It’s rare to see Asian characters in YA fantasy. Like in TV, characters of colour are often cast as side characters, or placed in roles easily forgotten, but young adult authors are changing the game, and one of their responses to this is A Thousand Beginnings and Endings. Edited by Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman, they feature fifteen stories told by various young adult authors concerning folktales, myths, and legends of Asian roots. It features some big authors in YA fantasy like Renee Ahdieh, Melissa De La Cruz, Julie Kagawa, Roshani Chokshi, and others. Each author takes their own contemporary spin on a story, weaving new depth and meaning to characters and stories that they grew up with, or that had a heavy significance in their lives. The stories selected range from cautionary tales and love stories, to tales of loss and redemption.
Although each story was short, they pulled you right in to their world, and I feel that everyone will leave this book with a favourite retelling of their story. What I also feel this book gives to the reader is that while the authors have retold this story to also how they’ve explored the characters, it seems that the reader is able to interpret them as they would like. After each story, the author summarises the original tale and their reason for choosing it, something that I really enjoyed reading. It feels like you’re able to make a deeper connection with the author as well. This is an excellent novel for young adults and teens who are interested in Asian mythology and folklore retellings, with a great list of young adult authors that they can look up if they like a particular story.
Now, let’s get into some of my favourite tales in this gorgeous anthology, although all of these stories are amazing, but I am excited to see what stories others might fall in love with. My personal favourite was The Crimson Cloak by Cindy Pon, a funny and sweet tale about the seventh daughter of the Jade Emperor, and her chance sighting of a young man and his ox. What ensues is a hilarious tale of magic, romance, and talking oxen, and I love that the story is retold as a memory, directly addressing the reader.
If you’re looking for something a little more heart wrenching, Eyes Like Candlelight by Julie Kagawa tells the story of Takeo and the Yuki the kitsune. After saving a fox as a young boy, he encounters the little fox again as a young man. It’s a cautionary tale of love and loss, with mystical elements added into the story and I would definitely have my tissues ready for this one. It’s beautifully written, and makes a fitting end to the anthology. The anthology also starts in a similar manner with Roshani Chokshi’s Forbidden Fruit story. This is the tale of the spirit of the mountain, and what happens when she gives her heart to a man.
The tones in this anthology all have a hauntingly and mythical quality, I really felt like I had entered another world as I read these stories. Steel Skin by Lori M. Lee and Olivia’s Table by Alyssa Wong were stories that gave me chills as I read through them, both for different reasons. Steel Skin is set in a dystopian future where androids were recalled, while Olivia’s Table is the story of a young girl who makes food for those not on this earth anymore. I cannot emphasise enough just how talented each of these authors are, and if you’re familiar with their works already, you’ll fall in love with these stories too.
Something that I interpreted in these stories were how the women in these tales faced some hardships, yes, but more importantly, it is how they overcame and conquered their struggles that I feel is especially empowering for women. These women (mythic or not) forged their paths within their respective stories, which I admired. These are not the wilting wallflowers from love stories of old, but these are the women who’ll kick some ass and take some names as you sit in awe of their fearsome beauty.
No story in this anthology was the same and you never know what will happen from one page to the next. Stories are set in both the past and present day, and dystopian futures. Readers will get a range of genres, so there’s a little something for all appetites. There’s nothing explicit about these stories, so I think that the anthology would be good for a range of ages, not just for teens or young adults. The only downside to the anthology are that the stories are short, but that won’t stop the reader from enjoying them. I was able to enjoy this in an afternoon, but they would definitely make good stories to read before bed. There wasn’t a story that I didn’t enjoy in this anthology, and my rating for this anthology is 10/10!
A Thousand Beginnings and Endings is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and at other good book retailers.
Have you read A Thousand Beginnings and Endings? Or will you be checking it out? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Star-crossed lovers, meddling immortals, feigned identities, battles of wits, and dire warnings. These are the stuff of fairy tale, myth, and folklore that have drawn us in for centuries.
Fifteen bestselling and acclaimed authors reimagine the folklore and mythology of East and South Asia in short stories that are by turns enchanting, heartbreaking, romantic, and passionate.
Compiled by We Need Diverse Books’s Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman, the authors included in this exquisite collection are: Renee Ahdieh, Sona Charaipotra, Preeti Chhibber, Roshani Chokshi, Aliette de Bodard, Melissa de la Cruz, Julie Kagawa, Rahul Kanakia, Lori M. Lee, E. C. Myers, Cindy Pon, Aisha Saeed, Shveta Thakrar, and Alyssa Wong.
A mountain loses her heart. Two sisters transform into birds to escape captivity. A young man learns the true meaning of sacrifice. A young woman takes up her mother’s mantle and leads the dead to their final resting place. From fantasy to science fiction to contemporary, from romance to tales of revenge, these stories will beguile readers from start to finish. For fans of Neil Gaiman’s Unnatural Creatures and Ameriie’s New York Times–bestselling Because You Love to Hate Me.
