8th Dwarf A Little "Creepy" (Book Review)

Front Cover

Writer Michael Mullin is the co-author of the children's picture book series Larry Gets Lost. Michael used to work at Disney as a copywriter in the Consumer Products Division. While there, he wrote not one, but two sequels to Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. He personally met with Tim who approved both books for publication, yet Disney never moved forward with them.

Tim Burton...a fan of Mullin's writing. Keep this in mind as we review Michael's Snow White eBook, 8: The Previously Untold Story of the Previously Unknown 8th Dwarf.

Title Page

Written in verse and about 2200 words in length, 8 tells the story of Creepy, who is banished by the other dwarfs to the cottage cellar for being different or as the author puts it "well...weird." The name suits this eighth dwarf as he is indeed a distasteful character and is unlike any of the other seven--even Grumpy. Creepy would never have made it past one of Walt Disney's storyboard meetings.

Yet, in this account, the angry and hurt dwarf plays a vital--and of course previously unknown--role in Snow White's destiny. Watching the princess through cracks in the floorboards, Creepy secretly falls in love with "the Maid". As with the original Brothers Grimm tale, the "old hag" pays three visits to the cottage, and it's during these encounters that the eighth dwarf (sort of) overcomes his "unpleasant" tendencies when he goes to her aid.

This short metrically-structured fable certainly has a different, edgier feel to it than that of the classic fairytale. And if you are a die-hard Disney "pretty in pink" princess fan, it's probably not what you're looking for. I found it disturbing at moments. Yet fresh and original too. The story is well-written, and if the Tim Burton-esque is more your style, then you won't be disappointed with Michael Mullin's 8: The Previously Untold Story of the Previously Unknown 8th Dwarf.

The eBook is available for just 99¢ at: Apple's iBookstore, BarnesandNoble.com, Amazon.com, Diesel ebooks, Borders.com/Kobo, and SonyStyle.com.

Currently, Michael is working on a wholly original fairytale called The Brothers Eek (longer, non-verse). He's looking to self-publish it as an actual hard copy book where 8 will be included as a bonus story.