Into the Forest discussion

Here is the place to discuss retellings, traditional tales, or books inspired by the mythology, folklore, or fairy tales with the theme Shapeshifting!

Would "Q" from Star Trek Next Gen qualify?
(I do think of these, in genral, as fantasy because the science is so implausible.)

Cheryl wrote: "Would "Q" from Star Trek Next Gen qualify?
(I do think of these, in genral, as fantasy because the science is so implausible.)"

That's a great question. I don't really associate Q with folklore, though now that I think about it, there's definitely a case there to connect him and all the Q continuum to a pantheon of gods. A pretty strong case! What book are you thinking of reading?

I consider it sci-fi but it's definitely completely implausible lol. Though don't go back in time and tell my child-self that!

But even if it was sci-fi, it could still count for the challenge! While retellings dominate fantasy, there are still some sci-fi adaptations out there.

Cheryl wrote: "Would "Q" from Star Trek Next Gen qualify?
(I do think of these, in genral, as fantasy because the science is so implausible.)"

I always thought that Q was more of a trickster.

Ann Rice's The Wolf Gift would fit in here.

Michele wrote: "Cheryl wrote: "Would "Q" from Star Trek Next Gen qualify?
(I do think of these, in genral, as fantasy because the science is so implausible.)"

I always thought that Q was more of a trickster."

I noticed a lot of trickster characters are also shapeshifters.
That is the case in Someplace to Be Flying. There are shapeshifters but one is also a trickster

Although this series is labeled urban or PR fantasy I find Patricia Briggs’s Mercy Thomson books have lots of fairy and folktales in them.
All the books have shapeshifters in them.The first book Moon Called is unfortunately the weakest one in the series, so many people stop after it and don’t go on to the next books which are superb.
At first I only read the first and didn’t like it enough continue. It was only years later that after reading a good review I decided to give the series another try. I am so glad that I did.

Edited to add: Mercy Thompson is a shapeshifter changing up into a coyote. Her father is the NA Trickster God. She was raised by a pack of werewolves. In her universe there are also vampires and fairies

Thanks! I'm not sure which I'd read, as I'm working through the series in order.

But yes, Q is also a sort of a trickster, or at least a prankster. We could have a good discussion about that in the trickster thread, I bet.

Michele wrote: "Ann Rice's The Wolf Gift would fit in here."

Thanks for this rec. I have it on my TBR shelf. :)

Skinwalkers of Navajo legends are shapeshifters who are also dark witches. Interesting crossover there.

Oh, neat. I'd love to find an OwnVoices title about them.

Still not sure what to read for this prompt... Werewolves are not usually my thing, and I would like to avoid another Loki book, as I'm using that for the trickster prompt. Will look out for your suggestions everyone! :)

Oh I have lots of recommendations! Shapeshifting is in lots of tales—animal brides/bridegrooms, sibling animal transformation tales, shapeshifting dragons and other magical creatures. Here are some I've read and enjoyed.

-Bad Cree by Jessica Johns. Indigenous American contemporary horror.
-The Crane Husband by Kelly Barnhill. Gender swapped retelling of The Crane Wife set in a dystopian future, novella.
-Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison. Cozy werewolf novel, the best werewolf novel I've read.
-When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill. 1950s historical sapphic fantasy with dragons.
-Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones, werewolves again, diary format.
-Tidesong by Wendy Xu. Cute middle grade fantasy graphic novel.
-In the Watchful City by S. Qiouyi Lu. Cerebral sci-fi.
-Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim. Super fun YA, Wild Swans retelling with Chinese myths thrown in
-When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain by Nghi Vo. Fantasy novella, a stand alone second book in a series.
-Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker, okay, werewolf again (as well as other shapeshifters), but this one is so heartwarming. Graphic novel.
-Wicked Fox by Kat Cho. YA Korean folklore.
-The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden, Russian folklore, historical fantasy, first in a series
-The Crane Wife by Patrick Ness. Another contemporary retelling of "The Crane Wife"
-The Fox Woman by Kij Johnson. Japanese kitsune folklore, historical fantasy.
-The Fox's Tower and Other Tales: A Collection of Magical Short Stories by Yoon Ha Lee. Short stories, lots of animal shapeshifters.
-The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan: Selkies, lovely and sad
-Swim the Moon by Paul Brandon. More selkies.
-Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier: Historical fantasy, The Six Swans retelling
-In the Night Garden by Catherynne M. Valente, lots of shapeshifters.

My GoodReads is being irritating tonight. It keeps logging me out when I open a page in a new tab!

Margaret wrote: "Oh I have lots of recommendations! Shapeshifting is in lots of tales—animal brides/bridegrooms, sibling animal transformation tales, shapeshifting dragons and other magical creatures. Here are some..."

A great list which has reminded me of a few more:
Folk - Selkies and others from an Isle of Man author
Son of a Trickster - Canadian First Nations author. This is the first in a trilogy
Nightbitch - an exhausted mother fears she is losing her mind
Nordic Fauna - Norwegian short stories on the theme of transformation.

Margaret wrote: "Oh I have lots of recommendations! Shapeshifting is in lots of tales—animal brides/bridegrooms, sibling animal transformation tales, shapeshifting dragons and other magical creatures. Here are some..."

Thank you so much Margaret! :) Great list!

Happy new year!!!

Amanda wrote: "A great list which has reminded me of a few more: "

Thank you Amanda! :)

Finally The Daughter of Doctor Moreau, kind of.
There is just one part, so I don’t know if I’ll count it or not.

Margaret wrote: "Oh I have lots of recommendations! Shapeshifting is in lots of tales—animal brides/bridegrooms, sibling animal transformation tales, shapeshifting dragons and other magical creatures. Here are some..."

Oh! Didn’t know Bad Cree also had shapeshifters!
I was planning on reading it anyway.

Jalilah wrote: "Oh! Didn’t know Bad Cree also had shapeshifters!
I was planning on reading it anyway...."

I don't want to give any details because it's a little bit spoilery just to have it on the list!

Jalilah wrote: "Finally The Daughter of Doctor Moreau, kind of.
There is just one part, so I don’t know if I’ll count it or not."

I think it would count!

Unless I change my mind later, I'm going to count The Bear and the Nightingale for this. However, there are several other prompts it would fit, too.

Cheryl wrote: "Unless I change my mind later, I'm going to count The Bear and the Nightingale for this. However, there are several other prompts it would fit, too."

That book has everything. You could read the trilogy and count each one for a different category. :)

For a more historical look

Shapeshifters: A History by John B. Kachuba

Oh, good find! I'd love to learn about non-fiction for all the themes!

Coming late to this: I really enjoyed The Bear and the Nightingale series.

Margaret wrote: "Jalilah wrote: "Oh! Didn’t know Bad Cree also had shapeshifters!
I was planning on reading it anyway...."

I don't want to give any details because it's a little bit spoilery just to have it on the..."

I understand. I felt that way about Mexican Gothic not regarding shapeshifters rather (view spoiler)[with ghosts. I used it the year ghosts were on the challenge. Because you don’t really find out about ghosts until the end of the book it felt kind of spolierish to recommend it . With Bad Cree it’s the same (hide spoiler)]

Michele wrote: "For a more historical look

Shapeshifters: A History by John B. Kachuba"

Thank you for bringing this to my attention and my TBR.

Edited to add: although it's only available in hardback, and there are some lackluster reviews. (I already know a lot about shapeshifters.)

I ended up reading Sister, Maiden, Monster for this one, which is a bizarre but good horror novel.

I took advantage of a recent free publication Polish edition in a new translation Beauty and the Beast by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont. I really, really dislike French conte de fées tales :)

Asaria wrote: "I took advantage of a recent free publication Polish edition in a new translation Beauty and the Beast by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont. I really, really dislike..."

They've grown on me, but I get it.

I read Lies We Sing to the Sea by Sarah Underwood (releasing Marc 7th!), which is a follows the events of the Odyssey. There is a lot of attention paid to the fact that the two main characters can shift into monster-like creatures when they touch sea water.

Hannah wrote: "I read Lies We Sing to the Sea by Sarah Underwood (releasing Marc 7th!), which is a follows the events of the Odyssey. There is a lot of attention paid to the fact that the two main..."

Oh, I love that cover. I need to check this one out!

I read Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman and gave it 3.25 stars.

I think Neil Gaiman is brilliant and I loved the characters and set up but found the plot lacked the substance and direction of his other books.

Jamie wrote: "I read Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman and gave it 3.25 stars.

I think Neil Gaiman is brilliant and I loved the characters and set up but found the plot lacked the substanc..."

I agree with you. Ansasi Boys is not my favourite Gaiman novel. It was okay but not memorable for me

I read Skin of the Sea for this, which features a mermaid shifting into a human form.

Erin wrote: "I read No Man's Land a historical fiction/fantasy in which multiple characters are shape-shifters.

I also read Skin of the Sea for this, which features a mermaid shifting into a human form."

I wanted to read that one last year but never got to it.

The mythology was fantastic. The setting and descriptions were really visually appealing to me in my imagination. I thought it was a fairly quick, immersive read and I enjoyed it overall but it wasn't quite compelling enough of a story for me to want to continue reading the second.

Erin wrote: "The mythology was fantastic. The setting and descriptions were really visually appealing to me in my imagination. I thought it was a fairly quick, immersive read and I enjoyed it overall but it was..."

That happens to me a lot on series.