Review: A brief cautionary fairy tale for teens and adults - Jeff Chapman's SIXPENCE AND RYE AND A SNAKE IN A PIE
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 27, 2013
borrowing elements from two old English nursery rhymes, Jeff Chapman's SIXPENCE AND RYE AND A SNAKE IN A PIE is the type of fairy tale written without elves, fairies, and trolls. It's a lesson about our own humanity; supernatural creatures are unnecessary to make Chapman's point. Though the story is short, the author manages to instill suspense, obvious as the ending becomes before the last few pages. These words on morality and turning the other cheek is best suited for teens and adults, as implications of flirtation, illness, and death are discussed, and the vocabulary is quite advanced.This story rates four stars for two reasons. First, I enjoy fairy tales, and ones that make their point without borrowing from the paranormal catalog of creatures have become more scarce. Scond, though the "general" ending is obvious, the "specific" manner isn't, until the last page or two (which, I'll grant, does need work on character motivation at the last table scene).So you like fairy tales for the older crowd?Never AfterAnthology by Laurell K. Hamilton & Seanan McGuireA Wolf at the Door and Other Retold Fairy Tales (13 stories)Anthology by Terri Windling