Retellings...

"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..."

One of the great powers of fantasy is its ability to ground historical legend, myth, or written sagas in a world we can understand. Whether the story is modernized, someone from our time goes back, or the novels are set completely in their original time-frame, the purpose of a retelling is to recapture the power of the story without all of the cliches that keep us from having to think. By giving us a reality check, these authors also help us see these stories and their characters as true role models rather than those oft-repeated, seldom-followed morals.

• C. S. Lewis
  • Perelandra (The "Fall of Man" set on Venus from the perspective of a human man)
• Denise Little
  • Twice Upon a Time (An anthology of modernized or point of view altered fairy tales)
• Diana L. Paxson
  • "Wodan's Children" series (Sigfrid and Brunahild in the original setting, going beyond Wagner's cycle)
• Madeleine L'Engle
  • Many Waters (The story of Noah from the perspective of twins from the 20th century who travel back in time)
• Marion Zimmer Bradley
  • The Mists of Avalon (and prequels) (King Arthur from a female perspective)
  • Firebrand (The fall of Troy from the perspective of Kassandra)
  • The Fall of Atlantis (Atlantis as a realm of priestly magic and power struggles)
• Morgan Llewelyn
  • Red Branch (Cuchulain at his best, straight out of Irish legends)
  • Finn Mac Cool (The Great Irish poet-warrior brought to life)
  • Druids (The last stand of the French Celts against the Roman invasion)
  • The Horse Goddess (A conglomeration of ancient Celtic legends into the story of Epona, the goddess of the horse)
• Alexandre Dumas
  • The Three Muskateers (The definition of historical novels. Not exactly a recreation- almost a completely original story)
  • The Man in the Iron Mask (The third part of the second sequel to the Muskateers. Again, less a retelling than a creation of itself)

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Last Updated: September 27, 1999

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