Fabulous

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Pub Date 13 Jun 2019 | Archive Date 21 Nov 2019

Description

Not since Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber have old stories been made to feel so electrically new.

Not since Wim Winders’ Wings of Desire have the numinous and the everyday been so magically combined. 

It's in the nature of myth to be infinitely adaptable.

Each of these startlingly original stories is set in modern Britain. Their characters include a people-trafficking gang-master and a prostitute, a migrant worker and a cocksure estate agent, an elderly musician doubly befuddled by dementia and the death of his wife, a pest-controller suspected of paedophilia and a librarian so well-behaved that her parents wonder anxiously whether she’ll ever find love.

They’re ordinary people, preoccupied, as we all are now, by the deficiencies of the health service, by criminal gangs and homelessness, by the pitfalls of dating in the age of #metoo. All of their stories, though, are inspired by ones drawn from Graeco-Roman myth, from the Bible or from folk-lore.

The ancients invented myths to express what they didn’t understand. These witty fables, elegantly written and full of sharp-eyed observation of modern life, are also visionary explorations of potent mysteries and strange passions, charged with the hallucinatory beauty and horror of their originals.

Not since Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber have old stories been made to feel so electrically new.

Not since Wim Winders’ Wings of Desire have the...


Available Editions

EDITION Ebook
ISBN 9780008334864
PRICE £5.49 (GBP)
PAGES 144

Average rating from 10 members


Featured Reviews

I read the author's previous book: Peculiar Ground and loved it. And this didn't disappoint me either.
This book is a collection of stories that takes the myths and biblical tales and retells them in a contemporary setting. I love retellings, and I thought these stories were very well written.
It was a delight to read going from one fascinating world to another, I just loved it. Totally recommended.

Thanks a lot to the publisher and Netgalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

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I'm happy I requested this book because it was an interesting read.
I liked the way the author tell contemporary stories based on mythical or biblical ones.
Not all the story are at the same level but they're all engaging and fascinating.
My favourite was the one inspired by Tristan and Isolde, I found it enthralling and fascinating.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

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Fabulous is a collection of short stories that retell famous myths in modern Britain, twisting ancient tales into relatable modern snippets. Orpheus, Psyche, Tristan and Isolde, the Pied Piper, and Mary Magdalen are just some of the figures given fresh new versions of their stories, mixing criminal gangs, immigration, estate agents, pest control, love and more.

The stories are knowing and witty, using observations and comments on modern society to try and make these very famous tales fresh. As expected, they vary in how they engage with the source tale, but the original myth is always central to the narrative and characters. Stand out highlights include the story of Diana and Actaeon with estate agents, Pasiphae and the minotaur with seaside gangsters, and adding further complications and some pink pills to the story of Tristan and Isolde. The two Biblical ones—Joseph and Mary Magdalen—are interesting, but may be more appreciated by someone who doesn't have more knowledge of Greek myth and Arthurian legend than Biblical material.

It is the kind of book that is perfect for picking up and reading single stories, dipping in or choosing the figures that most interest you. The modern retellings are clever and fun, and the end has a quick guide to the original tales for anyone who didn't know (or Google) them previously. There's a delight in how famous the original stories are and how ordinary the characters in these versions can be.

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