By Paul Kane

Things in The Wall publications, available now

A handful of classic fairy tales are given a modern, twisted makeover in this creepy collection by Paul Kane.

I’ve always wondered how fairy tales ended up being gentrified by the likes of Disney into material peddled to youngsters, as the original stories were certainly not the sort of fare you’d typically read to your children. Paul Kane has gone one step further and taken classic fairy stories and given them a contemporary, adult spin.

After an introduction by writer Angela Slatter, looking at the the role of fairly tales, Kane starts with Snow, where Snow White is a uni student and tumbles into an underground cavern populated by bat-like beasties rather than dwarves. Who’s Been…? substitutes porridge with a box of Frosties (and some unforgettable bears), while in Jack the magic beans are recreational drugs. Sin takes on Cinderella with a bold subversion of the crystal slipper and longest story Sleeper(s) is Sleeping Beauty with hazmat suits.

As Angela Carter proved with her The Bloody Chamber (later made into the movie The Company of Wolves) and TV shows like Once Upon a Time, fairy tales are too good to be the sole domain of kids, and Kane subverts the popular tales with some nice alternative takes, while emphasising the ever-present abusive parents and dysfunctional extended families. Each story hits the ground running, with a pace that feeds you enough to get you up to speed and then sprints forwards. It’s unlikely you’ll leave any of them mid-tale, as you’ll want to finish them in a sitting.

Verdict: Grimmer than Grimm, Paul Kane’s twisted variations on tales as old as time are a joy to read, and even if you think you know how they will end, the happily ever after might be a little different to how you imagine. 8/10

Nick Joy