Ellen Oh is the cofounder of We Need Diverse Books and author of the award-winning Spirit Hunters series for middle grad readers and the Prophecy trilogy (Prophecy, Warrior, and King) for young adults. Originally from New York City, Ellen is a former adjunct college instructor and lawyer with an insatiable curiosity for ancient Asian history. Ellen lives in Bethesda, Maryland, with her husband and three children and has yet to satisfy her quest for a decent bagel. You can visit her online at www.ellenoh.com.
Fifteen bestselling and acclaimed authors reimagine the folklore and mythology of East and South Asia in short stories that are by turns enchanting, heartbreaking, romantic, and passionate. Compiled by We Need Diverse Books's Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman, the authors included in this exquisite collection are: Renée Ahdieh, Sona Charaipotra, Preeti Chhibber, Roshani Chokshi, Aliette de Bodard, Melissa de la Cruz, Julie Kagawa, Rahul Kanakia, Lori M. Lee, E. C. Myers, Cindy Pon, Aisha Saeed, Shveta Thakrar, and Alyssa Wong. A mountain loses her heart. Two sisters transform into birds to escape captivity. A young man learns the true meaning of sacrifice. A young woman takes up her mother's mantle and leads the dead to their final resting place. From fantasy to science fiction to contemporary, from romance to tales of revenge, these stories will beguile readers from start to finish. For fans of Neil Gaiman's Unnatural Creatures and Ameriie's New York Times bestselling Because You Love to Hate Me.
All of these authors are incredibly talented at weaving tales and creating characters within a short amount of time. The short story is a different beast than the novel—there's significantly less space to create something just as powerful and long-lasting as a novel. I can confidently say that each author achieved this, as each had the ability to craft either a world, a character, or a question in such a way that left a reader wondering about that world, character, or question. Not to say that there were any unsatisfying endings—in fact, each ending was powerful and stunning in its own way. This is to say that these stories are just as long-lasting and thought-provoking as their source material.
I really loved how each author used their source material in a different way. Some authors combined two different fairytales, while other authors modernized their myth, and even then other authors retold the fairytale from a different angle. Each retelling was unique in this way—not only were all the stories different in that they had different myths behind them, but they were all different in how they were retold. It made for a really fresh reading experience. And because the stories were all organized thoughtfully, these stories really did all play and feed off the other, while also being a strong enough story to stand on its own.
Of course, some stories were more instant favorites than others. My favorites were Forbidden Fruit by Roshani Chokshi; Olivia's Table by Alyssa Wong; Nothing Into All by Renée Ahdieh; and The Crimson Cloak by Cindy Pon. I loved each of these stories specifically for different reasons. Chokshi's use of the source material, as well as the imagery in the piece, provoked a very strong opening image of what Asian fairytales are, and had such a great first line to open the entire anthology. Wong's Olivia was clearly going through it—and what I loved is that Wong didn't provide any small platitudes about how she would overcome her grief. We got to experience moments with Olivia, moments that hinted to us that she would be okay, even if we never got to go on that full journey with her. Ahdieh's story features goblins and siblings, and I love works that dive into those relationships, while also including some supernatural creatures. And Pon's story gave a voice to a character who, throughout all the retellings in the world, had not been given a voice yet. What a powerful note to end the anthology on.
Indeed, this entire anthology's purpose was to provide voices, provide space, where there hadn't been voices and spaces before. So, Ellen Oh and all the contributors indeed succeeded in this mission, by creating a book of Asian fairytale and legend retellings, all with fresh outlooks, all of which are entertaining and delightful to read, thought provoking and haunting and beautiful all at once. I can't wait to recommend this one to all of my friends, and to everyone I know who loves speculative literature and diverse voices.
Most all of these other authors have published other books, and there are certainly a handful of other young adult anthologies in existence that are worth checking out if you loved A Thousand Beginnings and Endings.
*This review can also be found on my Goodreads page*
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