This collection of deftly rearranged myths and fairy tales, including six original stories, rekindles the excitement of adored childhood adventures. National Endowment for the Arts recipient Michael Cadnum creates twice-told narratives revealed through their supporting casts, from the protective giantess at the top of the beanstalk to an extremely bratty Gingerbread Man.
Rekindling the excitement of adored childhood stories, this award-winning author uses unexpected points of view to deftly twist the themes of classic folktales. From the unrepentent Gingerbread Man and his tirades against overprotective parents, meddlesome neighbors, and untrustworthy foxes, to the giant's wife who simply wants Jack out of the picture so that she and her mate may continue collaborating on poetry, these ironic tales introduce complex, emotional topics within a familiar context. This sophisticated collection of rearranged myths features six previously unpublished works.
"{Cadnum]tangos with tart truths, waltzes with acerbic wit, and often and dances in the dark."
—Fantasy Magazine
“Concise writing cuts to the heart of the matter in this droll collection from National Book Award–finalist Cadnum (The Book of the Lion), whether it be a certain gingerbread boy’s overbearing parents in the title story or a ghostly Ophelia bent on her own secret revenge in ‘Or Be to Not.’ Even the most urbane bears can be brought low when entrapped by a crusading pro-human Goldilocks in ‘Bear It Away,’ while a certain giant’s wife manages to create a happy ending after a young thief escapes by beanstalk in ‘Mrs. Big.’ ‘Medusa,’ ‘Daphne,’ and ‘Give Him the Eye’ offer stark insight into the behavior of Greek gods and goddesses as well as the brutal side of love. Meanwhile, elves, no matter how gifted, find little welcome when faced with human suspicions in ‘Naked Little Men’ and ‘Elf Trap,’ while ‘Together Again’ gives the truth behind that old nursery rhyme about a lord named Humpty Dumpty. Both adult and YA readers will enjoy this quirky assemblage of 18 traditional tales with a modern edge.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Can’t Catch Me and Other Twice-Told Tales by Michael Cadnum is an outstanding collection of interesting and insightful lore drawn from history and retold with a modernized and compelling philosophical perspective of contemporary wisdom and collective post-situation knowledge.”
—Midwest Book Review
“...turns the familiar on its head, from basilisk to gingerbread man, and makes you forget, for a few charmed moments, that these aren’t quite the tales you thought you knew.”
—Patricia A. McKillip, author, Wonders of the Invisible World
“Cadnum delves more into the psyche of the protagonist than fairy tales ever do.”
—BookLoons
