Fableulous Retellings
46 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 5 years ago - ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsMarilag Angway and Meghan Griffin discuss the original fairy tales, fables, and mythologies and then five modern retellings in each season of this podcast.
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Episodes
Persephone 4: The Star Crossed Queen
January 16, 2019 01:32 - 1 hour - 69.2 MBApologies for the EXTREME delay in this episode: Meghan's audio was definitely a mess. Hopefully you enjoyed this book as much as we did, and hopefully you forgive us for this massive delay! Please go vote for our next season as well! Follow us on social media, and don't forget to rate and review us! Facebook Group | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website | Email: [email protected] Join us every Thursday for a new episode! Thank you to VidaLovesCake for our artwork!
Persephone 3: Wonder Woman?
December 27, 2018 12:00 - 58 minutes - 53.6 MBWith the holidays, we definitely got delayed! But we hope you had a good one, as we did. We are continuing with Persephone by discussing the 2009 animated Wonder Woman movie! It's a bit of a...loose adaptation, but we have a good bit of fun discussing it and our favorite things about Wonder Woman. Join us next week for a dive into the 2016 novel, The Star-Touched Queen! Follow us on social media, and don't forget to rate and review us! Facebook Group | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram ...
Persephone 2: A Court of Mist and Fury
December 07, 2018 12:34 - 1 hour - 79.1 MBThis episode is a first in a lot of ways: our first Persephone retelling, our first Greek mythology retelling, and our first time doing a sequel of a series! We dive into Sarah J Maas's A Court of Mist and Fury to discover that we maybe do love our Hades character, sometimes like our Persephone character, but overall, eat a bit of crow in what we thought this book would be like! Join us next week for a dive into the 2009 animated Wonder Woman movie! Follow us on social media, and d...
Persephone and Greek Mythology
November 22, 2018 14:56 - 49 minutes - 45.3 MBHappy Thanksgiving! If you need a break from family, come dive into SEASON 8! We talk a few Greek underworld mythos, particularly Persephone and Hades and Orpheus and Eurydice! We are incredibly excited to branch out! Follow us on social media, and don't forget to rate and review us! Facebook Group | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website | Email: [email protected] Join us every Thursday for a new episode! Thank you to VidaLovesCake for our artwork!
BabaYaga 6: John Wick
October 11, 2018 11:00 - 35 minutes - 32.1 MBMari and Meg headed to NYCC, so everything is late ahhh! But that's okay: due to peer pressure, we switched movies to John Wick! Which leads to a long discussion of how this has nothing to do with Baba Yaga. But we wrap up our thoughts on our favorite witch before getting ready for our next series! Follow us on social media, and don't forget to rate and review us! Facebook Group | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website | Email: [email protected] Join us every Thursday for a ne...
Dreaming Anastasia
September 27, 2018 11:37 - 46 minutes - 42.6 MBMari and Meg are back with a slightly disappointing Baba Yaga story this week. Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preble is pitched as an Anastasia Romanov and Baba Yaga story....which it does have both of these things. This book is as close to a "nice" Baba Yaga as we get, and that's a bit hard to stomach. Whiny teens, hundred-year-old suiters, it's definitely a book from 2009. Don't forget to go vote for our next season! Follow us on social media, and don't forget to rate and review us! Fa...
Fair Vasyl and Vassa in the Night
September 20, 2018 10:54 - 1 hour - 67 MBMari and Meg are back and talking about Vassilissa the Beautiful retellings! We have two for you in one episode, so get ready. We discuss "Fair Vasyl," a genderbending retelling by Steve Harper Piziks with a steampunk bonus, and Vassa in the Night by Sarah Porter — a magical realism retelling set in Brooklyn and is dark and scary as Babs Yag should be. Follow us on social media, and don't forget to rate and review us! Facebook Group | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website | Email: fa...
Baba Yaga - 1973 Italian Film
September 13, 2018 11:07 - 45 minutes - 42 MBThis week Mari and Meg watch the 1973 Italian film Baba Yaga! Unfortunately, we caught it on Amazon Prime right before it left. Based on a comic series, this movie follows Valentina, a photographer, as she falls under the sensual spell of Baba Yaga. We discuss the use of dolls in films and the racism of 1970s Italian films as well! Follow us on social media, and don't forget to rate and review us! Facebook Group | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website | Email: [email protected]...
Baba Yaga in Enchantment by Orson Scott Card
September 06, 2018 14:17 - 1 hour - 58.8 MBSeason 7 continues (a day late because holidays confuse Meghan) with a look at Orson Scott Card's 1999 novel Enchantment! There is a lot to dislike about this book, but the one thing Meg and Mari definitely loved? Baba. Yaga. Go give us a listen to help celebrate Mari going back to school today! Be the Baba Yaga to those 5th graders! Follow us on social media, and don't forget to rate and review us! Facebook Group | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website | Email: [email protected]...
Season 7: Baba Yaga
August 29, 2018 12:09 - 35 minutes - 32.3 MBMari and Meg are back to talk about one of the most badass witches of all time! Without an origin story though, it's a bit hard to talk about how she came to be. But we are incredibly excited to talk about Baba Yaga, and NOT have any "redemption" stories this season! Follow us on social media, and don't forget to rate and review us! Facebook Group | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website | Email: [email protected] Join us every Wednesday for a new episode! Thank you to Vi...
Step Sister Fairy Tales!
August 02, 2018 13:00 - 51 minutes - 94.6 MBMari and Meg discuss 4 other fairy tales that we would love to see turned into modern retellings! These stories come from different cultures - Chinese, Italian, Romanian, and Russian. We also start tying into our next season's topic.... We also discuss The Thousandth Floor and Pretty Little Liars and other modern things....that don't quite pertain to fairy tales but are still fun. Let us know if you know any other stories with step sisters! We would love to hear from you about them. ...
Toads and Diamonds by Heather Tomlinson
July 25, 2018 13:09 - 58 minutes - 53.2 MBThis week Marilag and Meghan take a break from Cinderella retellings to discuss Toads and Diamonds! They discuss the differences they see in books that are written to explore someone's own culture versus a culture you admire, the idea of too many plot lines, and how wonderful Indian food is! Follow us on social media, and don't forget to rate and review us! Facebook Group | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website | Email: [email protected] Join us every Wednesday for a new episode...
The Step-Spinsters by Madina Papadopoulos
July 19, 2018 11:00 - 1 hour - 78.6 MBMeghan and Mari are back for their anniversary episode! (We don't actually address that in the episode, but Fableulous has officially been going strong for a year!) To celebrate, we read a fairy tale book suggested by its author: The Step-Spinsters! Given the title and description, it definitely seemed like a fit for this season! Disclosure: The author did reach out and asked us if we would like a copy to review, which we kindly accepted! We also discuss spoilers, so we highly recommen...
Ever After
July 11, 2018 11:00 - 54 minutes - 49.7 MBMarilag and Meghan couldn't get their hands on a book (library hold a little longer than expected!) So instead they watched Ever After after a bit of arm twisting. Just kidding — how could we not love to talk about this movie? We discuss the original step-sister who is now a stepmother, Vida makes a guest appearance, how the Prince becomes a villain permanently after this movie, and overall just talk about how great this movie is. Follow us on social media, and don't forget to rate and ...
Ella Enchanted
July 05, 2018 11:10 - 51 minutes - 47 MBContinuing with our Step-Sisters theme, Mari and Meg talk about Ella Enchanted, both the book and the movie. We discuss how this is a great feminist book and a ridiculously fun and silly movie, why the differences exist, and also our love for Princess Bride and Cary Elwes! Follow us on social media, and don't forget to rate and review us! Facebook Group | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website | Email: [email protected] Join us every Wednesday for a new episode! Thank you to ...
New Season New Theme: Step Sisters
June 28, 2018 11:00 - 42 minutes - 39 MBMarilag and Meghan are back and ready to tackle step-sisters!....both of which they are?? This season is a bit different format, so please let us know what you think! This episode we talk about Cinderella primarily, as well as Toads and Diamonds and other stories with siblings. Follow us on social media, and don't forget to rate and review us! Facebook Group | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website | Email: [email protected] Join us every Wednesday for a new episode! Thank yo...
Bluebeard by Vonnegut?
April 21, 2018 15:33 - 1 hour - 64.4 MBMeghan and Mari finally catch up for their last episode of the Bluebeard season! We discuss the 1980s Vonnegut book, which is a strange adaptation, to say the least. BUT it does lead to some great discussion of literature and art and how it changes. We also discuss Mari's trip to Paris, where she saw the opera Bluebeard's Castle! We also found a copy of it online, so you can check it out too! We will be back for season 6 on May 9th! We are changing our format to where we are going to lo...
Bluebeard 5: ....Bluebeard?
April 04, 2018 10:00 - 48 minutes - 44.4 MBMari and Meg get a bit silly this episode, as they take some time from their busy lives to discuss the 2017 Korean film: Bluebeard. Is this film an adaptation? We really try to wrap our heads around this film that tries a little too hard to be smart. And also the ending.....what on earth happens. This film is on Netflix, so give it a watch before listening! Follow us on social media, and don't forget to rate and review us! Facebook Group | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website | Em...
Crimson Peak
March 30, 2018 11:00 - 51 minutes - 47.4 MBThis week we tackle another movie adaptation of Bluebeard! We are joined by Gena Radcliffe of Kill by Kill Podcast! We discuss Crimson Peak, a 2015 gothic horror Del Toro movie that somehow both Mari and I didn't see. And while we thought we had gotten away from the incest....yikes! Follow us on social media, and don't forget to rate and review us! Facebook Group | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website | Email: [email protected] Join us every Wednesday for a new episode! Than...
Ex Machina
March 21, 2018 09:04 - 51 minutes - 46.9 MBThis week Mari and Meg discuss their first Bluebeard movie: Ex Machina! Is it Oscar Isaac's amazing beard that makes it a retelling? (Did you realize that it's Oscar Isaac? Because Mari didn't at first!) We are also joined by our first guest: Tracy Tanoff! There are some slight recording issues roughly 3 minutes in — Meghan's audio dropped, which means a little bit was cut. None of the Bluebeard discussion was cut, just a quick recap of the cast of the movie! Follow us on social media,...
The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter
March 15, 2018 10:00 - 52 minutes - 47.7 MBThis week Mari and Meghan are back to talk about "The Bloody Chamber" by Angela Carter! This story was a blast. Meghan tries to justify Bluebeard's kinks gone wrong (it's abandoned don't worry), we talk about how amazing the mom in this story is, and Vida makes a guest appearance to talk about her favorite Bluebeard adaptation! Follow us on social media, and don't forget to rate and review us! Facebook Group | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website | Email: [email protected] Join...
Bluebeard
March 07, 2018 11:00 - 38 minutes - 35.2 MBFableulous Retellings is back for season 5! We read and discuss "Bluebeard," specifically focusing on what the heck the moral is supposed to be. Is this a feminist story? Is this everything that Mari's sister thinks it is? Follow us on social media, and don't forget to rate and review us! Facebook Group | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website | Email: [email protected] Join us every Wednesday for a new episode! Thank you to BenSound for our theme music and VidaLovesCake for o...
Faerie Tale Theatre Presents!
February 07, 2018 12:36 - 35 minutes - 32.3 MBMari and Meg watch another episode of Faerie Tale Theatre! Meg tries to convince Mari that it's star-studded, but maybe she just likes weird movies from the 80s and early 90s? There's the best invisibility cloak, and they also squee a little bit more about Speak Easy. Watch the episode of Faerie Tale Theatre! Follow us on social media, and don't forget to rate and review us! Facebook Group | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website | Email: [email protected] Join us every Wednes...
Speak Easy by Catherynne M. Valente
February 01, 2018 02:20 - 58 minutes - 53.9 MBThis week Mari and Meg read Speak Easy, a novella placing 12 Dancing Princesses in 1920s NYC with some main characters that you might actually recognize.... This book is a bit darker, but also so incredibly fun. Please forgive Meghan for all of her Buffy references, and enjoy with Mari realizes who the book is about! We also announce our Season 5 topic, so go see who won our poll! Follow us on social media, and don't forget to rate and review us! Facebook Group | Facebook | Twitte...
Barbie in the Twelve Dancing Princesses
January 24, 2018 11:30 - 50 minutes - 45.9 MBSomehow, Marilag and Meghan found a way to talk about the 2006 Barbie movie. It might be mostly chatter of how awful the animation is, or perhaps about how we cannot tell the difference in 11/12 of these princesses. Also, Fableulous is going to switch over to Wednesdays for Meghan's sanity! Join us again next Wednesday as we discuss Speak Easy by Catherynne Valente! Don't Forget To Vote for Season 5's Fairy Tale! Follow us on social media, and don't forget to rate and review us! ...
Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier
January 17, 2018 00:36 - 1 hour - 71.1 MBMari and Meg return with their first "12 Dancing Princesses" adaptation, an Australian YA novel Wildwood Dancing. This book adapts and expands on the fairy tale, adding in actual fairies and vampires and a truly evil antagonist. We also briefly discuss Baba Yaga, and how this book reads better when you don't think of distant cousins as cousins. Join us again next Tuesday as we discuss Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses! Don't Forget To Vote for Season 5's Fairy Tale! Follow us o...
12 Dancing Princesses
January 09, 2018 12:19 - 58 minutes - 53.4 MBMari and Meg are back for a new season in the new year! The listeners chose 12 Dancing Princesses for this season, so we did our first Brothers Grimm episode. There is a little bit of discussion of the Brothers, plus a lot of discussion of what the heck this story means or where it comes from. WHERE are these sisters going at night? And is being an accessory to murder better than your dad trying to marry you (spoilers yes duh) Join us again next Tuesday for our first adaptation of season ...
Top Books Read in 2017!
December 19, 2017 02:46 - 2 hours - 120 MBTo round out the first year of the podcast, Meghan and Mari put together a list of their favorite books read in 2017! We didn't discuss our lists beforehand, so there is a little bit of overlap. We aren't sponsored by anything, so our recommendation is to check out your library for these books! We will be back on January 9th with Season 4: Twelve Dancing Princesses! If you are interested in any of the books we talk about, here's the written list below: Marilag's Top 10: A Conjuring ...
Wolf Among Us
December 12, 2017 12:36 - 1 hour - 55 MBMarilag and Meghan round out their third season with a Fables video game: Wolf Among Us! This is less of an adaptation but more of "what happened to Donkeyskin after the Happily Ever After? We're a bit sad to see Donkeyskin go, but also will be happy to do a happier tale. Don't Forget To Vote for Season 5's Fairy Tale! Meghan and Marilag will be back next week with a bonus episode, where they discuss their favorite books read in 2017! Follow us on social media, and don't forget to ra...
Peau d'Âne
December 05, 2017 13:37 - 50 minutes - 46.4 MBMari and Meg watch one of the most bonker movies they have ever seen — Peau d'Âne, the French 1970 Donkeyskin adaptation! This movie is SURPRISINGLY a musical — what?! And has such great songs as "Daughters shouldn't marry their fathers." We will also be putting up our poll for season 5 this week — go vote! Follow us on social media, and don't forget to rate and review us! Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website | Email: [email protected] Join us every Tuesday for a new episode...
Unnatural Issue by Mercedes Lackey
November 29, 2017 12:24 - 1 hour - 63.6 MBMeghan and Mari finally have a lost episode, so this episode they try to recall what happened in Unnatural Issue by Mercedes Lackey. Which wasn't as hard as it sounds! This book led to several tangents, especially as we discuss elemental magic, as well as a deep dive into how the cover looks! Plus we have a long discussion on how endings should have a payoff, which this one does not. Follow us on social media, and don't forget to rate and review us! Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | ...
Jim Henson's The Storyteller
November 21, 2017 13:26 - 39 minutes - 36.5 MBMari and Meg watch Jim Henson's The Storyteller episode of Donkeyskin, where at least the dad kind of looks like he doesn't want to marry his daughter? Follow us on social media, and don't forget to rate and review us! Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website | Email: [email protected] Join us every Tuesday for a new episode! Thank you to BenSound for our theme music and VidaLovesCake for our artwork!
Deerskin by Robin McKinley
November 14, 2017 14:27 - 1 hour - 85.2 MBMeg and Mari tackle one of the most difficult books they've ever read, content wise, on today's episode. Their first adaptation of Donkeyskin is Deerskin by Fableulous favorite, Robin McKinley! The Amazing Robin looked at Donkeyskin and went I CAN MAKE IT HORRIFIC! All jokes aside, the content of this adaptation includes rape, incest, miscarriages, and the psychological damage of all three. Join us next week for a MUCH LIGHTER retelling of Donkeyskin! Follow us on social media, and don'...
Season 3: Donkeyskin!
November 07, 2017 12:22 - 50 minutes - 46.4 MBMarilag and Meghan are back to discuss a disturbing and almost nauseating French fairy tale: Donkeyskin by Charles Perrault. Mari discusses the true story the fairy tale is perhaps based on, and Meghan keeps her head in her hands as she tries to figure out the moral of the story. They discuss the alternate versions of the story (Grimm Brothers) and realize they'll probably need alcohol this season to deal with awful fathers and douchebag princes. Warnings ahead: we have some incestuous rel...
Season 2, Episode 6: Fables' 1001 Nights of Snowfall
October 17, 2017 23:22 - 1 hour - 55.4 MBMarilag and Meghan round out season 2 of 1001 Nights with a stand alone volume/prequel to Vertigo's Fables series: 1001 Nights of Snowfall! This book consists of multiple artists and prequel stories of some of their major characters. Mari and Meg talk about the stories and artwork and some of their favorite other comics that the artists have participated in. And Meghan has finally figured out how to say the protagonist's first name! Go check out our blog for the Season 4 poll! Follo...
Season 2, Episode 5: Scooby Doo in the Arabian Nights
October 10, 2017 23:20 - 46 minutes - 42.7 MBMari and Meg discuss this 1990s Hanna-Barbera cartoon special! Scooby Doo and Shaggy head off to the Middle East thinking they've landed a job as royal food taste testers...but what happens next? Enjoy our first gender-bent episode, and let us know if you want to join us for season 3 as a guest! Go check out our blog for the Season 4 poll! Follow us on social media, and don't forget to rate and review us! Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website | Email: [email protected] Join u...
Season 2, Episode 4: The Storyteller's Daughter
October 03, 2017 13:05 - 1 hour - 55.4 MBMari and Meg are back with a new middle school grade book, The Storyteller's Daughter by Cameron Dokey. We discuss how we like that the main character is blind and how it takes FOREVER for them to kiss, and the added story of the first wife's family. Go check out our blog for the Season 4 poll! Follow us on social media, and don't forget to rate and review us! Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website | Email: [email protected] Join us every Tuesday for a new episode! Thank yo...
Season 2, Episode 3: Arabian Nights Miniseries
September 26, 2017 11:05 - 1 hour - 60.6 MBMari and Meg are back this week discussing Arabian Nights, an American/British (Hallmark/BBC?) miniseries from 2000. Meg realizes she cannot pronounce anyone's name and swoons over Jim Carter. Mari shows how she knows where everyone is from while not knowing names. They discuss the historical Caliph that a story is based on and how it affected his life. Watch the miniseries here, then come listen to us chatter about it! Follow us on social media, and don't forget to rate and review us! ...
Season 2, Episode 2: The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
September 19, 2017 11:00 - 1 hour - 89.1 MBMari and Meg discuss their first 1001 Nights adaptation! This YA book is great, despite Meg being slightly exhausted from YA tropes. Thank you for your patience last week too! Interested in the adult prom? Click here! ollow us on social media, and don't forget to rate and review us! Facebook| Twitter | Instagram | Website | Email: [email protected] Join us every Tuesday for a new episode! Thank you to BenSound for our theme music and VidaLovesCake for our artwork!
Season 2, Episode 1: 1001 Nights (or Arabian Nights)
September 05, 2017 13:53 - 1 hour - 78.8 MBMeg and Mari are back a little sooner than you would expect! They have started up season 2 and didn't take it easy as they tackled the original 1001 Nights in their opening episode. Here's a quick peak at some of the things discussed in this episode: Why did we pick 1001 Nights? Richard Francis The over-arching Arabian Nights' story How Eunuchs became Eunuchs A Man gets embarrassed by farts What the heck is vermicelli cake? (Seriously about half an hour of us talking about vermicell...
Season 1, Episode 6: Bronze - an interactive storyline
August 22, 2017 11:14 - 1 hour - 68.7 MBFor the season finale of Beauty and the Beast, Mari and Meg try to double team an interactive storyline of what turns out to be a very dark retelling of Beauty and the Beast. To play the game yourself, check out this website. Also take a look at the creator's blog to see other games she's created. (We find you amazing, Emily!) This episode had some technical difficulties, but we had a blast putting it together! Next episode will be out September 12! Don't forget to go vote for our S...
Season 1, Episode 5: Beautician and the Beast
August 15, 2017 11:01 - 53 minutes - 97.5 MBThis week Mari and Meg discuss 1997 Beautician and the Beast staring Fran Drescher and Timothy Dalton! We can't believe this movie was actually released in theaters.....and that we considered it for a retelling. But it was such a blast to watch!! Don't forget to go vote for our Season 3 fairy tale or fable! Go vote! Follow us on social media, and don't forget to rate and review us! Facebook| Twitter | Instagram | Website | Email: [email protected] Join us every Tuesday for a new e...
Season 1 Episode 4: Beauty by Robin McKinley
August 09, 2017 00:06 - 1 hour - 111 MBMari and Meg discuss a not so modern retelling, but one that is still very important to the Beauty and the Beast circle — Robin McKinley's Beauty! This book has more of a backstory for Beauty — even gives her a proper name! They also discuss the importance of describing food and whether or not monkeys can be legally owned as pets. Also, the origin story of our artwork! Follow us on social media, and don't forget to rate and review us! Facebook| Twitter | Instagram | Website | Email: ...
Season 1, Episode 3: Faerie Tale Theatre Presents
August 01, 2017 10:27 - 46 minutes - 85.6 MBThis week Mari and Meg discuss The Beauty and the Beast episode of Faerie Tale Theatre! Mostly we just giggle a lot at the obviously 80s of the show, even despite it trying to be regal and set in olden times. Also, Anjelica Huston pretty much steals this episode away. Meg tries to insist that there is a first Gaston appearance and MAYBE this is it? Follow us on social media, and don't forget to rate and review us! Facebook| Twitter | Instagram | Website | Email: [email protected]...
Season 1, Episode 2: A Court of Thorn and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
July 25, 2017 10:48 - 1 hour - 111 MBMari and Meg discuss one of the first modern Beauty and the Beast retellings! As mentioned last week, Belle is the original Young Adult Heroine™, so how does an actual modern New Adult book compare? Well, there are fairies, sex, giggling, and eye rolling. And yelling about boy names. Find out what about a book can actually offend Mari?! There is also some discussion of Cupid and Psyche, which some scholars believe the original Beauty and the Beast is based on. Let us know your though...
Season 1, Episode 1: Beauty and the Beast
July 18, 2017 04:11 - 43 minutes - 59.7 MBMeg and Mari open their first season by discussing the classic original fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast! They focus on the original and first adaptation as it is frequently what is used in modern retellings. They make their checklist to use against the five modern retellings they'll be reviewing this season, as well as why they think the story came to exist! Follow us on social media: Facebook| Twitter | Instagram | Website | Email: [email protected] Join us every Tuesday for a...