Over the last few years I have steadily fallen in love with at least one female writer of weird, supernatural, folkish tales. When I saw a collection about folktales including many of them I simply knew I had to get my hands on it. And I can quite thankfully say that these women have only raised the bar with this collection of folk tales. Thanks to Virage, Little Brown and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What better way to start the new year than with Forgotten Folktales Retold? My fascination with folktales originally sprung from the hidden mystery in the fog, the twisting path in a dark forest, the never-ending echo of a deep well, the sudden end to footsteps in the snow. As I grew up, this love for the wyrd and eerie remained, but I began to appreciate how this edge could be reinvented time upon time. The first author I actively remember adoring for this was, of course, Angela Carter. We read 'The Company of Wolves' in high school and I couldn't quite hide my delight. Through these old tales, the authors were able to reflect contemporary struggles and tensions in a whole new way. I found I connected to this much more than other types of tales. In the years since I have fallen in love with Zoe Gilbert's Folk, Daisy Johnson's Fen, Naomi Novik's Spinning Silver and Madeline Miller's Circe, roughly in that order. Naturally I couldn't help but be drawn to a collection that focused on the more obscure folktales, the ones that don't automatically attract major attention. As Prof. Carolyn Larrington says, 'our everyday is not a disenchanted place', and these tales provide that continuity from the past to the present that helps ground us.

In Hag a range of brilliant female authors from Britain and Ireland were assigned a folktale and given free rein on how to adapt it. The tales that follow range widely in style and even in genre. All are spooky, but not all are scary. Some feel solidly supernatural while others are eerily normal. The first tale is 'A Retelling' by Daisy Johnson, tackling the tale of the Green Children through a combination of magical realism and meta-fiction. This was one of my favourite tales and a great starter to the collection. 'Sour Hall' by Naomi Booth is adapted from 'Ay, We're Flittin' and centralizes trauma, fear and anger as two women get used to living on their possibly haunted farm. 'Rosheen' by Irenosen Okijie is based on 'The Dauntless Girl' and feels solidly Gothic while discussing heritage and courage. This tale is chockfull of atmosphere and grisly imagery, and I adored it. 'Between Sea and Sky' by Kirsty Logan was a beautiful take on 'The Great Selkie of Sule Skerrie' that is almost an elegy to complicated mother- and womanhood. I have loved Logan's writing ever since The Gracekeepers so it should be no surprise that this was a standout to me. 'The Panther's Tale' by Mahsuda Snaith, based on the tale around Chillington House, was beautifully imaginative and a real surprise. Snaith really brought this piece of history to life by bringing in Indian storylines and focusing on female (bodily) autonomy.

'The Tale of Kathleen' by Eimar McBride was my first taste of McBride and I'm now very aware I have been missing out. McBride is a very aware narrator, interjecting, commenting, and joking along the way. It might not be for everyone, but it was a lovely tale of the folk under the hill. 'The Sisters' by Liv Little hit me solidly in the 'older sister' part of my soul. It feels less supernatural than the other tales, but the creeping sadness of fracturing relationships will stay with you. 'The Dampness is Spreading' by Emma Glass, based on 'The Fairy Midwife', was harrowing in its portrayal of motherhood and despair. Out of all the tales, this one was perhaps my least favourite. 'The Droll of the Mermaid' by Natasha Carthew, adapted from 'The Mermaid and the Man of Curvy' is a beautiful tale of generational blessings and traumas, with the possibility of healing and mermaids. And finally, 'The Holloway' by Imogen Hermes Gowar, whose The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock I also loved, is a brilliant ender to this collection. Gowar leaves it up to the reader to decide what is or isn't supernatural, but her adaptation of 'Old Farmer Mole' is chilling, violent and oddly hopeful.

With any collection of tales from various authors, it is hard to say anything about the writing. Not every story will be to everyone's taste and that is ok. Some of the authors in this collection were familiar to me and I loved revisiting their imaginations. Others were new and they have been added to my 'when you see this name, buy it, you know you'l like it'-list. The quality of writing and innovation throughout Hag is staggering and should make for a fascinating reading experience for any type of reader. The set up of this project is what I find fascinating. Curated by Prof. Carolyn Larrington, the tales in this collection bring attention not just to great female authors but also to perhaps forgotten gems of British and Irish folklore. The authors focus on the various themes, ideas and evolutions in a woman's life, whether it is the bond between sisters, the loss of one's self, motherhood, inherited pain, burning desire, friendship and freedom.

It should also be mentioned that this is available as the original podcast for free on Audible. I only discovered this once I had already read them, but each author reads her own story, which is then followed by an interview with Prof. Larrington in which they discuss their writing process, the original tale, and more. I'd absolutely recommend listening to this as well, but to not forego the joy of reading them first.

I am weak in the face of folktale collections, but few deserve my fawning as much as Hag. It is a stunning collection with great writing, beautiful imagery and a haunting familiarity. If any of the authors in the title seem familiar to you, trust that the others will be equally pleasing. I couldn't recommend Hag enough.

Commissioned via writer for The Skinny: "Another collection that reframes old folktales with a feminist slant is HAG (Virago). Reinvented for our times by the most talented women writers from Britain and Ireland, this is a collection of dark modern fables from authors including Irenosen Okojie, Daisy Johnson and Eimear McBride. Diverse, relevant and fierce, it makes for a compelling and varied read."

Full feature: https://www.theskinny.co.uk/books/features/halloween-books-2020

I wasnt overly familiar with the original folk tales that these short stories have been adapted from and wonder whether a little more knowledge on the originals may have increased my overall enjoyment.

I enjoyed hunkering down for a good autumnal read and dipping in and out of the different stories of UK and Irish folklore. It's hard to review a short story collection, as there were inevitably some that appealed more than others.

My review can be found as part of my October Reading Wrap Up on YouTube https://youtu.be/uGYGC9cDrtM

Thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was familiar with many of these stories from the Audible podcast but was looking forward to catching up with those I hadn't listened to yet. I think the idea behind the book is a really interesting one, retellings of British folktales with a modern and feminist slant.

Some of the stories definitely work better than others. 'The Panther's Tale' by Mahsuda Snaith was definitely the standout for me and I felt like some of the others paled in comparison. I can't remember the title but I struggled to see the folklore link in the story that had the characters Grace and Maya. Some of the dialogue in Kirsty Logan's story set in Orkney also didn't ring true to me as someone from that neck of the woods and I was genuinely surprised to read that she is Scottish.

Overall it was a really enjoyable collection. Some stories worked better than others but that's always the case with these kinds of collections. I still think the podcast format works better but a great read for those who prefer to read rather than listen.

This was an absolute treasure trove of diverse reinterpreted little know folktales. There was a dark fairytale thread running through the book and the settings across the British Isles and Ireland were perfect. An excellent collection.

I loved delving into these little-known folk tales and the modern spin the authors have put on them. Really engaging, dark, clever and vivid, this felt nostalgic and yet totally up to date. Would highly recommend!

An entertaining collection of short stories, modern retellings of folk tales from all parts of the British Isles. As with all story collections there were hits and misses, but I enjoyed the majority of them and I liked that the original tales were included at the end of the book. 3.5 stars rounded up, thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

As a collecter and lover of folk tales, I just had to add 'Hag' to my must-read list!
I knew several of the original tales and some I'd not heard of before. But either way, I really enjoyed the re-telling of these old tales.
It was a mixed bag. A couple of the stories just didn't really do much for me but overall, this was a strong selection of powerful and rich writing from some brilliant female writers.
My favourites were 'Sour Hall' by Naomi Booth; a chilling tale about a Yorkshire Boggart who takes up residence in an old milk churn.
'The Panther's Tale' by Mahsuda Snaith is based around the story of the panther kept at Chillington Hall. This was the most beautifully written story and for me, the most cleverly re-imagined.
'The Dampness is Spreading' by Emma Glass was the most macabre and chilling of all the stories. I'm not usally into audible books but this is one that I'd really like read to me!
And the final tale was also one of the strongest, 'The Holloway' by Imogen Hermes Gowar tells a depressing tale of emotional and physical abuse in a family and the ending leaves us wondering whether it was human or otherworldly intervention which sorts out the problem.
I was happy that the original tales were included at the end of the book, but I felt that I would have preferred them to either be at the beginning or end of their corresponding re-tellings. It was fascinating to see how each writer worked with the original tales.

* Thanks to Little, Brown Book Group and Netgalley for the ARC.

I feel like I would have enjoyed this more if I was at all familiar with the original tales.
They all seemed to drag on too long and I really struggled to get into them, even the introduction was lengthy.

This is an anthology of women writers giving their modern day take on old English tales. Some tales are short and others quite long. As expected they vary a bit in quality and how much they engaged me. At the end of the book there is a synopsis of the original storyline. As a child I was an avid reader of fairytales and enjoyed the Angela Carter Virago compilations back in the 1980's which I read as a young adult. I have also spent many years reading tales to young children. Therefore, I was looking forward to this compilation. However, I felt the the modern day settings weren't always believable or worked and the "ending" of the tales was often a let down or just fizzled out. A real mixed bag.

From the moment I head about Hag, I had a strong suspicion that I would love it. As my interest in shorter fiction has grown, so too has my appreciation for retellings of folk tales. Add in a witchy feminist theme and I'm completely sold! It's no surprise then when I tell you that I absolutely loved it, so much so that I sought out the Audible podcasts that birthed the printed form. I was lucky enough to read this as an ebook via @netgalley but I have added the hardback version to my birthday wish list! I just know that I will return to these stories time and again.
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<p>Hag is a collection of retellings of folktales from the British Isles covering some well-known and some lesser-known tales from Ireland, Yorkshire, Orkney, Cornwall, and The Fens, to name a few. All of the stories have a feminist twist. These gutsy and dark retellings have been written by some of the best female writers from these parts. The authors include: Daisy Johnson, Emma Glass, Kirsty Logan, Eimear McBride, Natasha Carthew, Mahsuda Snaith, Naomi Booth, Liv Little, Imogen Hermes Gower and Irenosen Okojie.

Carolyne Larrington, professor of medieval literature at St John's College in Oxford, provides a wonderful introduction to this collection, charting the journey of folk tales from their origin as oral fables passed along through storytellers down the generations, to their arrival in these modern retellings. This collection of stories was originally written for a podcast series, and the stories were crafted very much with a listener in mind. Each author was matched with a folk tale from their own area and asked to put their spin on it. The end product is really wonderful and very memorable.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

As I've probably said before, I love anything mythology or fairy tale related, so jumped at the chance to read this. I'm not sure I'd heard any of these stories before so it was a great introduction - I loved being able to read the original tales at the end. Each retelling was different but all were magical. Daisy Johnson's haunting story has stayed with me even though it was the first one in the collection, and each brought something different to the original tale while maintaining a feminist narrative through all the stories. It's now given me a list of new authors to seek out so thanks for increasing my TBR pile!

I enjoyed this book, I liked the modern re-imagining of the tales and being able to read the original material.
It was a bit different from the style of book I usually go for and I enjoyed the change.
I did find the introduction to be unnecessarily lengthy though and it almost put me off.
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for my eARC in return for my honest review.

I listened to a couple of these stories on Audible so was really pleased to hear that the collection would be coming out in book format as well (and with such a cool cover!) I'm a big fan of Naomi Booth's writing (Exit Management, Sealed, and The Lost Art of Sinking) and her story - Sour Hall - in Hag, a reworking of a Yorkshire folk tale, did not disappoint. As with most collections of short stories, I preferred some more than others, but I particularly liked "Between Sea and Sky", "The Panther's Tale", and "The Holloway", as well as "Sour Hall". The original tales that these new interpretations are based on are written in the back of the book - I'm not sure whether I'd recommend reading them first or not. In some ways, it makes it more interesting to know the original source material, but sometimes I think it's good to approach a new version of a story with an open mind and without too much background knowledge. I enjoyed the fact that the tales were from different regions across the UK and that the new stories were all written by female authors.

Thanks to #NetGalley for a free copy of this book.

A wonderfully crafted selection of stories written about British folklore by authors who clearly love their local histories. Kirsty Logan's story, as it is with all of her work, absolutely stole my heart with its creative dual narrative and a morbidly beautiful ending that leaves you reeling.

This is a wonderful anthology of little known folktales from across the UK and Ireland. Naturally there were some that I was more drawn to than others but I can honestly say I enjoyed each of these retellings and it was really interesting to be able to read the originals too, making me marvel even more at the talent assembled in this book.

An absolutely fascinating collection of retellings of folk tales. I knew very few of the original tales, which I think helped make them fresh and vivid. They successfully modernised them, which really made me think about how the original folk tales would have reflected the fears and preoccupations of their time,a nd how a lot of these themes are universal. I loved the fact that each was retold by a woman, as often the women in folk tales are brushed off, as the mother/ witch/ wife, and expanding their role or retelling from their perspective was really interesting. I was really pleased when I got to the end and found the original versions of the stories too, which added a lot to each retelling.

This collection starts off promisingly, and the different tales themselves are enjoyable - I particularly liked The Panther's Tale. However, it could feel a little bit heavy in times, and I found myself struggling to force myself to return to it. Each story does indeed have its own voice, and each author should be praised in their own right for that, but for me the layout of the collection made it difficult to get invested in each tale as they were so vastly different. I also would have enjoyed reading the original tales after each respective retelling, rather than altogether at the end, by which time I had trouble recalling the nuances of each modern version. Nevertheless, this collection is an interesting endeavour to rediscover the folklore of the British Isles.

I felt this collection started off extremely strongly and was raving about it to friends, particularly The Panther’s Tale which I just thought was perfection. Some of these tales are beautifully reimagined, darkly evocative and uniquely told. It’s an ambitious and bold book. But I did lose momentum with the collection, partly because of the dark content, I found the ordering of the stories quite heavy in places. We are living in dark times and I didn’t always want to return to this book. As another reviewer has pointed out, the original source of the tales are at the end and I wish it had been printed just after each story, as well as some information on each author - so the format didn’t work so well as an e-read. As with all short story collections this is a mixed bag but definitely one to dip into.