OTHER EVER AFTERS

Happily-ever-after has no predictable formula for these protagonists.

In the king’s forest, a young ranger is charged with protecting the magical flowers. When a flower thief shows the ranger that any picked flowers will be replaced by two more the next day, the ranger begins to question the king’s edict. In another kingdom, a princess tries to woo an uninterested goose girl, promising more and more rewards in exchange for accepting the marriage proposal. With each refusal, the princess grows angrier and more confused. In a village far away, a child enlists their grandmother’s help in burning away their old name, but the ritual is interrupted by their grandfather’s death, and their old name returns to haunt them. The men of another village sacrifice a woman to the Giantess every year, but the latest sacrifice discovers things may not be as they seem. These stories and more are told through enchanting full-color art whose sweet, pastel shades and soft lines belie the powerful punch the stories convey. Each narrative is self-contained and perfect for reading either individually or in one fully engrossed sitting. Gillman subverts the traditional fairy-tale format in an evolution of the genre that does not feel out of place alongside the classics. Characters present as diverse in race, sexuality, and gender expression.

Fresh and exciting; sure to delight and surprise.