Fairy Legends

Star-crossed lovers, meddling immortals, feigned identities, battles of wits, and dire warnings: these are the stuff of fairy tale, myth, and folklore that have drawn us in for centuries. Fifteen best-selling and acclaimed authors reimagine the folklore and mythology of East and South Asia in short stories that are by turns enchanting, heartbreaking, romantic, and passionate. From fantasy to science fiction to contemporary, from romance to tales of revenge, these stories will beguile listeners from start to finish.

Being both a valkyrie and a princess isn’t turning out quite the way Sigrid imagined. The other valkyries still treat her like a stable hand. Her relationship with Mariam is less “long-distance” and more “worlds apart.” And lately, she’s been wondering if Sleipnir, her new horse, isn’t making her a little bit…well, evil. But Sigrid’s first official valkyrie mission sends ripples through the Nine Worlds. She’s attracted the wrath of not only the Night Elves but their sinister king, who wants nothing more than to bring darkness down on everyone.

Throughout the history of Mexican culture, the legend of the cactus has been told. The cactus has origins dating back hundreds of years, but very few know the complete legend. This legend is very important to Mexican culture. Aside from the fact that the cactus is an unforgettable ingredient and staple in Mexican cuisine. The cactus is a symbol of strength for all Mexicans, which we proudly include it in our nation’s flag.

You may think you know this story. There's a young queen about to be married. There are some good, brave, hardy dwarfs; a castle shrouded in thorns; and a princess cursed by a witch, so rumor has it, to sleep forever. But no one is waiting for a noble prince to appear on his trusty steed here. This fairy tale is spun with a thread of dark magic, which twists and turns and glints and shines.

People have always been afraid of the dead. Since the dawn of humanity, people have both cared for those who are deceased yet also tried to keep them away. There are a myriad of legends and beliefs about the dead coming back, and one of the more persistent ones is of the vampire.

Four Jack Tales from the Appalachian oral tradition, recorded by a nationally accalimed storyteller. In this collection, Jack has a little trouble adjusting to the workaday world and to personal financial management. Eventually he works hard enough, but his fortunes do not seem to parallel his productivity. Jack finally has to go a bit out of his way to prove himself, meanwhile dealing with a prospective father-in-law who plays hard to get.

From the vast lore surrounding King Arthur, Camelot, and the Knights of the Round Table comes an anthology of gender-bent, race-bent, LGBTQIA+ inclusive retellings.

Just when the Soulkeepers think they've established a foothold in the war between Heaven and Hell, the playing field shifts. Enraged by Cord's disappearance, Lucifer replaces his right-hand man with the Wicked Brethren: three Watchers so formidable even their own kind fears them. The Soulkeepers struggle to survive in an increasingly deadly world while continuing to defend human souls.

The sheriff asks a butcher to dinner, hoping to cheat him out of his money. But the butcher is really Robin Hood, and he has a surprise!

Two young Lakota warriors set out on an adventure. When they run into Mato the giant bear, something unexpected happens. Find out how this Lakota legend explains the creation of Devil's Tower.

The world has turned upside down for Thad and Ari Glavan, the bastard twins of Súndraille's king. Their mother was murdered. The royal family died mysteriously. And now Thad sits on the throne of a kingdom whose streets are suddenly overrun with violence he can't stop. Growing up ignored by the nobility, Ari never wanted to be a proper princess. And when Thad suddenly starts training Ari to take his place, she realizes that her brother's ascension to the throne wasn't fate.

My name is Melany Richmond, and for my entire life, I’ve been an outcast, an orphan tossed around like a ship in a storm. I don’t think that gods really exist. I never even received my Shadowbox when I turned 18. Maybe, because nobody knows my true birth date or because not even the gods care about me. After all, I'm a blue-haired rebel and a troublemaker with tattoos all over my arms.

The teacher Patrick Healy travelled around the world, talked with people in different places, and collected around half a thousand myths, legends, and folktales and several alternative versions. His opinion and comments (directly or indirectly) are inevitable. 61 Filipino Tales is the third volume of his work, in his words. He retold the stories with his own opinion and approach to them.

For fans of Cassandra Clare's City of Bones and Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke & Bone, The Girl at Midnight is the story of a modern girl caught in an ancient war. Beneath the streets of New York City live the Avicen, an ancient race of people with feathers for hair and magic running through their veins. Age-old enchantments keep them hidden from humans. All but one. Echo is a runaway pickpocket who survives by selling stolen treasures on the black market, and the Avicen are the only family she's ever known.

Ever hear of a feller named Davy Crockett? Folks say he fell from the sky with a coonskin on his head and a smile on his face. But did you know he saved steamers on the Mighty Mississippi from a giant gator? Yesiree, that Davy Crockett roughed up that ol gator real good! Kick off yer boots and listen to this fascinatin' tale of Davy Crockett.

When a princess' commoner true love is kidnapped to coerce her into a political marriage, she doesn't give in - she goes to rescue him. When her warrior father, King Sendoa, mysteriously dies, Princess Amarande of Ardenia is given what would hardly be considered a choice: Marry a stranger at 16 or lose control of her family's crown. But Amarande was raised to be a warrior - not a sacrifice.

Fifteen winters old, Hirka learns that she is an Odin's child—a tailless rot from another world. Despised. Dreaded. Hunted. She no longer knows who she is, and someone wants to kill her to keep it a secret. But there are worse things than humans, and Hirka is not the only creature to have broken through the gates…

Molly’s father grew up on the Mohawk Reserve of Akwesasne, where he learned the best scary stories. One of her favorites was the legend of Skeleton Man, a gruesome tale about a man with a deadly, insatiable hunger. But ever since her parents mysteriously vanished, those spooky tales have started to feel all too real.

On his deathbed, King Tyran divides his land, leaving half to each of his two children - so they'll rule together. However, his son, Albrecht, is not satisfied with half a kingdom. And even though his sister, Ursula, is the first born, he decides that as a girl and were-bear, she is unfit to rule. So he invades her land, slaughtering her people and most of the were-beasts, and claims it for himself. As King Albrecht builds his iron rule and an army of beasts to defend his reign, Ursula is gathering the survivors and making plans to seize back the kingdom.

The story of an evil Persian king, who marries a new wife each day and then kills her the next morning. To stop this murderous ruler, a brave woman named Scheherazade risks her own life and marries the king herself...but not without a plan. On their wedding night, she will entertain him with the tale of the Fisherman and the Genie, a legend so great, he'll never want it to end.