Intricate black and white images adorn each and every page. Riddell’s illustrations bring much to this re telling. So begins a fabulous adventure, topped by an exciting confrontation when the queen reaches her destination. Resplendent in her wedding gown the queen hears news of a ‘plague’ of sleep sweeping across the kingdom – she picks up her mail shirt, her sword and rides out of the palace accompanied by three dwarfs – and more than a strong hint of Snow White. ‘It would be the end of her life, she decided, if life was a time of choices.’ To say she had her doubts over the whole affair would be an understatement … The strong, determined queen is on the eve of her wedding. Gaiman’s entertaining humour and unique stance continue as the story unfolds. Names are in short supply in this telling.’ ‘The queen had a name, but nowadays people only ever called her Your Majesty. With the princess asleep in the tower, having pricked her finger on a spindle, in this version it is the queen who comes to her rescue. Sleeping Beauty is given a wonderfully thoughtful modern twist in this edition. The hard cover edition has a semi transparent dust jacket, enabling you to glimpse the sleeping princess between the thorny roses – very clever! Accompanied by opulent and detailed illustrations from Chris Riddell this is a gorgeous edition to delve into. Neil Gaiman’s The Sleeper and the Spindle is a mature and sophisticated re telling of the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty.
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