Austen, Demons, Gorgons, Shakespeare: Seven Novels That Reimagine Classic Stories

From fairytales to mythology, classics to niche, there has always been a love of retellings and reimaginings. In fact, it has remained, steadfastly, one of the strongest markets in publishing for years.

There is something I love about taking what is tried and true, and making it bright and new. These stories aren’t about fixing wrongs, they’re about creating new possibilities from the things we love.

My entire career beginnings revolved around this concept, reimagining the myths I grew up adoring, thinking about possibilities. The Daughter of Sparta trilogy was just that: honoring the myth while giving voice to the lesser-heard heroines.

And, again, I followed this same principle for A Beautiful and Terrible Murder, giving voice to Irene Adler, the only woman to ever outwit the famous detective Sherlock Holmes, and creating a story that she can call her own. Irene finds strength on her own, and crafts an adventure where the only person she is truly reliant upon is herself.

I sought to honor Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s beloved stories while giving this woman a voice she was never truly afforded before. Some of my favorite retellings and reimaginings listed below follow these same concepts.

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Edgar  d’Aulaire, Ingri Parin d’Aulaire, D’Aulaire’s Book of Green Myths

Though an avid Greek Myth aficionado from my very beginnings with D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths by Edgar and Ingri Parin d’Aulaire, my love of retellings and reimaginings truly began with Margaret George’s Helen of Troy, which is both beautiful and heartbreaking. This version of Helen is followed by the reader from birth to the many years after the Trojan War.

I prefer this version above all others because it reminds the readers that she is more than a war prize. Above all, she was a woman unfairly treated, again and again, because of the time in which she was born. One of the truer retellings on this list, but brought to life with incredible historical research. I’ve found that historical research can ground a setting more assuredly than any amount of flowery writing could ever hope.

Katherine Arden, The Bear and the Nightingale

Another mythology retelling I fell in love with because of the masterful research lending to it’s setting is The Bear and the Nightingale. The story follows Vasilia, a reimagining of Vasilisa the Brave, as she finds her life entangled with Frost, the feared Russian demon of winter.

Though not a direct retelling, it pulls influence from a variety of Russian folklore, exploding out into a brilliant trilogy that I recommend to anyone that will listen. Perhaps I am a bit partial as another Vermont author.

Renée Adieh, The Wrath and the Dawn

Stepping away from mythology, though I love it dearly, another one of my favorite retellings is The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh, the first in an incredible duology that breathes new life into the story of A Thousand and One Nights. I was immediately drawn in by Ahdieh’s beautiful writing, and left entranced and unable to let go by her heroine, Shahrzad, who is seeking vengeance for her best friend.

You are immediately immersed in the setting, waiting breathlessly in the palace to learn of our heroine’s fate and just as torn as she is by the man she always believed to be a monster.

Abigail Reynolds, Impulse and Initiative

As for the classics, my favorite reimagining to this day is Impulse and Initiative by Abigail Reynolds. Reimagining Pride and Prejudice partly from Mr. Darcy’s POV, the story takes an enjoyable turn when our hero decides to actively pursue Elizabeth instead of sitting with her initial rejection.

I love when stories explore lesser-viewed perspectives, and this one explores some of the smaller characters first made beloved by Jane Austen. Elizabeth Bennet is perhaps one of the most famous literary characters of all time, and I truly loved this rendition of her story.

Julie C. Dao, Forest of a Thousand Lanterns

Another classic story made anew that I was entranced by is Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao. This unique take on “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves” beautifully blends East Asian fantasy and folklore, reimagining the beginnings of an evil queen, making her at once terrifying and sympathetic.

I fell in love with Dao’s writing and the story of Xifeng. I’ve always had a soft spot for anti-heroes, and Dao does a wonderful job balancing that arc.

Lauren J.A. Bear, Medusa’s Sisters

In a story about the often silenced voices and turning back to reimagined mythology, Medusa’s Sisters by Lauren J.A. Bear does an incredible job bringing to light the stories of the Gorgons. Many only know of Medusa, the most famous (and often vilified unfairly) of the Greek women, but few could name her sisters, Stheno and Euryale.

Bear explores their stories, giving these women desires, curiosity, and individuality, all of which they had never truly been afforded in a story before.

Chloe Gong, These Violent Delights

Like Greek mythology, there has been no shortage of Shakespeare retellings, but none quite so engrossing as These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong. Taking the classic story of Romeo and Juliet, Gong transforms the story in Shanghai, China.

What was once a tragic love story, is now a scathing critique of colonialism, with enemies and would-be lovers amid gang wars, monsters and stunning prose that leaves you gripped even after you’ve turned the last page.

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