In a similar vein to my list of “multicultural fantasy,” I’m here trying to build a list of fantasy novels whose plots are largely based on specific pre-existing narratives. If you know of additional titles that should go here, please let me know; specific criteria for the list may be found at the bottom of this page.

 

BALLADS/LAIS

• “The Famous Flower of Serving Men”
  • Deborah Grabien, The Famous Flower of Serving Men
• “Lai de Bisclavret”
  • Gillian Bradshaw, The Wolf Hunt
• “Matty Groves”
  • Deborah Grabien, Matty Groves
• “Riddles Wisely Expounded”
  • Pamela Dean, Juniper, Gentian, and Rosemary
• “Tam Lin”
  • Pamela Dean, Tam Lin
  • Diana Wynne Jones, Fire and Hemlock
  • Patricia McKillip, Winter Rose
  • Janet McNaughton, Earthly Knight, An
• “The Twa Corbies”
  • Deborah Grabien, New Slain Knight
• “The Twa Sisters”
  • Deborah Grabien, Cruel Sister
• “The Weaver and the Factory Maid”
  • Deborah Grabien, The Weaver and the Factory Maid

BEOWULF

• Michael Crichton, The Eaters of the Dead
• Parke Godwin, The Tower of Beowulf
• Tom Holt, Who’s Afraid of Beowulf?
• Robert Nye, Beowulf: A New Telling
• Henry Treece, The Green Man

BIBLICAL

• Donna Jo Napoli, Song of the Magdalene (Mary Magdalene)
• Anne Provoost, In the Shadow of the Ark (The Flood)

THE BOOK OF MORMON

• Orson Scott Card, The Memory of Earth, Homecoming 1
• Orson Scott Card, The Call of Earth, Homecoming 2
• Orson Scott Card, The Ships of Earth, Homecoming 3
• Orson Scott Card, Earthfall, Homecoming 4
• Orson Scott Card, Earthborn, Homecoming 5

FAIRY TALES

• “Beauty and the Beast”
  • Mette Harrison, Mira, Mirror
  • Nancy Holder, Spirited
  • Mercedes Lackey, The Fire Rose
  • Robin McKinley, Beauty
  • Robin McKinley, Rose Daughter
  • Donna Jo Napoli, Beast
• “Bluebeard”
  • Gregory Frost, Fitcher’s Brides
• “Cinderella”
  • Cameron Dokey, Before Midnight
  • Margaret Haddix, Just Ella
  • Mercedes Lackey, Phoenix And Ashes
  • Gail Carson Levine, Ella Enchanted
  • Wendy Loggia, Ever After: A Cinderella Story
  • Gregory Maguire, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister
  • Donna Jo Napoli, Bound
  • Margaret Peterson Haddix, Just Ella
  • Sheri J. Tepper, Beauty
• “Donkeyskin”
  • Robin McKinley, Deerskin
• “East of the Sun and West of the Moon”
  • Edith Pattou, East
• “The Firebird”
  • Mercedes Lackey, The Firebird
• “The Frog Prince”
  • E.D. Baker, The Frog Princess
  • Donna Jo Napoli, The Prince of the Pond: Otherwise Known as De Fawg Pin
  • Donna Jo Napoli, Jimmy, the Pickpocket of the Palace
  • Donna Jo Napoli, Gracie, the Pixie of the Puddle
  • Suzanne Weyn, Water Song
• “The Goose Girl”
  • Shannon Hale, The Goose Girl
  • Patricia Kindl, Goose Chase
• “Hansel and Gretel”
  • Donna Jo Napoli, The Magic Circle
• “Jack and the Beanstalk”
  • Donna Jo Napoli, Crazy Jack
• “The Little Mermaid”
  • Debbie Viguie, Midnight Pearls
• “Little Red Riding Hood”
  • Neil Shusterman, Red Rider’s Hood
  • Debbie Viguie, Scarlet Moon
• “The Nightingale”
  • Kara Dalkey, The Nightingale
• “The Pied Piper of Hamelin”
  • Donna Jo Napoli, Breath
  • Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple, Pay the Piper
• “Rapunzel”
  • Cameron Dokey, Golden
  • Adele Geras, The Tower Room, Egerton Hall 1
  • Donna Jo Napoli, Zel
• “Rumpelstiltskin”
  • Donna Jo Napoli, Spinners
  • Vivian Vande Velde, The Rumpelstiltskin Problem
• “Sleeping Beauty”
  • Orson Scott Card, Enchantment
  • Cameron Dokey, Beauty Sleep
  • Adele Geras, Watching the Roses, Egerton Hall 2
  • Mercedes Lackey, The Gates of Sleep
  • Robin McKinley, Spindle’s End
  • Sheri J. Tepper, Beauty
  • Jane Yolen, Briar Rose
• “The Snow Queen”
  • Mercedes Lackey, The Wizard of London
• “Snow White”
  • Adele Geras, Pictures of the Night, Egerton Hall 3
  • Mette Harrison, Mira, Mirror
  • Mercedes Lackey, The Serpent’s Shadow
  • Tanith Lee, White as Snow
  • Gail Carson Levine, Fairest
  • Tracy Lynn, Snow
  • Gregory Maguire, Mirror, Mirror
  • Sheri J. Tepper, Beauty
• “Snow White, Rose Red”
  • Patricia C. Wrede, Snow White, Rose Red
• “The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars”
  • Steven Brust, The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars
• “Swan Lake”
  • Mercedes Lackey, The Black Swan
• “The Three Billy Goats Gruff”
  • Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple, Troll Bridge
• “The Twelve Dancing Princesses
  • Dia Calhoun, Phoenix Dance
  • Suzanne Weyn, The Night Dance
• “The Ugly Duckling”
  • Neil Shusterman, Duckling Ugly
• “Undine”
  • Mary Pope Osborne, Haunted Waters
• “The Wild Swans”
  • Peg Kerr, The Wild Swans
  • Judith Marillier, Daughter of the Forest

THE FALL OF ATLANTIS

• Marion Zimmer Bradley, The Fall of Atlantis
• Stephen R. Lawhead, Taliesin, Pendragon 1

FAUST

• Michael Swanwick, Jack Faust

GREEK LITERATURE

• Adele Geras, Ithaka (The Odyssey)
• Robert Holdstock, Celtika, Merlin Codex 1 (Jason and Medea)
• Robert Holdstock, The Iron Grail, Merlin Codex 2 (Jason and Medea)
• Robert Holdstock, Broken Kings, Merlin Codex 3 (Jason and Medea)
• C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces (Cupid and Psyche)
• Clemence MacLaren, Waiting for Odysseus (The Odyssey)
• Donna Jo Napoli, The Great God Pan (Pan/Iphigenia)
• Neil Shusterman, Dread Locks (Medusa)

IRISH LITERATURE

• Lisa Tuttle, The Mysteries (“The Wooing of Etain”)

JAPANESE LITERATURE

• Kara Dalkey, Genpei (Hogen monogatari)
• Kij Johnson, The Fox Woman (kitsune tales)

KING ARTHUR

• Dennis Lee Anderson, Arthur, King
• A. A. Attanasio, The Dragon and the Unicorn, Arthor 1
• A. A. Attanasio, The Eagle and the Sword, Arthor 2
• A. A. Attanasio, The Wolf and the Crown, Arthor 3
• A. A. Attanasio, The Serpent and the Grail, Arthor 4
• Alice Borchardt, The Dragon Queen, The Tales of Guinevere 1
• Alice Borchardt, The Raven Warrior, The Tales of Guinevere 2
• Marion Zimmer Bradley, The Mists of Avalon
• Gillian Bradshaw, Hawk of May, Down the Long Wind 1
• Gillian Bradshaw, Kingdom of Summer, Down the Long Wind 2
• Gillian Bradshaw, In Winter’s Shadow, Down the Long Wind 3
• Molly Cochran and Warren Murphy, The Forever King, Forever King 1
• Molly Cochran and Warren Murphy, The Broken Sword, Forever King 2
• Molly Cochran and Warren Murphy, The Third Magic, Forever King 3
• Bernard Cornwell, The Winter King: A Novel of Arthur, Warlord Chronicles 1
• Bernard Cornwell, Enemy of God: A Novel of Arthur, Warlord Chronicles 2
• Bernard Cornwell, Excalibur: A Novel of Arthur, Warlord Chronicles 3
• Parke Godwin, Firelord
• Parke Godwin, Beloved Exile
• Robert Holdstock, Celtika, Merlin Codex 1
• Robert Holdstock, The Iron Grail, Merlin Codex 2
• Robert Holdstock, Broken Kings, Merlin Codex 3
• Stephen R. Lawhead, Taliesin, Pendragon 1
• Stephen R. Lawhead, Merlin, Pendragon 2
• Stephen R. Lawhead, Arthur, Pendragon 3
• Stephen R. Lawhead, Pendragon, Pendragon 4
• Stephen R. Lawhead, Grail, Pendragon 5
• Anne McCaffrey, Black Horses for the King
• Nancy McKenzie, The Child Queen, Guinevere and King Arthur 1
• Nancy McKenzie, The High Queen, Guinevere and King Arthur 2
• Nancy McKenzie, Queen of Camelot, Guinevere and King Arthur 3
• Nancy McKenzie, Grail Prince
• Rosalind Miles, Guenevere, Queen of the Summer Country, Guenevere 1
• Rosalind Miles, The Knight of the Sacred Lake, Guenevere 2
• Rosalind Miles, The Child of the Holy Grail, Guenevere 3
• Sharan Newman, Guinevere, Guinevere 1
• Sharan Newman, The Chessboard Queen, Guinevere 2
• Sharan Newman, Guinevere Evermore, Guinevere 3
• Nancy Springer, I Am Mordred
• Nancy Springer, I Am Morgan le Fay
• Mary Stewart, The Crystal Cave, Merlin 1
• Mary Stewart, The Hollow Hills, Merlin 2
• Mary Stewart, The Last Enchantment, Merlin 3
• Mary Stewart, The Wicked Day, Merlin 4
• Rosemary Sutcliff, The Sword and the Circle: King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, Arthurian Trilogy 1
• Rosemary Sutcliff, The Light beyond the Forest: The Quest for the Holy Grail, Arthurian Trilogy 2
• Rosemary Sutcliff, The Road to Camlann, Arthurian Trilogy 3
• Nikolai Tolstoy, The Coming of the King
• Nikolai Tolstoy, Merlin and Arthur
• Henry Treece, The Green Man
• Jo Walton, The King’s Peace, Tir Tanagiri 1
• Jo Walton, The King’s Name, Tir Tanagiri 2
• Jo Walton, The Prize in the Game, Tir Tanagiri 3
• Elizabeth E. Wein, The Winter Prince, Arthurian sequence 1
• Elizabeth E. Wein, A Coalition of Lions, Arthurian sequence 2
• Elizabeth E. Wein, The Sunbird, Arthurian sequence 3
• T. H. White, The Once and Future King
• Jack Whyte, The Skystone, Camulod 1
• Jack Whyte, The Singing Sword, Camulod 2
• Jack Whyte, The Eagle’s Brood, Camulod 3
• Jack Whyte, The Saxon Shore, Camulod 4
• Jack Whyte, The Fort at River’s Bend, Camulod 5
• Jack Whyte, The Sorcerer: Metamorphosis, Camulod 6
• Jack Whyte, Uther, Camulod 7
• Jack Whyte, The Lance Thrower, Camulod 8
• Persia Woolley, Child of the Northern Spring
• Persia Woolley, Queen of the Summer Stars
• Persia Woolley, The Legend in Autumn
• Jane Yolen, Sword of the Rightful King

THE MABINOGION

• Lloyd Alexander, The Book of Three, Chronicles of Prydain 1
• Lloyd Alexander, The Black Cauldron, Chronicles of Prydain 2
• Lloyd Alexander, The Castle of Llyr, Chronicles of Prydain 3
• Lloyd Alexander, Taran Wanderer, Chronicles of Prydain 4
• Lloyd Alexander, The High King, Chronicles of Prydain 5
• Alan Garner, The Owl Service
• Kenneth Morris, Book of the Three Dragons
• Evangeline Walton, Prince of Annwn, The Mabinogion Tetralogy 1
• Evangeline Walton, The Children of Llyr, The Mabinogion Tetralogy 2
• Evangeline Walton, The Song of Rhiannon, The Mabinogion Tetralogy 3
• Evangeline Walton, The Island of the Mighty, The Mabinogion Tetralogy 4

NORSE LITERATURE

• Poul Anderson, The War of the Gods (Hadding Dane-King from Saxo Grammaticus)
• Tom Holt, Expecting Someone Taller (Saga of the Volsungs / Nibelungenlied)

OPERA

• Marion Zimmer Bradley, Night’s Daughter (The Magic Flute)
• Cameron Dokey, Sunlight and Shadow (The Magic Flute)

RAMAYANA

• Ashok K. Banker, Prince of Ayodhya, Ramayana Series 1
• Ashok K. Banker, Siege of Mithila, Ramayana Series 2
• Ashok K. Banker, Demons of Chitrakut, Ramayana Series 3
• Ashok K. Banker, Armies of Hanuman, Ramayana Series 4

ROBIN HOOD

• David Gemmell, Morningstar
• Parke Godwin, Sherwood
• Stephen R. Lawhead, Hood, King Raven 1
• Stephen R. Lawhead, Scarlet, King Raven 2
• Stephen R. Lawhead, Tuck, King Raven 3
• Robin McKinley, The Outlaws of Sherwood
• Jennifer Roberson, Lady of Sherwood
• Nancy Springer, Outlaw Girl of Sherwood Forest, Rowan Hood 1
• Nancy Springer, Lionclaw, Rowan Hood 2
• Nancy Springer, Outlaw Princess of Sherwood, Rowan Hood 3
• Nancy Springer, Wild Boy, Rowan Hood 4
• Nancy Springer, Rowan Hood Returns, Rowan Hood 5

SCHEHERAZADE

• Cameron Dokey, The Storyteller’s Daughter

TRISTAN AND ISEULT

• Kate Hawks and Parke Godwin, The Lovers: The Legend of Trystan and Yseult
• Nancy McKenzie, Prince of Dreams
• Rosalind Miles, Isolde, Queen of the Western Isle, Tristan and Isolde 1
• Rosalind Miles, The Maid of the White Hands, Tristan and Isolde 2
• Rosalind Miles, The Lady of the Sea, Tristan and Isolde 3
• Diana Paxson, The White Raven

THE TROJAN WAR

• Hilary Bailey, Cassandra: Princess of Troy
• Marion Zimmer Bradley, The Firebrand
• Adele Geras, Troy
• Clemence MacLaren, Inside the Walls of Troy
• David Gemmell, Lord of the Silver Bow, Troy 1
• Kerry Greenwood, Cassandra
• Dan Simmons, Ilium, Ilium 1
• Dan Simmons, Olympos, Ilium 2
• S.P. Somtow, The Shattered Horse

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Determining whether or not something is faithful enough to count as a retelling/adaptation/whatever is even more muddy than guessing what culture a setting is based on. The best I can to is to give examples: I would count West Side Story as an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet; O Brother, Where Art Thou? would be a borderline case for the Odyssey; the 2004 movie of King Arthur would NOT qualify. Why? Because that film lacked the Grail Quest, the Mordred business, the Arthur/Lancelot/Guinevere triangle — pretty much everything recognizable as an Arthurian narrative. In fact, its Arthurian content consisted of some names, a setting, a cameo appearance by a table that happened to be round, and a brief scene with a sword that a small boy had trouble pulling — but out of his father’s grave, not a stone. As far as I was concerned, they were flimsy Arthurian decorations on a story that had nothing to do with actual Arthurian folklore. Therefore, it does not qualify.

As with the other list, I’m looking for novels, not short stories, and will probably end up mostly with fantasy, but am not averse to SF if it happens to retell an existing narrative. What narratives am I looking for? Folkloric ones. Yes, I know that’s fuzzy. Folktales, myths, ballads, legends, epic poems, etc. I’ll take retellings of Shakespeare plays if you know of any, and of other public-domain material, but things like Terry Brooks’ The Sword of Shannara as a retelling of The Lord of the Rings are not for this list. (A later list, quite possibly.)

I’m interested in getting a comprehensive set of Arthur and Robin Hood retellings, but I’m also very keen on getting things that aren’t so very well-worn in the genre. Please send me titles.