Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

If I am being honest, I am starting to think retellings are just not the books for me. Despite the wealth of effort that goes into them (and I am sure that it is more than it ever seems to be), they never manage to come off as fresh, or new, or even just as somewhat successful reinventions; just the same old stories but with a few name changes and a different setting. And, unfortunately, Lucy Hughes-Hallett's Fabulous is a perfect example of everything in the form that I have problems with: it was like she was tying herself in knots to translate the themes of each of the stories into modern-day, but it just wasn't working. It was painful to read and, though I hoped and willed each and every one of them to finally reach its goal, the satisfaction just never came.

This was a really well written and interesting collection of stories. All areas of stories are covered and the range of retellings was well picked. I can't think of a story in this that was bad and I can't wait to reread this in the future. Hughes-Hallett is a fascinating writer and she has a great way constructing and exploring the themes that feature in the original stories.

I wasn’t familiar with some of the myths on which these stories were based and perhaps that means I missed many of the nuances in what Hughes-Hallett is trying to do here. However, I think the enjoyment of pastiches, parodies etc shouldn’t be dependent on the audience’s awareness of the original source material – they should be strong in their own right too, and unfortunately in this case I didn’t find the characters or stories very engaging or memorable.

Fabulous is an awe-inspiring collection of short stories — refreshing retellings of age-old tales from Greek and Celtic mythology to those from the Bible. It masterfully updates them to fit in with our contemporary world and does so in such an engaging and eminently readable manner. Of course, it suffers from the same problems as all anthologies — they are not all to the same standard, however, they are each beautifully written and fascinating; jumping from one tale to another was great fun and I was entertained throughout. This is a superb collection and deserves to be widely read.

The stories are littered with commentary on current societal issues, and although they are altered, the original myth and characters are always front and centre in Hughes-Hallett's mind. It's perfect for dipping in and out of by reading a single story at a time or you can do what I did and gorge on it. It was so interesting and absorbing that I wanted to experience them all together. The book is both intelligent and puts a fun, intriguing new spin to tales that have been told for centuries. I also greatly appreciated the section at the end as it points you towards further reading if you want to learn more about each of the original stories. Many thanks to Fourth Estate for an ARC.

‘There are, as there always are, several ways of understanding the story.’

This is an enjoyable collection of re-tellings of stories, ranging from Greek and Celtic myths to the Bible. As ever in a collection of short stories some are stronger than others; for me the most successful re-workings were the ones about Orpheus and Eurydice, and about Tristan and Isolde. All of them are set in modern times, which in itself causes a slight jarring when the names are, mostly, unchanged. There are some nice twists for a 21st century audience - gender and sexuality, for example, and drugs - but time and again I was left with the question: ‘why?’. What ‘new thing’ does this particular set of re-workings of famous stories tell us? And there, I’m afraid, I struggle to find an answer. There has to be a reason to re-write a story, to somehow make it fit ‘better’ (if that’s the word) to our modern understanding and attitudes, but these stories don’t add anything new, and comparison to the original just strengthens the impact of those original stories.

I’m not saying this is bad writing, or that the collection isn’t enjoyable in its own way; it just, for me, doesn’t have any particular impact. The publisher blurb with comparisons to Angela Carter’s ‘Bloody Chamber’ or Wim Wenders’ ‘Wings of Desire’ are unfortunate, because this pales in such comparison. Well enough written, diverting, but only average. 3 stars on the back of a couple of decent stories in the collection.

(With thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for an ARC of this title.)

I read the author's previous book: Peculiar Ground and loved it. And this didn't disappoint me either.
This book is a collection of stories that takes the myths and biblical tales and retells them in a contemporary setting. I love retellings, and I thought these stories were very well written.
It was a delight to read going from one fascinating world to another, I just loved it. Totally recommended.

Thanks a lot to the publisher and Netgalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Fabulous is a collection of short stories that retells famous mythical and biblical myths in modern contemporary settings.

I'm happy I requested this book because it was an interesting read.
I liked the way the author tell contemporary stories based on mythical or biblical ones.
Not all the story are at the same level but they're all engaging and fascinating.
My favourite was the one inspired by Tristan and Isolde, I found it enthralling and fascinating.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Fabulous is a collection of short stories that retell famous myths in modern Britain, twisting ancient tales into relatable modern snippets. Orpheus, Psyche, Tristan and Isolde, the Pied Piper, and Mary Magdalen are just some of the figures given fresh new versions of their stories, mixing criminal gangs, immigration, estate agents, pest control, love and more.

The stories are knowing and witty, using observations and comments on modern society to try and make these very famous tales fresh. As expected, they vary in how they engage with the source tale, but the original myth is always central to the narrative and characters. Stand out highlights include the story of Diana and Actaeon with estate agents, Pasiphae and the minotaur with seaside gangsters, and adding further complications and some pink pills to the story of Tristan and Isolde. The two Biblical ones—Joseph and Mary Magdalen—are interesting, but may be more appreciated by someone who doesn't have more knowledge of Greek myth and Arthurian legend than Biblical material.

It is the kind of book that is perfect for picking up and reading single stories, dipping in or choosing the figures that most interest you. The modern retellings are clever and fun, and the end has a quick guide to the original tales for anyone who didn't know (or Google) them previously. There's a delight in how famous the original stories are and how ordinary the characters in these versions can be.