Review - Tumbling Hair & Bread Crumbs by Charlie Richards

What happens long after the happily-ever-after? For example, what became of Hansel and Gretel after they killed the witch? That, in part, is the question that inspires this funny and sexy mash-up of two fairy tales. Together with picking up the story of the two children later in life, we have the tale of Rapunzel mixed in. Of course, what would a fairy tale be without a handsome prince? These are familiar childhood stories, yet with very adult, and queer, twists, for it’s Hansel that catches the eye of Prince Jory, while Gretel is enamored of the long-haired Rapunzel.

“Tumbling Hair & Bread Crumbs” is a short-ish novella that practically demands not to be taken too seriously. It’s tightly written, which moves the story along at a good pace without feeling rushed, or giving you too much time to ponder just how outlandish the plots of most fairy tales were. It’s easy to just suspend belief and enjoy the ride for a night or two.

While the characters are familiar archetypes, they’ve been given enough depth to feel like more than cardboard cutouts. Hansel and Gretel in particular come across as strong personalities, with enough of their background exposed to help you understand why they developed into the people they are in the story. Jory is also interesting, and the interaction between him and Hansel is quite engaging. The plot actually manages a bit more tension than you might expect from a story that one naturally assumes will have a happily-ever-after ending.

“Tumbling Hair & Bread Crumbs” is available from Amazon.