The Folktale/Fairytale Shelf

Into the Forest
Lindy Ryan, Editor
Black Spot Books
www.blackspotbooks.com
c/o Vesuvian Media Group
https://vesuvianmedia.com
9781645481232, $15.95 Paper/$5.99 ebook

https://www.amazon.com/Into-Forest-Tales-Baba-Yaga/dp/1645481239

Into the Forest: Tales of the Baba Yaga gathers new short writings inspired=
by the Slavic witch Baba Yaga fable, gathering works by award-winning auth= ors and new voices.

Readers might expect these stories to be steeped in horror (which they do r= eceive), but one of the unexpected delights of this collection lies in not = just its diverse takeoffs on the subject, but the disparate tones which eac=
h short story takes, from dark fantasy to folklore and reflections on women=
's powers and the ironies of their lives.

Take the opening "Dinner Plans with Baba Yaga" by Stephanie M. Wytovich. Th=
e poem is a dark study in ritual horror that captures subtle nuances in the=
Baba Yaga legend and figure, bringing them to life in unexpected ways: "Yo=
u tell me to make a stew, to chop up the/onions, pull the radishes from the=
ground. I bite/my tongue, let my tears fall into the bowl, the salt/a seal= ant, a locked door boiling beneath the peas./I stir clockwise to summon you=
, imagine the rancid/perfume of your ghost."

"Last Tour Into the Hungering Moonlight" by Gwendolyn Kiste, in contrast, i=
s an atmospheric study in ironic observations as the narrator, a 'tour guid= e', introduces readers to a strange community: "One home after another, we = want to show them all to you. Our vaulted ceilings, our vaulted lives. This=
is our little pocket of paradise, you might say. After all, we have everyt= hing we could ever want. Our gleaming white walls as plain and straightforw= ard as each new day in our lives. There's nothing out of the ordinary here,=
nothing calling to us from just beyond the property line."

The focus on the impact of living shielded lives next to a legend offers in= triguing perspectives on the Baba Yaga folktale that are delightfully liter= ary and analytical: "(They say her house in the deep, lonely woods is propp=
ed up on chicken legs and filled with a thousand bones. Late at night, we s= ometimes lie awake and wonder if those bones make her home stronger than ou= rs. We also wonder if maybe we should find some bones of our own.)" Each pi= ece offers a stunning new perspective on Baba Yaga's influence and legend. = Each represents a powerful literary reflection that should not be missed by=
any with an interest in not just horror or this legend, but women's writin=
gs in particular.

Outstanding in its diversity and interpretations, Into the Forest: Tales of=
the Baba Yaga is very highly recommended not just for horror collections, = but for libraries strong in women's literature, as well as for reader's boo=
k groups who would study the legend and realities of the Baba Yaga folktale=
as it journeys into the heart and soul of women's experiences and psycholo= gy.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

The Midwest Book Review is an organization of volunteers committed to promo= ting literacy, library usage, and small press publishing. We accept no fund=
s from authors or publishers. Full permission is given to post any of these=
reviews on thematically appropriate websites, newsgroups, listserves, inte= rnet discussion groups, organizational newsletters, or to interested indivi= duals. Please give the Midwest Book Review a credit line when doing so.

The Midwest Book Review publishes the monthly book review magazines "Califo= rnia Bookwatch", "Internet Bookwatch", "Children's Bookwatch", "MBR Bookwat= ch", "Reviewer's Bookwatch", and "Small Press Bookwatch". All are available=
for free on the Midwest Book Review website at www (dot) midwestbookreview=
(dot) com

Anyone wanting to submit books for review consideration can send them to:

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129

To submit reviews of any fiction or non-fiction books, email them to Frugal= muse (at) aol (dot) com (Be sure to include the book title, author, publish= er, publisher address, publisher website/phone number, 13-digit ISBN number=
, and list price).

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review

--- MBSE BBS v1.0.8 (Linux-x86_64)
* Origin: ---:- FTN<->UseNet Gate -:--- (3:633/280.2@fidonet)