Though there were loads of interesting stories to choose from, I've selected the three below because each one of them is representative of elements I liked when wandering through all the storybooks.
LOST IN THE WOODS
The aspect that initially drew me to this storybook ultimately ended up being my favorite thing about it: I appreciate that, instead of a simple, bare-bones frame story or one that feels too gimmicky, the frame is a complete story instead of simply a narrative convention, with a separate plot that’s interesting in itself. The mystery element not only kept me reading, but intrigued and actively involved in trying to figure out the story. Though there were a lot of characters, they were all developed enough to be distinct from each other—and the titles of each section were great, hooking me from the beginning. I also liked that instead of telling me the situation, the introduction showed it to me instead. The layout with tabs at the top, left to right, seemed to flow better in that it mimicked the turning of pages.
THE TALES OF THE SEVEN PILGRIMS
I loved how this story takes two very familiar, somewhat tired concepts, and they instantly feel fresh because of how striking their combination is. Also, I thought it was a smart move for the writer to use the Canterbury Tales characters’ stories as background information and to inform the characters themselves, but not try to shoehorn their tales into the main narrative. It’s more interesting having the additional information available as a footnote instead of crammed awkwardly into the story. The introduction as a case file before the interviews works well; because of the way the stories are set up as files in the case, the up-down navigation (which I usually wasn’t as much of a fan of in other storybooks) feels like a natural fit.
LSD IN A YELLOW SUBMARINE
Though this one was shorter and could have done a bit more to incorporate the myths, I chose it because I like the storytelling decisions it represented—a looser approach to interpreting and incorporating the mythology and folklore, instead of being a slave to fitting it into the frame story weakening that story as a result. Beyond that, it was also one of the more unique takes I saw, and I thought it was refreshing to find a modern story with fairytale elements thrown in, instead of the other way around.
THE TALES OF THE SEVEN PILGRIMS
I loved how this story takes two very familiar, somewhat tired concepts, and they instantly feel fresh because of how striking their combination is. Also, I thought it was a smart move for the writer to use the Canterbury Tales characters’ stories as background information and to inform the characters themselves, but not try to shoehorn their tales into the main narrative. It’s more interesting having the additional information available as a footnote instead of crammed awkwardly into the story. The introduction as a case file before the interviews works well; because of the way the stories are set up as files in the case, the up-down navigation (which I usually wasn’t as much of a fan of in other storybooks) feels like a natural fit.
LSD IN A YELLOW SUBMARINE
Though this one was shorter and could have done a bit more to incorporate the myths, I chose it because I like the storytelling decisions it represented—a looser approach to interpreting and incorporating the mythology and folklore, instead of being a slave to fitting it into the frame story weakening that story as a result. Beyond that, it was also one of the more unique takes I saw, and I thought it was refreshing to find a modern story with fairytale elements thrown in, instead of the other way around.
Image Credit: Vasilissa by Ivan Bilibin, 1899. Source: Wikipedia.
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