Enchanting, delightful, and magical are just three words I can use to describe Jane Yolen’s Once Upon a Time (She Said). I was lucky enough to get a complimentary copy of this book through one of my writing groups (Writers of the Weird), given out by Nesfa Press in honor of Yolen’s birthday.
The book contains stories, poems, and even commentary on certain fairy tales and writing in general. I loved them all. Usually I can read only two or three short stories in a row before I have to put an anthology aside and grab something else, usually a novel. Not so here. I didn’t want to put it down and read story after story.
Some of the stories were originally written for children and some for adults — I loved them all. They were all — in a word — delightful. It’s as though the Grimm Brothers were reborn in Jane Yolen.
Up to this time, I had only read Yolen’s Pit Dragon Trilogy (and more recently the fourth book of the series). I enjoyed them, but those books didn’t appeal to me nearly as much as this collection. I have discovered a new Jane Yolen.
Another discovery concerned something about Ms. Yolen herself, something that can’t help but draw me to her. She had the same nickname as a child as I did — Jane the Brain.
I will definitely be picking up more of her writings in the future. But if any of you have an opportunity to obtain a copy of Once Upon a Time (She Said), pick it up. You won’t be sorry.