Fforde
Detective Jack Spratt is assigned to investigate the murder of Humpty S. Van Dumpty III. The ex-wife seems the obvious candidate, but Jack’s not convinced and soon finds himself entangled in Fforde’s trademark style of fictional lunacy and adventure! Also try The Fourth Bear.

Stardust by Neil Gaiman
In the small English Village of Wall, Tristan Thorne attempts to woo the beautiful Victoria by promising to bring her a fallen star. The star, it turns out, is actually a young woman who broke her leg in the fall. Tristan seeks to take her back to his village, but he must also protect her from the dangers of evil witches, flying pirates and scheming, striving princes along the way. Also try Neverwhere.

The Princess Bride by William Goldman
This timeless and brilliant tale pits country against country, good against evil, love against hate. From the Cliffs of Insanity through the Fire Swamp and down into the Zoo of Death, this incredible journey is peppered with strange beasts both monstrous and gentle, and memorable surprises both terrible and sublime. If you think you know the whole story because you’ve seen Rob Reiner’s wonderful movie – think again.

The Gates of Sleep by Mercedes Lackey
Lackey presents a retelling of Sleeping Beauty set in Edwardian England, where Marina Roeswood is sent to live with her aunt after the deaths of her birth parents and finds herself the target of an evil that has been stalking her for her entire life. Also try: The Black Swan (Swan Lake), The Fairy Godmother (Cinderella) and The Serpent’s Shadow (Snow White).

White As Snow by Tanith Lee
In a dark fantasy based on the fairy tale Snow White, Arpazia and her daughter, Coira, are lured into the woods by the elder gods, who are seeking to restore their worship in a land where a new religion threatens to transform life for everyone.

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire
In Maguire’s Oz, Elphaba, better known as the Wicked Witch of the West, is not wicked; nor is she a formally schooled witch. Instead she’s an insecure, unfortunately green Munchkinlander who is willing to take radical steps to unseat the tyrannical Wizard of Oz. Also try Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, Lost and Mirror, Mirror.

Daughter of the Forest by Julliet Marillier
As the only daughter and youngest child of Lord Colum of Sevenwaters, Sorcha grows up protected and pampered by her six older brothers. When a sorceress's evil magic ensorcels Colum's sons, transforming them into swans, only Sorcha's efforts can break the curse. Marillier's first novel uses a familiar Celtic legend to tell the story of a young woman's sacrifice for the sake of those she loves, and her own discovery of unexpected joy in the midst of sorrow.

Winter Rose by Patricia McKilip
Wild and free-spirited Rois Melior finds Corbett Lynn rebuilding his grandfather's house in the woods. Soon her engaged sister, the practical and domestic Laurel, has fallen for Corbett. When Corbett disappears, Rois travels during sleep between the woods and another shadow world to find him. McKillip's lyrical imagery infuses this coming-of-age story with intrigue in a world of nature.

Deerskin by Robin McKinley
Heir to her late mother's legendary beauty, Princess Lissar becomes the victim of her grief-maddened father's desire. Fleeing her home, she seeks solace and solitude in a great forest – and discovers a magic that leads her toward healing and justice. Loosely based on an old fairy tale: Donkeyskin.

The Gift by Patrick O’Leary
This book weaves a magical tale about the Usher of the Night, a deaf boy king and Tim, the woodcutter's son, who becomes the Wind Tamer. In a land where most magic has been forgotten, only Mother Death can vanquish the Usher of the Night, with help from the Wind Tamer.

The Godmother by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
What if fairy godmothers existed today and they had enough magical power to effectively meddle in real-world problems? Rose Simpson, a Seattle social worker frustrated by her job's red tape, has been idly wishing for one, little expecting that a meeting with a strange woman, Felicity Fortune, might bring a little real magic into her life. Also try the other books in The Godmother Trilogy: Godmother’s Apprentice and The Godmother’s Web.

Beauty by Sheri Tepper
Transported to the future on her 16th birthday, Beauty, a fantastical version of the classic Sleeping Beauty, becomes a 1990s student and enjoys adventures throughout time. The reader follows Beauty’s evolution and maturation over a century, from age 16 to 116.

Fables: Legends In Exile by Bill Willingham (Graphic Novel)
The Fables have been forced from their homelands and have formed their own community among the ‘mundane’ humans in New York, hiding their extraordinary nature from the world. Those who can pass for human live in the city, while those with a more animal appearance live on a remote farm upstate. When Snow White’s long-estranged sister, Rose Red, shows up and then is kidnapped, Bigby Wolf must sniff out what’s really going on. Also try the rest of the Eisner Award-winning Fables Graphic Novel Series.

Briar Rose by Jane Yolen
Becca's grandmother tells her that she is a princess, and after her death, Becca investigates her grandmother's mementos and discovers her harrowing teenage years, including survival in a mass grave and Nazis killing her husband.