Honeycomb

Joanne Harris, best known for Chocolat and for The Gospel of Loki, gathers original fairy tales in Honeycomb, a collection paired with illustrations by Charles Vess, whose work includes Stardust, Sandman and The Books of Earthsea. Harris and Vess worked on the project over a long period before it reached print.

The tales unfold in a shadowy, enchanted world of strange beings. One follows a toymaker determined to build the ideal wife. Another features a princess who wins her suitor's heart through words rather than deeds. A tiny dog with a confidence far larger than his body appears, along with the menacing Lacewing King, ruler of the Silken Folk. These figures, and many more, populate the stories.

Taken together, the pieces form a mosaic of dreams and nightmares, as the title of the collection suggests. Each tale stands on its own while contributing to a larger, interlocking whole. The book suits readers who enjoy dark, imaginative fairy tales and who want the added pleasure of Vess's artwork on the page.