The Emerald Circus by Jane Yolen - Short Story Collection Review

The Emerald Circus

by Jane Yolen

with introduction by Holly Black

I received and ARC of this book to review

At a Glance

Genre(s)/Categories:

Adult fantasy, short story collection, fairy tales

Plot:

In this short story collection, readers are swept away with familiar characters to re-imagined lands and tales. Wendy leads a labor strike in Neverland. Dorothy learns to tightrope walk. And Emily Dickinson travels the stars.  This collection of 10 stories is mesmerizing at every page turn.

Pros:

• I love fairy tales re-imagined and this collection is fantastic.
• Every story is accompanied by an author's note and a poem
• Jane Yolen has taken well-known characters and made the fresh and new
• Each story stands alone while simultaneously weaving together similar themes

Cons:

• I could have read 10 more stories!
• I wish the author's story notes would have accompanied each story instead of being in the back of the book (it was difficult to flip back and forth on my Kindle) 

Would I recommend this title:

Yes, yes, yes!

Full Review:

I am a big fan of Jane Yolen's children's books. So I was excited to be able to read some of her adult work as well. This book did not disappoint. My experience with short story collections is that they are usually a mixed bag--there are a few great stories mixed in with some not so great stories. That was not the case with The Emerald Circus. Almost every one of Jane's stories knocked it out of the park for me. 

Just as each act in a circus can be enjoyed on its own but also serves to make the whole circus better, each story in The Emerald Circus is satisfying by itself while also enriching the whole. Jane is a master storyteller and I would highly recommend this to anyone that enjoys storytelling at it's finest.