Jane Yolen has been called the Hans Christian Andersen of
America. She is the author of more than four hundred books,
including children's fiction, poetry, short stories, graphic
novels, nonfiction, fantasy, and science fiction. Her publications
include Owl Moon, The Devil's Arithmetic, Briar Rose, Sister
Emily's Starship, and Sister Light, Sister Dark. Among her many
honors are the Caldecott and Christopher Medals, multiple Nebula,
World Fantasy, Mythopoeic, Golden Kite, and Jewish Book awards; as
well as the World Fantasy Association's Lifetime Achievement Award,
and the Science Fiction Poetry Grand Master Award. Yolen is also a
teacher of writing and a book reviewer. She lives in Western
Massachusetts and St Andrews, Scotland.
Brandon Sanderson is the fifteen-time New York Times best-selling author of adult and young adult fantasy, including the Mistborn Trilogy, the Stormlight Archive, the Cosmere novels, and the Rithmatist series. In 2007, he was chosen by Robert Jordan's widow to complete Jordan's epic Wheel of Time series, published in three novels. He participates in the weekly podcast Writing Excuses. Sanderson's 2022 Kickstarter, for his four new entries in the Cosmere series, received finding of forty-one million dollars, the most in crowdfunding history. He currently resides in Utah with his family.
"As skillful as The Emerald Circus (2017), thematically warmer than
The Midnight Circus (2020), this volume's central thread is love.
Featuring an introduction by Brandon Sanderson, it collects more of
Yolen's reimagined narratives, many of them previously published.
But fairy-tale endings are not guaranteed: Characters choose badly,
and death and other sadness enters in. Julie appears from her
grave, mourning Roman, in a wry rewrite of Romeo and Juliet
narrated by an elf. Several tales are about the power--for good or
ill--of belief; merfolk, djinn, and ghosts play major roles. There
is time travel and some real history as well as appearances by
Merlin and Arthur, Alice Liddell, and many brave and independent
young women. The rich and varied plots and tones are matched by
advanced but suitable vocabulary--fortuitously, lambent,
incorporeal, slatterns, sepulchral, and legerdemain, for
example--much of which young readers will be able to decipher from
the context. Occasional poems are interspersed among the stories.
The fully realized details bring to life both this-worldly and
otherworldly settings. Yolen enthusiasts will be rapt, and new fans
will be won. Endlessly imaginative, superbly crafted tales that
stir the heart."
--Kirkus "For this whimsical collection, World Fantasy Award winner
Yolen (The Midnight Circus) brings together 11 fantastical shorts
centered on romantic love. Yolen's trademark fairy tale styling is
on display throughout, with vivid, pithy prose animating each
quirky flight of fancy. In her author's note, she complains that
dictionary definitions of romance are all too 'human-centric.'
Indeed, these tales feature romance between all manner of magical
creatures: a fey man falls for a ghost in the comic 'Dusty Loves, '
though she's more interested in haunting the boy she left behind; a
sailor witnesses the love between a family of merpeople in the
sweet 'The Sea Man'; a princess meets a man who may or may not be a
unicorn in standout 'The Unicorn Hunt'; and an enslaved man finds
romance with a djinn in the dated 'Memoirs of a Bottle Djinn, ' the
weakest piece. Many stories riff on the familiar: 'The Sword and
the Stone' offers a fresh take on King Arthur, while 'Peter in
Wonderland' imagines an adult Alice falling down the rabbit hole
again . . . this enchanting collection is sure to charm."
--Publishers Weekly "The Scarlet Circus is a magical collection of
love stories, where love is often an act of courage and
intelligence. Jane Yolen has a true storyteller's voice--a voice
that makes the writing disappear so that only the stories
remain."
--Anne Bishop, New York Times bestselling author of the Black
Jewels series "A magnificent and beautiful anthology from a master
storyteller! Jane Yolen's stories and poems reach directly into
your heart and fill you with the loveliest kind of magic. I
absolutely adored it."
--Sarah Beth Durst, award-winning author of The Queens of Renthia
series "All these years, and Jane Yolen still reduces me to
helpless, gibbering admiration. I'll read anything with her name on
it, even if it's just a damn grocery list!"
--Peter S. Beagle, author of In Calabria "In the fairy tales and
poems of Jane Yolen's The Scarlet Circus, there are curious
permutations of haunting, mesmerizing love stories. . . It's in
these splendid spaces between the book's winking tributes to
sentimentality and its swerving surprises that an unabashed sense
of romance lingers."
--Foreword "Jane Yolen spins captivating tales of whimsy, romance,
brave knights, dragons, and twist endings. It was like reading the
Grimm's fairy tales as a kid--it has that same timeless feel. I was
immersed in every story."
--Heather Wallwork, author of Entwined "A charming bouquet of love
stories from a heady array of fantastical viewpoints. Here be
magic, and romance."
--Susan Palwick, author of All Worlds Are Real and Flying in Place
"Jane Yolen is not only one of the best writers I know of, she's
also consistently excellent. A Grand Master, old-school style!"
--Mercedes Lackey, author of the Valdemar series "This is also the
perfect book to read while commuting, or if you need a break from
heavy topics, or just want to add a touch of magic to life!
Seriously, it's so charming. I highly recommend you give this book
a try to fall in love with fantasy and storytelling."
--Tales Untangled "Jane Yolen is a national treasure. Cozy up, and
let the master take you beyond the fields you know."
--Sherwood Smith, author of Crown Duel "I love fantasy and these
stories were perfect. I enjoyed each and every one."
--The Booklover's Boudoir 5/5 stars. "This isn't your typical
romance novel though. That romance has a broad definition and
doesn't always have a happy ending. In fact, some of the stories
are quite dark. I really like it when Jane Yolen takes a story you
think you know and turns it on its head."
--The Neverending TBR List "I have always loved reading Jane
Yolen's novels but as I have gotten older I have loved her short
stories just as much. The publisher is continuing the trend of
gifting us with these collections. This is the fourth one and deals
with romance in lovely, untypical ways."
--Captain's Quarters "The Scarlet Circus is another fantastic
collection by a master storyteller, one that should be added to
every fantasy lover's library."
--Witty and Sarcastic Book Club 9/10 "A must read for all fantasy
short story fans."
--The Library Ladies 10/10 Universes. "I greatly enjoyed The
Scarlet Circus and found many more gems of Yolen's to treasure and
carry with me."
--A Universe in Words "Each story is whimsical and delightful.
Every character is engaging and wonderful to read."
--The Nameless Zine "Five stars. Just gorgeous."
--Nonstop Reader Praise for the volumes of the Jane Yolen Circus
Collection series "Jane Yolen is, simply, a legend. The powerful
fairy godmother of every writer working in mythic fantasy today. In
these dark and wonderful stories, that legend proves itself true
over and over again."
--Catherynne M. Valente, author of The Girl Who Circumnavigated
Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own "Look this way, look that; blazing
her consummate imagination against the shadows of human sorrow,
Jane Yolen has done it again."
--Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked "Haunting stories from a modern
master."
--Kirkus "[S]ings with magic, darkness, and wonder--perfect for
anyone who has ever loved a fairy tale."
--Meagan Spooner, author of Hunted "An engrossing collection that
will linger in readers' minds long after reading, and a perfect
(re)introduction to Yolen's rich well of fantasy horror. For fans
of Neil Gaiman, Kelly Link, and Leigh Bardugo."
--School Library Journal [STARRED REVIEW] "These delightful
retellings of favorite stories will captivate newcomers and fans of
Yolen as she once again delivers the magic, humor, and lovely prose
that has attracted readers for years."
--Library Journal "Jane Yolen at her best, telling stories you've
never seen before but have known all your life, and stories as
familiar as your left hand that you barely recognize, spun from
shadows and moonlight and breathed through silvered glass."
--Patricia C. Wrede, author of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles
"Yolen takes well-known fairy tales and splits them apart,
sometimes leaving them still quite familiar and other times shining
a light from an unfamiliar angle to reveal new truths and
possibilities"
--Margo Kelly, author of Unlocked "A master storyteller at her
best."
--Chanda Hahn, bestselling author of Reign
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