Book of Enchantments (original 1996; edition 1996)

Short stories by the author of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles (LOVE THEM!) and the Kate and Cecelia books. I must have read this years ago because I remembered all the stories. For some reason my abiding favorite is “The Sixty-two Curses of Caliph Arenschadd.” [Jan. 2009] ( )

Rikiki and the Wizard - An asshole wizard tries to trade his daughter to the gods for fame and fortune. It backfires . . . surprise! The only god that shows up is a blue chipmunk that doesn't want the daughter . . . unless she has chestnuts.
The Princess, the Cat, and the Unicorn - Poor Princess Elyssa's life is pretty decent. She gets along with her older and younger sisters, and her step-mother is really nice. So she decides to run off and seek her fortune (how scandalous, since that is usually the job of Youngest Princesses), with her parents' blessings. She'll be just fine, because she takes her trusty cat with her. OH WAIT, cats aren't trusty . . . .
Roses by Moonlight - unlike most of Wrede's work, this story has a modern setting. Adrian has banished herself from her younger sister's party, because she doesn't like her sister's friends, or her sister's music, or her sister. While outside smoking and contemplating her hatred, Adrian meets a woman who gives her the opportunity to choose her own future. This one has a true science fiction ending (the kind which doesn't actually end), which I love.
The Sixty-two Curses of Caliph Arenschadd - The Caliph is an impetuous man, and every time someone angers him, annoys him, or brings him bad news, he curses them and their immediate family. He has a list of 62 curses, and he uses them in order on each person who bothers him. (Curse 1 for the first time a person bothers him, Curse 2 for the second time that person bothers him, etc.) For the Caliph's subjects, this is just the way of life. But when the grand vizier and his family are the first people to reach Curse 48, something goes wrong.
Earthwitch - A warrior king pays a visit to the Earthwitch, to get her to help save his kingdom from invaders. After a grueling trek up the mountain, the king realizes that he and the Earthwitch know each other . . .
The Sword-seller - A mercenary visits a shop to buy a sword and is offered a suspiciously nice one for free. He takes it but insists on paying. However, the sword comes with more baggage than the mercenary had counted on.
The Lorelei - Another modern story. A group of American school students are on a trip to Germany. Their bus breaks down near the Lorelei cliff, and they learn the legend of the Lorelei. She is the German version of a Siren, who sings to distract sailors from the rocky outcropings on the Rhine and thus wreck their ships.
Stronger Than Time - A sleeping beauty retelling, with a twist. The prince missed his chance to release Sleeping Beauty's spell, so now he has to find another way.
Cruel Sisters - A haunting tale of jealousy and malice between two sisters, from the viewpoint of a third sister who watches from the sidelines.
Utensile Strength - Cimorene!!!! This is a companion story to the Dealing with Dragons series, and features some beloved characters from it. Cimorene and Mendanbar obtain a magical Frying Pan of Doom, and must hold a tournament to find the knight that this powerful weapon is meant for. A tournament with a bake-off, obviously.
Quick After-Battle Triple Chocolate Cake - Surprise!! This is the award-winning recipe from the bake-off, which Wrede has kindly translated from its original Barbarian. ( )

These stories are funny and clever, deep and thoughtful, and often romantic. There is a retelling of sleeping beauty, and retelling of the story of the harp of bones, but also telling of tales that aren't retellings exactly, but show a strong understanding of traditional tales. Like all of Wrede's work, they are worth reading. ( )

While I am not familiar with Patricia C. Wrede's Enchanted Forest Chronicles, I enjoyed this anthology of short fantasy stories. Only a couple of stories had ties to the Enchanted Forest. Some were dark in tone, and some were light and written in that carefree bouncy style of many more modern fairytales (think E. Nesbit, but not turn-of-the-century). Some of the stories felt like they were part of a longer novel and should have been turned into one instead of leaving the reader with so many answers. It was often hard to tell the ages of the characters. One story had high school characters, but they seemed to act and be much younger. All of the characters seemed to exhibit the same (often) insouciant agelessness. All in all, I very much enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy. ( )

Collection of fantasy short stories by Wrede:

Rikiki and the Wizard
A sweet story about a greedy wizard and his kind and beautiful daughter.

The Princess, the Cat, and the Unicorn (Enchanted Forest)
The middle princess from a kingdom where nothing is quite as it "should" be goes out to seek her fortune. The palace cat goes with her and they meet a haughty unicorn. Cute and funny.

Roses by Moonlight
An older sister meets an unusual woman and takes a walk through a unique garden. This story is different in that not a whole lot actually happens, and yet at the end, it still feels as though it did. I love this story.

The Sixty-two Curses of Caliph Arenschadd
An Arabian Nights type story with a wizard-monarch who curses everyone who makes him angry. Funny.

Earthwitch
This is a dark, sad story of love and war. I never feel like I've quite understood it, but it's moving nonetheless.

The Sword-Seller
Classic good-vs-evil high fantasy, with a few twists. Dark and dramatic.

The Lorelei
Some students on a school trip to Germany make an unexpected stop at the Lorelei cliffs. A great story and I love the main character.

Stronger Than Time
Sleeping Beauty gone awry. The end is unexpected.

Cruel Sisters
A beautiful and sharp retelling of an old ballad.

Utensile Strength (Enchanted Forest)
Queen Cimorene and King Mendanbar must find the wielder for a powerful enchanted weapon. Absolutely hilarious. Recipe included. ( )

Summary: A collection of what I would call fairy tales or folk stories, although they're mostly original imaginings - only one or two tread the ground of retelling familiar stories. There are stories of not-too-bright gods, singing enchantresses, vain unicorns, curses and werewolves, a bone harp that may or may not speak the truth, a curse that may have been left too long to be broken, an enchanted rose garden, an ancient sword with unusual power, and a short story from the Enchanted Forest, featuring Cimorene, Mendenbar and The Frying Pan of Doom. And, to top it all off, there's a recipe at the end for Barbarian's Quick After-Battle Triple Chocolate Cake (it makes more sense in context, I swear) (edit: Just made the cake, and it's not the best cake I've ever had, but it's pretty darn good).

Review: I enjoyed this book a lot more than a lot of the other "fairy tale" books I've read recently. A large part of that is that I really enjoy Patricia C. Wrede's writing: it's clever and elegant without getting too caught up in itself, and I think it's accessible to younger readers without any talking down that might alienate adult readers. I was a little surprised about halfway through the book at how dark some of the stories were. All of Wrede's writing that I've read so far (the Enchanted Forest Chronicles and the Sorcery & Cecelia series) have been for the most part pretty light and very witty, and the first few stories in this volume follow the same vein, so when I got to "Earthwitch", with its darker view of magic and the cost it exacts, it was sort of... not off-putting, certainly, but it definitely threw me a little. Overall, though, every story had either substantial charm and humor, or some real power and emotional pull behind it, and sometimes both.

Recommendation: Definitely worth the read for some original fairy tales that aren't exclusively for kids. ( )

Some great short stories in here, including my favorite epic weapon ever, The Frying Pan of Doom. I've never tried the recipe, but it sounds yummy. ( )

It is a charming book, full of short stories for those of all ages.
Included are two tales set inside The Enchanted Forest, which Wrede's best selling books surround, so for fans of the Chronicles, it is an essential.
That asside, it is simply a wonderful edition to any fantasy reader's collection, with witches, wizards, dragons, knights, and everything else that you would expect.
Pure entertainment can be found within these pages, with something for everyone, be they young adult, or retired.
It is a true joy to read, and, for those that have not read her other literatures, a wonderful introduction into the world of Patricia C Wrede. ( )