Amber (The Literary Phoenix)'s Review of The Sleeper and the Spindle

by Neil Gaiman

WINNER of the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal 2016

A thrillingly reimagined fairy tale from the truly magical combination of author Neil Gaiman and illustrator Chris Riddell – weaving together a sort-of Snow White and an almost Sleeping Beauty with a thread of dark magic, which will hold readers spellbound from start to finish.

On the eve of her wedding, a young queen sets out to rescue a princess from an enchantment. She casts aside her fine wedding clothes, takes her chain mail and her sword and follows her brave dwarf retainers into the tunnels under the mountain towards the sleeping kingdom. This queen will decide her own future – and the princess who needs rescuing is not quite what she seems. Twisting together the familiar and the new, this perfectly delicious, captivating and darkly funny tale shows its creators at the peak of their talents.

Lavishly produced, packed with glorious Chris Riddell illustrations enhanced with metallic ink, this is a spectacular and magical gift.

I really wasn't expecting much going into The Sleeper and the Spindle, which I think is a pretty pragmatic way to approach short stories - there's only so much development that can happen in this format, and they're usually more anecdotal. The Sleeper and the Spindle was just okay.

It was a pretty traditional Sleeping Beauty retelling, with a gender swap in one place and a bad guy swap in the other. Nothing about this little story surprised me. It was fine, but I don't think it was representative of Neil Gaiman's better writing or world-building.

That said, The Sleeper and the Spindle is perfectly quaint for a fairytale retelling in this format. Some of the choice he made in the retelling have the edge of traditional fairytale style. I believe people who like this format will enjoy the story well enough.

The Sleeper and the Spindle

by Neil Gaiman

Reviewed by Amber (The Literary Phoenix) on Oct 2, 2018

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