Grimm's Fairy Tales

Today is the 200th anniversary of the "Grimm's Fairy Tales". And if you've never read them, they aren't the fairy tale versions that Disney made.

(You can buy the original  Grimm's Fairy Tales here)

The "Grimm's Fairy Tales" was written by brothers Jacob and Wilhelm. And many of the stories by the brothers were first published in a collection in 1812. They now are a staple in our society.

Today's Google homepage shows the tale of  "Little Red Riding HoodGrimm's Fairy Tales ; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />" in a version suitable for everyone.

But many of the stories that you were told as a child are made much, much more PG than the originals. Many of the Brother's Grimm tales end in blindness and punishment.

Cinderella
In the "Grimm" version the stepsister mutilate and cut their feet to try to make them fit into the glass slipper. Also, at Prince Charming and Cinderella's wedding the sisters eyes are pecked out by doves. Lovely wedding gift.
  
Rapunzel
Another story where someone goes blind, oh and Rapunzel was 12 when she was locked in the tower. And then "a year or two later" met her prince and gave birth to twins. Disturbing that she A. was locked in a tower, B. was a 13 year old with a kid and C. had such long hair. The prince also goes blind from thorn bushes while jumping from the window.

Little Red Riding Hood
No one goes blind in this story, but in the "Grimm" version the wolf does get cut open (while alive) with a pair of scissors and then his belly filled with rocks until he dies. She also met a 2nd wolf who she drowned in a pot of water.


If you want to read more, just buy the book! It's seriously interesting to see how the original stories went.

Buy Grimm's Fairy Tales on Amazon.

Brandon reads a lot: Ender's Game Book Review

Sometimes you run across a sci-fi book that hasn't been made into a movie yet, allowing you to make up your own characters and visuals. Way better than CGI if you ask me.

Written in 1985 by Orson Scott Card, Ender's Game is about the child genius Ender Wiggins who's determined by the military forces of Earth to be our best hope at defeating the nefarious "buggers."

(Think the baddies from Aliens - which this book came out before - and you got it.)

The book traces Ender's journey beginning at six years old until he's old enough to go to Command School. Card then wraps it up with an ending that isn't expected by the reader and there's a certain morality in the pages final endings that probably every world and military leader should read.

The best thing about this book isn't the space battle simulations, the high-tech wackadoo going on at Battle or Command School. The interior dialogue of Ender, combined with the character of his sister Valentine, add a depth to the story you wouldn't find in any sci-fi thriller action movie. While I wouldn't say that the plot takes any spellbinding twists and turns (until the very end), the dramatic reveals of each characters' true being is what makes this a must-read.

You forget you're reading about a bunch of kids just a few pages in, and I'm assuming this was intentional by Card. In war, kids cease becoming kids and are forced to act like adults. You'll find this isn't a kiddie novel but a deep complex exploratory mind examination of kid that's destined to be basically Napoleon without realizing it.

I hear they're making a movie out of it and it should hit theaters in 2013, but it's good that I got the book read before that happened.

To buy Ender's Game click here.