R = Retellings

Retellings are novels that are based on old classics or fairytales, rewritten from a fresh perspective and/or set in a new or modern world. 

I've read a lot of retellings over the years but I admit, that most of them were written by Gregory Maguire, including one of my favorite books and his most popular one, Wicked. For those of you who don't know, Wicked is the life story of the Wicked Witch of the West starting from her conception to her last moments. I found it to be surprisingly detailed and richly imagined as if Gregory Maguire wanted to live in Oz himself.

Another retelling I want to draw attention to is What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher. The story retells one of my favorite short stories, Edgar Allan Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher. Kingfisher's imagery completely and accurately sets the tone for this gothic novella that follows a retired soldier unraveling the mystery of her friends' declining health.

If fairytales are your thing, A Curse So Dark & Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer might entertain you. This retelling of Beauty and the Beast features a heroine with cerebral palsy who steps through a portal to a fairytale world where a cursed prince resides. It's a young adult novel that somehow manages to be both light-hearted and sad at the same time. Although I admit, if you tackle its sequels I found them to lack the same charm as the first installment.

Then there's the emotional rollercoaster that is The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. There's a bit of crossover in this book, for historical fiction fans and romantasy fans alike might enjoy it. It's the story of the Trojan War told from Achilles's lover Patroclus's point of view.

There are some critics of retellings, that think maybe it's lazy writing to retell a story that's already been told, but I think you can't really go wrong with reading one as long as it is based on a subject that appeals to you. I'm a fan of fairytales, gothic stories and Greek mythology so I've read retellings based on those things. But there are other subjects out there: for example, Percival Everrett made a splash when he published James, a retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, narrated by Jim the slave.

Do you like retellings? Which ones have you read?