The Sleeper and the Spindle

Neil Gaiman is a prolific fantasy author known for upending the conventions of pre-existing fairy tales, myths, and folklore. One of the best known examples of this style is his comic book series Sandman, which began in the 1980s and broke new ground, expanding traditional expectations of comic books. The Sandman series revisited a range of myths and legends from around the world as well as the works of William Shakespeare (one award-winning issue retold A Midsummer Night’s Dream), showcasing these classic archetypes in new ways. Gaiman’s novel American Gods and the adjacent companion novel Anansi Boys both bring comparative world mythologies together in the modern world.

Closer in tone to The Sleeper and the Spindle is Gaiman’s 1997 novel Stardust, an original fairy tale (rather than a retelling of a pre-existing story), that draws several motifs from the classic fairy tale tradition. In his short story “Snow, Glass, Apples,” which was released as a similar standalone illustrated edition, Neil Gaiman approaches Snow White from another direction—this time painting her as a vampire and the stepmother as the story’s hero.