Publishers Weekly
07/24/2023
Carroll (Medievalism in A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones) examines in this dry study how fantasy author Gaiman “has absorbed, borrowed, and blended myth, folk-tale, fairy tale, and classic literature into his unique style.” She devotes the most space to Gaiman’s Sandman comics series, exploring how the trip to hell undertaken by protagonist Morpheus, an “anthropomorphic representation of dreams,” draws on the “circular geography” of Dante’s Inferno and the “well-spoken and charismatic Lucifer” from John Milton’s Paradise Lost. Examining Gaiman’s retelling of Brothers Grimm fairy tales, Carroll suggests that the short story “Snow, Glass, Apples” upends “cultural assumptions” around female beauty standards by reimagining Snow White as a malicious vampire hiding behind her fair appearance. Unfortunately, the academic tone can feel bloodless, as when she writes about Gaiman’s novel American Gods, “By leaning on Norse mythology but also pushing back against the monomyth, Gaiman ends up with an interesting antimedievalist medievalism,” and the analysis occasionally seems obvious, as when Carroll notes that the stylization of the enlarged first letter of each section in Gaiman’s riff on “Sleeping Beauty,” The Sleeper and the Spindle, mimics the style of medieval manuscripts. Even the most ardent Gaiman fans may find their attention wandering. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
Illuminating and provocative by turns, this book is a fascinating deep dive into Neil Gaiman’s many medieval inspirations, ranging from Old Norse myth to morality play to folktale. Carroll’s work inventively rereads well-known medieval texts alongside Gaiman’s eclectic and creative reimagining of them in comic, novel, short story, and film.”—Carolyne Larrington, author, The Norse Myths that Shape the Way We Think
“With clarity and humor, Carroll puts Neil Gaiman’s works in conversation with chronicle histories, dream-vision poetry, saints’ lives, folktales, and other medieval (and medievalist) texts, drawing out chains of influence and reinterpretation. Like Gaiman himself, this book is accessible to the medievalist, the speculative fiction fan, and everyone in between.”—Kavita Mudan Finn, author, The Last Plantagenet Consorts: Gender, Genre, and Historiography, 1440-1627
“An accessible survey of medieval influences across Gaiman’s work, imbued with Carroll’s humor and fresh voice. It provides historical and literary context for prominent themes and characters in Gaiman’s most famous stories, as well as analysis of lesser-studied works such as The Books of Magic and the 2007 film Beowulf.”—Tara Prescott-Johnson, author, Neil Gaiman in the 21st Century: Essays on the Novels, Children’s Stories, Online Writings, Comics and Other Works
