Tags
Book Review, Children's Book Review, Chris Riddell, Fantasy Fiction, Neil Gaiman, The Sleeper and The Spindle
Fairy-tale mash-up bon-bon
I hesitated a lot about reviewing this here, as it only just makes my 4 star minimum, rounded up from 3 1/2 for the real book only (and a generous 1 star for the Kindle or ebook version). Do NOT get this as an download for a dedicated ereader
Chris Riddell’s illustrations are at least 50% of the delight of this, you will rue the day if you do eread. (I did, and I do) Secondly, this is not really for children – at least not very young ones, its a little too sophisticated and unsettling. I think a child should probably have a 2 digit birthday before embarking. And it may be particularly welcomed by girls due to the strong central character, who is a queen, not a princess and boldly goes where princes fear to tread!
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.
Chris Riddell
Those who are happy to read on other devices, to get colour, and are not bothered by reading on traditional screens, could try a download sample and see if it works for you
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.
It’s not in the same league, illustration or story-wise with Gaiman’s The Truth Is A Cave In The Black Mountains which was beautifully illustrated by Eddie Campbell, and won a ringing 5 star from me (in real book version) but that was because the illustrations were in full and luscious colour, and far more comprehensively integrated with the text.
Neil Gaiman
This story has a more technical mix of horror and humour, but is inventive, as Gaiman reliably is
I believe it may ONLY be available on eRead in the States at the moment, with wood book becoming available in September. Wait, Wait, WAIT!
The Sleeper and The Spindle Amazon UK
The Sleeper and The Spindle Amazon USA
Lady Fancifull 
I’ve never read any Neil Gaiman (Neverwhere is buried somewhere in my enormous TBR pile) but those illustrations are beautiful, and the cover is stunning.
This was included in his collection of short stories, Trigger Warning, that I recently listened to on audiobook. The story itself would only have got a generous 3-stars from me though the illustrations might lift it. I do find he can be very variable, though his best stuff really is great. And I think the graphic format suits him better than straight reading or listening, from the little familiarity I have with his stuff.
Now i am a big big fan of his weightier tomes, (rather than short stories) such as The Ocean at the End of The Lane, (which I even read twice, though admittedly the second time was for my book club, though I always knew it would be a re-read at some point) so kind of digress from your view. I JUST made this a 4 star on the strength of the real book with the illustrations
I bought this book and absolutely feel in love with it. While you’re right that the story is a little light, I think the actual book is such a beautiful piece of artwork that I would have bought it just for the imagery. The fact that Neil Gaiman was involved just meant that I hit buy all that more quickly.
I liked Riddell’s artwork very much in the woodbook I bought of The graveyard Book, but it seems like the artwork in this one is several rungs higher through the judicious use of gold colouring.
It is, but that it is still a style that is so very much him, and in some ways now, very much Gaiman. My love of the artwork in The Graveyard Book was another reason I bought this one. Gaiman also did such a brilliant interview about the process of writing The Graveyard Book. I don’t know if you’ve seen it?
No, I didn’t – is that in print or on Youtube Carol. I shall go investigate!
Thank you!
Let me know what you thought once you’ve seen it.
Most interesting, thank you again. I was intrigued by his realisation that he was wrong to think ‘I can’t write this yet because I’m not a good enough writer’ – but that what he needed to be was a more life-experienced person, in order to write the book
I thought that was such a useful thing to hear.