Legend Retelling Fantasy Books
Explore books, themes, and recommendations in Legend Retelling Fantasy Books.
Some stories never get old. Some characters become legends. Sometimes these stories have a kernel of truth to them.These tales are constantly reinvented because they are powerful stories that have transcended time. A successful Legend Retelling pays homage to its source material, but also makes a well-known story fresh and new.
Legend Retelling Fantasy Characteristics
- Level of Magic
Variable. Magic may be a part of the original legend and it may be kept in the retelling, or not. Magic may be introduced to an otherwise non-magical legend. Magic can make a legend more entertaining, it can add a level of mysticism, and it can explain events. While magic has lots of potential, it is not necessary to Legend Retelling.
- Level of Grand Ideas and Social Implications
High. Legends tackle big issues. Legends often begin as an attempt to explain human origins, or to teach morality. They also pass on historical knowledge (whether the knowledge is factual, is up for debate). These characteristics make legends a window into where they originated. When a legend is retold there is another layer of meaning and another window to look through.
- Level of Characterization
Moderate. In a Legend Retelling readers are already familiar with the characters. The challenge of Legend Retelling is making readers see a well-known character in a new way—to develop the complexity of a character that others have already shaped. Some authors take this challenge and run with it, while others will simply rely on the shared knowledge and spend more time on other aspects of the story.
- Level of Plot Complexity
High. Legends have to do something. Action is an integral part to legendary feats and so the plots of Legend Retellings are filled with forward momentum. In addition, because this is a sub-genre of retelling, writers will be reinventing the classic storylines—writers will be adding in their own twists and turns in order to make the story new again.
- Level of Violence
Variable. The level of violence will depend on the legend are being told and which aspects the writer chooses as a focus. Take the legends of King Arthur as an example: there are great and bloody battles, there is the quest for the holy grail, there are legendary romances. So, depending on what parts of Arthurian legend a writer wishes to retell, the resulting story could be incredibly violent, or not so much.
Popular Legend Retelling Fantasy Books
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1
The Shark King
A graphic novel that incorporates tales of a shape shifting shark that have been told for generations in Hawaii.
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2
Lavinia
The Aeneid may be more myth than legend, but in this retelling Le Guin gives a voice to Lavinia, who was previously a prize to be won.
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3
Thief Eyes
A teen girl travels to Iceland with her father to retrace the steps of her missing mother, but becomes caught up in the magical legends and lives of her ancestors.
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4
Radian Darkness
Retells the story of Persephone and Hades.
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5
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6
The Crystal Cave
The first in a series that retells the legend of Merlin.
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7
The Once and Future King
by White, T. H.
A YA example of the retelling of Arthurian legend—a series of four books.
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8
I Am of Irelaunde
A Novel of Patrick and Osian. St. Patrick drove the snakes and Druids away from his homeland, or so the old stories say. This is a more behind the scenes take on the legend.
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9
The Raid: A Dramatic Retelling of Ireland's Epic Tale
The mythical Tain is the greatest Irish tale and is the father of all Irish literature. It is an epic story with heroic characters, violence, sex, and magic.
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10
The Death of King Arthur: The Immortal Legend
Ackroyd takes Sir Thomas Malory's legendary book, Le Morte d'Arthur and creates a dramatic modern story.
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