The Sleeper and the Spindle

October 26, 2015
In this twist on a fairy tale, the audiobook uses a full cast to great effect. A tough, no-nonsense queen, who may or may not be Snow White, hears about a princess who was placed under a sleeping spell. The magic appears to be spreading, plunging citizens of nearby villages into sleep, so the queen sets out with three dwarf friends to awaken the princess and break the spell before it reaches her kingdom. Having many different voices greatly helps listeners suspend disbelief. Julian Rhind-Tutt has a wry tone with a smart English accent for the narrator. The royal characters sound upper-class British, workers in the pub sound vaguely Cockney, but the dwarves (played by Peter Forbes, John Sessions, and Michael Maloney) are all voiced in glorious Scottish accents. Music and intricate sound effects (such as the faint sounds of maggots chomping nearby) immerse listeners in the realm of the cursed kingdom. This twisted take on a classic fairy tale is brought to life with sound. Ages 13–up. A Harper hardcover.

Starred review from June 8, 2015
Always a superb spinner of tales, Gaiman presents a filigreed elaboration of Sleeping Beauty that, before long, reveals itself as something more. Three dwarves discover a realm in which everyone has fallen asleep, and they cross into the next country to warn its queen of the great plague that threatens her people. Alert readers won’t miss the hint to the queen’s identity: “Would I sleep, as they did?” she asks one of the dwarfs, who replies, “You slept for a year.... And then you woke again, none the worse for it.” Traveling to the cursed kingdom, the queen and dwarves encounter threatening zombie sleepers and more, but the storyline is still recognizable underneath the new details. It isn’t until the travelers penetrate the castle that things tilt sideways. Something new is going on, and readers will be carried to the end by the whirlwind force of Gaiman’s imagination. Riddell draws in pen and ink, eschewing color—save for select gold accents—and pouring his energy into myriad, spidery lines and delicate cross-hatching that recall Aubrey Beardsley’s eerie set pieces. It’s a genuine treat. Ages 13–up.

Starred review from November 1, 2015

Gr 8 Up-On the eve of her wedding, a beautiful queen learns from three dwarf friends that peril has befallen a kingdom in the east. A young princess lies asleep in the castle's tower while a sleeping fog placed by an evil enchantress is rapidly seeping west. Having experienced this sleeping curse herself, the queen quickly exchanges her wedding gown for chain mail and a sword and follows the dwarfs into underground tunnels, past cobweb-covered villages, and through a thorny forest. As the sun sets, Good has conquered Evil and the queen has learned her own lesson: a girl always has choices. And with that knowledge, she takes the lead and continues her journey-heading east. This clever reinvention of a classic fairy tale and the double-take twist on the traditional princess-in-peril story line is sure to put a mischievous grin on listeners' faces. The exceptionally talented full-cast ensemble, which includes Julian Rhind-Tutt, Lara Pulver, and Niamh Walsh, paired with eerie music and sound effects like clopping hooves and crackling fire, breathes life into an already stellar tale. VERDICT A magical, mysterious must-have for young tweens and anyone who's young at heart. ["This highly recommended visually stunning twist on two classic fairytales will be well-received by fans of graphic novels and fantasy stories": SLJ 8/15 starred review of the Harper book.]-Cheryl Preisendorfer, Twinsburg City Schools, OH

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