White Cat, Black Dog is a collection of seven short stories, each reimagining a tale from the Brothers Grimm, Scottish ballads, or French lore. I must confess, I was not familiar with most of the original tales; perhaps the only one that rung a bell was “Snow White and Rose Red” (which isn’t related to the more famous “Snow White”). That said, I couldn’t say how similar these stories are to the original sources of inspiration or how much Kelly Link changed them. Most of these stories seem to be set in modern times, but the haze of magical realism (or full-on fantasy) makes exact years unclear.

These stories are decidedly speculative fiction; they’re eerie and range in levels of magic and unease. They each have an unreal feeling about them, and though they certainly aren’t horror—quite the contrary, things tend to work out well for our main protagonists—they still feel unsettling. Maybe the weirdest one is the opening and titular story, “The White Cat’s Divorce.” When a billionaire sends his three adult sons on a series of wild goose hunts, it leads to a cat-run weed farm in Colorado, tiny dogs that fit inside acorns, and a continuously beheaded cat woman.

While some of the stories didn’t work for me, others were captivating from start to end. One of my favorites was “Prince Hat Underground,” in which a gay couple is torn apart by a mysterious ageless woman. Gary goes searching for his beloved Prince Hat, traveling all the way to Hell to get him back. Despite the secrets Prince Hat has always kept, this story exemplifies love persevering through even the toughest of situations.

Another standout is “The Lady and the Fox.” Over a series of white Christmases, an orphaned girl keeps seeing a mysterious man standing out in the snow. Is he a ghost? What are these strange rules that prevent him from going inside or from being seen on days that aren’t snowy? This story, too, showcases how love and determination can break a curse and free a prisoner.

The last story, “Skinder’s Veil,” is also great, if deeply strange. Andy has writers block as he tries to finish his dissertation. He gets an unusual opportunity to housesit a home in Vermont, and he thinks the solitude will help him finally finish his writing. But Andy encounters a revolving door of strange visitors, some talkative storytellers, some animals that shouldn’t even know how to ring a doorbell. This one includes many shorter stories within the larger narrative, and though it’s a fever dream overall (partially thanks to the drugs our protagonist keeps taking), it’s also mesmerizing until its end.

White Cat, Black Dog sits comfortably in the realm of strangeness and charm, and while it has its ups and downs across the stories, it’s an intriguing collection. If you’re familiar with the original stories, that will likely add to the enjoyment of these inspired reimaginings.

4 stars

Fans of fairy tale reimaginings with some unique modern takes will really enjoy this remarkably creative collection from Kelly Link.

Each tale is based on a known predecessor, and while some of the connections are overt, others are a bit more subtle. As is the case with any solid reimagining, finding those connections and especially identifying the updates account for a lot of the fun here. I enjoyed some of these so much that I am already planning to teach them in my college-level Great Myths and Legends course.

The inimitable Shaun Tan offers up an illustration in advance of each tale, and any incoming fans of this artist will know instantly how much this detail also adds to the overall experience.

This is a well-crafted, memorable collection, and I look forward to sharing it with fellow tale fans and students alike.

<I>First, a thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an eARC of this book.</I>

I feel like maybe I’m not smart enough to have enjoyed this as much as other people did. I often felt like the stories went over my head or I was the odd one out of an inside joke.

A few of the stories I did really enjoy, but overall, I felt a little out of my depth. This made it hard to review, because I think there are others who will gobble this book up and be on the “in” of the inside joke, but that ain’t me.

I would still give Link’s work another shot and read another book, so it wasn’t all horrible!

What is it about folk tales that unsettles us so? If you skip past the Disney versions of fairy and folk tales (perhaps with a detour to Angela Carter, which I definitely recommend) to the original Grimm Brothers or Charles Perrault or Giambattista Basile, you’ll find stories with strange rules that twist the ordinary into the frightening or the bizarre or the surreal. Kelly Link’s collection, White Cat, Black Dog, takes inspiration from classic and lesser-known folk tales that fascinate and disturb just like their precursors.

Standouts from this collection include:

“Prince Hat Underground,” inspired by Tam Lin. Who doesn’t love a retelling of Tam Lin, a story about a love so determined that it drives one lover to chase the other across the world and through curses? In this version, a man follows his husband all the way to Iceland, using tiny details about Prince Hat’s past. Whenever he is stumped, someone (or, more usually, something) appears to guide him on to the next step. Our protagonist has so many opportunities to turn back but his love for Prince Hat is so strong that he’ll risk the Queen of Hell to get his husband back.

“The White Road,” inspired by the Bremen Town Musicians. Not only do our protagonists have to contend with the hardships of constant travel in what appears to be a post-apocalyptic countryside, they also have to avoid the ever-present White Road and its undead inhabitants. The only thing that can ward off death is the presence of an actual corpse or a troupe of actors talented enough to fake a wake. Our actors and musicians know the rules of the road (and the Road) but the young man they’ve been paid to escort loses his cool and puts them all in danger. I really enjoyed this horrific take on a story of always traveling but never arriving.

“Skinder’s Veil,” inspired by Snow-White and Rose-Red. House-sitting is a strange gig, although it can be fun if the accommodations are cozy or swanky enough. Our protagonist here is cajoled into subbing for a friend who is house-sitting for a man with very specific rules. He must always let in the owner’s friends but must not ever let the owner in the house. Since our protagonist has never met the owner, all he has to go on is that friends will arrive at the kitchen door while the owner will always turn up at the front. Like many folk tales, the reasons for the rules are never given and these rules are expected to be obeyed completely, with the implication of terrifying consequences. The protagonist has theories about the unbreakable rules but, to be honest, most of the fun in this book is just speculating about who (or what) is going to show up next.

I recommend this collection for fans of the odd, especially those who like stories that draw from centuries-old tales. The lessons at the heart of these stories are often opaque, so I would also recommend this collection to readers who like to puzzle over their reading long after they finish the last page.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

First off, I am a huge fan of Kelly Link. Stories like "The Girl Detective" are completely unforgettable, and I've read every collection that she's published. I am honored to have the chance to review her newest book. White Cat, Black Dog by Kelly Link is the newest collection of short stories from the MacArthur Genius Award-winning author. This collection has the theme of reinvented fairy tales. The first story, "The White Cat's Divorce," is my favorite in the collection. It revolves around an old billionaire in the modern-day who will do whatever he can to slow his aging and inevitable death, including sending his three sons on wild goose chases before he has to choose an heir. Will any of his sons succeed in the quests that they've been assigned?

Here is a humorous excerpt from the first story, "The White Cat's Divorce":

"All men desire to be rich; no man desires to grow old. To stave off old age, the rich man paid for personal trainers and knee replacements and cosmetic procedures that meant he always had a somewhat wide-eyed look, as if he were not a man in his seventies at all but rather still an infant who found his life a cascade of marvelous and surprising events. The rich man had follicular unit transplantation and special creams to bleach age spots. For dinner, his personal chefs served him fish and berries and walnuts as if he were a bear and not a rich man at all. Every morning, he swam two miles in a lake that was kept by an ingenious mechanism at a comfortable temperature for him throughout the year. In the afternoons, he had blood transfusions from adolescent donors, these transfusions being a condition of the scholarships to various universities that the rich man funded. In the evenings, he threw lavish parties, surrounding himself with people who were young and beautiful. As he grew older, his wives grew younger, and in this way, for a time, the rich man was able to persuade himself that he, too, was still young and might remain so forever."

Overall, White Cat, Black Dog is an absolutely amazing collection of short stories that speaks to Kelly Link's genius. As you can see in the excerpt above, these stories are full of Link's trademark wit, ingenuity, and imagination. One highlight of this book is how it combines modern-day times and trends with fairy-tale retellings. As mentioned previously, "The White Cat's Divorce" was my favorite story of the bunch. It was provocative, imaginative, and fun to read. I did feel that the ending of this story lacked something, but I still enjoyed this story more than the rest. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of fairy-tale retellings, I highly recommend checking out this book when it comes out in March!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC of this title.

I like Kelly Link's approach to stories, and this had me going "just one more..." over a couple of commutes until I had devoured it whole. Like any short story collection, some things are going to hit, and some are going to miss. No specific misses here, but I liked the opening and closing stories best - they felt the most like you could see the guide rail of the folktale Link uses as her guide, but didn't feel like the story was holding firmly onto it like a railing instead of letting the story go off in its own path.

I'm falling in love with Kelly Link. This book, White Cat, Black Dog, says that each story is drawn from a folk/fairy tale or story. I recognized one or two but it didn't make any difference. The stories are wonderful, original, beautifully written, and captivating.
The first story especially which started out just interesting and then became fabulous (a true fable) set the tone for the book. I will be looking forward to her next book of short stories.

3.5* This collections of stories was hit and miss for me. I like the over all weird vibe each story and I do feel like this collection is very cohesive. I did not get a general lesson from each story but did feel entertained and do think about some of them still. This rating is in the middle because some stories were just not my preference while others were favorites.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copt of this book. It is out March 28th!

A Kelly Link collection is always a treat, and White Cat, Black Dog is no exception. I loved Link’s take on classic fairy tales, and the way she makes the stories weird and modern in such delightful ways. My favorite so far is “The White Cat’s Divorce,” but I’m sure that new favorites will emerge as I reread.

What I mean to say is: I’ll be coming back to this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for a review.

White Cat, Black Dog is a series of short stories that are based on fables from around the world. Kelley Link takes these fables and spins them into her own very unique tales. I would recommend reading up on the original fable (listed jn italics under the title of each story) after you finish each story.

Out of these seven stories, I most liked The White Cat’s Divorce, Prince Hat Underground, and Skinder’s Veil. These were the right type of wild, enchanting fever dream type type of stories for me. The weirdness level and writing style really were like something I would dream.

The Girl Who Did Not Know Fear, I read half and skimmed the rest. The Game of Smash and Recovery was too confusing for me from the first few pages so I decided to skip it. The other two stories I finished but were in the middle of the pack, although I think I would get a lot more out of The White Road if I read it a second time, as it seems to have a lot of deep symbolism and metaphor.

DNF. I’m not really feeling intrigued enough by the stories. The first one is bizarre, almost silly, but not really the kind of weird fiction I’m interested in.

I've had a like/dislike relationship with Link's stories over the years.

This collection falls firmly in the like. These were really good- I'm usually drawn in by the fairytale/myth retelling- often to be disappointed, but not this time. These were clever and for grownups.

"The White Cat's Divorce" and "Skinder's Veil" were my favorites- one humorous, one spooky as hell.

Not only do these stories remind me of fairy tales, folk stories, fables, etc. They also bring in Shirley Jackson, and those ghost stories that I loved to read as a kid, most notably The Thing at the Foot of the Bed. But Link makes the stories her own, bringing in queer characters, modern issues, and familiar themes with a new, albeit twisted, take.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Books for the Advance Readers Copy.

Wonderfully weird and darkly whimsical short stories inspired by fairy tales? Count me in!

Not only was this premise 100% my jam, but I think Kelly Link executed it beautifully. My favorite were the stories that read like mysteries as I slowly came to understand the worldbuilding, especially the Station Eleven-esque story, “The White Road.” I do have a few lingering questions about this collection, so –quick, go read this– so we can discuss! Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for the advanced readers copy. This book publishes on March 28th.

I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Kelly Link is one of my favorite short story writers, and any collection from her is a cause for celebration in my eyes. I always plan to draw these stories out, to savor them by reading one a day, to make the collection last -- but then I end up reading them all in a rush, so caught up in the creepy yet enchanting worlds she creates.

Link dedicates this collection to Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling, whose fairy tale collections are what made this subgenre one of my favorites many, many years ago. What I love most about Link's work -- and what's on display with this collection in particular -- is her ability to craft a story that is thoroughly modern yet still carries that fairy tale sensibility with it. I love the attention to detail, the way she nests stories within stories, and how familiar but strange her stories all feel.

My favorites from this collection are "The White Cat's Divorce," "The Girl Who Did Not Know Fear," and "The Lady and the Fox."

An unusual and engaging collection of seven reimagined fairy tales. If you, like me, were not a fairy tale fan, you like me might struggle a bit to see the connections but wait- these are just as nice (perhaps more so) as stories that stand on their own. That said, placing Hansel and Gretel among vampires on a planet far far away is genius. This is a clever set of stories. Thanks to Netgalley for the ArC. Read these one at a time!

A truly amazing collection of stories inspired by/based on fairy tales from around the world, White Cat, Black Dog will keep you laying in bed turning the pages long past the time you should have turned out the light. I love the way Kelly Link creates a world that starts out just slightly off-step with our own, and gets progressively more off-step until suddenly you're in a place where talking cat scientists are running a cannabis grow-op in the wilderness, and yet it all still feels so... sensible. So believable.

A thoroughly entertaining read. The stories have the feel of a fairytale with the style of modern writing. As with any anthology, some stories I liked more than others: while most had an element of the supernatural, some didn't (or I somehow missed it) and I ended up waiting until the story, surprised there was no twist. But the strong stories were incredible and fun. A great collection overall.

The vast majority of story collections by their nature vary in relative strength from piece to piece. I’m always happy when I fully enjoy more than half of the stories and thrilled if that hits three-quarters. Well, there are seven stories total in White Cat, Black Dog, Kelly Link’s newest collection in which she brings her trademark style to a series of retold fairy tales, and of the seven I only disliked one, while the others ranged from really good to great. If I carry the one, multiply by pi, and solve for X, I’m pretty sure that’s better than three-quarters. So yeah, thrilled.

Though these are retellings, one certainly needn’t be familiar with the source material to enjoy them. I recognized most but not all and didn’t feel any sense of loss for those that were new to me beyond the enjoyment of seeing an author’s originality in bringing a classic tale brought into a new environment. Pretty near the full panoply of fairy tales makes it appearance: talking animals, quests, family relationships (fathers and sons, stepmothers), barriers to true love that need to be overcome, curses, talismans, and more, though rather than the usual woods and cottages we get suburbs and mountain towns and non-straight love and airplanes and sci-fi settings. And as noted, they nearly all work.

My favorite, though it’s tough to pick amongst two or three, is probably “The White Road”, set in a post-apocalyptic world through which the titular road travels, walked by mysterious and ravenous creatures who can only be deterred by the presence of a corpse. It’s a wonderful set-up that Link perfectly exploits to its fullest potential for tension, suspense, and emotionality. “The Game of Smash and Recovery” was another highlight, this one set in a science-fictional universe albeit one that is highly localized. It’s an odd situation (based on Hansel and Gretel), and it takes the reader a bit to get their bearings, especially as it makes use of familiar words (Handmaids, Vampires, and such) for things that aren’t all that familiar. While one might assume the oddness and far-future setting could create a distancing effect, the story packs a surprisingly powerful emotional punch. Finally, there’s “Skinder’s Veil”, about a grad student who takes over a house-sitting job for a friend called away for an emergency. The owner of the house has but two rules: let in anyone who comes to the back door and never letter Skinder himself in. The queue of characters tromping up to that back door makes for a wonderfully playful tale, one full of whimsy but never overly so.

The only story I didn’t care for was “The Girl Who Did Not Know Fear” which has a horror tinge to it that was fine but which felt meandering and surprisingly flat; otherwise the rest, while not quite as strong as the three above, were all quite good and enjoyable in their own fashion with their own strengths. What remains consistent through all of them is Link’s craft: a wry voice, smooth prose, smart dialogue, an eye for the just-off detail, a startling turn of phrase or use of word choice, and a sense that she sees the world slightly differently than the rest of us. All of which makes a new Link collection something to jump into and revel in.

4.5 stars. An extraordinary collection of fairy-tale-"inspired" stories -- I use quotes there because for the most part, while each story is subtitled with the name of a fairy- or folk-tale, their relationship to the story in question is tenuous to the point of nonexistence. The one real exception is the first story ("The White Cat's Divorce"), and after reading it and looking up the plot of the source story I was afraid I'd miss out on something by not knowing the inspirations for most of the ensuing stories in the collection -- I tend to find part of the point of modern "re-imaginings" of classic tales is knowing what the author is changing. But that's not really an issue here. The one story I actually knew the source for (Hansel and Gretel) is wholly unidentifiable in Link's version, a really crackling science fiction story called "The Game of Smash and Recovery." That one and the final story in the collection, "Skinder's Veil" (in theory based on Snow-White and Rose-Red) were the standouts, but most of the stories are quite good. I was impressed by the general atmosphere of each: they tend to be quite dreamy and preternatural, giving you the same sort of impression of "I'm losing something in translation here, otherwise why is this story so weird" that many old fairy tales do.

White Cat, Black Dog from Random House Publishing Group - Random House

Easily one of the best short story collections I have read in ages. Each story is consistently both good and strange, filling haunting little liminal spaces and following me throughout the day. I’m a fairy-retelling addict and these hit the spot.

Favorites marked with an *

The White Cat’s Divorce -
I laughed aloud at the title (it’s funny on its own, but I’ve been reading Erha, by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou and somehow the wording hit me in the hilarity.) anyways. This is a fascinating story that mixes classic fairy tale trope (man sets his three sons on an unlikely task, which the youngest excels at in unlikely ways) with commentary on the grotesque over-wealth of billionaires and as it gets going you think you know what kind of story you’re reading—when suddenly talking scientist cats are growing fancy pot and maybe you don’t really know at all.

*Prince Hat Underground - “Gary’s not even a word. Well, ‘garish,’ I suppose.” And then, for a while, Prince Hat refers to everything Gary habitually does as “garish.” It’s irritating and so after a day or two Gary goes and looks up the meaning of his name.” Also I love everything about this bizarre love story

*The White Road - an unsettling post-apocalyptic nightmare, with a fae atmosphere. Creeped me right the heck out.

*The Girl Who Did Not Know Fear - that empty hotel swimming pool is a whole mood.

The Game of Smash and Recovery - What parts of yourself can you lose and still be yourself?

***The Lady and the Fox - I experienced *emotions* about the embroidery.

Skinder’s Veil - Much to think about.