The scarlet circus, p.1
The Scarlet Circus, page 1
Praise for The Scarlet Circus
“For this whimsical collection, World Fantasy Award winner Yolen (The Midnight Circus) brings together 11 fantastical shorts centered on romantic love. Yolen’s trademark fairy tale styling is on display throughout, with vivid, pithy prose animating each quirky flight of fancy. In her author’s note, she complains that dictionary definitions of romance are all too ‘human-centric.’ Indeed, these tales feature romance between all manner of magical creatures: a fey man falls for a ghost in the comic ‘Dusty Loves,’ though she’s more interested in haunting the boy she left behind; a sailor witnesses the love between a family of merpeople in the sweet ‘The Sea Man’; a princess meets a man who may or may not be a unicorn in standout ‘The Unicorn Hunt’; and an enslaved man finds romance with a djinn in the dated ‘Memoirs of a Bottle Djinn,’ the weakest piece. Many stories riff on the familiar: ‘The Sword and the Stone’ offers a fresh take on King Arthur, while ‘Peter in Wonderland’ imagines an adult Alice falling down the rabbit hole again.”
—Publishers Weekly
“The Scarlet Circus is a magical collection of love stories, where love is often an act of courage and intelligence. Jane Yolen has a true storyteller's voice—a voice that makes the writing disappear so that only the stories remain.”
—Anne Bishop, New York Times bestselling author of the Black Jewels series
“All these years, and Jane Yolen still reduces me to helpless, gibbering admiration. I'll read anything with her name on it, even if it's just a damn grocery list!”
—Peter S. Beagle, author of In Calabria
“Jane Yolen spins captivating tales of whimsy, romance, brave knights, dragons, and twist endings. It was like reading the Grimm's fairy tales as a kid—it has that same timeless feel. I was immersed in every story.”
—Heather Wallwork, author of Entwined
“Jane Yolen is not only one of the best writers I know of, she's also consistently excellent. A Grand Master, old-school style!”
—Mercedes Lackey, author of the Valdemar series
“The Scarlet Circus is a magnificent and beautiful anthology from a master storyteller! Jane Yolen's stories and poems reach directly into your heart and fill you with the loveliest kind of magic. I absolutely adored it!”
—Sarah Beth Durst, award-winning author of The Queens of Renthia series
“The Scarlet Circus is a charming bouquet of love stories from a heady array of fantastical viewpoints. Here be magic, and romance.”
—Susan Palwick, author of All Worlds Are Real and Flying in Place
5/5 stars. “This isn't your typical romance novel though. That romance has a broad definition and doesn't always have a happy ending. In fact, some of the stories are quite dark. I really like it when Jane Yolen takes a story you think you know and turns it on its head.”
—The Neverending TBR List
Praise for Jane Yolen
“The Hans Christian Andersen of America.”
—Newsweek
“The Aesop of the twentieth century.”
—The New York Times
“Jane Yolen is a gem in the diadem of science fiction and fantasy.”
—Analog
“One of the treasures of the science fiction community.”
—Brandon Sanderson, author of the Mistborn series
“Jane Yolen facets her glittering stories with the craft of a master jeweler.”
—Elizabeth Wein, author of Code Name Verity
“There is simply no better storyteller working in the fantasy field today. She’s a national treasure.”
—Terri Windling, author of The Wood Wife and The Essential Bordertown
“These Tachyon volumes are an invaluable reminder of Yolen’s central role in contemporary fantasy, and perhaps an equally invaluable starting point for readers.”
—Locus on The Emerald Circus and How to Fracture a Fairy Tale
Also by Jane Yolen
Novels
The Wizard of Washington Square (1969)
Hobo Toad and the Motorcycle Gang (1970)
The Bird of Time (1971)
The Magic Three of Solatia (1974)
The Transfigured Hart (1975)
The Mermaid’s Three Wisdoms (1978)
The Acorn Quest (1981)
The Stone Silenus (1984)
Cards of Grief (1985)
The Devil’s Arithmetic (1988)
The Dragon’s Boy (1990)
Wizard’s Hall (1991)
Briar Rose (1992)
Good Griselle (1994)
The Wild Hunt (1995)
The Sea Man (1997)
Here There Be Ghosts (1998)
Sword of the Rightful King (2003)
The Young Merlin Trilogy: Passager, Hobby, and Merlin (2004)
Except the Queen (with Midori Snyder, 2010)
Snow in Summer (2011)
Curse of the Thirteenth Fey (2012)
B. U. G. (Big Ugly Guy) (with Adam Stemple, 2013)
Centaur Rising (2014)
A Plague of Unicorns (2014)
Trash Mountain (2015)
The Last Tsar’s Dragons (with Adam Stemple, 2019)
Arch of Bone (2021)
Collections
The Girl Who Cried Flowers and Other Tales (1974)
The Moon Ribbon (1976)
The Hundredth Dove and Other Tales (1977)
Dream Weaver (1979)
Neptune Rising: Songs and Tales of the Undersea People (1982)
Tales of Wonder (1983)
The Whitethorn Wood and Other Magicks (1984)
Dragonfield and Other Stories (1985)
Favorite Folktales From Around the World (1986)
Merlin’s Booke (1986)
The Faery Flag (1989)
Storyteller (1992)
Here There Be Dragons (1993)
Here There Be Unicorns (1994)
Here There Be Witches (1995)
Among Angels (with Nancy Willard, 1995)
Here There Be Angels (1996)
Here There Be Ghosts (1998)
Twelve Impossible Things Before Breakfast (1997)
Sister Emily’s Lightship and Other Stories (2000)
Not One Damsel in Distress (2000)
Mightier Than the Sword (2003)
Once Upon A Time (She Said) (2005)
The Last Selchie Child (2012)
Grumbles from the Forest: Fairy-Tales Voices with a Twist (with Rebecca Kai Dotlich,
2013)
The Emerald Circus (2017)
How to Fracture a Fairy Tale (2018)
The Midnight Circus (2020)
Graphic Novels
Foiled (2010)
The Last Dragon (2011)
Curses! Foiled Again (2013)
Young Heroes series (with Robert J. Harris)
Odysseus in the Serpent Maze (2001)
Hippolyta and the Curse of the Amazons (2002)
Atalanta and the Arcadian Beast (2003)
Jason and the Gorgon’s Blood (2004)
A Rock 'n' Roll Fairy Tale Series
Pay the Piper (With Adam Stemple, 2005)
The Troll Bridge (With Adam Stemple, 2006)
Boots and the Seven Leaguers (2000)
The Seelie Wars Series (with Adam Stemple)
The Hostage Prince (2013)
The Last Changeling (2014)
The Seelie King's War (2016)
Stone Man Mysteries (with Adam Stemple):
Stone Cold (2016)
Sanctuary (2018)
Breaking Out the Devil (2019)
Pit Dragon Chronicles Series
Dragon's Blood (1982)
Heart's Blood (1984)
A Sending of Dragons (1988)
Dragon's Heart (2009)
Tartan Magic
The Wizard's Map (1999)
The Pictish Child (1999)
The Bagpiper's Ghost (2002)
Books of the Great Alta
Sister Light, Sister Dark (1988)
White Jenna (1989)
The One-Armed Queen (1998)
A Note from the Publisher About Piracy
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for purchasing this ebook. We hope you enjoy it.
This book is intended for personal use only. Please do not share, reproduce, post, or resell it. All editions of this book are protected by international copyright law; all rights are reserved without the express permission of the author and the publishers.
Piracy is illegal. It hinders publishers from putting out more great books like this. Most importantly, piracy keeps authors from getting paid.
If you have any questions about copyright, or if you think this copy was pirated, please immediately contact us at tachyon@tachyonpublications.com.
Thank you,
Tachyon Publications LLC
1459 18th Street #139
San Francisco, CA 94107
415.285.5615
tachyon@tachyonpublications.com
The Scarlet Circus
© 2023 by Jane Yolen
This is a work of fiction. All events portrayed in this book are fictitious and any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. All rights reserved including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form without the express permission of the author and the publisher.
Interior and cover design by Elizabeth Story
Introduction copyright © 2023 by Brand
“A Little Bit of Loving” Introduction copyright © 2023 by Jane Yolen
Author photo copyright © by Jason Stemple
Tachyon Publications LLC
1459 18th Street #139
San Francisco, CA 94107
415.285.5615
www.tachyonpublications.com
tachyon@tachyonpublications.com
Series editor: Jacob Weisman
Project editor: Jaymee Goh
Print ISBN: 978-1-61696-386-6
Digital ISBN: 978-1-61696-387-3
Printed in the United States by Versa Press, Inc.
First Edition: 2023
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Short Stories
“Sans Soleil” copyright © 1976 by Jane Yolen. First appeared in The Moon Ribbon and Other Tales (Thomas Y. Crowell: New York).
“Dusty Loves” copyright © 1988 by Jane Yolen. First appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. April 1988.
“Unicorn Tapestry” copyright © 1994 by Jane Yolen. First appeared in Here There Be Unicorns (Harcourt Brace: New York).
“A Ghost of an Affair” copyright © 1996 by Jane Yolen. First appeared in Sister Emily’s Lightship (Tor Books: New York).
“Dark Seed, Dark Stone” copyright © 2002 by Jane Yolen. First appeared in Realms of Fantasy, edited by Shawna McCarthy. February 2002.
“Dragonfield” © 1985 by Jane Yolen. First appeared in Dragonfield and Other Stories (Ace Books: New York).
“The Sword and the Stone” copyright © 1985 by Jane Yolen. First appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, edited by Edward L. Ferman. December 1985.
“The Sea Man” copyright © 1997 by Jane Yolen. First appeared in The Sea Man (Philomel Books: New York City).
“Memoirs of a Bottle Djinn” copyright © 1988 by Jane Yolen. First appeared in Arabesques, edited by Susan Shwartz (Avon Books: New York).
“Peter in Wonderland” copyright © 2023 by Jane Yolen. Original to this collection.
“The Erotic in Faerie: The Footnotes” copyright © 2023 by Jane Yolen. Original to this collection.
Poetry
“The Punishment of the Sun” copyright © 2023 by Jane Yolen. Original to this collection.
“All the Same” copyright © 2023 by Jane Yolen. Original to this collection.
“Virus 20: A Nurse’s Advice” copyright © 2023 by Jane Yolen. Original to this collection.
“Meeting in Time” copyright © 2020 by Jane Yolen. First published to Jane Yolen’s poetry mailing list.
“Gravestones” copyright © 2023 by Jane Yolen. Original to this collection.
“Hero’s Thumb” copyright © 2014 by Jane Yolen. First appearance in Myth and Moor.
“The Girl Speaks to the Mage” copyright © 2023 by Jane Yolen. Original to this collection.
“An Old Story About the Mer” copyright © 2023 by Jane Yolen. Original to this collection.
“That Old Bottle” copyright © 2023 by Jane Yolen. Original to this collection.
“Always Mimsy” copyright © 2023 by Jane Yolen. Original to this collection.
“Chaucer’s Nightmare” copyright © 2023 by Jane Yolen. Original to this collection.
Table of Contents
Introduction by Brandon Sanderson
“A Little Bit of Loving” by Jane Yolen
“Sans Soleil”
“Dusty Loves”
“Unicorn Tapestry”
“A Ghost of an Affair”
“Dark Seed, Dark Stone”
“Dragonfield”
“The Sword and the Stone”
“The Sea Man”
“Memoirs of a Bottle Djinn”
“Peter in Wonderland”
“The Erotic in Faerie: The Footnotes”
Story Notes
Introduction
by Brandon Sanderson
Today, I address two audiences.
Some of you know what you’re in for by picking up this book. You are a fan of Jane’s work already, and may have been waiting for this collection.
In that case, I can tell you, this book is exactly what you want. Eclectic, powerful, beautiful, and passionate. It is themed toward romance, yes, but I have yet to read a Jane Yolen story without a hint of romance—some by the classical definition taught in English classes, others by the newer one that involves more kissing. In truth, this is another wildly eclectic collection of stories, tied together by Jane’s own brand of genius as much as it is by any theme.
If you’re already a fan, though, why are you reading my words? Skip this introduction. Her words are waiting for you. You’re in for a treat.
But there’s another audience here. Someone picking up this book while browsing. Maybe you know some of Jane’s other work, and are curious. Maybe you just happened across this volume by chance. I want to speak to that reader in particular. Because you . . . you’re in for the real treat.
You get to dive in unaware.
I had this experience as a youth. Unlike a lot of writers, I wasn’t much of a reader when I was a kid. I discovered fantasy as a genre when I was fourteen, got sucked in, and turned into the person I am. Usually, that’s all I say about the story—but it has an addendum. Because while I didn’t discover fantasy as a genre until I was fourteen, there was one special book I discovered far earlier than that. It was a Jane Yolen novel.
The first book in my entire life I can ever remember loving—truly loving—was Jane’s masterpiece Dragon’s Blood. I was in grade school, maybe ten years old, when I found that book. I wouldn’t call it a middle-grade novel. Indeed, I’d say that Dragon’s Blood—like much of Jane’s work—transcends age categories and genre.
In this book I found something special that spoke to me, but I didn’t consider myself to be a “reader.” And so, I moved on. But years later, when I finally discovered there was an entire genre of similar stories, it was the echoes of Jane’s work that convinced me to join the fantasy fold. In so doing, her work changed—in the most literal sense—my entire life. Some of you reading this might be familiar with my work. I say that in a very real way, without Jane Yolen, I very well might never have become a writer.
(To that end, one of the prized possessions of my collection is a signed copy of Dragon’s Blood, in which Jane wrote “For Brandon, the book that did him in.”)
But what was it that I loved about that book, and what I continue to love about Jane’s work? What is it you’re going to find in this volume to love as well? Well, art is famously difficult to define in simple terms. The colors just tend to bleed out over our words and make a sloppy mess of it all. I’ll try anyway.
I think the most enduring and appealing aspect of Jane’s work is her ability to mash together whimsy and poignancy. Most of us come to works of the fantastic with a built-in desire for whimsy—for worldbuilding, enchantment, the chance to go someplace new and exciting. Yet, whimsy is a fleeting emotion. The will-o'-the-wisp of human experience. Often it peeks in to distract, then leaves just as quickly.
Great fantasy fiction frequently takes that initial hook of interest, then uses it to say something. Not in a “billboard in your face” way—rather in a “Huh. I need to think about that” way. I don’t think I’ve ever walked away from one of Jane’s stories without wanting to talk to someone about it.
Beyond that, there’s her breadth. In vocal musical performance, we’ll often talk about a singer’s range. The number of octaves they can hit, the versatility of their voice. I find this something we under-appreciate in the fiction world. And if you want to talk about proof of a writer’s range . . . well, you’re holding one.
