*Received via NetGalley for review*

Definitely packed full of stories! Which means, of course, that the quality of them is a mixed bag. All of the art was well done (even if some of it wasn't my style -that's how it's going to be in a collection!), and the lettering serviceable (expect for a few where the lettering isn't quite dark enough - hopefully something that will be fixed in publication).

Two main issues: it should be made clearly on the title page for the story where the folktale originates from, rather than just in the table of contents; some of the stories don't really add anything or seem incomplete. Maybe this is a cultural difference, because Western audiences are used to fairy tales and myths having clear endings, usually with morals, and maybe this isn't the case in Asian folklore. But a few (like From the Journey of the Monkey King and The Three Ryhymsters) are only a few pages and are too short to really provide any punch.

Tamamo the Fox Maiden and Other Asian Stories was an okay collection of Asian folklore. I just find some stories lacking something.

3.5 stars

Most of the stories in this collection were pretty solid. I wasn't familiar with the sources for almost all of them so it was nice to get to read those stories. I also didn't mind that the artwork was different for each story. You get exposed to a bunch of different artists this way, so I really enjoyed that aspect of it. My favorite story was Frog Skin, it was very cute and I loved the story itself. I feel like with an anthology like this that has different artists for each story it is going to feel disjointed no matter what. I was prepared for that going in but that may be a turn off for other readers. Overall though this was a really nice collection of myths that I had never heard of and I enjoyed it. I would recommend this for fans of myths and/or fairy tales.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!!

I cannot get over how adorable the art style in this comic is! I love the use of colors as well. On top of that, the stories are diverse (from all across Asia) and still respectful of their origins. It's an interesting and quick little read that I highly recommend.

I enjoyed the variety of stories and the artstyle of the different artists that contributed to this book. The modern twist was fun but I can't help but feel like a few of them had an "American humor" vibe. Nevertheless the comics were really cute.

A fun graphic anthology of folktales (most are little known) from Asia. I really enjoyed reading this book and I would recommend it to fan of myths and legends.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

I think with short story collections it's inevitable that I'll like some of the stories but not others, especially when they're all written by different people, but I didn't really like many of these stories, I rated them all individually as I went and the average was around 2.2 which is crazy low. Some of the stories were just a bit grim and I couldn't work out what the point of them was, I suppose they're all based on fairy/folk tales and they're generally quite grim so that's probably why, but it just made some of the stories difficult to enjoy.

I have to mention one really big issue I had with this collection, and I wouldn't have bothered reading it if I'd known this previous to requesting it, but despite this being ASIAN stories, most of the writers/artists who're involved in this are white which really bothers me. There's 25 people credited with work in this collection and from what I could gather from google, only 4 of them are asian. 4 OF THEM! 4! I knew the editor was white so maybe that should have been a clue but I just assumed that there would be mainly asian authors, I have no problem with non-asian authors writing in this kind of collection but 17/25 of the authors/artists are white and that doesn't really seem right to me. I love that this kind of comic collection exists and that there is demand for it, but it's disappointing to see that so few of the stories are own voices. Also, one of the 4 stories by asian authors wasn't new to me, I'd already read it in American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang, and it was good but it didn't really work outside of context of the rest of the book, and it kinda just made me wish I was rereading that instead. Anyway, one good thing was there were more stories by women than men which is amazing for a comic book, so there's that at least.

Here are my ratings for the individual stories, and my favourites are in bold

The Lucky Teapot- 3
#EndoftheWorld- 1
The Great Flood- 2
The Demon with the Matted Hair- 3
Frog Skin-3.5
The Girl Who Married a Tiger- 2.5
Ghost Pepper-2.5
Two Foxes- 1
After the Rain- 1.5
From the Journal of the Monkey King- 3.5
Urashima Taro- 4
The Ballad of Mulan- 2
The Tiger, the Brahmin, and the Jackal- 3.5
Tongue Cut Sparrow- 2
The Legend of Asena- 2
The History of the Spectre Ship- 2
Tamamo the Fox Maiden- 1.5
The Three Rhymesters- 1.5
Gold Sister, Silver Sister, and Wood Sister- 2
Hoichi the Earless- 1.5
The Flying Ogre- 1.5

This is a fun anthology of lesser known Asian myths. The art styles are nice, not really my favorite, but they're clean and easy to read. Each story is just a quick read, with the basics of the myth but not expanded on very much. So while it's fun reading new myths I hadn't heard before, there's not much substance to them. It's probably best for younger readers

This was so fun to read! I really loved these short stories and how diverse it was. I loved the cute themes and the drawings were fun to look at. It was simple yet still very entertaining and fast to read. I loved that each story was set in a different part of the world and had different aspects of the culture in them. This is definitely a fun read I would recommend to anyone!

I really enjoyed this book of folk stories and fairy tales. The book captures cultural stories that aren't shared often in a way that teens can not just understand but relate to.

A fantastic collection of reimagined folktales and myths complete with a variety of different art styles and techniques that perfectly compliment the mood and genres of the individual tales.

A great graphic anthology of stories from Asia. It is a good addition to works on mythology and a great introduction for middle grade readers to stories they may not have heard. It will serve well as an entertain book or as the start of further interest in the area. There is a lot of variety in both the stories and the art styles so if one does not like what they are reading they may love what comes next. The only downside to the book is being published in black and white. I know it saves a lot for the printing but I feel that, as with the variation of art, various color styles could have contributed well to the stories.

We get explorations of European folk tales far more often than we do of eastern cultures. Probably because the religions and culture differ so much from what is familiar to an American audience. Demons, gods, and yokai, as presented in these stories are far different from the beings as we know them. There's less good and evil , more complexity and negative traits. Bad behavior rather than bad characters. These stories represent a wide variety of characters and styles, so there's something for everyone.

This collection of short comic stories from all over Asia is a delightful, entertaining, and well-thought-out anthology. It is refreshing to have a collection of Asian folktales that does not solely focus on stories from China and Japan, but rather on the whole diverse expanse of the Asian continent. Though some picky young readers might complain about the lack of color, any fans of manga will be accustomed to reading in black and white, and will be predisposed to having an interest in Asian folklore to begin with. As it is an anthology, some stories are stronger than others; however, on the whole it is a solid collection that covers ghost stories, romance, adventure, and even a little philosophy.

The Premise

Tamamo the Fox Maiden and Other Asian Stories is the Asia Edition of the indie comic series Cautionary Fables and Fairy-Tales. I see they have editions for Africa and Oceania too which is quite exciting as I'm not as familiar with those fairy tales. This is a comic anthology and the second of its type I've ever read. TBH any kind of anthology is going to feel uneven unless 80% of the stories are top notch (I'm talking 4-5 stars each). And Tamamo the Fox Maiden isn't any different. I can say though that there was only a single story where I thought the art was under par. That is quite an achievement!

On the other hand the stories are quite shallow. We are talking 21 stories in under 300 pages after all. They aren't meant to be super deep as we're talking stories 3 pages long to 30 pages with the average 8 to 15 pages. Not a lot of page time to develop a rich story. However they do fulfill their purpose and that is to bring Asian fables and fairy tales to the attention of children and other curious readers. The great thing about this anthology is that the stories range from those perfect for middle grade readers all the way up to adults. So its the perfect volume for a father or mother to read with their children and yet get something out of it as well.


The Buzz

The exciting thing about Tamamo the Fox Maiden is that each story is labeled with the origin country. So if a reader were to become excited to know more about a certain countries fables they can easily look up more stories. Many of the stories concentrate on Japan, and I knew most of them. One in particular was a little shocking and I loved that. The other big country represented is India. There are many regions and I felt like we got a good cross section of different point of views. We also got six stories from small little known countries and those were quite exciting! Though some were quite familiar ideas.


The Feels

At first, as I read deeper into Tamamo the Fox Maiden and Other Asian Stories, I thought it was quite odd the beginning stories heavily laden with message for children were next to the later stories for adults including one that dealt with philosophy (that puzzled me!), a drinking game story and another quite brutal one toward a bird. AS I thought about it though this is a volume all about exposing yourself to different fables and fairy-tales. Thus it makes sense that some of the stories were quite conventional and classic while others were more modern interpretations and retellings. This is about exploration and finding tidbits that you haven't read about before. Sure, more will be new to a child but an adult won't find it without worth.


The Visuals

By far the strength of Tamamo the Fox Maiden is the art. Your taste in art may vary from mine but I only found one story with poor art (and I didn't love the story either.) I actually would have left that one out if I was the editor. But I found many stories with dynamite art! I loved The Flying Ogre by Ron Chan (China) and actually would love to read more (it was my favorite). I also loved Hoichi the Earless by Nina Matsumoto (Japan), The Three Rhymesters by Meredith McClaren (China), The History of the Spectre Ship by Caitlyn Kurilich (Arabian Peninsula) and Tongue Cut Sparrow by Ayano Hattori and Nick Dragotta (Japan). The best part about all of these different artists is there is a little bio of each at the back of the volume where you can read about how to find other of their work! If you find an artist you love then the best thing is to find more of their stories to read.

Tamamo the Fox Maiden and Other Asian Stories is a fun all Asian comic anthology. It will expose you to fables and fairy-tales you may or may not have read about before... but prepare to get a taste from all around Asia! The art is standout and the stories are quick, many are fun, creepy and classic.

This book is a cool way to retell some lesser known Asian myths and fables through a graphic novel.
I really liked that I didn't know any of these stories, so it was a whole new experience! Since each story is a written by a different author and has their own illustrator the art and narration varies a lot. Most of the stories are beautfil with only a few being subpar.

I really enjoyed reading this book, and I would definitely recommend it if you're fan of folk tales and legends.


Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review.

Thank you to Letter Better Publishing Services/Iron Circus Comics for a digital edition of ‘Tamamo the Fox Maiden and Other Asian Stories’ edited by Kel McDonald and Kate Ashwin in exchange for an honest review.

This graphic novel is the second in Iron Circus Comics’ Cautionary Fables & Fairy Tales anthology series featuring the work of a number of creators and their interpretations of myths and stories from the Asian continent including some lesser known ones.

Aimed at children (likely older ones given that some of the tales are a bit frightening) it’s the kind of collection that I feel will appeal to anyone interested in exploring mythologies, fairy tales and folklore linked to this region of the world.

The 21 stories feature a variety of artistic styles and are a delight. Some very amusing, others cautionary, a few horror stories and tales of love and loss. I adored the comic tale of Makara, who has acquired a mobile phone and Twitter account and goes on a trip up the Ganges. There was of course the poignant story of Tamamo the fox Maiden, and the tale of Gold Sister, Silver Sister and Wood Sister from Tibet. Animals, ghosts, and demons feature in many.

The interior art is in black and white. As with any anthology there were stories that I loved and a few that I had a more lukewarm response to - though overall I enjoyed it very much. It’s quite interesting how certain themes are universal no matter the country of origin.

Certainly highly recommended.

A collection of adapted folktales and fairytales from all over Asia. The stories range from humorous to light horror, and fantastical to realistic. All are just a few pages long and illustrated in black and white.

Most story collections are quite the mixed bag, but I felt like this collection was aimed at a consistent audience and were all well-written and superbly illustrated. I definitely liked certain stories more than others. My favorites were “The Lucky Teapot” from Japan, and the unexpected “Ghost Pepper” story from Laos. Both of those were some of the more humorous stories in the collection (as a whole, the stories start out lighter and more humorous and get more serious towards the end…it gradually transitions the tone as you go). I liked the range of locations that the stories came from (the origin is listed in the table of contents next to the title). Most of the stories are from China, Japan, and India, but there are also stories from places like Laos, Georgia, Myanmar, and Tibet. Normally I am a little bit more hesitant to buy black and white graphic novels because they aren’t as popular with our students, but I totally forgot this book was lacking anything in the illustrations. It was lively enough without the color, and I think this will be a pretty popular book with our teens (especially as most of them are of Asian heritage). Some middle graders will be fine with this collection and some may find a few of the later stories too creepy, so know the middle grader you hand this to (see content notes). Recommended for Asian folklore/fairytale fans, and graphic novel short story collection fans.

Notes on content [based on the ARC]: No language issues. No sexual content beyond a kiss. A few of the stories involve battles and some wounds/deaths on page. (Some of the most memorable were a tongue cut out of a bird, a throat slit, an arrow wound, and an ear torn off.) One story involves a boat full of skeletons. A few of the stories involve ghosts/spirits, but only three of those stories are creepy/evil and they were presented more as tales of injustice or meanness that will likely anger readers than creep them out but some may find them creepy.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is beautiful, with wonderful and humorous stories, but I have one issue. In a book of Asian folktales, I would have liked to see a great proportion of the stories written and drawn by Asian authors and artists. It seems like a pretty big drawback and an opportunity missed for the publisher.

"Tamamo the Fox Maiden" is a fun Young Adult graphic novel. I'll definitely be recommending this one to some of our younger patrons.