The Classics: Reimagined

Hello, friends! The last few weeks/days/hours have been pretty wild and crazy—September flew by at a full gallop with an epic read along and October has now officially begun. Are you a fan of the spooky season, or would you rather skip right ahead to Thanksgiving & Christmas?

Today I want to share with you some book recommendations! What have you been reading lately? If you’re looking for something new or different, I’ve got a series for you!

A collection of amazing authors have banded together to create a series that retells a selection of 9 classic tales in fresh and fantastical ways. Do you enjoy oldies like Le Miserables, Oliver Twist, and Hamlet? Or have you always wanted to try Beowulf, Moby Dick, or Jane Eyre, but couldn’t quite brave the writing style? This series is perfect for both, taking familiar favorites and setting them in different worlds for some revitalizing nuance for seasoned and green audiences alike.

If you’ve been following me on social media you may have spotted the cover reveals I did over the summer, which were a blast to work on, and now we’re in the season of releasing these titles on a weekly basis throughout this fall. Y’all, I am super excited for each of these books, and I’m sure you’ll find one to spark your interest as well!

~ A Classic Retold ~

Break the Beast—Written by Allison Tebo, this book re-imagines the ancient legend of Beowulf in an epic story of redemption and grace in a high-stakes fantasy adventure!

Who is to say who is the real beast?

Grendel haunts the land of Frisia in a restless need for vengeance on the human world that has rejected her. With a fiendish master urging her on, she attacks without fear of repercussion.

But the arrival of a foreign prince causes Grendel to doubt her invulnerability. Beowulf is renowned for killing monsters, and he can have only one purpose in visiting Frisia: to break her hellish reign.

When the inevitable confrontation occurs, the battle between man and beast will change both their lives forever as they find themselves thrust into a quest for truth neither could have anticipated.

Crack the Stone—Emily Golus re-imagines Victor Hugo’s beloved Les Misérables as an epic fantasy adventure about suffering, redemption, and the extraordinary power of love in a rich world that features a subterranean civilization, a Celtic fairy forest, and a West African-inspired empire.

I am Valshara, the black stone born of fire. Break me, and my edges turn into knives.

Condemned to a slave camp for her crimes, goblin convict Valshara Sh’a makes a death-defying escape to freedom. But navigating Vindor’s treacherous cavern system is only the beginning of her troubles. An encounter with a rogue king turns her world upside down, and a bargain with fairy tricksters leaves her with a human child she doesn’t know how to care for.

As she tries to smuggle the boy through the walls of a barricaded city, Valshara can’t let down her guard. Because somewhere in the darkness behind her, a bounty hunter rises—relentless as nightfall and merciless as death itself.

Steal the Morrow—Favorite author Jenelle Leanne Schmidt reweaves Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist into an exciting tale of integrity and perseverance in this gaslamp-fantasy adventure. Y’all, this version is heartwarming and totally not-depressing! AND it’s set the same world as her Turrim Archive series!

The city may be dangerous, but it holds his only hope…

Abandoned on a remote highway after bandits murder his parents, young Olifur finds safety with Fritjof. The gruff woodsman teaches him and other orphans to live off the land. When Fritjof falls ill, Olifur will risk everything to save his mentor—even travel to far-off Melar seeking a doctor.

However, the city of Melar is more perilous than Olifur imagined, and doctors aren’t cheap. His quest leads him first to a hazardous job working on the elevated trains high above the city. But the dangers in the clouds are nothing compared to those on the ground. Olifur soon finds himself ensnared in a web of professional thieves, and he must think fast if he is to survive the day and bring the much-needed aid to Fritjof before it is too late.

Unearth the Tides—Alissa Zavalianos retells Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with mystery, found family, and themes of truth and forgiveness.

Beware the Wasteful Tides Should the Crimson Death Take You

Huxley Krew Gannon III always knew he would be a royal guard; defending the Crown is in his blood. And coming from a long line of Gannons, that means the job is to be taken seriously at all costs.

When tragedy strikes, Huxley is framed for treason, and his only option is to flee to Braka’s most feared place: The Wasteful Tides.

It’s rumored a monstrous beast haunts those waters, but what Huxley encounters is even worse: an elusive captain, magical herbs, a beautiful lady, and unearthed truths that could change the course of history.

Raise the Dead—Nina Clare turns Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre into a fantasy quest through the supernatural realms of heaven and hell.

Would you go into hell to rescue the one you love?

After long years of hardship Jane Rochester is now a young bride settling into a quiet life with the man she loves. But a mysterious stranger at the door resurrects old troubles, unearths buried secrets, and revives a family curse; the past will not leave them in peace.

A malignant force is tearing Jane’s new family apart, and she will have to journey into the very mouth of hell to seek to break it, with no assurance of ever returning home to the living world.

Summon the Light—Tor Thibeaux re-imagines Shakespeare’s The Tempest in an epic story of good and evil in a high-stakes fantasy adventure.

Everything he ever loved is gone. Can what is broken ever be restored?

In a quiet, seaside town, Nick works as a smuggler, disguising himself as a human and hiding his secret past as the servant of the magician Prospero. It’s been two years since the attack that devastated the great magician’s island, leaving it dark and ruined. Prospero and his beautiful daughter, Miranda, are dead, and even Nick’s best friend, the spirit Ariel, has slipped into a coma. Nothing is left.

Nick has resolved himself to mere survival when a voice from the past suddenly begins to call to him, urging him to rebuild the magic island’s ruined chapel. No matter how futile the task, Nick cannot ignore the haunting call to restore the heart of the island.

But hope is not the only thing awakening. Darkness is stirring as well—darkness that understands the meaning of Nick’s task better than he does.

As Nick begins his work, he is stalked on land and sea—by enemies human and inhuman—all of them prepared to do whatever is necessary to keep him from summoning the light.

Chase the Legend—In this gaslamp fantasy reimagining of Moby Dick, Hannah Kaye spins a tale of hurt and healing, breathing hope into Herman Melville’s timeless tragedy.

The End of the Map lies far behind you now. Here there be dragons.

The nation of Outer Melvia runs on the power of dragon oil, but only the Hunters of Map’s End are fearless–or foolish–enough to pursue the great beasts of the deep.

In the wake of a broken engagement, Ilsa Starling boards the Hunting vessel Relentless in search of the solace the sea promises her.

But dragons are not the only threats that lurk in these uncharted waters. As first mate aboard Relentless, Ilsa becomes a key player in the impossible quest determined by her captain, Adam Chase. Once Map’s End’s rising star, Chase lost everything to an ill-fated encounter with a legendary white dragon that haunts the seas at the very edge of the world. Now the captain swears to avenge himself on the beast and restore all that was stolen from him, no matter what–or who–he may lose along the way.

Kill the Dawn—Favorite author Emily Hayse captures Shakespeare’s Hamlet and plops it into a breathtaking and wild northern world of wolf-hunts and Viking warfare, full of heart, beauty, and bittersweet sacrifice.

After a devastating wound and the loss of his beloved father, Hakkr is trying to pick up the pieces of his life. But when his father’s last conquest, a mysterious thrall, shares a terrible secret, Hakkr’s life only further unravels as incident after incident leads him to the chilling realization that his people’s enemies are not the only ones who want him dead.

Y’all, I cannot wait for this book to release in November! Hayse has a knack for epic tales and crafted something truly amazing with her Knights of Tin and Lead series, so I’m champing at the bit for this one!

Riddle of Hearts—In this imaginative retelling of Alice in Wonderland, Rosie Grymm tackles denial, regret, and responsibility with a (big) helping of classic Wonderland madness.

Bad bargains have bad consequences

As royal scribe for the Queen of Hearts, Alice Bishop has two duties: record the proceedings of the court and don’t ask questions. But if chronic tardiness and a constantly wandering mind didn’t make things hard enough, now a Madness has seized the court, turning normal gatherings into heated debates and gossip into whispered threats. Unsettling dreams plague Alice’s sleep and follow her into the waking world; white roses and a familiar clearing she’s sure she’s never seen before.

Finding answers becomes a matter of life and death after Alice uncovers the Queen’s terrible secret. Along with a mysterious and strangely familiar man, a heartless little boy, and her own relentless curiosity, Alice embarks on a quest through the Madness corrupted forests in search of the truth. But as each step reveals more of her hidden past, her search for answers becomes the discovery of a long forgotten question. One only she can answer… or Wonderland will be lost forever.

Honestly, I’m super excited about ALL of these stories! Not only are the covers vibrant and stunning, but the premise of each one promises so much depth and heart. Which one(s) make you most excited?

Check out the A Classic Retold website to further explore these books and their authors!

Happy reading!