Castles, princesses, magical creatures. These are what fairy tales are made of. And then there’s Castle Waiting by Linda Medley, which has bearded nuns, a BoJack Horseman-like character, a talking crow, pregnant lady on the lam, and so many other equally quirky characters.
The book begins with a take on Sleeping Beauty. An entire town is put to sleep for a 100 years to save the princess’s life. When the princess wakes up, she insists on following her prince to wherever he is. After her departure, the castle loses its glory and shrinks into a home for wanderers and outcasts.
I liked Medley’s unique take on conventional fairy tales, and how she adds her own dose of magical realism infusing it with an idiosyncratic oddness. There are multiple plotlines. Some are interrelated, some aren’t. The first half, I felt was more fast paced. The second half more or less revolves around Sister Peace’s story with minor short stories branching off from it.
This is a book you can pick up whenever you feel like escaping into something very different. There’s adventure, fantasy, and lots of humour. There’s also this irreverence about life and not taking oneself too seriously, qualities that make the story and the characters charming. The characters face many tricky situations and have their own troubles, but they seem to take it in their stride. All in all, this medieval graphic novel is a great ride!
