Buy The 8th Dwarf on Amazon

Written in verse, this is the previously untold story of the previously unknown 8th dwarf, named Creepy. He is banished to the basement for being different and, well, weird. Yet he plays a vital – and of course previously unknown – role in the popular tale of Snow White – whose title character is an intruder Creepy refers to as “the Maid”. (Intended for YA readers and up)

Following Michael Mullin’s example, I’m going to limit this review to a short blurb (probably combined with some rude remarks about a certain novel, as well). After reading Snow White and the Huntsman –which definitely puts the filmy in based-on-the-film– just yesterday, I wasn’t terribly excited to read yet another spin on this classic story. (I guess fairy tales are coming back into style, right?) However, I decided to give 8 a shot. At only about 2,000 words, I figured that it wouldn’t have been that much of a waste of time if it turned out to be horrible. So I put my newly-wrought prejudices aside and dug in. And I am so glad that I did.

8 tells the story of Creepy, the emotionally abused, long-forgotten, and not-just-a-bit-nasty 8^th dwarf. His bitter personality and strange eating habits eventually led his fellow dwarves to reject him and now he remains locked-up in a basement, alone with musings.

I actually really enjoyed Creepy’s afore-mentioned sarcastic musings.  I appreciate boys who aren’t fooled by beauty and digs at a princess who (in this case, anyway) is shallow, rude, and stupid. (Oh, wait. I guess this works for the case of Snow White and the Huntsman, too.)

Also, do you have any conception as to how hard it is to tell a story in an AABB poetic stanza? Any conception? I don’t, but it has to pretty freakin’ hard. The fact that Michael’s protagonist was a much deeper character than Snow and her Huntsman ever were is just a bonus at this point.

I’m going to rate 8 4.5/5 stars. It’s definitely worth the 10 minutes it takes to read it—and the 2 it takes to enter to win it!
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Also, if you haven’t entered my giveaway for Wrecked by Elle Casey, you should.

I’ll keep you posted,