It’s always interesting to me which fairytales and which details persist over the years. Some stories fade wholesale (nobody seems keen on “King Thrushbeard”), and others have their details changed (no one gets mutilated in “Cinderella” anymore), and some persist largely unchanged (“Beauty and the Beast” gets reimagined a lot, but everyone agrees on the shape of the original). Among these Western stories, one of my favourites is “Little Red Riding Hood,” partially because I just like it, and partially because it’s an interesting case. Although it’s ripe for reimagination and has a striking visual cue, “Little Red Riding Hood” has never gotten the Disney treatment. (It got the gritty reboot treatment, but that had no cultural impact that I can tell.) It’s never faded, but it’s never really been much reimagined until more recently. Though few in number, it’s quality over quantity—each is exciting, original, and well worth your once upon a time.
Burning Roses by S. L. Huang
The story of Little Red Riding Hood and the legend of Chang-E meet in a marvellously queer mashup, in which the author wonders where characters go when the violence is over and they age out of their stories. Warriors Rosa and Hou Yi are haunted and, in Hou Yi’s case, literally hunted by the past. Hitting targets has never been the problem, but can either of the two fighters hit on the heart of their real issues? This is a brief but beautiful meditation on the battle of forgiveness and redemption, a far greater struggle than any of the beasts either has faced.
Girl in Red by Christina Henry
It may be the apocalypse, but Red is ready. Experienced in outdoor survival and determined to get to safety, she braves a trek through the woods in order to avoid the more dangerous population centres. Some kind of disease is raging—or is it something worse? Red doesn’t know; all she knows is that the woods are plenty full of dangers for a woman alone. Henry writes masterfully tense, terrifying action and doesn’t hesitate to show all the world’s big, bad teeth. But she also doesn’t hesitate to let her heroines fight back.
Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge
Little Red Riding Hood meets the story of The Girl with No Hands in this lush, dangerous novel that’s equal parts gore and gothic. Rachelle derives her powers from beastliness, but she clings to the red thread of hope. Whether she consummates her love with darkness or whether she fights it depends on her aunt’s secrets, hidden deep in the forest and in Rachelle’ own heart.
Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
Futuristic Scarlett has a red hoodie, red hair, and a red-hot temper, and futuristic Wolf is a genetically enhanced supersoldier. And grandma sure knows more than she’s saying. This second instalment of the Lunar Chronicles has cyborg Cinderella meet up with Little Red Riding Hood in a world that’s a cyberpunky Sailor Moon, full of action and awesome.
Red Hood by Elana K. Arnold
This thoughtfully feminist tale is drenched in blood, but not all of it is from violence. A werewolf take on Red Riding Hood that also speaks frankly about domestic violence and sexual assault, this is a dark, heavy-hitting book. But it’s not without hope or action. Red Hood also celebrates female bonds of friendship and family, celebrates menstruation and bodies that menstruate and bear children, and all kinds of loving and supportive relationships that move us toward a safer, more equal future.
