Daphne said to me, “It’s Saturday! But I’m posting anyway. Why? Because I’m freaking awesome, and it’s the only way I’ll get through Twelve Days of Christmas in two weeks.”
So, I have a question for the group. Can you give me some examples of multiple books based on the same myth or legend? Like, novels based on the story of Helen of Troy, or Cinderella. I’m picking your brains here, folks.
Sound off in the comments!
You may also like
New Blog Post: What I Said This Week on Twitter: New Blog Post: What I Said This Week on Twitter: New Blog […]
I got a lovely shout-out on Nathan Bransford’s blog for my presentation at Saturday’s Agent’s Day, and I wanted to follow up some of his comments about using blurbs in your query letter. Nathan describes four possible tiers of blurbs, with an actual personal referral from a client as Tier 1 down to praise from random children as Tier 4. He was very polite, however, in not sharing one of my biggest reasons for not caring too much for blurbs in your queries — sometimes, they make me feel dumb.
A quick post today, since Rexroth and I are heading out of town this afternoon for a wedding, and we still have […]
I’m getting super excited for LeakyCon in just over two weeks. Will I see any of you there? Besides all the fan […]
6 thoughts on “On the Sixth day of Christmas Vacation”
I just threw the question out to the family in the kitchen and of course, they jumped to musicals. Romeo and Juliet = Westside Story. Pygmalion = My Fair Lady. Les Miserables = Les Miserables. We are aware that your question called for multiple books based on the same story but unfortunately, we can think no further than musicals. We're off to sing now…
Gregory Maguire's Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister is the Cinderella story.
That came to mind first. I know there are a billion others.
Jeanne Ray: Julie and Romeo. (Should be apparent)
I'll chime in with more if I think of them.
Here’s a few I’ve read:
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine and Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix are both Cinderella retellings, Troy by Adele Geras and its sequels are based on the Greek mythology, Beast by Diana Jo Napoli is based on an Islamic Beauty and the Beast, and the Once Upon a Time series features many classic fairy tales like Snow White and Rapunzel. Shylock’s Daughter by Mirjam Pressler is based on Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. I think the twist on a well-loved tale is a popular plot for YA readers, I remember always liking them. Ella Enchanted is my favorite, but all of the above are quite well done.
Thanks for posting during the holidays, Daphne! Keep up the great work!
You could probably house all the books based on Arthurian legend in their own wing in the Library of Congress.
If you want underlying themes, then the prophesied child raised in obscurity and mentored by a wizard can describe Arthur/Merlin, Luke Skywalker/Obi Wan Kenobi, Harry Potter/Albus Dumbledore, and also Ruggiero/Atlante from the epic poems "Orlando Innamorato" and its sequel "Orlando Furioso." I'm sure there are many, many more.
Oooh! I want to play!
Robin McKinley kind of specialized in this. Spindle's End- Sleeping Beauty
Rose Daughter & Beauty- Beauty and the Beast
Deerskin- Donkeyskin folktale
Mercedes Lackey's Elemental Masters series reinvisions a different fairy tale in each book.
The Fire Rose= Beauty and the Beast
The Serpent's Shadow= Snow White
The Gates of Sleep= Sleeping Beauty
Phoenix & Ashes= Cinderella
The Wizard of London= The Snow Queen
Reserved for the Cat= Puss n Boots
I know there's more but I can't think of them just now…
Nobody's Princess kicked off a series on Helen of Troy.