That Risen Snow by Rob E. Boley

I’ve always been a tremendous fan of fairy tales, especially The Brothers Grimm stories.  So it’s fun for me to discover a retelling of these classics.  I think it requires a special kind of creativity to take a story that has been so ingrained in our culture, and spin it in a different direction, forcing us to set aside our initial understanding of plot and character for something new without losing our touchstones to the original.  This is one of those stories.

You wouldn’t initially think that Snow White and Zombies have anything to do with each other, but Mr. Boley offers us an opportunity to give that notion a second thought.  Grouchy is a skilled storyteller as he recounts his history with Snow, his hidden love, and the aftermath of that fateful kiss.  Grouchy is a believable narrator, curious in his thinking and touching in his lovelorn memories.  These characters have backstories (a thought that never occurred to me as a child), and Mr. Boley explores this alternative history with an interesting insight.  The psychology behind the players in this tale is as engaging, if not more so, than the action, and the author does a good job at balancing both.

While it’s true this book is a little too bloody for children, teenagers and adults will enjoy the pacing and wit this author brings to the page.  The action is nearly non-stop, with just the right few moments in between to catch your breath.  There’s a special kind of snark that Mr. Boley grants his characters that allows us to step outside the confines of what we thought we knew, and walk a different path through the forest. 
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This book is creative in its portrayal of the Snow, the Dwarfs, their Human oppressors, and Zombies.  It shows us magic and love through a different color of the prism of storytelling.  This is the first in a series, and I'm curious to see what comes next.

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