Customer Reviews

The Sleeping Beauty (Tale of the Five Hundred Kingdoms)

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Merecedes Lackey's latest books are even better than her early books. (So if you haven't read anything by her in 20 years-give her another try.)If you have enjoyed any of her fairy tale novels, you will love this book. It is very well crafted. In my opinion, all of the 500 kingdoms books have been wonderful and this may be the best of them. You can definitely read it without having read the other 500 kingdoms books. However, there are a few nods to things from the other books that you will catch and smile over if you have read the others. I read this in one sitting because it was that good. I plan to re-read it again soon. I won't provide plot details to spoil anything, but the main characters are very likable--especially the godmother Lily. Not everyone that is good has a happy ending, but overall things wrap up in a very satisfying way.

I recommend this book to fantasy lovers, anyone who loves fairy tales, and to literary scholars (especially those of world literature and myths/legends). Each group will get something different but wonderful from this book and the rest of the series. Happy reading!

Originally Posted at: [...]

The Tradition. It is what rules the lives of all in the Five Hundred Kingdoms. The Godmothers do what they can to work around it so people aren't forced to a fate they don't deserve or want.

Godmother Lily needs to find a way to thwart the Tradition and help Rosamund become more than another pawn to it. Lily has been the Godmother of Eltaria for three hundred years, with the help of her brownies and her trusted mirror servant Jimson, but the death of Queen Celeste has created a buildup of the Tradition unlike any she has seen before. Since it was demanding Rosamund have an Evil Stepmother, Lily works with the King to become Queen Sable, a dark sorceress, giving them time for more planning.

Siegfried von Drachenthal is a Hero trying to avoid the Tradition as well, as his father keeps trying to wed him to the Sleeping Woman. Prince Leopold is looking for something as well, a way to succeed as the younger son in a family of many. Can they all work together to give Rosamund the chance at happiness outside the Tradition? Can they overcome kidnapping, danger, and trials of all kinds for the happy ever after? Can they come up with a plan to keep Eltaria secure and free?

I love Mercedes Lackey's Five Hundred Kingdoms series. They are a mix of traditional fairy tales, with small and deliciously funny twists throughout. The Sleeping Beauty is no exception.

There is the Godmother, Lily, determined to prevent the Tradition from determining Rosamund's fate. She is wise enough to know that some of the things can't be avoided, so she manipulates them to suit her purposes. The heroine, Rosamund, is intelligent and beautiful and more than capable of choosing her own destiny. She shows great wit and skill in facing each of the challenges thrown at her. Our heroes, Leopold and Siegfried, are handsome and strong, but totally different in demeanor. Siegfried is trying to avoid his own problems with the Tradition, while Leopold, as a younger son, is looking to make a good match.

The solution Lily comes up with to buy time is a series of tests to find the best candidate to wed Rosamund, after inviting the eligible nobles from the surrounding kingdoms to participate.

I loved the gentle love story that developed between one of our heroes and Rosamund as the trials progressed. I enjoyed the independence that Rosamund showed in learning to defend herself if necessary. This is a delightful twist on Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and the Norse Siegfried fable, with lots of humor--much of it tongue-in-cheek.

Is there a happy ever after in this one? Actually there are three and two were a surprise I didn't see coming.

My impression in 4 words: somewhat fun, nothing more.

Drawing a little on the tales of Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and the Volsunga saga, but mostly on the Tradition plot, The Sleeping Beauty is about a princess (who does very little sleeping) trying to avoid being pulled into one of the sleeping princess plots, and a prince-equivalent from a faraway land who is trying to avoid being pulled into the 'fall in love with valkyrie' follow 'pain and suffering' plot.

The princess is Rosa, who is a particular favorite of the kingdom's resident Godmother, Lily. Lily tries her utmost to protect Rosa from the pull of the Tradition, going so far as to 'marrying' her father so he doesn't marry an evil stepmother. But when Rosa's father dies, the prosperous land is left open with no ruler, ripe for invasion. In order to stop the invasion, Lily decides to hold a series of trials for foreign princes so that they may compete to win Rosa's hand (read: hostages!).
(The whole Dwarf thing is taken care of early on and adds nothing particular to the story.)

While the plot was mildly amusing, it did not hold me in thrall. I was continually skipping paragraphs explaining surroundings and facts that I didn't care about and didn't enter the story for more than a page or two.

Example: "Siegfried's people might have been barbarians by some standards, but they were quite fastidious about cleanliness. Every Clanhouse had a bathhouse attached, and bathing was not a luxury; it was needful. In the winter, the bathhouse was one place you knew you could go to get warm... and when your clothing tended to be made of wool and fur, it was a good idea to deflea and delouse them..." And the paragraph runs on to explain how the bathhouse keeps out eavesdroppers. Now there is nothing inherently wrong with this passage. If it was spending any substantial time talking about Siegfried's people or Clanhouses or keeping clean, and if there were any other scenes even mentioning the bathhouse, I would not mind it. However, the whole passage is unnecessary and adds nothing to Siegfried's character or the plot. If it was needed to explain they would not be eavesdropped on, it could have been thrown in very succinctly.

Had these types of things been spare, I would not have minded, but they littered the pages and caused me actual annoyance (that's where the 3rd star gets knocked of). I got tired of the 'see, I thought all this out!' feel.

The characters weren't horrible, I almost liked Siegfried and his relationship with the comical prince Leopold, but they got a bit annoying. Rosa was a very shallow character, a typical 'I can take care of myself!' girl who then gets kidnapped incredibly easily but because she's been studying magic for a whole week or two can unravel complicated spells woven by an experienced caster. The bad guy was also very shallow, it was hard to tell what he was after, he was more one of those 'we need a bad guy, let's make him evil for no other reason'.
(I agree completely with the Birdie Blue reviewer.)

A positive thing I can say about this child-like book is that it remained mostly light and innocent (unlike other Five Hundred Kingdoms books and the Elemental Masters books which contain at least one skippable intimate scene and usually more than one dark plot element).

Ok, and I admit, the Norse mythology made me happy, even with the shallow pokes at it. (And I'm actually reading the Poetic Edda Volsunga Saga right now!)

I believe that had this been a novella or short story I would have enjoyed it much more. As it was, I had to struggle to read beyond the first 100 pages. I've been disappointed with Lackey's work ever since the last good Valdemar book (Exile's Honor); I'd hoped this might be a revival but, once again, I was sorely disappointed.

If you are looking for a quick light sarcastic fairy-tale, and you have enjoyed Lackey's other Five Hundred Kingdoms work, you will probably enjoy The Sleeping Beauty for a one-time read. Otherwise, I do not recommend it, not for the humor or the romance or the writing.

I tend to enjoy the "cracked fairy tale" premise of The 500 Kingdoms books, and was particularly excited to note that while the title suggests the fairy tale in question is *Sleeping Beauty*, it also involves characters from the *Nibelungenlied* and Norse mythology. However, the actual story is fairly disappointing. "Tragic" occurrences happen right and left in the books from early on, but they have no emotional impact because the reader has no connection to the characters, which is only barely remedied as the book goes on. Siegfried is actually the only character to whom I felt able to relate and understood his inner thoughts well, but I was still baffled by random choices his character made, and Lackey didn't give us enough insight into any of the characters, really. Elena sure didn't act like a 300 year old powerful Grandmother and Rosamund was fairly bland. For a romance, the actual interpersonal relationships were painfully rushed - the only one I liked was the totally context-less one thrown in at the end for a laugh. (Which, admittedly, it got from me.)

Even if you're a fan of the loosely-connected 500 Kingdoms books, this one is probably not worth picking up in hardcover. If you're not a fan of Lackey's yet, or not of this series, I'd recommend *The Fairy Godmother* or *Fortune's Fool* as superior reads.

What a fun book! This is a great twist on traditional fairy tales. We are presented with an adult story (adult because it is complex, not because it is explicit) in which the things that happen in fairy tales happen. The neatest twist is that "The Tradition", which is basically the standard plot line of fairy tales, is understood by some of the inhabitants. If a person's life closely parallels a standard fairy tale, the force of "The Tradition" will make things happen in an attempt to make that person's life continue like the standard fairy tale storyline. Sometimes this is wanted, sometimes not, and those that are knowledgable and skillful can manipulate "The Tradition". This is the 5th book in the series, though the first I have read. I very much want to read the others, but this story was not hampered by starting with the 5th. So much fun! If you like light-hearted fantasy, with a very funny ironic sense of humor, I think you will really enjoy this.

Lackey begins by explaining how hard it is to write humor, and confesses that she is not a comedy writer. To both, I heartily agree. Humor is damned difficult and Lackey isn't any great shakes at it. She's not bad, mind you. She does manage to stay pretty consistently in the territory of the amused smile or occasional giggle, but I can't say that she propelled me into a real laugh anywhere in the narrative.

So what's the problem, you ask. Well, the narrative is written as if it should be funnier than it is, which makes it kind of lightweight. It's a pleasant enough story about princesses and princes and fairy godmothers, with a fair number of miraculous creatures, all bumping up against what seems to be a huge, amorphous mass of magic known as "The Tradition." It's magic that somehow senses the currents of someone's life and then pushes them down a path that was established years, even centuries earlier, kind of the way families always seem to argue at holiday gatherings because that's what's familiar. It's an interesting conceit though I'm not sure how far Lackey can take it before it becomes redundant and silly.

Lackey's writing is workmanlike but nothing brilliant, her characters are amiable and amusing, but not particularly deeply written, and sometimes she tips from light humor into the strident sort which relies on whapping the reader over the head a few times just to get the point across. Nevertheless, it's a pleasant read, and you could do far worse. Unless you're a complete grouch, Lackey will probably make you smile, if only by reminding you of the pleasure you took from the original stories she draws from.

The Sleeping Beauty (2010) is fifth Fantasy novel in the Five Hundred Kingdoms series, following The Snow Queen. The initial work in this series is The Fairy Godmother.

In the previous volume, Aleksia tracked down the false Snow Queen with four Sammi helpers. The Ice Hart followed them to the Snow Witch's castle. Then the God Mother cast a spell.

In this novel, Lily is a Fairy Godmother. She is half fae and has been looking after the Kingdom of Eltaria for three hundred years.

Jimson is Lily's mirror spirit. He can see anything reflected by a shiny surface.

Rosamund is the Crown Princess of Eltaria. Her father the King is very often away defending the kingdom. Rosa's mother the Queen had been a shepherdess before marrying the King, but now she has passed away.

Siegfried von Drachenthal is a Prince and Hero. He is fleeing from his Aunts, especially the Shield-Maiden asleep in the ring of fire. He has drunk the blood of dragons and can understand the speech of animals. He has a friend who is a Wise Bird.

Leopold of Falkenreid is an honest Rogue. He is the third of five Princes and was kicked out of his home kingdom because he was much more popular than the heir to the throne.

In this story, Lily asks Jimson who is the fairest in the land and he tells her that Rosamund is still the fairest. Lily also knows that the princess is intelligent, personable, and comprehends the Tradition. But she is still grieving over the death of Queen Celeste.

Eltaria is a very rich kingdom and the neighboring kingdoms are always poised to invade. King Thurman is home from border to mourn his queen. The Tradition is gathering over the kingdom and three Sorceresses are vying to become the next Queen.

Lily consults with the King and they agree that she will marry him and impersonate an Evil Stepmother. She takes on the persona of Queen Sable, a cold and calculating woman. The calculating part is correct, but the cold demeanor is only an act.

Then Rosa is confronted by the Huntsman and flees on the Queen's horse. The Huntsman follows with his hounds. It is a very stormy night and the lightening spooks her mount.

Rosa is thrown from the horse into some bushes and she burrows under them away from the path. The Huntsman and hounds rush by without noticing her in the brush. She staggers further away in the rain and finds a hollow tree for shelter.

Then seven dwarves find her. They are not very friendly toward her. When she asks for shelter, they take her back to their home and chain her to the hearth. She becomes their servant.

Meanwhile, Siegfried is moving through the forest and avoiding rings of fire with his Shield-Maiden Aunt lying within. He and his Bird have killed a wild boar that had been ravaging the countryside. Now they are looking for another heroing task to provide food and shelter.

Leopold is also entering Eltaria. He had been courting a local princess and was paid to depart the kingdom. Now he is looking for another young maiden to charm.

This tale starts out as a Snowskin story, but soon turns into a Beauty Sleeping fable. Then Siegfried inserts a bit of the Nibelungenlied and Leopold adds a little lust and the Tradition is thoroughly fractured. Rosa's fate becomes very uncertain.

Naturally, Lily, Rosa and Jimson are trying to derail the Tradition to save lives and property. The results are very satisfying. Read and enjoy!

Highly recommended for Lackey fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of fairy godmothers, clever princes, and true romance.

-Arthur W. Jordin

In the introduction to this book, Ms. Lackey said she had a great deal of fun writing this one. I'm glad for her but this was not one of her better efforts. Rather than take the traditional story and expand it or twist it or find some other way of creating a new version of the story, Ms. Lackey throws the entire traditional story line out within the first 50 pages. The dwarves get a brief mention as a pack of mining ruffians and the wicked step mother is gone. What we get instead, a godmother trying to keep the Tradition at bay, 2 princes that team up together and a bad prince and his henchman.

I could have forgiven the departure from the 'traditional' storyline if there had been a decent plot. When Ms. Lackey runs out of ideas for a new series, she often resorts to taking items from her other novels and short stories and trying to make them 'fit'. Or she comes up with a story line which has nothing to do with the series. I had high hopes for this series - what could be more fun than twisting the stories we grew up with into an adult format. There were so many possibilities for this story - dwarves that were kind but drunks, a prince charming that wants another prince, a godmother on vacation, an evil child and a nice stepmother.... But with this book, she fails miserably. Any fan will recognize the different plot twists and devices from her previous work.

This is one time when I really, really wish I hadn't bothered to even read a book to the end. And for me, a collector of Ms. Lackey's work, to say that means it's pretty bad. So, if you're a first time reader of Ms. Lackeys work and are OK with spending the $16 or so that you'll pay to get a mildly entertaining piece of work with a quite a few boring sections, go ahead. Otherwise either wait for the paperback or don't bother. You're not missing much at all.

On the whole, I enjoyed 'The Sleeping Beauty'. As a 500 Kingdoms tale goes it had a decent plot and an interesting twist to the wicked stepmother genre. The elimination of the princes in the story was intriguing. It was certainly better than some of the previous offerings in this series.

The pulling in of Wagner's Ring Cycle was a bit heavy-handed, as was the humor attempted in the course of the story. The author in fact put a short foreward in the book about humor in fantasy...I'm not quite sure why unless some of her fans had less than stellar comments about it in her other books.

I have to say though, a lisping unicorn?!! Sweet God Ms. Lackey, LET THE STUPID UNICORN CHARACTERS GO ALREADY, THEY ARE BLOODY ANNOYING!! You are a good writer, that is why I keep buying your books....you don't need to rely on silly gimmicks to sell your stories. If you'd made the male unicorns idiots and the female unicorns brilliant then it would have been more funny (at least to me). I gave my copy of 'The Sleeping Beauty' away after I read it because I knew I would not go back and read it again.

If you like the 500 Kingdoms series, then read this one.

Sleeping Beauty / 978-0-373-80315-6

I'm already a fan of Mercedes Lackey's writing style, but this book surprised me at how fun and humorous it was to read. At least once every five pages, I found myself re-reading a paragraph just because it had made me laugh out loud or because the prose was delightfully well-written. The story is something of a "fairy tale reboot" of the tale of Sleeping Beauty, but given that this is a "Tale of the Five Hundred Kingdoms" novel, it's pretty much a given that the characters are going to fight for the fate they WANT (rather than the fate they're "supposed" to have) every step of the way.

This is my first read at the Five Hundred Kingdoms novels (though I've since read the first in the series, "The Fairy Godmother", and have started the second "One Good Knight", on the strength of this novel), and I can honestly say that this book is completely accessible for new fans of the series. The backstory is explained clearly and succinctly in the first chapter - an impersonal force called "The Tradition" tries to force people into fairy tale lives, and Godmothers exist to facilitate and/or buck The Tradition to achieve the best ending for everyone involved - and from that point on, the readers will be completely adjusted to this strange and immersive world.

One of the things I loved deeply about this novel is the rich and robust characterization of everyone involved. The experienced and powerful 300-year-old fairy godmother, Lily, started with strong Mary Sue potential, but she's as realistic and vulnerable as anyone would be, working nights and weekends at a demanding job that has life and death in the balance. Rosa, the titular beauty, is fun and sassy, and maintains an instant and easy rapport with her suitors, Siegfried (yes, THAT one) and Leopold. The character interactions always feel realistic, warm, and humorous, and it's impossible to not root for both the suitors as they help each other through the fairy tale challenges to win the princess' hand.

I strongly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys fairy tale reboots or Mercedes Lackey's writing. I started and finished the novel in the same day, simply because I could not put it down and had to race to the finish. The ONLY thing I didn't like about this novel was the cover (and that's only because the description of the princess on the first page simply doesn't match, but these things happen) - everything on the inside is pure gold.

NOTE: This review is based on a free Advance Review Copy of this book provided through Amazon Vine.

~ Ana Mardoll