Mercedes Lackey's latest, "The Sleeping Beauty," is an entertaining pastiche of Grimm's "Snow White" and "Sleeping Beauty," with a large dose of "Das Nibelungen" thrown in for good measure.Princess Rosamund's world is turned over when her mother dies ... only to be followed by her father's passing. The Tradition, which really rules the 500 Kingdoms (including Rosamund's Eltaria) demands that life go along certain lines. Thus, we find Rosamund doing housework for a bunch of dwarves ... and princes coming from all over the world to do tasks that may result in winning her hand in marriage once she is brought home.Lackey's characters are not as two-dimensional as one might think; there is more to Rosamund, Siegfried and Leopold (the main characters) than initially meets the eye. I was surprised, at one point, to find myself in tears due to one character's enormous sacrifice.Highly entertaining; fans of Lackey's work are sure to enjoy this latest tale.
 - Mercedes Lackey)
