Many fairytale anthologies focus on the princesses, so it’s a welcome surprise to find a collection of stories on a fable not often represented, “The Three Little Pigs.” Ye Olde Dragon Books has produced their fifth in the series of take-a-fairytale-in-an-unusual-direction series. The short stories contained in Trouble Comes in Threes aren’t retellings but creative reinterpretations.
By my count, only three of the ten offerings are high fantasies. Of the other seven, the reader is treated to two horror tales, one urban fantasy, a dystopian science fiction piece, and three contemporary fiction. Yes, contemporary fiction—three stories that could take place in our world, not in the world of talking hogs building houses.
The stories are consistently interesting, especially if one has a wide reading range. Readers will enjoy the grimness of “Rise of the Pigs,” “Vengeance is Swine,” and “By the Light of the Moon.” Bibliophiles will encounter levity in “The Proctor and the Pigs” and “Nobody Gnomes the Troubles I’ve Seen.” Others will be amazed how the fable has been turned into hunting (“Pass the Bacon”), home restoration (“Elevated Risks”), and music (“Bringing Down the House”). And delightful high fantasy is well-represented by “True Love’s Pigs.”
One interesting fact I noticed was the pigs don’t come off as well as their original story counterparts. I wonder if this is a sign of our times, as audience members in the Disney cartoon rooted for the pigs, equating the wolf with the Great Depression. In this anthology, pigs are the antagonists in at least five of the stories. In general, the wolves (and their counterparts, the werewolves) are treated more sympathetically.
Trouble Comes in Threes collects an amazing ten stories about pigs, wolves, and houses. Whether you live in a house of straw, wood, or bricks, you should add this anthology to your library.