Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

The Fox's Tower and Other Tales is a collection of short (flash fiction) story collection of enchanting magical tales. These are very quick reads which often ended quite abruptly so if you're not a fan of flash fiction this wouldn't be a book I'd recommend you read but if you've never read this type of book please give it a go! Told in fairytale type but with a more modern day feel, I found these to be cleverly written and quite diverse in their shortness. My favourites were Sand and Sea, The Youngest Fox and The foxes forest.

This is a book of short tales all based in fantasy. They read fast, some are scary, but they all keep your attention.
Andrews McMeel Publishing and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you). It has been published so you can get a copy now.

These aren't bedtime stories. You need to read them during the day. There is a nice variety and lots of animal characters.

It was a good read for me. Try it and see what you think.

This book is a collection of short stories which for me, I consider them to be fairytales.

It carry a generic theme of magic, and fox able to shift shapes. It is a lot like a children's book but for adults. I love it.

A lot of time, I find myself interpreting the lines, really hard, and it is one of the thing I like about a book. In the other hand, it also took me so long to finish it even though the book does not have many pages.

Savouring the book, line by lines. I promise it will be worth it. I would love to buy the physical copy and save this for when I'm feeling a bit lost.

Ratings: 4 stars

A beautiful collection of fairy tales, each one charming and definitely a fun read-aloud, or a silent read for yourself.

A collection of really short flash fiction stories that unfortunately for me were not very interesting mainly because the minute I felt engrossed in to the story it would end.
It’s just because I had very different expectations from the book thanks to its cover art.

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC.

I really enjoyed reading these short fairy tales. Some of the stories were too short and I was left wanting more, others were just perfect. Enjoy the Magic

A short volume of mystical, wise, confounding parables and myths, sort of like Aesop's fables crossed with Borges. I've enjoyed everything of Lee's that I have read even it it takes some work to understand what's going on behind these scenes; these stories are no different. And they also manage to somehow feel both like an icy wind and a comforting sip of hot chocolate. Well worth your time.

“The Fox’s Tower and Other Tales: A Collection of Magical Short Stories” by Yoon Ha Lee. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre: Flash Fiction. Location and Time: Across all boundaries of place and time.-
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This lovely collection of flash fiction will delight you, and enfold you within the comforting arms of folktales as lyrical as poetry. These tiny tales somehow build whole worlds in a few sentences. LGBTQ+ inclusive and respectful of all, the 1-to-3 page tales can be read one at a time and pondered, or binge read for an overall message and feeling.-
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The best way to describe such a book may be to share some of my favorites. Among those I especially loved are:
* A pianist summoned to play for the county’s two ailing queens discovers a cursed piano made from unicorns’ spiraling horns and ebon hooves.

* Twin Witches, the Witch of Sand and the Witch of Sea, use divination to determine how to best celebrate their birthday.

* In “The Sunlit Horse”, we read about the ice-fruit of stars, and a net of morning glory eyes and seagull cries.

* In another story, a queen conjures swords from needles and knights from spoons.

* The youngest fox loves science, not human-fishing, but a happy ending is a happy ending.

* The queen of the birds bargains with the cat-eyed witch.

* And, a daughter of the island dragons learns that your heart’s treasure does not always glitter.-
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Read this book! Its gentleness and positivity are an antidote to what ails us in these unsettled times. This book was published October 15, 2021. With many thanks for the copy to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing, it’s 5 lyrical stars from me. 🌵📚👩🏼‍🦳”

How does Yoon Ha Lee keep doing it? Lee is back again but this time with a collection of tales and fables that exemplifies his unique and undeniable force. The Fox's Tower will be welcomed into the long history of strange and delightful folk and fairy tales that will be remembered for a long time.

My thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing for a temporary digital review copy via NetGalley of ‘The Fox’s Tower and Other Tales: A Collection of Magical Short Stories’ by Yoon Ha Lee in exchange for an honest review.

This is a collection of 25 very short stories, aka flash fiction, based on folklore and mythology. I found them beautiful - lyrical and imaginative. I was very impressed by Yoon Ha Lee’s world-building given the short length of the stories. There were also a number of delicate illustrations scattered throughout the text.

I was especially drawn to the stories featuring animals including foxes and birds. In a more SF theme the tale of the robots that designed a dragon was definitely a quirky premise.

The stories were well suited to be read before bedtime, given their length and imagery. I could also imagine using them as seed ideas for guided meditations.

Following this positive experience, I will be looking into Yoon Ha Lee’s longer fiction for which he has won a number of awards.

Its hardback edition is due to be published in November and I feel that this little volume would make a thoughtful gift for lovers of fantasy, myth and folklore.

Lee's collection is filled with magic, in how the stories are written, how they unfold, the tales of lore that encompass the land of men, the kingdoms of queens, the animals that hold the wisdom of the sea, wind, and trees; they are all so wonderfully crafted that the reader is swept up and away in the flowing prose and captivating characters.

Yoon Ha Lee is one of my auto-read authors and I've adored his other short story collections, Conservation of Shadows and Hexarchate Stories. What I didn't realize going in is that this is a collection of flash fiction tales, short myths and fables told with a fairy-tale-like quality, but written with Lee's scientific, queer-inclusive charm. There are foxes who dream of becoming scientists, robots who build dragons, and queer romances, and talking animals of all kinds. The collection itself is quite short, perhaps only an hour or two read, with stories ranging from 1-3 pages, but each one acts as the perfect short pick-me-up during a quick break! My favorites pieces include 'The Fox's Tower', 'The Dragon Festival', and 'The Youngest Fox'. Overall, I rate this a 4/5.

Confession: I was expecting a children’s book! And I didn’t get it. So I am still confused about whether where to put the blame for this disappointing experience: on the book or on myself!

This is a collection of 25 short stories (all are of flash fiction length) with one thing in common: all have magic/myth as a central theme. There are a few ideas that recur, such as LGBT romances or common animals such as foxes or birds in a magical setting, or mythical figures such as dragons and witches. Most of the stories end very abruptly. Some stories take care of world-building while others end even before you realise what’s happening. The cover and the title made me feel that it would suit children but the nature of the stories is such that young children won’t even understand the content. I enjoy open-ended stories but the end should make sense. I didn’t find that happening in many of the stories here.

On the positive side, the writing is very poetic and at times, metaphorical. So those who enjoy a book for good writing alone will certainly relish this collection much more.

I found very few of the stories worth rating 5 stars. Most are just average or disappointing. My favourite stories from this collection were The Fox's Tower, The Dragon Festival, The Cursed Piano, Sand and Sea, Two Bakeries, and The Mermaid's Teeth. So only 6 stories out of 25. Not really a good sign.

But as I said, this might just be me because I was expecting something very different from the book. Do give it a try if you enjoy fantasy based flash fiction and aren’t looking for conclusive/logical endings in each tale.


Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Folk tales with a touch of magic, science and hope. The book is based on some mythical tales written poetically to depict hope, emotions, love, duty and care. Releasing on 5 Oct, 2021 by Andrews Mcmeel Publishing. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me an ARC copy.
Loved the book and its tales especially Two Bakeries and The Village and The Embroiderer.

Another read that I’ve recently finished is this collection of short stories that is filled with magic and adventure. There are 25 short stories in here and as with any books like these, some of the stories tend to be more memorable than others.

Some of the stories I particularly enjoyed are:

- Two Bakeries, a story of how a baker who is selling an assortment of bread wonders why there are still customers who could buy bread from her rival next door who only sells wheat bread.

- The Youngest Fox, which tells the tale of the youngest fox a fox family who only has passion for science and is different from her siblings. She is honest and eventually forged a path for herself with a slight help from her family.

- The Cursed Piano, where a renowned pianist was invited to play for two ailing queens. They owned a piano that the pianist could readily use. While preparing for the concert, the pianist discovered the sad history of the piano.

- Moonwander, which tells the tale of the bright moon who has neglected her duties to provide light when darkness comes. She longed to be a prey and be chased by predators. And that became her punishment.

- The Village and the Embroiderer, where a woman who is well-known for her embroidery but chose to live a quiet life avoiding the demands of the royals. She possesses magic in her embroidery and protects her village from harm. Alas, age had caught up to her and its time for her to take on apprentices and over time, her stash of thread is nearly depleted. What would she do?

I like that each story is very different and most of them are very whimsical. However, while the stories are written beautifully, I felt that the stories are very short and as a reader, you don’t have time to connect with any of the characters. Lee could have shorten the number of short stories and focus more on developing some of his storyline. A few of the stories ended quite abruptly and I am guessing that Lee wants his readers to interpret the meaning on their own.

Thank you Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the arc.

This opened with two really weak genre pieces, the first of which had an ending that made no sense, after which was a third really weak genre piece, that also gubbered about with personal pronouns in the mistaken belief that 'they' is singular. Ditched immediately.

Rating: 4.5
Recommended for: fans of Aesop's Fables

The Fox's Tower and Other Tales is a collection of short stories that intersect LGBTQ themes with beautiful prose. The imagery, diction, and mythology Yoon Ha Lee presented were appealing to the imagination. The calligraphic illustrations were also alluring and contributed to the stories' beauty. Although I did not understand the underlying meaning for some of the stories, I appreciated Lee's words and the scenes that appeared in my mind thereof.

Ah, reading 'The Fox's Tower and Other Tales' was such a delightful experience! I definitely would go back and reread this when I'm in need of short, comforting stories.

First of all, let me say how beautiful Yoon Ha Lee's proses were. This anthology of micro-fiction was truly wonderfully written, and I'm often left in awe every time I finished a chapter! The stories were intriguing and gripping, and I'm so amazed that Lee could build such a tale in such short chapters. Sometimes I have to take a moment to sit and bask in the story before I can continue... They're stories that will stick with you, even long after you read them.

If you're looking for other-world stories that are magical and whimsical and delivers celestial feelings that make you feel like you're floating among the stars, this is definitely the book for you! It's incredibly easy to be swept into Lee's words. I want to give this book to my younger cousins and younger siblings, and my friends in their twenties to remind them of the magic and beauty they experienced when they were young!

This book left me thinking and wanting a little more.

What I liked:
The tales were very offbeat, and different from the usual fairy tale format. And I truly appreciated the author's acknowledgement of pronouns - many stories referred to the protagonist as they/them for example, which was very refreshing.
Also, the author did not 'force' their point of the story on you. As the reader, you are left to ponder the implications.

What I didn't like
The stories, while very-well written were often too short, and many characters were not developed. For example, we are to assume that all foxes are sly tricksters, but none of the stories quite tell you why we are to assume that.
And the endings of many of the stories were too abrupt - on some, I felt like the author had a wonderful idea, but had never fleshed it out or finished his thoughts on it.

On the whole however, I did like many of the stories in the book, and will remember them and carry their themes with me. It is a short read, and fans of his work will enjoy it.

I did receive an advance copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my review.