The Sleeper and the Spindle combines Snow White and Sleeping Beauty in a way only Neil Gaiman can.
Two classic fairytales come together in this new illustrated book from Coraline author Neil Gaiman. With illustrations by Chris Riddell, Gaiman weaves together the stories of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, who in his imagination become a sleeping princess and a fearless queen who live in neighbouring cities. When the sleeping spell threatens the queen’s people, she travels with her dwarf companions to undo the evil before it is too late.
Gaiman has also released Hansel and Gretel with illustrations by Lorenzo Mattotti. The rights to the book have already been picked up by Juliet Blake under her Four Chickens for a Fiver banner.
‘The Sleeper and the Spindle’ review:
The original Snow White and Sleeping Beauty stories both end with the prince saving the princess, who is reduced to a passive character in her own story. Gaiman is not interested in recreating either story, instead he takes these two characters as inspiration for his new interpretation. As always with Gaiman, things are not as simple as they seem, and his clever twist on both tales manages to surprise, even in a book only 72 pages long.
Gaiman’s story carries an overt feminist message, subverting the originals. In this world, the women are the centre while men exist on the periphery. Both his hero and his villain are women, imbued with the power and agency to make their own decisions, whether good or bad. Men play little to no role; the queen is the one who rides off to save the day (with no mention of the prince taking her place), while the men who have tried to rescue the sleeping princess are literally reduced to plot devices that provide the queen with the means to get into the castle.
The kiss that wakes the princess is the queen’s task as well, as can be seen in the beautiful illustration above. But do not be mistaken, this is not a love story. It is a clever and deceptively simple story of choice and power, told in Gaiman’s lyrical style.
The book itself is gorgeous, with detailed black and metallic gold illustrations by Chris Riddell. Riddell has worked with Gaiman previously on the British children’s edition of The Graveyard Book. Here, his beautifully detailed line drawings are both gothic and slightly grotesque, and allow observant readers to glimpse beyond the words on the page into the world Gaiman has created.
The Sleeper and the Spindle might be marketed as a children’s book, but Riddell’s beautiful illustrations and Gaiman’s original story make this a rare treat for children and adults alike.
The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman is available now. Add it to your Goodreads list, or purchase it on Amazon or through the publisher.
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