E. W. Farnsworth’s unorthodox, often quirky, fairy tales range from folkloric and fanciful to satirical and bizarre, deriving from many sources. Lorelei and Hansel and Gretel for Real take traditional German tales as points of departure for contemporary retellings. Hugging Proteus, Hera’s Right and Song of Prometheus Unchained derive from Greek myths but have unique voices. The Ark of Time revisits Egyptian mythology from a plausible science fiction perspective. The Chess Master derives from Chinese Dao and Indian chess traditions as well as the fictional tone of Hermann Hesse. Tales of pixies, leprechauns and trolls transform the traditionally received English, Irish and Norwegian folklore. Games for Love in Dragonton borrows its structure, with apologies, from Edmund Spenser’s Shepherds Calendar.

As in the original versions of Nordic tales, complexity and a dark, menacing edge characterize Farnsworth’s thought-provoking, irony-laden stories. Valley of the Giants posits that contemporary media reshapes our views of traditional stories. Magical songs, art and films rival four-leaf clovers, curative flowers, magical swords and spells.