Tales of Woe and Wonder collects nine fantasy stories from Jeff Chapman. There are new fantasy stories and fairy tales as well as classic fairy tales retold. You’ll find a mix of fairy tale wonder and tragic woe, ranging from a young boy’s first brush with the harsh realities of war in “A Gift from over the Sea” to a miraculous bridge in “The Master and the Miller’s Daughter” to a young girl’s encounter with a witch’s insidious spells in “Esme’s Amulet.”

• “A Gift from over the Sea” originally appeared in Everyday Fiction.
• “The Princess and the Vampire” originally appeared in The Midnight Diner, Volume 3.
• “The Fletcher’s Daughter” originally appeared in Residential Aliens.
• “The Hand with the Knife” originally appeared in Mindflights.
• “Why the Squonk Weeps” originally appeared in Digital Dragon Magazine.
• “A Mother’s Gift” originally appeared in Silver Blade Magazine.
• “Under the Bridge” originally appeared in Apollo’s Lyre.
• “The Master and the Miller’s Daughter” originally appeared in Residential Aliens.
• “Esme’s Amulet” originally appeared in Golden Visions Magazine.

Short-story anthology, fantasy for teen readers and older.

“Tales of Woe and Wonder” is an excellent title for this collection of short stories. I didn’t quite know what to expect when I dove in, but I’m glad I did. There’s darkness here — as there was in the old fairy tales — but also much wonder.

Sometimes I stopped to re-read a sentence or a phrase, enjoying the way the words sounded, how they fit one another. Enjoying the actual writing in a novel is a rare thing for me these days, so when I encounter it, I share it with the world.

I highly recommend this book.

— Keanan Brand (at GoodReads.com)