A rather interesting collection, in particular because Zipes is not hesitant to include stories that are not traditionally happy ever after. He gets bonus points for including a Hemingway short story that is rather commenting on many things (though I think it is interesting that Hemingway wrote about a faithful bull).

There are several stand out stories. The collection starts strong with Catherine Storr's retelling of Red Riding Hood, a story that makes fun not only of stereotypes but also narrative.

The story "The Reluctant Knight" draws too much perhaps on the "Reluctant Dragon", but the story is charming in its own right. Tanith Lee even has a version of "Cinderella". It's a really good story, and showcases Lee's ability to not write like herself. It makes me miss her all the more.

There is a reverse of Beauty and the Beast, where the girl is a beast as well as the story of a princess who sets out to rescue a prince. My favorite story, however, is "The Wrestling Princess" because it is just awesome. A close second is Jane Yolen's (the Andersen of North America) "The White Seal Maid". A. S. Byatt's "Story of the Eldest Princess" is in this volume as well. Zipes did an excellent job pulling both popular fiction and literary fiction for this collection.