The Sleeper and the Spindle

Zombies and ghouls in a fairy tale?! Ah, the signs of our times ... A well told retelling of Sleeping Beauty with lots of fun surprises, accompanied by Chris Riddell's gorgeous, elaborately penciled (or is it inked?) illustrations.

This book is everything amazing about Neil Gaiman and fairy tales in general. Everyone I've given it to has loved it. The jacket is beautiful, the story and illustrations are beautiful, the whole book is a piece of art. Buy it before this edition isn't available anymore. It's the BEST story in the world for little girls and big girls alike, it keeps everything wonderful about being a girl, and turns tales on their heads where princesses are powerful. So well done, so much appreciation for this story on many levels.

Ah, Neil does it again. What a delightful mashup of fairytales, re-imagined in such a powerful way. This is everything a modern fairytale should be, with all of the delicious wonders of tales for the ages. I first heard this in digital form, on his "Trigger Warning," but simply had to order the book as well, given the beauty of the illustrations, and the power of the story itself. I knew this was something I wanted in tangible form - and I even went to the trouble of ordering it before US release. Well worth it.

Beautiful! The artwork and story telling and fantastic. The only reason I knocked off a star is because the dust cover that came in had a small rip, which, inevitably, became a major tear. The dust cover was a nice idea/touch, but it is unfortunately weak in other respects - I should have kept the book at home rather than toting it around in my bag.

I'm a big fan of Neil Gaiman's "everything". It was what I expected, a spin in the story of the Sleeping Beauty. It was quite nice but short, I wanted more adventure in the in between. Love the drawing too, simply beautiful.

This of course is a fantastic work of art as would be expected from this author, but the book jacket is made of very fragile vellum and was already torn in several places when it got here because it was not covered with plastic. Even if it had been I'm sure it would easily tear with normal use. I know this sounds like a tiny issue, but in this case it is a big deal because there is so much art and information on the jacket including the title, synopsis, quotes and even author/illustrator information.

I was surprised at how much this underwhelmed me. The story is kind of thin. It feels somewhat political rather than heartfelt which is unlike Gaiman. The illustrations are beautiful and wrought with sweeping detail and lovely flourishes, it's just the re-telling of a popular fairy tale that twists where it should turn. Decidedly a lesser version than the original. Something powerful and psychologically unnerving has been lost.

This review appeared on my blog - www.medusaslibrary.com

The Sleeper and the Spindle is a new novelette by Neil Gaiman with illustrations by Chris Riddell. I imported it from the UK because I couldn't wait for it to be available here in the US. (I also got the UK edition of Shades of Milk and Honey because it has two extra chapters. I’m not obsessed. Hush.)
First off, let me just say that this is a gorgeous book. The picture to the left doesn’t even really do it justice. The picture of the sleeper is printed on the actual book cover, then there is a velum dust jacket that has the title and the roses. The vines are all detailed in gold. I can’t find a good picture of the actual cover, and my cell phone can’t do it justice either, so I’ll leave it for you to search.

As with so many things Gaiman has done, this book weaves fairy tales together. The two main stories are Sleeping Beauty and Snow White, but there are hints of Rapunzel, Red Riding Hood, and others I’m sure I’m not catching.
Three dwarves set out on a quest to get the best silks for their queen. But when they reach the neighboring kingdom they are met with stories of a plague, a sickness, a curse, a spell. People are falling asleep. Everyone knows that there is a princess asleep in the castle. She’s been there for 70 years, but everything outside the castle full of roses, on this side of the haunted forest had been fine. Until recent. The sleeping curse is spreading west at two or three miles a day.

The dwarves rush back to their kingdom to tell the Queen. She can do math and determines that the curse will reach her kingdom in a matter of weeks. So, she puts off her wedding, kisses her prince, and rides to the east. Dwarves are magical and only sleep once or twice a year, so they should be able to withstand the curse. And the Queen has already overcome one enchanted sleep, so she should be fine too.

This story leaves the Princes behind. In fact, Snow White’s prince is patted on his “pretty face” and never thought of again. This book breaks conventions, while still being very much a classic fairy tale. It was noticed by several media outlets for this picture:kiss
That’s Snow White waking up Sleeping Beauty with a kiss. It ties nicely into this year’s other non-traditional Sleeping Beauty kiss (Spolier) in Maleficent. Now, I will say that the picture is slightly misleading. This could be considered a SPOILER, so I’m going to ramble on for a bit in case you don’t want to see SPOILERS to give you time to click away from this page.

There is not a happy, lesbian romance between Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. I just want to get that out there. So if you’re really excited about that or deeply offended by it, either way, bring it back in, because that’s not the direction this story goes. The kiss is more or less out of pragmatism. The Queen is the most logical person in the party (consisting of herself and three dwarves) to break the spell.
Ok, now that that’s out of the way. I liked this story. I liked it very much. This is very much the story of the women involved. The dwarves are there, but they’re support. The Prince is barely a footnote. It’s beautifully illustrated and beautifully written. I can’t recommend it enough if you like fairy tales. The Queen (she’s never actually called Snow White in the book) takes agency. She is the Queen. She must go face this threat to her kingdom, but she also uses the quest as a way to reset her life, which is spinning slightly out of control.
Another warning that is really more like a reminder. Neil Gaiman wrote this. You know, that guy who writes the things. Don’t look for a standard fairy tale ending from this book. It’s a satisfying ending. It’s a meaningful ending. It’s a beautiful ending. But it’s not a promise of “Happily Ever After.”

I can’t say enough about Chris Riddell’s illustrations. He has a very definite style, which is very much in evidence here. The illustrations are all elaborate black and white drawings with gold embellishment. They’re just breathtaking. There are tiny details in all of the pictures that make you want to just sit and stare at a page for ages. One of my personal favorite pictures is that of the Queen in bed. She has gold skulls all over her coverlet. That just seems so perfect for Snow White. Sleep is a short reprieve from death for both these women. The skull motif carries on with the Queen’s armor. They aren't leering skulls or demon skulls. They’re just small reminders. It’s just lovely.
Also, I now really want to cosplay Snow White from this book.

I do enjoy most of Neil Gaiman's books. short stories etc., and this one is very good. This is a well illustrated story but I somehow expected more based on the item description. "with glorious gold ink adding lustre to an amazingly beautiful book."

I honestly tried to like this book, but I just couldn't. Maybe because my students have been writing Fractured Fairy Tales for a month, I am a harsh critic. It was too disjointed and out there. Bottom line, I'll skip this night at Two Jenn's Book Club.

The book arrived in good condition and in good time -- this is a review of the book itself. I was very disappointed. The illustrations were indeed nice and the book well laid-out but Gaiman's story greatly underwhelmed me. I feel he's trying too hard .. far too hard ... to be politically correct with this tale. Fairy tales are not "correct" politically or otherwise. I believe fairy tales are and should be what they are. They come from a place distant from political correctness ... and correctness of any kind.

First: it's gorgeous. As expected. Problem: when the product description says "Autographed" and the book has a sticker on it that says "Autographed" one would expect it to be, in fact, "Autographed." Such was absolutely not the case and the automated response system considered it a packing issue because it would appear that keywording doesn't understand "not the item I actually asked for due to a lack of author signature." the store failed me big time on this one. The sad part is that I did buy two. I can get over my loss. It's material, really, even given my fandom but the birthday present for a dear friend who would've freaked right out... Well. That part is definitely saddening.

Two stars for the packaging, not the book. The book is lovely and great. But the outside dust cover is a fine translucent thing. When it arrived yesterday, the book had been placed in a grossly oversized box with nothing but brown paper on top of it for cushioning. So the book slid back and forth over the bottom folds of the box on its way here and the dust cover got torn. So if you like your books nice and neat, ordering this one by mail might not be your best option.
I know it says not to describe shipping experience in the review section, but because I pre-ordered this months ago, it's no longer an option for feedback at the store.com/feedback - and I feel it's a legitimate concern for future buyers.

The Sleeper and the Spindle is a dark and twisted fairytale that takes components of Sleeping Beauty and mixes in Snow White and three of the dwarves. A sleeping enchantment has been spreading across the neighbouring kingdom and it won't be long until it starts effecting Snow White's people too. As the queen it is up to her to put a stop to it so Snow happily puts her wedding plans on hold, swaps her gown for chain mail and sets out on a quest to wake Sleeping Beauty and her people. I'm not going to tell you if she manages or not so you're just going to have to read the book to find out.

I loved fairytales as a child, in fact I still love them now as an adult, but I got a little sick of reading about princess who sit around waiting to be rescued by their handsome prince so I absolutely loved this story for bucking that trend. There are no handsome princes in sight, well there is one but he's only mentioned in passing as Snow White postpones her wedding to go off and save a fellow princess so he doesn't really count! This is a story where girls take centre stage and prove that they are more than capable of fighting their own battles and I loved every minute of it. Neil Gaiman has written a fabulous story that turns the usual fairytale tropes upside down and the twist at the end was fantastic.

I can't review this book properly without talking about Chris Riddell's gorgeous illustrations. The black and white drawings with gold foil accents are on every page and they're so beautifully detailed that I probably spent longer looking at the pictures than I did actually reading the words of the story! The illustrations really bring the characters to life and help to make the story even more special. The hardback is just stunning, from the transparent slip cover to the gold foil throughout this is a book to treasure and it would make a wonderful gift for children of all ages.

Firstly - a word of warning. Do NOT get this as an ebook. As Chris Riddell's illustrations are 50% of the delight of this, you will rue the day if you do eread. (I did, and I do) And secondly, this is not really for children - at least not young ones, its too sophisticated and unsettling.

Neil Gaiman's The Sleeper and The Spindle, is a kind of mash-up hybrid of Snow White and The Seven Dwarves (except that austerity has obviously hit fairy-land too, as we are down to only 3) and The Sleeping Beauty - though there are sly little nods to several other fairy tales which creep in as well - it's a bit like `spot the fairy celebrity!' and I won't reveal them because it would spoil a reader's enjoyment and `aha'! moments

Part of the delight of an earlier Gaiman novel, The Graveyard Book (which I have in paper version) was Riddell's illustrations, so I was expecting good things with this one. Sometimes illustrations fare reasonably well in the ereader format, but this is not the case here, as Riddell's style is so full of fine details, which can't really be seen properly, as if you try to zoom in, to get detail, you then lose the whole. This story (it is a mere 72 pages long, with several pages of illustrations) though full of some lovely little twists and spooky strangenesses, not to mention redundancies of princes, who needs them! - is a moderately long short story, a mere mouthful of a read. It seems overpriced on eReader, purely because those lovely illustrations, black, white, gold, which you can see on the Look Inside, don't translate into the dedicated eRead format

The story on its own is probably a little slight; unillustrated, I'd probably have felt a little cheated and wished that Gaiman had published several different shortish fairy tale mash-ups in one volume.

1 star for eReader version : however, if I HAD got it in the proper format, 3 ½ so I have rounded up to 4

Neil Gaiman is quickly becoming one of my favourite writers, more so his children/YA books than his adult books. Recently, I've even started reading his graphic novels, something I probably should have done years ago as I've come to realize how absolutely fantastic they are!

This one is no different, as he brings to life two fairytales and combines them effortlessly that you don't see it coming. Intertwining different aspects of Snow White with Sleeping Beauty, he takes you on a journey that is new and into uncharted territory, in the process creating a completely new story. I loved the twists and turns, I love the unpredictable ending and the creepiness of it all.

I've already ordered Hansel and Gretel, and I'm sure to expect a lot of new twists added to that fairytale. Can't wait.

In a far-off kingdom, a beautiful young girl is locked in an enchanted sleep, which also afflicts everyone else in that land. You may think you know this story and how it will end... but you really don't.

And it takes a master storyteller like Neil Gaiman to not only give a clever new twist to fairy tale plots, but do it with an effortless elegance that makes it seem utterly natural and original. "The Sleeper and the Spindle" entwines the echoes of two traditional fairy tales, but subverts everything you expect from such a story -- from the hero (no, it's not a lesbian retelling) to the resolution, this is a stunningly lovely, thorns-and-roses tale that brings suspense back into these stories.

A group of dwarfs are traveling to buy a wedding gift for a young queen, who is to be married the following week. But on their travels, they hear of a "plague of sleep" that is afflicting a neighboring land -- a young princess in a castle surrounded by roses and thorns, cursed to a magical sleep which has spread to other people in her land. Unfortunately... it is continuing to spread, and anyone who tries to rescue the princess and break the spell is horribly killed by the witch/fairy/whatever. "She's old as the hills, evil as a snake, all malevolence and magic and death," one character warns.

So the dwarves tell the young queen, who decides to deal with the situation right away (even though it means postponing her wedding). Along with her dwarf friends, she ventures through a land of cobweb-draped sleepers, toward the high tower where a beautiful young maiden sleeps, and a strange old crone has lived alone for decades. But all is not as it seems, and the young queen must summon all her wit and strength to defeat the evil creature that rules this sleeping land.

"The Sleeper and the Spindle" has an airy, silver-embroidered delicacy that you don't find in many fairy tale retellings -- normally they lose some of the magic that is spun into the original tales. Gaiman painstakingly links together two different fairy tales (one obvious, one more subtle) and adds some surprising twists without overcomplicating the story -- it's a straightforward quest that begins to curl and twist when the queen reaches her destination.

Gaiman has the rare skill of being able to adapt his writing style to whatever story he's telling, so his writing here is luminously beautiful without ever becoming too personal -- in short, he's writing a fairy tale. But he dips occasionally into the perspective of the unnamed (but obvious) young queen and her dwarf companions, as they wander through the eerie cobwebbed kingdom. And he describes the story with a flair for both enchantment ("sat on the moss beneath an oak tree, and tasted the stillness, heartbeat by heartbeat") and the ugly underbelly of the tale ("close to the stone of the castle there were only dead, brown stems and creepers, with old thorns sharp as knives").

Furthermore, this story is graced with some truly enchanted pen-and-ink drawings by Chris Riddell, which suit Gaiman's story very well -- they're very slightly cartoony in proportions, but are also delicately elaborate and detailed, with a slightly translucent quality. He also adds touches of gold to many of these pictures -- often a golden frame, but sometimes other details like the dwarves' hats or the young queen's mirror. Some of the pictures are also framed by images of thorns and skulls.

While Gaiman doesn't make the identity of the unnamed young queen obvious, it's very clear from the beginning who she is, fairy-tale-heroine-wise -- and he gives her a gravity and wisdom from her past troubles that makes her far more heroic than a straightforward princess-kissing prince would be. Bits of her backstory -- and why she chose to handle this strange magical event -- are sprinkled through the story, rounding out her tale and why she feels oddly hesitant to have her "happily ever after."

"The Sleeper and the Spindle" is a delightfully eerie fairy-tale mash-up that is both a sequel and a subversive twist on the original, with an exquisite delicacy that makes it feel masterful. And of course, it's always nice to see ladies armor up and take on the villains.

Neil Gaiman's latest offering defies the conventions of your typical fairy tale not just in content but format as well. You won't be able to sit down and read this to your child in one sitting as despite the multiple illustrations, for the story is lengthy and the font small.

Perhaps then it's better described as a fairy tale for adults, though I've always shied away from putting age restrictions on these types of stories. Let's go with calling it an illustrated short story that will be highly enjoyed by people of all ages with an interest in dark and twisted fairy tales.

The Queen of a faraway land is about to be married, at least until the arrival of three dwarfs bringing her news of events in the neighbouring kingdom. A sleeping curse has been laid upon a fair princess, but rather than the spell remaining confined to the castle in which she slumbers, it is slowly seeping out into the rest of the world.

The Queen orders her mail shirt, sword, provisions and a horse to investigate, guided by the three dwarfs. As they close in on the castle they must pass through villages full of sleeping citizens and the terrible barrier of thorns strewn with the remains of unlucky predecessors. And all the while, an old enchantress waits...

Naturally there's a twist in the tale (this is Neil Gaiman we're talking about) but the story itself is beautifully rendered, filled with all sorts of enigmas in the otherwise straightforward tale. The Queen for example is never given a name, but there are several clues as to her identity scattered through the story, and other strange and unexplained passages that help convey that dark fairy tale atmosphere.

Chris Riddle's illustrations are the perfect accompaniment to Gaiman's story, caught somewhere between John Tenniel's work for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Tony DiTerlizzi's for The Spiderwick Chronicles. Less grotesque than the former but sharper than the latter, Riddle uses black-and-white metallic ink (with some gold overlay) in all his illustrations, portraying dark-haired beauties and squat little dwarfs and haggard old women and skeletons dangling among the rose bushes.

This is a book to be saved until you have the time to read and absorb it properly, with no interruptions or distractions. It's dark and creepy, but also funny and thoughtful, and sure to be a favourite for anyone who's already a fan of Gaiman's work.

The story involves two kingdoms separated by an impassable mountain range. When the young queen of one kingdom hears that a sleeping enchantment cast on the neighboring kingdom's princess seems to be spreading beyond the castle, she decides to put her wedding plans on hold in order to investigate the trouble. Accompanied by a few of her loyal dwarfs, they journey into the dwarf tunnels underneath the mountains to cross over to the other kingdom.

Thus she and her companions make it to the kingdom with more and more people falling prey to the magic of the sleeping enchantment. They persevere past the massive hedge of thorny vines that protects the castle in order to investigate what is going on. And when the queen encounters the sleeping princess, there's far more to this little mystery than as it first appears. And how the story resolves is pretty brilliant.

As I was writing the summary of this story, I realized just how short the actual story is. But it didn't feel that brief while reading it - and I suppose that just shows just how powerful the story was. Between the tale crafted by Gaiman's words and the beautiful Riddell illustrations that go with the story, the overall experience was quite magical indeed.

The queen, implied to be the equivalent of Snow White, makes for a great protagonist. She has clearly survived an ordeal of her own that has forced her to become a lot more independent. And as a queen, the dwarfs clearly show her a lot more respect and are prepared to make the dangerous journey with her. And whether this respect is only the result of respect for her title or respect born out of past experience together. And all that generally lines up with the original Snow White narrative in a clever manner. The ambiguity about all this and the different clues and references to the past all make things more compelling.

Then you get the story of our sleeping beauty itself and the nature of the curse wished upon her. There's the added fact that it is believed by most that the witch who cursed her remains in the castle - something that isn't usually stressed in the old stories. Admittedly I didn't think too much of this change at first, but then when the old woman remained an active character once the queen reaches the castle certainly made things a lot more interesting.

The twist at the end was probably predictable to a lot of folks, but I'll admit that I didn't quite see it coming. I was content to just enjoy the narrative as it was presented and followed along with every turn of the page. And on the whole it just makes for a beautiful little fantasy experience.

And the bit about the queen being capable of saving herself and others? Don't think too much about it. You can try to raise any number of objections for that one panel where she tries to wait the sleeping princess with a kiss, but it won't really matter. This isn't a romantic kiss nor do we declare that the queen is somehow gender queer or something. She's engaged to be married to some undeclared individual. And let's just leave it at that. Like most fairy tale characters, we only know what she does in the story and all other back story and such is left to speculation.

The Sleeper and the Spindle is a beautiful tale in terms of both narrative structure and art. And as much as it is said that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, this book has a stunning one and it just sets the stage for a wonderful adventure that's a little dark but not overly so

Ahoy there me mateys! So a while back I listened to the wonderfully fabulous fortunately, the milk, which I adored. I immediately added all of Mr. Gaiman’s audiobooks to me list. I have a wee bit of an obsession and so when I had a short bit of time I decided to listen to this one.

I have to admit that while I thought this was an enjoyable fairy-tale retelling, I am not sure if I would listen to this again. It does have the beautiful imagery inherent in Gaiman’s works. I loved the sleeping masses that seemed almost zombie-like in their shuffling rambles. I loved the idea of everything being covered in spider silk and spiders. I loved the tangles of vines blocking the castle. I loved the strong women present within. The ending was wonderful. The book just didn’t catapult me into another time and space. I wasn’t sure if that was just because I was missing out on the illustrations.

I do remember there being a bit of a controversy when this came out due to one of Chris Riddell’s illustrations showing a woman kissing a woman (eek!?!). Even that kiss is more than it seems when taken in context with the story.

I did look up some of the illustrations online after listening to the story and found them to be compelling. The “dreaded” kiss one was achingly beautiful. So yes while the images were wonderful and magical in their own way, I still wasn’t mesmerized by them. So while I am glad to have listened to this, I am not sad that I don’t own a copy of me own.

2.5 crowns. I think. We're going with it since I'm into 3 crowns now.

This was my first time with the great Neil Gaiman, and I'm not sure how I entirely felt about it. I picked up this book not knowing anything about it other than I had saw it recently in a book store and I'm forever sold on anything that is Sleeping Beauty. I didn't even know it was a graphic novel??? So imagine when I pop it open and it's filled with pictures AND IS SOMEHOW A MASHUP OF SNOW WHITE AND SLEEPING BEAUTY. BE STILL MY PRINCESS HEART.

I have to give so much props to Gaiman for thinking of these two to mash up. I mean, it's totally genius. They both have dealt with sleeping curses, and this book totally showcases girl power at its finest. Snow is fierce and totally kicks butt when all of the other men/princes/idiots that decided to climb the wall, she is determined to help a fellow princess in need. I thought this had a very cool fairytale feel to it.

The illustrations weren't always my favorite, but they were just so interesting. I didn't always find them pleasing, but I thought there was just something so artistic and lovely in a way that I found the art to be pleasing as a whole. I absolutely love what the artist did with hair. THE HAIR WAS SO EPIC.

As for the plot, I had some struggles at times. I got confused in certain parts - especially since we didn't have names and I really got confused on the three powerful women's storylines at parts. I did really enjoy the plot twist, but I thought the ending was really abrupt and super unsatisfying since it felt so out of the blue?

Overall, this was a quick read with some pretty pictures and a cool premise. There were some struggles, but it was a nice read overall. 2.5 rounded up to 3 crowns and a Pocahontas rating since she has the best hair as well.

The main of two stories retold here is the Sleeping Beauty, which Neil Gaiman turns on its head. It would be too facile to call it a feminist version, as the story is literally retranslated from its core characters and elements. We see, not the young princess about to be put to sleep for the simple and crass reason of a lack of invitation by a would-be fairy godmother, but the outcome after several decades. And we see another reason altogether for the sleep trance, a better reason.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs crashes into the Sleeping Beauty party, or rather, anti-party. The princess is now a Queen, albeit a single queen.

The visuals are unexpected and therefore, spot on and wonderful: the turning heads being something I can imagine time and again. It’s an interesting retelling of the two fairy tales, one of my favourite in Trigger Warning, by this author.

Only an inventive and astute mind can create a new fairytale out of two very much loved fairytales; combined with a magical artisan, the story is sure to take on a life all on its own...

THE SLEEPER AND THE SPINDLE is an enchanting retelling of both Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. The author took the most memorable, pivotal and historical parts of each story and weaved a new one full of magic, wonder and intriguing new characters.

Our Snow White is a warrior who is being forced to marry in order to keep her Queen status. However, news of a curse gone awry forces the Queen to skip her nuptials and go on a long journey to find what the curse is and how to stop it.
Flanked by some not-so-merry men, the Queen encounters zombie-like obstacles before making a few discoveries and reaching her destination. There, she finds an elderly woman with a tragic tale. And a Sleeping Beauty who is full of cunning surprises and shocking revelations.
And in the end, the Queen makes the most startling choices... and will she go back to her kingdom and remain their queen?

Neil Gaiman does not disappoint, he continues to enchant me with his creepy style and unsettling twists. Chris Riddell's illustrations only enhances the eeriness and heightened my imagination, bringing the characters to life in a way that made me stare at the pictures to be sure that they weren't real, or moving... I wish to say more, but I fear two things: one, it may be spoilery; and two, that those things will come to haunt me in my sleep.
As you can see by the book's stunning cover, the illustrations are fascinating and, like I mentioned, they will capture your attention and you will have a hard time looking away. You will be forced to stare and study them, they are gorgeous, it will be hard to look away.

THE SLEEPER AND THE SPINDLE is simply beautiful - swift, grim and mesmerizing. Both the author and the illustrator will leave you in a stupor wanting more. I highly recommend this not only to those who are enthralled with fairytales, but for those who are looking for something different to escape into for a little while... unless you find yourself enchanted by their spell.
You have been warned.

I ADORED this book! Gaiman weaves together the stories of Snow White after she defeats her stepmother and Sleeping Beauty, who is still under the sleeping curse.

First, I love fairy tale retellings and I love that we get a 2-for-1 with this one. It’s great that Gaiman continues Snow White’s story by having her enter into Sleeping Beauty’s. Second, the illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. Riddell has outdone himself with this one — it’s beautifully illustrated.

It’s hard to tell what I liked so much about it without giving spoilers, but it’s brilliant. There are nice elements of feminism and coming-of-age, with Snow White questioning what she actually wants from her life and what she’d like to do in the future. Is her happily ever after really getting married? These doubts are what motivate her to go out to break the sleeping curse that has been rapidly spreading from Sleeping Beauty’s kingdom and might encroach upon her own.

If you’re a fairy tale fan, read this. If you like good stories, read this. It’s short, beautiful, and just a wonderful story. I love it so much and can’t wait to buy my own copy.

'The Sleeper and the Spindle' is about a plague of sleeping sickness that is inexorably spreading across the world. A queen who hears about it on the eve of her marriage decides it is up to her to fix the problem. She dons her sword and, with some dwarf companions, sallies forth to do or die.

'The Sleeper and the Spindle' is a mix of a couple of different fairy tales with some twists which are the author's own. It has the same haunting beauty and magic of traditional fairy stories without the modern obsession with a happy ending. Not everything about this story ends happily - time is not reversed so that people who have had things stolen from them can get them back again - but that just makes the story more true and more heart wrenching.

Such a beautifully told story. I am totally in awe of the skill of both the writer and the illustrator.

Highly recommended.

4.5 stars

Neil Gaiman works his magic and intertwines Snow White and Sleeping Beauty into one enchanting contemporary tale. A sleeping curse is creeping around the kingdom as roses start to bloom around the castle protecting it. Snow White is strong and reminds me of the Snow that is depicted in the TV show Once Upon a Time. Those who sleep in the kingdom are known as sleepers. Instead of the seven dwarfs, there are only three. I do not want to spoil the retelling but let me tell you that it is a MUST read.

Chris Riddell creates such strong imagery through his ink illustrations that bring the story to life. The duo of Gaiman and Riddell create a dark thrilling twist to two well known fairy tales. Gaiman shocks his readers with twists and turns while Riddell captivates his readers with his whimsical yet beautiful illustrations. The fine ink work of the illustrations are remarkable and so intricate. The black and white illustrations with the occasional gold frame, gold thorns and gold vines on the drop cap make the book so much more special. I love the contrast between light and dark. Riddell uses negative and positive areas to his advantage. Gaiman weaves dark threads of horror into what seems to be an innocent mashup of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. The mysterious yet eerie narration leads to something more than meets the eye. It may be a bit morbid for some but I ate it up.

That ending! I did not see it coming but it was perfect! There is not a prince in sight to save the princess. The women are in control in this retelling and I am devouring this story up. I absolutely love this retelling and I highly recommend it to those who are looking for a dark yet twisted version of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty.

This is a quick read/listen. I listened to this gem but went to my local bookstore and sampled the illustrations, which were awesome! Riddle lifted the written word from the page magically translating them into beautiful illustrations. Some have this classified as a Lesbian fairytale, as a straight person, I did not find this to be leaning in any direction in particular. So if you are looking for a Lesbian romance or fairytale, this is not it. For me I try not to bring myself into a story sometimes that is harder than it seems. I don’t understand the reason people need to have this be one way or another. This is strictly modern twist to 2 favorite fairytales.
I’ve read and listened to previous works by Neil Gaimen having enjoyed them tremendously. I got to listen to the audio version of this story which did not disappoint. The quality of the performances just added to the written word opening a large screen in my imagination’s viewing room. I was immersed in fairytale land with surround sound which was a complete magical and completely spellbinding experience. I would actually share this with teens maybe with kids as old as ten. My girls got to listen finding it very enjoyable .This is a true Gaimen Gem!

I knew absolutely nothing about this book when I started it (other than the obvious, that it's a Sleeping Beauty retelling)... and I think that's the way you have to do it. I hadn't seen that one illustration that other reviews mention - or if I had, I'd forgotten it by the time I read the book - so I wasn't expecting LGBTQ+ rep or anything else. The only expectation I had was that it would be weird and great and have beautiful illustrations, because I love both Gaiman and Riddell.

And guess what? I was RIGHT. Weird, check; great, check; beautiful illustrations, supercheck.

This book was nice and short, but still managed to have fully-formed characters and a mostly-engaging plot (and a great plot twist). I found myself a little confused in parts; I think this is because the book was so short, and there wasn't much room for explanation. In general, though, I really enjoyed the story. It was fun, a quick read, not too emotional*, and an interesting twist on an old story.

*a big plus for me lately, since every single book seems to make me cry...

I will be honest, I wasn’t exactly sure what I was getting into when I picked up this book. Except that I always expect greatness from Neil Gaiman. And when he collaborates with Chris Riddell, I expect to be blown away.

The Sleeper and the Spindle is a mash up of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty…almost. It wouldn’t be appropriate to call it a retelling, Gaiman simply pulls themes and characters from the two stories and creates his own new fairy tale.

There is definitely a feminist slant to the story, Snow White dons chainmail while her prince sulks about a delayed wedding. The story is well done, and unlike anything I’ve seen before.

And the illustrations? The illustrations are absolutely beautiful, black and white line art enhanced with metallic ink. The book won the CILIP Kate Greenaway award (a UK award for excellence in illustration).

So, the question is, did it blow me away? Yes. Well almost. Sort of. It’s complicated. As I said I didn’t know what I was getting into when I picked up the book, and while I loved the story and especially the artwork, I had a slight dissatisfied feeling when I finished. I couldn’t put my finger on it, so I turned to google. As it turns out, The Sleeper and the Spindle was previously published in a short story anthology. That explained a lot to me. It is not a picture book, or even a graphic novel. If you’ve spent anytime reading short stories, you know that you just get a snapshot, a glimpse. You are often given an incomplete backstory and are left with questions and loose ends. If the author does a good job, you are left wanting more. You’ll want more after reading The Sleeper and the Spindle. I think if I had known before hand that I was reading a beautifully illustrated short story, it would have made all the difference.

Maybe it's just me, but recently there seem to be a lot of Gaiman books in the marketplace. Anniversary issues, commemorative issues, enhanced and expanded issues, deluxe issues, reissues, and so on. And there are lots of illustrated individual stories now in book form as well as graphic novelizations of short stories. The mainstream books, ("Neverwhere", "Stardust", "The Graveyard Book" and so on), are always fun, but the one-off illustrated short stories are more of a mixed bag. Sometimes you just get Gaiman thought bubbles from a minor short story that has been overdrawn.

Not so here. This is not a "graphic novel". This is a complete version of one of Gaiman's best short works that just happens to be heavily illustrated by Chris Riddell, one of the finest illustrators working today. The story was Gaiman's contribution to an anthology titled "Rag & Bones: New Twists on Timeless Tales", which collected stories by modern authors that reimagined a wide range of well known old tales. This story was one of the best from that book, and is one of my favorites from Gaiman.

As per usual, there is a strong vein of humor throughout the tale. Not funny-hah-hah humor but more in the bemused and playful Gaiman style that so many fans admire. There are little twists, (it is the hero Queen who blows off her wedding to undertake a quest), and big twists. Sleeping Beauty and Snow White are mixed and remixed and remastered to create a new story that takes its power from echoes of the originals. As I say, prime Gaiman.

So, if you want a beautifully illustrated book that precisely and elegantly complements a subtle and rich and just ever so slightly shifty fairy tale, well this is a fine candidate.

I got this book for Christmas. I had it on my wish list because I love Neil Gaiman’s writing style and Riddell’s illustration style. This is a beautifully done book with a wonderfully ironic fairy tale mash up of Sleeping Beauty and Snow White.

On the eve of her wedding a young queen puts on her armor and takes up her sword to ventures into a castle surrounded by brambles in an effort to stop a sleeping sickness that is creeping across the land. The young queen quests all the way to the top of the tower only to find that the sleeping princess is not at all what she expected.

I really thought this was a well done and ironic mash up of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. There are no princes in sight in this retelling; just a powerful queen (Snow White) determined to stop a sleeping sickness that is heading towards her kingdom. I loved how the identity of Sleeping Beauty was twisted and really enjoyed the cleverness of the story.

The book itself is a very pretty package. It is hard cover with a semi-translucent dust cover and looks very beautiful. I was a bit disappointed that the dust cover is a bit brittle; a couple places had been chipped off during shipping and torn a little bit because it is so delicate.

The illustration throughout is amazing, very detailed and high quality. Again the presentation itself is very well done. The pages are thick and high quality and the illustrations are illuminated with metallic ink throughout. This is a very fun story in a beautiful package.

Overall a beautiful book with an ironic fairy tale retelling inside. This would make a great coffee table book and is one of those books you will want to hang onto just because it is so pretty. I would recommend to those who enjoy fairy tale retellings.

I loved this twist on traditional fairy tales. It was clever, dark, and twisted, and I truly enjoyed reading it. I also loved the illustrations, until I realized that one of the main characters goes on her quest in what looks like yoga pants. She has the typical fantasy figure, busty with a teeny tiny waist, impossibly long legs, and tiny little hips with her hindquarters wrapped in what could be the exact brand of spandex pants they sell at a certain store that ends with "lemon". In a story that empowers the female characters within the text, couldn't we have done better with the illustrations? Otherwise flawless. Beautiful art, beautiful prose.

This was a very, very good re-telling of a classic fairy tale, in the same vein as Fables by Bill Willingham. Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell take the classic tale of Sleeping Beauty and play with the whole scenario; What if the princess' sleep was contagious? What does the witch who cursed her gain from forcing the princess into a deep slumber? What happens to the princess' kingdom when they all slumber? All of these scenarios are explored so succinctly that making this into a longer prose novel would have been a disservice to the story.

There is also the matter that, while this definitely feels like a young-adult illustrated book (yes, this is a short novella with illustrations, not a graphic novel), there are moments of suspense and dread that rival the classic Grimm's Fairy Tales. The most prominent of these scenes is one mid-way through the second act that feels like it jumped straight out of a George Romero film, and I loved every moment of it.

Chris Riddell's illustrations are also a treat to look upon, giving this book a quality akin to the Great Illustrated Classics line of books I read as a child. Riddell is a very talents artist that manages to cram a great deal of detail into his work, and there are several splash pages that show off Riddell's talents as an artist and add urgency, depth, and meaning to Gaiman's script. While there are a few images in the book that feel off-model, they are not enough to detract from the overall narrative.

If you are a fan of classic fairy tales, the aforementioned Fables comic book series by Bill Willingham, or a fan of great literary works in general, do yourself a favor and add this to your collection.

Neil Gaiman fans aren't going to be disappointed with his newest book, THE SLEEPER AND THE SPINDLE. An inventive retelling of "Sleeping Beauty," this story is just as dark, funny and frightening as you'd expect from the author of COROLINE and THE GRAVEYARD BOOK.

When the young Queen takes her trusty dwarf companions in search of a kingdom that was hit, decades ago, by a plague of sleep, the Queen gets a little more than she bargained for. Fighting her way through a wall of thorns and an army of sleeping zombies, the Queen finds the Sleeper in a tall tower, but in true Gaiman style, things aren't as they seem.

I won't give away any more because this book is better the less you know going in. Clocking in at 66 pages, THE SLEEPER AND THE SPINDLE is an incredibly fast read, best enjoyed on a stormy afternoon with a warm beverage. The story is inventive and full of legitimately surprising twists. One particular bit of masterful storytelling comes in the Queen's own back-story. I was delighted to learn bits and pieces about her as the book went on.

More than anything, THE SLEEPER AND THE SPINDLE maintains all of the dark undertones of the original Grimm story but embellishes them to suit Gaiman's style and a modern audience. If you ever poured over a fairy tale book as a child, you will appreciate Gaiman's nods to the original. Like everything he writes, the details make the story come alive.

But as great as the story is, Chris Riddell's illustrations are the real standout of the book. Inky, intricate and incredibly dark (the Queen wears a number of small skulls on her person that are never explained), Riddell's work matches perfectly with Gaiman's. They previously collaborated on THE GRAVEYARD BOOK but the grotesquely medieval motif of this book works even better. This is an absolutely beautiful book to read.

If you're a fan of Neil Gaiman or you're looking for a quick gateway to Neil Gaiman's other books, THE SLEEPER AND THE SPINDLE is a great way to go. Perhaps a little too scary for younger kids, this is the perfect picture book for kids and teens who like their fairy tales a little dark.

Reviewed by Rebecca Czochor

I really did love the way this fairytale was re-told. It's short and swee-- I mean, dark... like most fairytales, but had a wonderful twist for the climax of the story. Even though the tale is brief, the characters have depth and are intriguing. I, however, did not think much of the "moral" at the end of the story. (See below for an explanation, with some spoilers.) So, for me, the ending was very unsatisfying--and actually troubling. I would not want to read this to my kids, or have my teenagers be "inspired" by the heroine; she is only a heroine up until her final decision.

SPOILERS

I can see where Gaiman was coming from with the whole "Snow White didn't really love the prince and didn't want to get married" thing. However, I find Snow's decision to not return to her kingdom at the end of the story cowardly and very un-heroic. It's a celebration of (and justification for) every person's decision to walk out on their commitments for no other reason than they don't want the life they have anymore. In reality, this may matter less for some than others: there is a big difference between an unattached person with no family/kids riding off into the sunset to chase their own adventures and the president of the US waking up one day and deciding he's had enough of this life. Or a parent leaving their spouse/kids because "adventure is out there" and this isn't the life they wanted.

Granted, if Gaiman wanted to keep the story short and sweet, there wasn't time to really delve into the complexities of going back to Snow's kingdom and setting things right. But he could have alluded to it. Or changed the ending.

I just finished this wonderful story, and was in tears, but tears created out of wonder and hope! This is a fairy tale as it should be told, not the usual drivel about a princess being saved by a prince. Stories like this and "Into the Woods" give full meaning to the people who inhabit them and for the fullness of life that can come out of making our own choices and moving forward. Have other women in my life, both young and old who need to read this book, but will be purchasing a second copy so that can pass to more than one person at a time. I agree with other reviewers on the store.uk who loved the illustrations.

An enjoyable twist on the Sleeping Beauty fairytale! The world is built up and mapped out, yet character names mean little to nothing. That is actually fine in this case as every version changes the name or titling of major characters anyway. Witch, evil fairy, enchantress, or your darkness you can take your pick. Readers can figure out the tropes from the written descriptions. Here we have a mash-up of Snow White and her later adventures into this fairytale. She is now a young queen worried about her fate of soon settling down, and accepting the narrow matronly queen role. When she hears from her friends, the dwarves (or dwarfs depending on your likened vernacular), about a sleeping curse spreading to neighboring villages she sets out to stop it. She CHOOSES her fights and is proactive in stopping this disastrous force. What we think of a character is not always true, and what is pretty can also be very fierce and dangerous. I really would like to see this warrior queen with "hair as black as night" in more crossover stories.

Where to begin? Let's start with the obvious first.

This book is gorgeous. If you haven't seen and held it in person, you're missing out. The dust jacket, which is beautiful all on its own, is semi-transparent, so Chris Riddell's cover illustrations underneath (front and back!) looks ghostly beneath it. The illustrations, which are black and white and very detailed, lend themselves wonderfully to the classic fairy tale style of this book. There are also gold highlights throughout, just enough to give it a little spark here and there.

But what about the story?

Well, I could just tell you it's Neil Gaiman and leave it at that, as that's all most of us need to know. But for me, I think this may be the best I've ever read from Gaiman. I doubt anyone needs reminding that Gaiman has magic and wonder down to a near science, and here he really shines bringing two classic fairy tales together.

What happens after Snow White wakes from her sleep? She sets off with three of her dwarfs to save Sleeping Beauty, obviously. But there's a twist, a marvelous one, and it's not the one everyone is talking about. I won't spoil any of it for you except to say that not everything is as it appears.

I loved that Gaiman didn't reinvent the wheel here, but stuck to a traditional fairy tale style. I recommend this to lovers of fairy tales, Gaiman, and beautiful books.

What wonderful illustrations! Before I read this book, I thumbed through its pages just admiring the images. The illustrator’s work was incredible with his use of multiple lines and wonderful details on every page. The faces of the characters and the webbing that coated the sleepers as they sleep really caught my attention.
For it’s off to Dorimar for the three dwarfs to buy the finest silk for the Queen. Within the week, the Queen will be wed. On their journey, the three stop at an inn where the innkeeper warns them that they need to turnaround and leave quickly. Shopping is not in their future. Sleep has come to the countryside and it will soon be upon the Inn, they must leave now. It was caused by a witch, a bad fairy, an enchantress; everyone has their own version on what to call this enchanted being that initiated this havoc. She was angry when she cast her spell, firing down her curse which individuals have tried to break unsuccessfully. Returning, the Queen listens as the dwarfs explain the enchanted sleep to her. Immediately putting her things in order so she may leave, she follows the dwarfs back to the Inn where they discover everyone is sleeping. Their journey is just beginning for them as they try to find where this curse originated and if they can put a stop to it. A great fairytale that I really enjoyed.

A refreshing take on a well-loved fairytale, given just that right amount of 'Gaiman-twist' to recast some old-world magic all over again. A princess falls under a spell from a wicked witch, and the kingdom sleeps, but this time, instead of a trio of kindly fairy godmothers and a valiant prince to save the day, the task is taken up by another fairytale character and her brave dwarves... It might be easy to mesh up fairytales, but Gaiman makes this one work like a charm because of the consistency of his story world - he plays by the rules of his created universe and the effect is seamless.

Beautifully illustrated by frequent collaborator and well-known political cartoonist Chris Riddell, Gaiman's tale comes alive with his black-and-white drawings, adorned by a dash of gold, just like Gaiman's writing.

Intricate highly detailed illustrations with lots of lines in them accompany this rather creepy Gaimanified fairy tale that is a cross between Sleeping Beauty and Snow White. A week before she is to be married, something she did not view as a good thing, the queen is told by 3 of her devoted dwarves that a sleeping sickness is creeping across the land, so she goes off with the dwarves to defeat the sickness which is accompanied by spiders spinning webs all over everyone and everything. Due to her background, having been Snow White, the queen is familiar with magic and sleeping spells and she is tough and can handle this - she believes. Interesting story and illustrations.

I love Neil Gaiman's fresh take on classic stories like this. My only criticism is with the Kindle version as the book loses something in the electronic format. Read the paper version if you can get it. The illustrations are still present in the Kindle version, but they all follow after the text so some context is lost and has to be recreated in the reader's head.

Book #14 Read in 2018
The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman

This is a deceptively beautiful book. The illustrations are beautiful and it seems to be an innocent child book but this is a dark tale of dark magic a la Sleeping Beauty. There is a twist to the well-known legend and it works for this book. This is a must read for fairy tale retelling lovers.

I loved this book. It's a little dark with two stories intertwined. The illustrations are absolutely amazing. If your thinking about reading this book, don't think, just read it and enjoy the beautiful artwork.

MY FULL REVIEWS:
http://melissa413readsalot.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-sleeper-and-spindle-by-neil-gaiman.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1527400309

the princess, the dwarfs, the sleeper - the nameless characters we know so well.
or do we?
The princess is about to get married... to the prince who kissed her awake? Another princess is asleep in a castle behind a curtain of thorns... and there's an old lady with her thick cane stumping up adn down the stairs, trying to remember that was the point of all this.

Who is going to rescue who, and who is the real bad guy? Not what I expected.

This didn’t really strike me as a children’s book, but I wouldn’t call it a distinctly grownup book either. How about a lushly illustrated short retelling of a fairy tale that anyone can appreciate? Without Riddell’s illustrations, I think this story would have fallen short, however. Gaiman didn’t blow my socks off with this one, but it was a fairly compressed tale, anyway. I liked it, but I can’t rave over it as much as I have raved over many of his novels. He is a magical writer, and I'd read anything by him. However, this one just isn't his best work.

The Sleeper and the Spindle is a re-telling of Snow White with a little bit of Sleeping Beauty in the mix. Snow White is now a queen and is having second thoughts about marrying her prince. A sleeping plague is spreading rapidly towards her kingdom. With the help of her 3 dwarves, the Queen armors up to investigate.
I was excited to read this story when I read the summary and the illustrations are beyond beautiful. Sadly, the ending just fell flat with me

An interesting take on a couple of well-known fairy tales. However, it didn't feel like a Gaiman story. Yes, parts of it had his flair, but it was missing the world-building that he is so well known for. I listened to the audio drama - which was very well done - but I feel like I missed out on the gorgeous illustrations I've read about. I might have to find a copy and do a quick read through to fully enjoy the story as it was meant to be told.

It isn't a secret that Neil Gaiman is my favorite writer, but that isn't the only reason I rated this so highly.
Taking one of my favorite faerie tales and meshing it with another brings new life into both. And the twist at the end, I did not see coming. I especially loved that the heroine decided her own fate at the end.

Neil Gaiman's latest offering is a superbly written, gothic, modern take on the classic fairytale 'Sleeping Beauty' only with more wit, more fantasy and more dark twists. I never saw the ending coming if I'm honest, and it is such a quick read. The illustrations really bring the book to life, so much more so than The Truth is a Dark Cave in the Mountains.

Gaiman writes with a fairytale style that reminded me of Philip Pullman's Grimm Tales. Although I must say that I'm not sure it is intended for a a young child audience. I found this book in the children's section in a book store, but with references to breasts, scratching arses and a double page spread of the queen protagonist kissing the sleeping beauty, I found it all a little alarming to be reading it to my five year old daughter.

Still, it is certainly a modern, new take, and I think people will applaud the new female lead rather than Prince Charming on his white steed.

This is the first graphic novel I’ve read and my first exposure to young adult fiction by Neil Gaiman, though I now plan to read more of his books.

Like Gregory Maguire THE SLEEPER AND THE SPINDLE is a more contemporary take on a classic fairy tale, The Sleeping Beauty, with subtle but entertaining humor. This one has a little Snow White mixed in, a few dwarfs, and a strong feminist message—which I found refreshing since so many fairy tales reinforce old stereotypes about helpless girls who are saved by princes.

It’s a super quick read – less than an hour – and beautifully illustrated with black and white drawings by Chris Riddell.

I love this book! The little plot twists are interesting and lovely deviations from the traditional tale. The artwork is amazing and fantastic and really helped me get more immersed in the world of the story. I highly recommend this tale to everyone of all ages.

This is an wondrous, imaginative, and stunning retelling of the stories of Sleeping Beauty and Snow White. It is full of fantastically alive story telling and beautiful artwork. And just as importantly, this is the story that should be read to children, girls AND boys alike.

I loved it. I come to it biased, as I am a big fan of Neil Gaiman and of reinterpreted fairy tales. Strong female leads, lovely art work, good supporting cast, and delightful twists on the Disney faux fairy tales. What's not to love. Just thinking about it makes me smile. I loved the ending and just want to know what happens next.

This was a neat take on Sleeping Beauty and Snow White, and had a female hero which is a great change from the original fairytales. The story wasn't mind-blowing, but the illustrations throughout the book were beautiful and made it such a delight to read.

I enjoyed this Neil Gaiman version of Snow White and especially loved (and spent way too much time getting lost in the fine details of) Chris Riddell's artwork A beautifully produced book designed for gift giving.

The Sleeper and the Spindle is a beautifully illustrated retelling of both Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. There's a particularly gorgeous full-page illustration of them kissing. However, as you'd expect of Neil Gaiman, nothing is as it seems.
I'd probably like this more if it had a less ambiguous ending, but it's a great quick read anyway.

My friend, Ginger, recommended I read this short story. As a Neil Gaiman fan, I decided to heed her advice. This is a dark fairy tale which takes portions of several other fairy tales and weaves them all together in the telling: Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Rumpelstiltskin, and Little Red Riding Hood all came to mind as I was reading. As expected, the ending is of Gaiman's signature creative design and unlike any other fairy tale that comes to mind. Thanks, Ginger!

I am extremely disappointed in this purchase. It is a 72 page book which costs $11. I knew this going in but what I didn't expect was that every 3rd page of this Kindle version is missing. So a very short book with loads of pictures became something I read in 20 minutes. From the parts of the book I read, it is a well written short story but it is hard to truly enjoy something when half the story is missing. I would very much like a refund from the store as I think this is actually disgusting negligence on somebody's part!

Love. It. Love it!. How gorgeous, how Gaiman!!! I read some parts out to my husband and he was reminded of Sandman. I just love how Gaiman takes something we know, something we are all comfortable with and twists and weaves it into something completely different. In this case it is fairy tales, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty - their tales take on a different twist, a different level and a different understanding. The best part?- this is a world that women control. It doesn't take a handsome prince to wake the sleeper from the spell, but a calm, self-assured confident young woman. The spiders are the only ones awake, spinning...weaving...whilst everyone else is dreaming.... I am currently teaching at an all girls school and will certainly recommend this to the English head of department - year seven study the genre of fairy tales. The illustrations are also beautiful and add to the haunting wilderness that is Neil Gaiman. My Lady Darkness of fate... spin me a tale...weave me a story.

Snow White goes to rescue Sleeping Beauty in this twist on the typical fairy tale. There is an incredible twist, and the illustrations are fittingly lovely and dark. The open ending is the only reason I didn't give this 5 stars.

After reading Fortunately, The Milk, with the kids, I searched for every book I could find by Gaiman. That book was clever, and exciting, and very funny. This book was dark. While the premise was interesting, it came across as dreary and dull. Also, while I appreciate reworked fairy tales and enjoy alternative endings (spoiler alert) the princess/ princess kiss, and the queen deserting her fiancé were not welcome changes in my mind.
Overall, I simply did not enjoy reading it.

Disjoint, clumsy, calculated and thin.

There's a back story which is rather clumsily alluded to. More detail on that would have helped.

The characterization is thin. The transitions often abrupt & clumsy.

The Queen kissing the sleeper seems more of a cheap, calculated trick than anything else.

Second-rate cutesy-wutsey with no depth. Seems tossed off.

Disjoint, clumsy, calculated and thin.

There's a back story which is rather clumsily alluded to. More detail on that would have helped.

The characterization is thin. The transitions often abrupt & clumsy.

The Queen kissing the sleeper seems more of a cheap, calculated trick than anything else.

Second-rate cutesy-wutsey with no depth. Seems tossed off.

This was my first ever read by Neil Gaiman and perhaps it was not a wise choice. I thought this story really lacked any....anything. It wasn't all that clever and while the ending had a mild surprise factor, it ended abruptly.
It's only saving grace, for me, was that it was short and I read it in under an hour. Still, that is an hour I could have devoted to something else.
I love new takes on fairy tales, but this did not impress me in the least. The two minor good points, which I will not mention because I don't want o be a spoiler, were just not enough to make up for the complete lack of story telling and character development.
I am also glad that I was able to use a digital library loan and did not waste any money on this.

This was one of those books that I bought without knowing much about it because I love Neil Gaiman. However, it wasn't what I expected. Yes, the illustrations are quite beautiful, but the writing and the whole content is quite bad. I wish there'd been a note somewhere or a warning, since this book is listed as a Children's and Teen's book, that there was a lesbian kiss illustration in the book. I'm only glad that I was reading the book before actually reading it to my 5 year old and allowing my teen to go through the book.

The story is not great, and I really think the book, even though it has beautiful illustrations, is overpriced.

The Sleeper and the Spindle is an illustrated short story, mashing up Snow White and Sleeping Beauty with a feminist twist - the Prince Charming character is a woman and, gasp, she kisses another woman to awaken her! Also, most of the book is characters walking across a fantasy landscape so if you’re a Tolkien fan, you’re gonna love this!

Are we still not over post-modern takes on fairy tales? Do we really need another “darker” version of a well-known, heavily Disneyfied story? Apparently Neil Gaiman fans aren’t so the author reworks the stories to be female empowering because he’s a savvy businessman who knows a major chunk of his audience is made up of women.

That’s probably me being cynical as I’m sure this is a story Gaiman’s been dying to tell. Hey, it could be! Really, I just don’t much care for his writing style. It’s plodding, oh so bloody plodding, and the story isn’t even that complex - a woman in armour and a trio of dwarfs go to a sleeping woman in a castle!

It’s 60-ish pages with lots of drawings to fill it out to that length and yet this book somehow feels even longer. It’s basically all about the sleeper awakening at the end because that’s when interesting things start happening, eclipsing the nothing and even more nothing that took place before.

Chris Riddell’s art is fine and his drawings are presented in black, white and gold, which is an unusual but good choice. Except none of his drawings are particularly memorable or unique so I wouldn’t say the art stood out.

I know fairy tales were originally much darker than most people realise, and that’s what Gaiman’s going for, a kind of callback to those days while also mixing in progressive elements too. Alright, cool. But reading it is quite tedious as Gaiman’s taken a simple story and padded the hell out of it with lengthy descriptions of landscapes, objects - all kinds of things I forgot as soon as I read them - and average drawings.

Gaiman fans will eat The Sleeper and the Spindle up because it’s more of the same stuff he always churns out. I felt very meh about this pedestrian reimagining of some old stories.

Don't waste your money. I purchased for my girls thinking it would be similar to the "Happily Ever After" series, where 2 or more Disney Fairytales are combined and the main characters' children are part of the story, etc. This was poor writing and there's a hint of lesbianism - not that I have an issue with homosexuality, but it is not the way I want to introduce this topic to my kids. The only saving grace is the art.