Edited by Steve Berman
Featuring stories from James H. Moran, John Linwood Grant, Jonathan Harper, M. Yuan-Innes, John T. Fuller, Charles Payseur, B. J. Fry, Alysha MacDonald, Mark Ward, Evey Brett, Rob Rosen, and Ann Zeddies
3 stars
Definitely a population that has been underrepresented in fairy tales, Burly Tales gives hefty gay men their own happily ever afters.
A fun collection featuring a variety of styles, each putting a new spin on classic tales. I loved how each author went in a different direction with their story. Not only are they all based on different fairy tales, some are (relatively) realistic, some are fantastical; some are humorous, some are somber; some are sweet, and some are spicy.
The retold stories include The Three Billy Goats Gruff, The Brown Bear of Norway, Bluebeard, Snow-White and Rose-Red, The Three Little Pigs, Jack and the Beanstalk, Snow White, The Boy Who Drew Cats, The Emperor’s New Clothes, Godfather Death, Rapunzel, and Goldilocks and the Three Bears. As someone who loves fairy tale retellings, this one was fun to explore, especially some of the less common stories.
As someone who enjoys fantasy, especially dark fantasy, I found those tales resonated most with me. A few of my personal favorites in this collection were John Linwood Grant‘s “The Red Bear of Norroway”, Jonathan Harper‘s “Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue”, Rob Rosen‘s “Lesson Learned”, and Alysha MacDonald‘s “The Man Who Drew Cats”.
While this book leans more into romance and erotica, there are a few references to non-consensual sex. Scenes are not explicit, but are implied.
On the whole, the book focuses on love, attraction, companionship, and making connections. Humorous, clever, romantic, with some heat thrown in. A fun collection of fairy tale retellings featuring hairy men and literal bears.