Thornhedge

Toadling guards a wall of thorns which conceal a sleeping princess in a tower. She hopes that humans will eventually forget the existence of the tower and its occupant.

Hundreds of years later, a knight approaches the hidden tower. Toadling tries to tie elf-knots into his hair to scare him away, but he awakens and discovers her. The knight tells her that his name is Halim and claims to be looking for the lost princess.

Toadling narrates her story to Halim. She was born a human princess and switched with a changeling at birth. She was raised in Faerie by frog-like creatures called greenteeth. Because time passes differently in Faerie, she was able to return to the human world and stand as the fairy godmother for the christening of the changeling, Fayette. The Faerie hare goddess instructed Toadling to give Fayette a gift: “she will do no harm to those around her.” Toadling messed up the words of the spell, rendering it ineffective. As Fayette grew, she became increasingly violent and unpredictable. At first she tortured animals. Later, her nurse fell down the stairs and died; Fayette puppeted the corpse around the palace. Toadling could not bring herself to kill Fayette and so decided to place her in an enchanted sleep. She grew the hedge of thorns around the keep for the protection of the outside world.

Halim and Toadling enter the tower and accidentally wake Fayette. Fayette tries to strangle Toadling; Halim pushes her out of the tower and kills her. The hare goddess returns to Toadling and reveals that the initial gift of “doing no harm” would have killed Fayette anyway, as the dead cannot harm anyone. The goddess brings Toadling back to Faerie, where she reunites with her family of greenteeth. She returns to the mortal world to journey with Halim, but plans to return home to Faerie someday.

Gary K. Wolfe writes that the novella exists in "that liminal space ... between fairytale lore and actual medieval history". The opening chapter "serves as a remarkable evocation of loneliness" as Toadling watches the centuries pass around her. Later, Halim's "references to the Pope, the Byzantine-Seljuk wars, and his own Muslim background" place the story more firmly in a historical context.

File:Archibald Wakley - The Sleeping Beauty.jpg

In the traditional tale of Sleeping Beauty, the princess symbolizes good and the fairy symbolizes evil.Zipes, J. (2003). The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm All-New Third Edition. Random House Publishing Group. {{ISBN|9780553897401}}. However, not all versions of Sleeping Beauty have an evil character. Perceforest is a 14th century epic containing a version of Sleeping Beauty. This version tells the story of princess Zellandine, who was cursed to eternal sleep by one of the three goddesses (Themis) who were invited to celebrate her birth.{{Cite web |last=Cybulskie |first=Danièle |date=Jun 18, 2015 |title=The Medieval Sleeping Beauty |url=https://www.medievalists.net/2015/06/the-medieval-sleeping-beauty/ |access-date=Oct 9, 2024 |website=Medievalists.net}}{{Cite journal |last=Cox |first=S. M. |date=1990 |title=The Complete Tale of Troylus and Zellandine from the 'Perceforest' Novel: An English Translation |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/41390039. |journal=Merveilles & Contes |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=118–139 |jstor=41390039 }}{{Cite journal |last=Hogstad |first=G. |date=2011 |title=Archetypal Interpretation of "Sleeping Beauty" : Awakening the Power of Love |url=https://www.pacifica.edu/degree-program/mythological-studies/mythological-studies-journal/ |journal=Mythological Studies Journal |volume=2 |issue=}}{{Cite journal |last=George |first=S |date=2022 |title=How Disney Altered the Original 'Sleeping Beauty' |url=https://www.ijssl.latticescipub.com/wp-content/uploads/papers/v2i2/A1033092122.pdf |journal=Indian Journal of Social Science and Literature |volume=2 |issue=2 |pages=1–6 |doi=10.54105/ijssl.A1033.122222 |issn=2583-0643}} In Giambattista Basile's 17th century work Sun, Moon, and Talia the princess Talia's father consults astrologers who prophesy that Talia will be in danger, referencing her slumber caused by a splinter of flax.Basile, Giambattista. (2001) "Sun, Moon, and Talia." The Great Fairy Tale Tradition. Ed. Jack Zipes. New York: Norton. 685–88. There are no evil fairies, or the mention of fairies, until Charles Perrault's version, The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood Perrault, Charles. "The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood." Old French Fairy Tales, Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1899, pp. 328–341. https://www.colorado.edu/projects/fairy-tales/old-french-fairy-tales/sleeping-beautyPerrault, Charles. The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood. University of Pittsburgh. https://sites.pitt.edu/~dash/perrault01.html and the Brothers Grimm fairytale, Little Briar Rose. In the 1959 Disney film Sleeping Beauty, the word "evil" is used to refer to Maleficent, and her name also means evil-doer.{{Cite web |last=McCarty-Simas |first=Payton |date=Sep 21, 2022 |title=How 'Sleeping Beauty' Set The Stage For The Anti-Princess Movie |url=https://www.filminquiry.com/sleeping-beauty-anti-princess/ |website=Film Inquiry.}}

File:Portrait photoshoot at Worldcon 75, Helsinki, before the Hugo Awards – Ursula Vernon, Alvaro Zinos-Amaro, Robert Silverberg, and Ken Liu (cropped).jpg

According to the author from the book review in the blog Plain-Spoken Pen (2023), in Thornhedge, the theme of evil and good is reversed; the princess Fayette represents evil and the fairy Toadling represents good. Moreover, in the review the author states that, "Toadling was supposed to be the princess, but she was stolen by the fae and a changeling was left in her place. She was raised by the greenteeth, trained in the ways of their magic". From this it can be interpreted that the princess and fairy roles in this novella merge, as Toadling is the true princess, and then changes into a fairy when she enters the fairy realm.{{Cite web |date=2023-08-16 |title=Book Review: Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher – The Plain-Spoken PenThe Plain-Spoken Pen |url=https://theplainspokenpen.com/thornhedge/ |access-date= |website=theplainspokenpen.com |language=en-US}}

Thornhedge, unlike other tales of Sleeping Beauty, emphasizes the theme of friendship and familial bonds. Toadling's relationship with the greenteeth is similar to that of mothers and daughters, and she cared for them dearly and vice-versa. "Surrounded by child-eating swamp spirits, Toadling felt intensely loved " (Kingfisher, 2023). However, Toadling wasn't able to find the same love form her real parents, The King and The Queen. Additionally, Toadling had other friends from the swamp, the Kelpies.

Halim and Toadling's relationship is similar to that of platonic friends. Their interactions are polite and respectful and both understand each other's perspectives or views. According to the review in Publisher's Weekly, Halim doesn't judge Toadling after she narrates her story to him, and helps her defeat Fayette. Moreover, Halim isn't disgusted by Toadling's toad form and befriends her. This aspect isn't present in the other versions of Sleeping Beauty, such as Little Briar Rose, or Sleeping Beauty in the Wood.

In the novella, T. Kingfisher, emphasizes "beauty" not by the typical beauty standards. In the novella, Toadling is described as being hideous, and her mothers, the greenteeth, are also described as hideous. "No. I have many mothers. If I am hideous, then we are hideous together. And that made it easier, because in her heart of hearts, she could not believe that her mothers were anything but beautiful" (Kingfisher, 2023). Beauty is not limited to a particular standard or personality. However, in original Sleeping Beauty and its versions, the princess is interpreted to be beautiful, not hideous. "A legend of a fort with a magnificently beautiful princess sleeping within".

Another interpretation of beauty in Thornhedge, is that "beauty" is perceived from within and not from external appearances.{{Cite web |date=2023 |title=ARC Review: Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher |url=https://aliteraryescape.com/2023/05/08/arc-review-thornhedge-by-t-kingfisher/ |website=The Literary Escape}} According to a review by The Literary Escape (2023), "beauty is the sum of the good qualities of a fairy rather than their appearance." Externally, in the novel, Fayette is described as beautiful but internally she is evil. Whereas Toadling, although not beautiful externally, is still able to embody beauty through her kind nature and caring personality from within. Therefore, according to another reviewer, The Plain-Spoken Pen, Thronehedge is a novella that explores, among other topics, "deceptive nature of the outer self."

Thornhedge won the 2024 Hugo Award for Best Novella{{cite web |url=https://reactormag.com/2024-hugo-awards-winners/ |title=Here Are the Winners of the 2024 Hugo Awards |publisher=Reactor Magazine |date=12 Aug 2024 |access-date=10 Oct 2024 |author=Molly Templeton}} and the Locus Award for Best Novella{{cite web |url=https://locusmag.com/2024/06/2024-locus-awards-winners/ |title=2024 Locus Awards Winners |publisher=Locus |date=22 Jun 2024 |access-date=10 Oct 2024}}

Publishers Weekly gave the novella a starred review, writing that "Kingfisher’s trademark wit and compassion transforms “Sleeping Beauty” into a moving meditation on guilt, grief, and duty, as well as a surprisingly sweet romance between outsiders."{{cite web |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781250244093 |title=Thornhedge |publisher=Publishers Weekly |date=24 Apr 2023 |access-date=28 Dec 2023}} Fiona Denton of Grimdark Magazine gave the novella five out of five stars, calling it "an exceptionally written, bitesize piece of escapism".{{cite web |url=https://www.grimdarkmagazine.com/review-thornhedge-by-t-kingfisher/ |title=Review: Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher |author=Fiona Denton |publisher=Grimdark Magazine |date=21 Aug 2023 |access-date=28 Dec 2023}}

Writing for The New York Times, author Amal El-Mohtar stated that the novella has a "particularly fine flexibility of tone that bends from sweet and shy to tragic and frightening".{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/01/books/review/science-fiction-and-fantasy.html |title=New Science Fiction and Fantasy Books |author=Amal El-Mohtar |work=New York Times |date=1 Dec 2023 |access-date=28 Dec 2023}} In Paste, Lacy Baugher Milas wrote that the novel is different from modern fairy tales, which are often seen as "colorful, romantic stories of princesses in magical castles, dashing princes, and first kisses". Instead, the novel hearkens to the stories of the Brothers Grimm, which are "sharp, dark things, often uncomfortable, always complicated." Milas also wrote that "no one is doing more with less in the fantasy space than Kingfisher. Not a single word is wasted—even the punctuation feels insanely purposeful—and its delicate descriptors, mournful tone, and carefully crafted dialogue all feel deliberately arranged for maximum emotional and narrative impact."{{cite web |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/books/t-kingfisher/thornhedge-review |title=Thornhedge Reminds Us That All the Best Fairytales Have Teeth |author=Lacy Baugher Milas |date=15 Aug 2023 |access-date=28 Dec 2023 |publisher=Paste}}

Adrienne Martini of Locus wrote that the work is "both kind and brutal as it shows how narrow the power of love is". She also praised the novella's short length as "exactly as long as it should be – and we’re fortunate to have so many publishers willing to give these longer short works a chance to delight an audience."{{cite web |url=https://locusmag.com/2023/07/adrienne-martini-reviews-thornhedge-by-t-kingfisher/ |title=Adrienne Martini Reviews Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher |author=Adrienne Martini |date=30 Jul 2023 |access-date=28 Dec 2023 |publisher=Locus}} Also writing for Locus, Gary K. Wolfe called the novella a "strikingly original" take on the Sleeping Beauty tale, based on a "central reversal". He also wrote that Thornhedge'' is "a masterful demonstration of what novellas do best" and that "Toadling is one of the more endearing and memorable characters I’ve encountered this year, and pretty much the same can be said for her tale."{{cite web |url=https://locusmag.com/2023/09/gary-k-wolfe-reviews-thornhedge-by-t-kingfisher/ |title=Gary K. Wolfe Reviews Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher |author=Gary K. Wolfe |publisher=Locus |date=25 Sep 2023 |access-date=28 Dec 2023}} Martin Cahill of Tor.com called the book "atmospheric and engrossing", particularly praising the protagonist Toadling as "a protagonist I would gladly read about for many years to come."{{cite web |url=https://www.tor.com/2023/10/17/book-review-thornhedge-by-t-kingfisher/ |title=A Fairy Tale Transformed: Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher |author=Martin Cahill |publisher=Tor.com |date=17 Oct 2023 |access-date=28 Dec 2023}}

{{reflist}}

{{Hugo Award Best Novella}}

{{Locus Award Best Novella}}

Category:2023 American novels

Category:2023 fantasy novels

Category:American speculative fiction novellas

Category:Hugo Award for Best Novella–winning works

Category:Novels based on Sleeping Beauty

Category:Works by Ursula Vernon

Category:Locus Award–winning works