That being said, even mediocre Gaiman is still better than some writers’ bests. Oh, Gaiman puts in some deft touches-allusions linking the queen to Snow White, and the twist at the end regarding the identity of the sleeper-but these are like flourishes atop a fairly mediocre cake: once you get past them, you realize you might have ordered the wrong dessert. But the little heart there is in this tale feels underwhelming. But that’s one of the joys of retelling fairytales: the author gets to give that character a personality all of their own making! The Sleeper and the Spindle is a nice, quick afternoon or evening read. One might argue that fairytales are like this, that the characters in these tales are intentionally archetypes.
I’ll start by echoing what many other reviewers have said: this story is not as developed as it should be. In the case of The Sleeper and the Spindle, Neil Gaiman teams up with Chris Ridell to provide a spin on Sleeping Beauty along with beautiful illustrations. Fortunately, a great many authors have taken to penning their versions of these classics. Hollywood is incredibly talented at messing up its attempts to retell fairytales (although I have to admit, I really enjoyed Disney’s new Cinderella, and Maleficient wasn’t bad either).
The popularity of such a practice fluctuates, but they are always there, beneath the surface, lurking and awaiting their next moment in the spotlight. They are meant to be adapted, retold, reimagined with each new generation and new age. Fairytales are, in some ways, cultural bedrock. Fairytale retellings are sooooooo in these days, and probably with good reason.
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