That monkey sure is a real asshole, isn't he? Fortunately Crab, despite her physical disadvantages in comparison t(Included in the Crimson Fairy Book)
That monkey sure is a real asshole, isn't he? Fortunately Crab, despite her physical disadvantages in comparison to Monkey, still manages to outwit him in the end, although there is a point where that shitstain monkey beats her neat to the point of death when he gets all butthurt at the crab getting some fruit (even though he'd had his own fill of the fruit)
The crab fortunately has an odd assortment of friends (including a mortar and egg which makes no sense) and they gang up on the monkey and kill him. So I suppose the moral of the story is, don't be a dipshit....more
A bit darker than some of the other tales in this collection and I feel sorry for the man's poor wife, but at least t(Included in the Pink Fairy Book)
A bit darker than some of the other tales in this collection and I feel sorry for the man's poor wife, but at least the man had his revenge in the end....more
Kindness to an animal is repaid many times over - a common theme in fairy tales so nothing new here but it's still an(Included in the Pink Fairy Book)
Kindness to an animal is repaid many times over - a common theme in fairy tales so nothing new here but it's still an enjoyable tale. It's kind of hard to not feel for the poor lad even though you know he should have listened to his wife. The ending of this tale is very reminiscent to several others where a mortal returns from a magical world to find his family and friends have passed on and they themselves have aged greatly. I think the men in these tales would have stayed where they are if they'd been warned clearly of what would happen if they left these magical worlds because the warnings are often so vague....more
I was not quite sure what to expect when I started this book, given the blurb for this book. As an atheist, I try to be as neutral as possible when juI was not quite sure what to expect when I started this book, given the blurb for this book. As an atheist, I try to be as neutral as possible when judging books that have a religious theme.
I will admit I didn't like Ryoka at first, but as the story unfolds it's kind of like peeling back the layers of an onion, and we learn more about Ryoka and why she does what she does. There is also, as the title says, religious parts to this, but it didn't feel like the author was trying to force religion on the reader, it happened in a more organic way that felt real to the story instead of preachy.
All in all, it was a pretty satisfying if bittersweet book, and I also learned, after Googling that the reason cucumbers get dipped in sugar is that it makes them taste very similiar to watermelon? So yay for learning a bit of trivia after looking up something I read about in a book :) 4.25/5 stars....more
As with the other Color Fairy books I've read so far, the stories are a hit and miss, and some of them are repetitive, but then there are tropes you sAs with the other Color Fairy books I've read so far, the stories are a hit and miss, and some of them are repetitive, but then there are tropes you see in classic myth and fairy tales for a reason. Overall a fun collection.
Reviews below are for stories that did not have their own entry here on GR. Complete list of stories at the bottom of the review.
Peter Bull *** A weird story where the cheater actually comes out ahead with a lie. Pretty hard to root for the guy.
Catherine and Her Destiny ** pretty meh. The moral of this story is clear, but Destiny still comes across as a massive bitch.
"The Sparrow with the Slit Tongue ** Okay.... wtf. In the beginning of the story, it's said that the old man and his wife were well-matched, but as it turns out, the wife is a real bitch. Thank goodness the old man's good spirit reaped him good, while the wife's evil got her in the end.
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"The Cat's Elopement" "How the Dragon Was Tricked" "The Goblin and the Grocer" "The House in the Wood" "Urashimataro and the Turtle" "The Slaying of the Tanuki" "The Flying Trunk" "The Snow Man" "The Shirt-Collar" "The Princess in the Chest" "The Three Brothers" "The Snow-queen" "The Fir-Tree" "Hans, the Mermaid's Son" "Peter Bull" "The Bird 'Grip'" "Snowflake" "I Know What I Have Learned" "The Cunning Shoemaker" "The King Who Would Have a Beautiful Wife" "Catherine and Her Destiny" "How the Hermit Helped to Win the King's Daughter" "The Water of Life" "The Wounded Lion" "The Man Without a Heart" "The Two Brothers" "Master and Pupil" "The Golden Lion" "The Sprig of Rosemary" "The White Dove" "The Troll's Daughter" "Esben and the Witch" "Princess Minon-Minette" "Maiden Bright-eye" "The Merry Wives" "King Lindworm" "The Jackal, the Dove, and the Panther" "The Little Hare" "The Sparrow with the Slit Tongue" "The Story of Ciccu" "Don Giovanni de la Fortuna"...more
Some of the stories in this collection have their own GR/book pages, these stories have been reviewed separately, the rest are reviewed here. Some of Some of the stories in this collection have their own GR/book pages, these stories have been reviewed separately, the rest are reviewed here. Some of the stories are quite far-reaching (for children in the late 19th/early 20th century) but to me, some of the stories have obviously been edited/whitewashed a bit from their original versions. Many of the stories also include characters dying in gruesome ways so this is definitely something parents should check before letting their kids read it.
Lovely Ilonka *** One of these stories where the good girl is kidnapped or enchanted, and another woman placed in her place to marry her love, the king.
Lucky Luck *** One of these stories where a prince fails to obey his father's command, causing him to have to go off on an adventure.
The Hairy Man *** One of these stories where an act of kindness is repaid amply, although some things still don't make much sense. There's also the trope of three objects made of gold, silver, and copper (in this case, apples)
The Story of the Seven Simons *** Seven brothers pool together their talents to help one.
The Language of Beasts *** It's a little fucked up, but darkly entertaining about a man who learns the language of beasts and thus some secrets.
The Strong Prince ** One of these stories that's pretty meh, with some pretty poor decisions that made no sense. And the prince's mother turns out to be a real cunt and got off pretty lightly for betraying her son.
The Treasure Seeker *** Something of a tale in a tale, and a pretty weird one too.
The Cottager and his Cat *** The story opens with this dude is such a miser that he allows himself to basically starve to death rather than spend his money. (lolwut) His son inherits his wealth but is unable to keep it. He keeps what is left of that fortune (not much) and buys a cat (although he didn't know what a cat was!) He comes to the King's palace where apparently he doesn't know what a rat is either, lol. Reminiscient of the Mayor Whittington story.
The Stone-cutter **** This is one of these tales where a person wishes for more and more but is never quite as happy as they were at the start. Compare this to the tale of the fisherman who kept going back to the fish for more wishes.
The Gold-bearded Man **** A dying king asks his wife to never marry again after his death. She agrees but goes back on her word and marries anyway, except her second husband is an asshole who mistreats the former king's son... and the mom starts abusing her son too. wtf bro. Nonetheless the prince is a kind boy whose kindness to others is amply repaid.
Tritill, Litill, and the Birds *** The hero gets the princess.
The Three Robes **** this is one of these fairy tales where I recognize elements from other fairy tales - three items, a impostor woman being passed off as the princess/intended bride, etc. But overall not a bad story.
How the Beggar Boy turned into Count Piro *** The fox's scheme is reminiscient to me of Puss in Boots. The king's a kind of dumbass though lol.
The Rogue and the Herdsman *** Boy howdy, that lad is one cheeky bastard, and he manages quite nicely in the end because of his cleverness because he's not very likeable.
Eisenkopf *** The hero comes from a very poor family and is told by his dyng father to be loyal. As one might expect, this serves him well in the end regardless of the misfortunes he suffered. I do feel sorry for the poor guy's first wife, and Eisenkopf was a freak.
The Death of Abu Nowas and of his Wife This is one crazy and funny tale. Yeah, it was a scheme, but it was nonetheless an entertaining story!
Niels and the Giants *** Lad who's good at shooting gains himself a princess in marriage.
Shepherd Paul **** Paul's a nice enough fellow who's backstabbed but comes out all right in the end.
How the Wicked Tanuki was Punished **** Thank goodness that shitty-ass tanuki was indeed punished.
The Horse Gullfaxi and the Sword Gunnfoder *** Yeah the prince is a real dumbass who should have listened to his stepmon (who actually turned out to be a decent enough woman instead of a bitch like in so many other stories)
The Story of the Sham Prince, or the Ambitious Tailor **** A quite decent tale, with morals to be learned. A steady life is good for some, glory better for others, to each their own.
How to find out a True Friend * Er... no. Asking a parent to kill their baby is just a big, fat, nope-arooni for me especially since this was included in a children's book.
The Magic Kettle **** A fun tale from Japan about a magic kettle.
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"Lovely Ilonka" "Lucky Luck" "The Hairy Man" "To Your Good Health!" "The Story of the Seven Simons" "The Language of Beasts" "The Boy Who Could Keep a Secret" "The Prince and the Dragon" "Little Wildrose" "Tiidu the Piper" "Paperarello" "The Gifts of the Magician" "The Strong Prince" "The Treasure Seeker" "The Cottager and his Cat" "The Prince Who Would Seek Immortality" "The Stone-cutter" "The Gold-bearded Man" "Tritill, Litill, and the Birds" "The Three Robes" "The Six Hungry Beasts" "How the Beggar Boy turned into Count Piro" "The Rogue and the Herdsman" "Eisenkopf" "The Death of Abu Nowas and of his Wife" "Motikatika" "Niels and the Giants" "Shepherd Paul" "How the Wicked Tanuki was Punished" "The Crab and the Monkey" "The Horse Gullfaxi and the Sword Gunnfoder" "The Story of the Sham Prince, or the Ambitious Tailor" "The Colony of Cats" "How to find out a True Friend" "Clever Maria" "The Magic Kettle"...more
"The Finest Liar in the World" One of the best stories I've come across so far in the Fairy Books. The story's quite entertaining and well-told,"The Finest Liar in the World" One of the best stories I've come across so far in the Fairy Books. The story's quite entertaining and well-told, with delightful contradictions like 'i was sinking in the ground so i went to my house and got my shovel and dug myself out'
"The Goat's Ears of the Emperor Trojan" *** Quite reminiscent of the King Midas tale. Not much point to this tale.
"The Grateful Prince" One of these stories that starts with the (initial) main character being made to promise to give his savior the first thing that comes out when he gets home. I'm sure you can figure out by the title what that thing was. In an desperate attempt to save his son, the king swaps him with that of a peasant girl. At least the good-hearted prince saves her when he becomes old enough.
"The Child who came from an Egg" ** the fuck, bro. Confusing and at the same time bland.
"Stan Bolovan" BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR, MOTHERFUCKER LOLOLOLOLOLOL. Dude wants children. He ends up with 100 of them! At least in the end the children save him from a dragon so... all's well that ends well, I guess.
"The Two Frogs" **** This is one of these stories that feels like it would fit well into Aesop's Fables, even though this story is Japanese in origin. Moral is... i guess it's good to try to expand your worldview, but take caution how you do it.
"The Story of a Gazelle" Quite reminiscient of Puss in Boots, right down to the ungrateful master. However, this time the master pays a dear price for his ingratitude. Good fucking riddance.
"How a Fish swam in the Air and a Hare in the Water" **** A pointed lesson to nagging wives. That might sound sexist in context and I suppose it is, but the lesson could be applied to anyone who likes to nag and gossip.
"The Envious Neighbour" **** yep, envy can make people do really stupid things. But you'd think the old man would have learned after the first time to not trust his neighbor. Alas.
"The Fairy of the Dawn" *** Somewhat long-winded, with some wicked brothers and one good boy.
"Jesper Who Herded the Hares" One of these stories where the kindness that the main character shows various animals etc does him much good when he's faced with challenges. Hardly a new trope, but it's not a bad lesson to teach kindness.
"The Underground Workers" **** A delightful tale, I found it quite refreshing.
"The Nunda, Eater of People" *** The Sultan's an asshole (to the point where he is directly responsible for the creation of Nunda) at least his youngest son is much nicer.
"The Monkey and the Jelly-fish" *** Poor jellyfish, though I can't blame the monkey for what he did. Just a shitty situation all around :(
"The Headless Dwarfs" **** Not a bad story, but Hans makes use of malicious compliance (the wisdom of which is questionable in this case) but a stroke of luck makes it work out in the end.
"The Frog" ** Meh. A young man is tasked with finding a bride for himself, and ends up with a frog. Having read so many tales in Lang's collection, it was not hard to figure out what would become of the frog.
"The Girl Who Pretended to be a Boy" ** Meh, I was hoping for something better from the title alone.
"The Story of Halfman" *** Somewhat convoluted. Not very memorable.
"The Prince Who Wanted to See the World" *** That prince really was a naive dumbass, wasn't he? No wonder his dad didn't want to let him out of the house. But things worked out for him in the end nonetheless.
"Mogarzea and his Son" ** I was rooting for the young man in this tale until he captured a fairy and forced her to become his wife.
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"A Tale Of the Tontlawald" "The Finest Liar in the World" "The Story of Three Wonderful Beggars" "Schippeitaro" "The Three Princes and their Beasts" "The Goat's Ears of the Emperor Trojan" "The Nine Pea-hens and the Golden Apples" "The Lute Player" "The Grateful Prince" "The Child who came from an Egg" "Stan Bolovan" "The Two Frogs" "The Story of a Gazelle" "How a Fish swam in the Air and a Hare in the Water" "Two in a Sack" "The Envious Neighbour" "The Fairy of the Dawn" "The Enchanted Knife" "Jesper Who Herded the Hares" "The Underground Workers" "The History of Dwarf Long Nose" "The Nunda, Eater of People" "The Story of Hassebu" "The Maiden with the Wooden Helmet" "The Monkey and the Jelly-fish" "The Headless Dwarfs" "The Young Man Who Would Have His Eyes Opened" "The Boys with the Golden Stars" "The Frog" "The Princess Who Was Hidden Underground" "The Girl Who Pretended to be a Boy" "The Story of Halfman" "The Prince Who Wanted to See the World" "Virgilius the Sorcerer" "Mogarzea and his Son"...more
Hoo boy. What a hell of a ride. This is truly one of the most original science fiction stories I've read, and I feel it deserves more attention.
I willHoo boy. What a hell of a ride. This is truly one of the most original science fiction stories I've read, and I feel it deserves more attention.
I will admit that it took me a bit of time to get into the story. In the beginning, the geography is not clear and I was wondering where it was set, but it was revealed later on, and I understood why the author was intentionally vague about it, along with several other critical plot details.
I don't want to go into too much detail as that might get spoilery and I don't like to post spoilers for a good book. I would say that my biggest issue was when the author would shift perspective, or flashback, right in the middle of the scene and that would get quite jarring, but other than that, I really enjoyed the dialogue, and the way the author described some of the action.
It's really interesting what is revealed about the androids, including Jojo himself, and there is great potential here for the author to continue exploring this universe, should he be so inclined. Don't get me wrong, the book ended on a satisfactory note, but there's plenty of potential here for a sequel, and I'd absolutely read it.
4.5/5 stars for an original, entertaining, and thought-provoking read....more
I read this manga years ago, and it was a quite enjoyable read. Different than many of the other manga I'd normally read. I need to re-read this some I read this manga years ago, and it was a quite enjoyable read. Different than many of the other manga I'd normally read. I need to re-read this some day :)...more
M.M. Strawberry
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Books:
japan
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