Cursed: An Anthology - Review

What’s It About?

Cursed is a fantasy anthology edited by Marie O’Regan and Paul Kane and published in 2020 by fantasy publishers Titan Books. It contains twenty stories themed around the idea of being cursed, from reimaginings of Sleeping Beauty and Hansel and Gretel to stories about “screaming skulls” and vampire zombies. The authors range from fantasy icons such as Neil Gaiman and Jane Yolen to more overlooked writers. Seven of the stories in Cursed (‘Troll Bridge’, ‘The Black Fairy’s Curse’, ‘Wendy, Darling’, ‘Fairy Werewolf Vs. Vampire Zombie’, ‘Look Inside’, ‘Little Red’ and ‘Hated’) were originally written for older anthology series, but the rest were created especially for this collection.

Review

In the introduction to Cursed, O’Regan and Kane claim that stories about curses can “teach us lessons, feed our belief that guilt should be punished, [and] keep us on the straight and narrow path, hopefully…” The collection of tales inside the book highlights the wide spectrum of stories you can create from this topic, providing a good introduction to the range of ideas and talent in the fantasy genre as a whole. Cursed is bookended by a pair of Sleeping Beauty themed poems from Jane Yolen. ‘Castle Cursed’ and ‘Castle Waking’ are short, simple and atmospheric. They could easily fit into a more child-friendly anthology, but they succeed in transporting the readers to a fantastical world and adding a bit of structure to a genre designed for readers to dip in and out of.

The stories get off to an excellent start with Christina Henry’s ‘As Red As Blood, As White As Snow’. A creepy and creative mash-up of Snow White and Bluebeard (also featuring elements from Beauty and the Beast), it depicts a princess using her stepmother’s “poisoned” apple to try and escape a sinister prince and his enchanted castle. With its eerie visuals and engaging protagonist, it represents an effective shot of feminist horror. There are several stories in Cursed which continue in a similar vein of sinister, scary, female-centric fairy tale reimaginings. Christopher Golden’s Peter Pan follow-up ‘Wendy, Darling’ appears to be a straightforward story about how Wendy’s experiences in Neverland have affected her ability to function, but ends up going down a much more twisted path. Karen Joy Fowler’s ‘The Black Fairy’s Curse’ provides a provocative spin on Sleeping Beauty, exploring the idea that being awoken would be the worst thing to happen to the enchanted princess. It is the shortest story in Cursed, but Fowler powerfully depicts the freedom of Beauty’s dream world, and the disruption generated by the Prince about to wake her.

Whilst the emphasis on fairy tale retellings generates some of the best stories in the collection, others make creative choices which do not work as effectively. Lillith Saintcrow’s story ‘Haza and Ghani’ is a Hansel and Gretel reimagining where the runaway protagonists end up joining the ‘Temple of the Flayed God’ – needless to say, this turns out to be a terrible idea. The set-up is strong and atmospheric, but the gruesome climactic twist destroys the power of the sibling relationship at the heart of the story. The fantasy world used by Saintcrow could have also been explored further, especially as it is the only setting in the entire collection not to be based on stereotypically “white” British/American/European culture (Given that the purpose of anthology collections is to highlight a diverse range of stories and ideas, the failure to bring in authors from minority/historically excluded backgrounds and perspectives represents a significant missed opportunity which Titan Books need to address in the future). ‘New Wine’ by Angela Slatter is the more conventional of the two Bluebeard variations in Cursed, set in a small-town America of hedonistic high schoolers and crooked, donut-eating cops. It is the longest story in the collection, but this additional length feels unearned. It has some moments of creativity but discards the fantastical flair that elevates other stories in Cursed. Jane Yolen teams up with Adam Stemple on ‘Little Red’, which depicts Red Riding Hood as a self-harming asylum patient fantasizing about revenge on the wolves in her life. If you are a keen horror fan, you will like it. There is a decent amount of atmosphere, and the scenes depicting Red Riding Hood’s meetings with the wolf are probably the scariest scenes in the entire collection. However, the entire story feels too unpleasant and mean-spirited. Red Riding Hood’s masochism is played pretty over the top (she even tries to cut herself with tubes of toothpaste) and the scenes with a coprophilic fellow inmate do not feel edgy – they just feel cruel and uncomfortable. The genre of ‘Darker and Edgier Fairy Tales’ works best when the additions feel organic, imaginative and thought provoking. Done badly, they can feel shocking for the sake of shocking, and remove the sense of wonder and mystery which all fairy tales need to retain. The best stories in Cursed avoid this trap, but the worst stories have a tendency to fall into it.

Not all the stories in Cursed are based on fairy tales, as some choose to provide unconventional takes on classic folklore. ‘Listen’ by Jen Williams is a spin on "Singing Bone" folklore where a woman is forced to continuously play a pipe which unleashes vengeful ghosts wherever she performs. Williams creates an impressively cold and cruel dystopia defined by the worst aspects of humanity, and even brings in elements of Norse mythology at the end. Catriona Ward’s story ‘At Your Age’ is a fairly generic “creepy children” horror, although its ending does contain some surprises. There is some pleasingly creepy sensory language, but it probably makes the least impression of the stories in Cursed.

M.R Carey’s ‘Henry and the Snakewood Box’ is far more memorable, though not always for the right reasons. It represents an entertaining twist on genie stories, with the demon inside the titular device being an amusingly villainous narrator. However, it has one deeply questionable moment. The tale revolves around the concept that every time Henry wishes for something, the demon in the Snakewood Box makes the world around him increasingly terrible in return. One instance of this features the demon going back in time and ensuring Hitler was able to pass the Enabling Act that allowed him to gain absolute power as dictator of Germany. The implication that Hitler failed before reality was rewritten generates plenty of plot holes. Did the Reichstag Fire still happen in our world, or was it caused by the demon? How much would British culture and iconography be affected by NOT having World War Two? It is worth criticizing this relatively minor plot point, because it shows a degree of laziness in a genre which requires a lot of careful thought and worldbuilding. The overall concept of attributing the world’s problems to demons can feel a bit naïve, but ‘Henry and the Snakewood Box’ is still a solid story with a surprisingly strong message about giving up our happiness for the greater good.

Cursed also contains a trio of British stories which combine the supernatural with a less flattering view of humankind. In Neil Gaiman’s ‘Troll Bridge’, a young man weasels out of a deadly meeting with a troll, only to find the disappointments of life eventually drawing him back to the soul-sucking giant. It is not one of Gaiman’s greatest stories, but it does carry a pleasing sense of sadness. Christopher Fowler’s ‘Hated’ depicts a so-called “Perfect Gentleman” who finds the world turning against him after he has a run-in with a mysterious South American bicyclist. The magical elements here are extremely subtle, with the focus being on the unsettling realization that even the most polite people can turn extremely mean when things are not going their way. The strongest of these three stories is James Brogden’s ‘Skin’, where a woman with skin conditions inadvertently unleashes a gruesome curse on a vain boyfriend. ‘Skin’ works because the focus is not on the gory imagery, but on the female protagonist as she comes to terms with the damage that her words have caused. ‘Skin’ also stands out due to the fact it is the only story in Cursed to really feature social media (‘Troll Bridge’ and ‘Hated’ were both written in the 1990s, so come before the age of Facebook and Instagram). ‘Skin’ uses modern technology subtly, but it adds to the idea that its protagonist is more narcissistic and destructive than she realizes.

Other tales lean further into the darker corners of British folklore, introducing readers to sinister beings which would be unfamiliar to all but the most obsessive folklore fans. ‘The Merrie Dancers’, by Alison Littlewood, depicts a woman hearing a story about Shetland Island ‘Trowls’ from an elderly neighbor who struggles to control her legs. The structure contrasts with the more active approach of other stories, but eccentric old narrators are always fascinating, and the story gets points for adding elements from Hans Christian Andersen’s The Red Shoes – a tale perfectly suited to the themes of the collection. Maura McHugh’s ‘Faith and Fred’ tells the story of a builder who discovers two skulls belonging to a pair of misfit twins persecuted by one of his ancestors. The stereotypically folk horror world of dusty farmhouses and remote pubs is an excellent setting for a tale about our inability to escape the shadows of the past. Michael Marshall Smith’s story ‘Look Inside’ explores the hidden secrets of Kentish Town, as a woman living in the “urban sprawl” of this North London neighborhood deals with a very unusual home invader linked to fact her house was built on a garden inhabited by fairies. These three stories update traditional folklore effectively, showing that the industrialization of Britain and the decline of rural life has not entirely stamped out the fears and mysteries embodied by fairies and demons.

A few stories don’t fit neatly into any of the above categories, but those deviants are some of the best stories in Cursed. The title of Charlie Jay Anders’ tale ‘Fairy Werewolf Vs. Vampire Zombie’ promises tongue-in-cheek B-Movie trashiness, and mostly delivers in that regard, with a karaoke duel serving as an unexpected lead-in to the inevitably gory final fight, and a narrator whose rants about Zoning Boards have to be removed by the editor. However, despite all the silliness, the story manages to avoid feeling artificial. The setting feels like an authentic small-town bar that just happens to be inhabited by fantasy creatures, and the protagonists have enough realism and complexity for us to be genuinely invested in their plight. Balancing OTT silliness with a genuine sense of drama, it proves to be a genuine highlight.

Another of the best stories in Cursed appears near the end of the collection. Tim Lebbon’s ‘Again’ is about a woman cursed with the ability to be reborn in different bodies every time she dies. The tale starts with the main character being stabbed by a bee-obsessed lunatic and eaten by her pet dogs, but soon reveals itself as a poignant tale about female companionship and a woman deciding to make the best of a curse that brings pain and suffering, but also provides the opportunity to live a full and eventful life away from the predatory sorcerer responsible for her condition. The metaphor about moving on from abuse and assault is handled in an effective and almost inspirational way, and the focus on trying to see the joy and wonder of the world marks a powerful change from the cynicism of many of the stories in Cursed. The blend of cruelty and optimism used in ‘Again’ would make a fitting climax to any collection. However, Cursed instead ends with Margo Lanagan’s ‘The Girl from the Hell’, about a witch trying to prepare a powerful potion. There is a pleasingly menacing cat and some memorably macabre imagery, but the story is short and a bit confusing. If Cursed had ended with ‘Again’, that might have elevated the collection a bit, but it’s not really worth getting too bothered about this.

Conclusion

Cursed is a pretty consistent anthology, sticking carefully to its theme and exploring it in a variety of creative ways. Some stories (‘Again’, ‘As Red as Blood, As White as Snow’) are better than others (‘Little Red’, ‘The Girl From the Hell’) but there are no real duds. Cursed does not contain anything truly incredible, but all the stories have plenty of mysterious atmosphere and imaginative ideas. Overall, it is a decent collection of stories from a wide range of talented authors. If you are a fan of the 'Dark Fairy Tale' subgenre, then Cursed represents a solid addition to your library, and those who are not interested in fantasy can still find a few stories to enjoy.