Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Castle Waiting, Vol. 1 (Castle Waiting Omnibus Collection #1)

by Linda Medley, Jane Yolen (Introduction)

3.99 of 5 stars 3.99 · rating details · 3,044 ratings · 390 reviews

Castle Waiting graphic novel tells the story of an isolated, abandoned castle, and the eccentric inhabitants who bring it back to life. A fable for modern times, Castle Waiting is a fairy tale that's not about rescuing the princess, saving the kingdom, or fighting the ultimate war between Good and Evil, but about being a hero in your own home.

The opening story, "The Bramb...more

Hardcover, Graphic Novel Collection, 457 pages

Published June 17th 2006 by Fantagraphics Books

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Best Graphic Novels

92nd out of 1,502 books — 3,026 voters

Runaways Deluxe, Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan

Great Graphic Novels for Teens...of all time!

17th out of 87 books — 98 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Feb 03, 2008 Claire Scott rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novels-or-comics, ya, fairytale-c-retellings, middle-grade

Aww! This was a sweet re-imagining of fairy tale settings and tropes with a decidedly feminist slant, in which everything ends happily but without the darkness or chance of real fairy tales. In the first half of the book, a pregnant Lady goes on a quest for the fabled "Castle Waiting," a safe haven for all who seek it. She finds it and essentially lives happily ever after with her baby, who takes after his (literally) ogreish father rather than the Lady's husband. The second half of the story fo...more

7 likes · like · see review

Sep 02, 2008 Jason Pettus rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, comics, funny

(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted here illegally.)

Like any self-respecting obsessive book nerd, at any given moment I'm actually in the process of reading three or four books simultaneously; there is the deeper and more complex novel, for example, that I will read only at a cafe during the day, a less complex one I read in more distracting environmen...more (Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted here illegally.)

Like any self-respecting obsessive book nerd, at any given moment I'm actually in the process of reading three or four books simultaneously; there is the deeper and more complex novel, for example, that I will read only at a cafe during the day, a less complex one I read in more distracting environments like the bus, some giant nonfiction book that I will read only a page or two at a time in the bathroom, and then of course whatever book I'm reading in bed those days, which by definition tends to usually be the lightest and least consequential of them all, since I'm always falling asleep while reading it. And thus have I found myself reading more and more graphic novels these days, especially since the Chicago Public Library system started making them more of an acquisitional priority, although admittedly I don't write reviews for most of them, simply because most aren't weighty enough to justify a full analytical write-up.

Ah, but I did want to mention a delightful title I recently made my way through, comics-industry veteran Linda Medley's postmodern fairytale Castle Waiting, a self-published personal project of hers throughout the '90s that once won her the prestigious Xeric Grant. See, turns out that Medley actually studied folklore as well as illustration when in college, and so has spent a lot of time in her life asking weird questions of these old tales that other people usually don't; for example, what happened to Sleeping Beauty's kingdom once she got whisked away by Prince Charming? Turns out that this mammoth (500-page) book is what happened; the "Castle Waiting" mentioned in the title is no less than Sleeping Beauty's old castle fallen into disrepair, a semi-abandoned and semi-mythical place on the edge of the known world where all of folklore's most lovable losers have gathered, making a funky alternative life for themselves there and sharing their backstories Canterbury-Tales style.

And in fact, it's important to understand that Medley means for this entire situation to be a highly metaphorical one, reflecting her time when younger as part of the radical feminist circles of the San Francisco Bay area; these stories are not just cute and smart twists on traditional fairytales, but also a celebration of uniqueness, of alternative families, of women who don't fit the usual stereotypical feminine norms of mainstream society. (In fact, the entire last half of this book is dedicated to a story about a group of nuns who all have beards, and how they have built themselves a fortress to protect them from the abusive men they all ran away from; and if that's not a grand metaphor for a lot of what you see within radical-feminist circles in the Bay area, I don't know what is.) Sadly, financial burdens originally shut this self-published title down in 2001; happily, our friends at Fantagraphics have picked it up again as a regular series, and decided to put out this compendium of the self-published issues first to get everyone up to steam. It's a bit pricey, also a bit preachy at times; in general, though, it gets a solid recommendation from me, and especially to all you smart female genre fans who have always wanted to read a funny, warm fantasy tale written to exactly suit your particular sensibilities.

Out of 10: 8.6(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Aug 25, 2007 Arun K rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone

Shelves: graphic-novels

I was a little skeptical when I picked this book up at my local library. The cover was beautiful but art really did not intrigue me at first. Nevertheless, the world of fairy tales and folk tales has always drawn me in and so I decided to give it a go.

Of course, having Fantagraphics as a publisher did not hurt its reputation as well.

Linda Medley definitely does show a master storyteller's finesse in working with already existing concepts and turning them onto a side that is comfortable and fam...more

2 likes · like · see review

Sep 02, 2007 Chris rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphicnovels, fantasy

Although I know this has absolutely nothing to do with the content of the book, this collection of Castle Waiting is served up in a really lovely hardcover edition that screams to be read. My fiancee normally gives most of my comics a pass, but she picked up the book and loved it, and I daresay that she wouldn't have done that if it hadn't looked so swell.

A revisionist fairy tale, Castle Waiting is a treat. Creator Linda Medley's artwork is wonderful to behold; I don't really get into this sort...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jul 17, 2012 Melki rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novel, folk-fairy-tales

A magical tale of what happens after the happily-ever-after.

To save a young princess's life, a town is put to sleep for one hundred years. When the princess is awoken by a kiss, she wastes no time hurrying off to live with her charming prince, leaving the villagers, well, speechless...

The castle soon becomes a refuge for all sorts of "lost souls," both human and animal. We meet a host of wonderful characters, and magnificent tales are spun.

A convent full of bearded ladies and a green baby add t...more

9 likes · like · see review

May 22, 2008 Grace rated it 4 of 5 stars

Fans of Fables (the comic book) and fables (the genre) alike will enjoy this wonderful comic book compilation of fairy tale-like stories. In fact, even though I'm an enthusiastic fan of Fables, I'd have to actually rank this one as even better, in my estimation. The characters leap off of the page with their charm and fascinating stories. And the author, while alluding to fairy tales frequently, tells her own new stories with magnificent talent!

The book ends abruptly, and I sincerely hope that m...more

4 likes · like · see review

Mar 31, 2013 Alicia Scully rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, gr-10-12, gr-8-10, graphic-novel-manga, young-adult-lit, tween-lit

_Castle Waiting_ is essentially a high fantasy novel that takes place in an old castle in the middle of nowhere. The castle used to belong to Sleeping Beauty's family, but after the princess leaves with her prince, the inhabitants from the castle have nothing else to do but stay behind and live out their lives. Years pass and the castle becomes kind of a myth, where only a few people believe it actually exists and that's just fine with the characters who live there. Their lives begin to change h...more _Castle Waiting_ is essentially a high fantasy novel that takes place in an old castle in the middle of nowhere. The castle used to belong to Sleeping Beauty's family, but after the princess leaves with her prince, the inhabitants from the castle have nothing else to do but stay behind and live out their lives. Years pass and the castle becomes kind of a myth, where only a few people believe it actually exists and that's just fine with the characters who live there. Their lives begin to change however when a new character comes to live with them--a pregnant woman running away from a bad situation. As the woman learns about the castle and the people who live there, so do we, and it's a fantastic journey indeed.

This book is mostly fast-paced and extremely witty. The characters are amazing and I loved them all from their first introductions. I would say that the book kind of drags at the end because there's an origin story that kind of takes over the last third of the book. While I liked hearing about the nun's history and all of her adventures, it's a weird moment of a story within a story that works to slow the narrative down more than anything and it took some more effort on my part to get through it.

This book was sold to me by it being called "the feminist graphic novel," and while I can see how it is feminist in several ways, that's not all that the book is about. There are several cases where a woman is running away from a bad marriage or where she stands up for herself, which considering the time period that the book is supposed to be set in, that's a big deal. I would say though that I think another huge goal is dissecting the fairy tales that we all seem to know and turning them into something new. The book seems to be more about adaptation and challenging our opinions than anything, so I kind of think that trying to pigeonhole is doing it a huge disservice (but that's always the case with pigeonholing, isn't it?). I would definitely recommend it and I can't wait to read the next volume! (less)

like · see review

Mar 25, 2012 Kapila rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: EVVVVVVVVVVVVVERYONE!

Recommended to Kapila by: A List.

Shelves: graphic-novels, teen, fantasy

I L-O-V-E-D this book. I think I might have to read it again right now (something I haven't done since being the youngest of younglings). Had I the money, I would buy a 100 copies of this book to give to friends, and yes, even to throw at enemies - because it might hurt them, tome that it is, but then again, it might also do them some good if they picked it up and read it. I really don't have any enemies but if I did, that's what I'd do. Just letting y'all know.

Oh in the best of books, you see...more

2 likes · like · see review

Nov 22, 2011 Seth Hahne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics

[This is a review for both Fantagraphics volumes.]

Castle Waiting by Linda Medley

One of the great, nearly insurmountable problems of genre literature is that it has a need to follow after the conventions of its genre. This can be fine if all one wants is more of what one has already read. More hard-boiled detectives down on their luck who come up against the jealous or crooked police force in order to solve the case but ultimately lose the fight. More unsuspecting lads who flee their home villages to get caught up in a prophe...more

2 likes · like · see review

Nov 16, 2011 R. rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Je me souviens très bien avoir acheté ce livre il y a quelques années à la période de Noël. D'emblée, j'avais été séduit par l'objet lui-même. L'objet livre est magnifique, c'est un fac-similé d'un vieux livre relié d'un format assez compact mais très épais. Dès les premières pages tournées, la bonne impression initiale n'est pas démentie. Nous avons à faire à un travail soigné. Les dessins sont à l'avenant, de la ligne claire très propre et expressive mais pas de couleur. Fier de mon achat, je...more Je me souviens très bien avoir acheté ce livre il y a quelques années à la période de Noël. D'emblée, j'avais été séduit par l'objet lui-même. L'objet livre est magnifique, c'est un fac-similé d'un vieux livre relié d'un format assez compact mais très épais. Dès les premières pages tournées, la bonne impression initiale n'est pas démentie. Nous avons à faire à un travail soigné. Les dessins sont à l'avenant, de la ligne claire très propre et expressive mais pas de couleur. Fier de mon achat, je me suis rué dessus dès mon retour à la maison mais j'ai vite déchanté. Je ne m'attendais pas à cela. Le début de l'histoire n'est qu'une reprise du conte La belle au bois dormant sans grande originalité. Déçu et quelque peu endormi, j'avais refermé le livre et l'avait remisé au fond d'une étagère en me promettant de ne plus céder aux sirènes des couvertures aguicheuses et des reliures travaillées.
En cette année 2011, le deuxième tome pointe son nez et, comme je suis incorrigible, il a réveillé ma curiosité. J'ai donc décidé de donner une seconde chance à cette BD — c'est surtout que j'avais envie malgré tout d'acheter le second tome. Je vous rassure, le début du livre est toujours aussi soporifique — la BD porte bien son nom, on attend qu'il se passe quelque chose — mais cette fois j'ai tenu bon et vaincu, sans trop de bâillements, cette première difficulté. Il faut reconnaître que la suite est plus intéressante. L'apparition du personnage longiligne et élégant à tête d'oiseau a été le premier signe annonciateur d'une indéniable amélioration. Les personnages sont un petit point fort, l'intérêt de l'histoire augmente mais ne se hisse pas vers des sommets tandis que le récit semble être tout en faux plat sans accélération ni accalmie. Le tout peine donc un peu et le résultat est assez moyen mais reste tout de même sympathique à lire pour les amateurs du genre. Ça ne suffira pas à me convaincre d'acheter le deuxième tome. http://www.aubonroman.com/2011/11/cha...(less)

1 like · like · see review

Sep 13, 2011 Jess rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'd heard a lot of praise for "Castle Waiting" & this book did not disappoint in charm. I wasn't pulled in by the artwork, so it took me a few days to actually open the book & get down to brass tacks. The opening story is a (not very interesting) re-telling of the Sleeping Beauty story. Though the story is very told, i noticed small nuances that made the characters seem more relatable than characters tend to be in fairy tale retellings. After Sleeping Beauty is kissed by her prince, the...more

1 like · like · see review

May 07, 2011 Kimberly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, fantasy-sf, graphic-novels

I first read Linda Medley's Castle Waiting graphic novel as part of an assignment in library school. It was the very first graphic novel/comic I had read in years (the last one before that was probably an issue of Casper when I wasn't even double digits). I wasn't averse to reading graphic novels, and I had long embraced the notion of having them in public libraries as practical and necessary, I just hadn't ever bothered to go find one I thought I would like.

I'm glad I chose Castle Waiting as my...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 11, 2011 Leslie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics-graphic-novel, juvenile, natalyas-shelf, young-adult, chapter-book-8-11, middle-school-11-14, most-all-ages-really, part-of-a-series, book-one

"Castle Waiting is a marvelous comic in how it has wide appeal. The black and white line-drawing is pleasing and expressive. There is a great deal of humor and the bizarre. The stories, both over arcing and small, are interesting. The most novice reader of tales will be entertained and intrigued. The veteran tale reader will enjoy the scavenger hunt as Medley honors traditional storylines and figures even as she uses them at will—up-cycling, repurposing. Castle Waiting isn’t just feminist, its a...more "Castle Waiting is a marvelous comic in how it has wide appeal. The black and white line-drawing is pleasing and expressive. There is a great deal of humor and the bizarre. The stories, both over arcing and small, are interesting. The most novice reader of tales will be entertained and intrigued. The veteran tale reader will enjoy the scavenger hunt as Medley honors traditional storylines and figures even as she uses them at will—up-cycling, repurposing. Castle Waiting isn’t just feminist, its also green. I think the hipster (?) “mustache club” crowd** should get into it just fine as well—facial hair is in: female’s not excluded."
"As the publisher’s comments shared, the opening chapters are about Brambly Hedge (Sleeping Beauty). There is a great deal of humor and general silliness in these chapters; this creates a harmless sensibility that will capture and trap the reader."
[...]
"The effect of some of the more serious topics or situations addressed in Castle Waiting really depends upon the age and experience of the reader. The daughter of 10 3/4s didn’t blink at some of the frames that I mulled over or was moved to sadness by. She found a light-hearted humor over details I skimmed past, partly because she knows more tales than I do, but also because the story can be read with an eye for only adventure and humor."
[...]
"The daughter was curious why the second half spent the majority of its length on the bearded women, but she was fascinated and entertained. I’m not sure how attuned politically she is,or metaphorically savvy she can be, but Peace’s antics are witty and wild regardless. Highly charged reads can be daunting and alienating to certain ages, but Medley pulls it off. Regardless of how you choose to approach the stories, or with what you have to approach the stories, Medley entertains and provokes, both through written and illustrated renderings."
[...]
"It is an enchantment of the book that so many oddities or social outcasts are portrayed as normal; if not acceptable, certainly not judged. Medley draws eccentricity in more human, and thus accessible, terms. Her compassionate gaze has a humored perspective that is not keen to humiliate; which is such a wonderful and refreshing part of the experience of reading Castle Waiting. If you believe books can be refuges, this one is an unusually engaging one."

L @ omphaloskepsis
http://contemplatrix.wordpress.com/20...(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Feb 03, 2011 Story rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

This has to be one of the very best graphic novels yet placed into my hands. Medley's storytelling is deft and engrossing in a way to which I cannot here do justice. It is tender, powerful, inclusive... and wickedly funny. I could rattle off everything which colored me delighted about this volume-- Medley's keen observation of humanity, her wit and sense of humor, the puns, the deliciousness of her slanted fairytales, the voice and dialogue of so many of her characters... but that's a laundry li...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 05, 2010 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is one of the most amazing, awesome things I've read in a really long time. Castle Waiting is all about how people who don't fit need a place where they do--not because of how they can be like everyone else, but because of the ways they're not. It's about how home is where they always take you in and family are the ones who see you for who you are and still love you, sometimes in spite of yourself.

The artwork is incredible, with beautiful backgrounds and fully-realized characters. The plot...more

1 like · like · see review

May 10, 2010 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics

Kim lent me a copy of the hardbound first collection of the graphic novel Castle Waiting by Linda Medley and produced by Fantagraphics Books. The story is a sort of feminist Chaucer set in the never never land of fairy tales. It opens with the story of Castle Waiting, a castle set over a land once lush and prosperous until it became the bramble-covered castle of the story of Sleeping Beauty. Once the Prince woke the Princess and everyone else from their century-long sleep the town was gone and t...more Kim lent me a copy of the hardbound first collection of the graphic novel Castle Waiting by Linda Medley and produced by Fantagraphics Books. The story is a sort of feminist Chaucer set in the never never land of fairy tales. It opens with the story of Castle Waiting, a castle set over a land once lush and prosperous until it became the bramble-covered castle of the story of Sleeping Beauty. Once the Prince woke the Princess and everyone else from their century-long sleep the town was gone and the castle destroyed. With the castle abandoned by all but a few, it became Castle Waiting.

The stories in Castle Waiting are charming and entertaining but lack emotional punch. It's difficult not to be charmed by the book as the stories are light, funny and entertaining. A pregnant woman flees from her abusive husband and falls into peril before she manages to reach Castle Waiting and give birth to her strange green son. A horse-headed knight and the stork-shaped keeper of the castle go into town for supplies and meet up with bandits. A full second half of the book involves the story of the local nun and how a bearded girl joined a circus, left a circus, and found herself among a feminist order in the service of God. The story of the nun goes on too long -- it spins into backstories about backstories that have backstories -- but is otherwise fun to read. It's sort of the fantasy lives of the women of various fantasy series while their men go off and fight wars and the great battles between Good and Evil.

It's a fun read. It's well and clearly written. The art is top-notch for being b&w. It's very light. I'm not certain it's a "read more than once" but it is handsomely bound and looks good sitting on a shelf among other books. It makes a nice introduction to comics for people who aren't enormous comic-book people and aren't interested in requiring an encyclopedic knowledge of this universe or that one going back 40 years. Although it has fairy tale references it is a self-contained volume.

I'll happily read volume #2 when it comes out. This one comes recommended for those looking to get into comics and not knowing where to start, or those who enjoy comics from time to time but don't want to invest in some huge story. It's a great intro-story. It may not be a good recommendation for people who are hard core comics nerds who are looking for more meat out of their stories.

(Also, it needs to go back to its owner!) (less)

like · see review

May 02, 2010 Thurston Hunger rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reading-to-the-kids

Can't recall the librarian blog that pointed me towards this. Again a graphic novel, and here another tweaking of fairy tales (including arguably a loose rewriting of Christ as a bearded woman?!!?).

My kids really like this, so did I. Although more of Rackham (a stork), Chess (a stable horseman but no jockey) and Henry (a sullen mumbler whose *grunts* speaks volumes) would have been welcomed by us, the latter third dedicated to the Solicitine Order (a convent of the bearded women) is where the fo...more

like · see review

Feb 21, 2010 Kelley Ross rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novels

At first, I was a little disappointed with this book because it started off by retelling the story of Sleeping Beauty. However, the story quickly progressed into a tale of what happened to the rest of the characters from that classic fairy tale. In a less shocking way, this graphic novel reminded me of Gregory Mcguire's Wicked series. A mother runs away because the bears an illegitimate child and ends up at Castle Waiting, where the story of Sleeping Beauty once unfolded. Now it is occupied by "...more

like · see review

Sep 20, 2011 Jennifer Black rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novel

I recognized the title when I saw it on the shelf at the library, so I checked it out. If I would have opened it up first, I would have noticed it was a graphic novel. That is fine. I tried something new. Now, I can definitely say, I am not a graphic novel fan. I didn't find the jokes very funny, and the characters were a bit annoying. I didn't understand why so much of the book was dedicated to the bearded nun when there were so many other characters that might have been interesting, and after...more

like · see review

Jan 24, 2011 Ruhama rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: juvenile

A graphic novel that combines several folk and fairy tale elements to create an original story. Medley starts with the outline of Sleeping Beauty, but then quickly shifts the story to her own once the princess wakes up and leaves with her prince, thus making the main character of the story the castle itself. We learn about all the inhabitants of Castle Waiting, including a bearded nun, a man with a heart of iron and a talking stork.

This is an interesting story, and I really enjoyed picking out a...more

like · see review

May 15, 2010 Catherine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Castle Waiting started off very mediocre with a retelling of Sleeping Beauty which does not do anything but set up the actual story. The actual story has to do with a secluded village called Castle Waiting which carries a small communal group of people who live there happily. A woman named Lady Jain (not really a Lady) comes into their village and settles in. This is the basic set-up of the story. Once we are introduced to the characters who would inhabit the main story, the graphic novel become...more

1 like · like · see review

Oct 10, 2012 Atlanta rated it 3 of 5 stars

The 457-page graphic novel Castle Waiting by Linda Medley is a collection of stories all relating to and surrounding a castle in a magical world. The novel starts out describing the history of the castle and how a princess was born with a curse surrounding her and eventually she left and the castle fell into disrepair. Following this, a strange group of people moved in, creating a sanctuary within the castle. Eventually a pregnant woman comes to the castle and has her child there, and during the...more

like · see review

Dec 09, 2012 Erin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Overall, I think I did end up liking this book, although it took me longer than it probably should have to finish it. Everytime I put it down after reading a good portion of it, it'd take me a couple days to pick it back up, simply because it didn't always hold my interest. It didn't really have a storyline to follow, and just seemed to jump around telling odd stories throughout the book. The fairytale aspect of the book faded away for me too, after awhile. In the beginning, it certainly started...more

like · see review

Jan 05, 2012 Jared Gillins rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novels

I really enjoyed reading this, and I swept through it pretty quickly. It was not at all what I expected it to be when I picked it up to start reading. It starts out as sort of a fractured fairy tale, but then turns into a medium for telling the stories of anyone the author feels like. It's pretty brilliant, really. She's not tied to any plotline or set of central characters--Linda Medley uses the storied Castle Waiting to freely introduce characters and tales as she wishes. There are even storie...more

like · see review

Aug 06, 2012 Snail in Danger (Sid) Nicolaides rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics, children-ya, fairy-tales-myths-legends, theme-sex-gender-glbt

I really enjoyed parts of this. But the part near the beginning — about how gypsies steal and/or buy babies — really?! It kind of ruined this for me. I saw a big pile of remaindered copies of this at a Half Price books and remembered how someone (but not who) had gushed about the setup in my hearing. (Sleeping Beauty is awakened, then rides off into the sunset with the prince, leaving the other denizens of the castle saying "What?") But the "gypsies steal babies" thing kind of ruined it for me.

T...more

1 like · like · see review

Oct 06, 2012 Andrea rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novel, fantasy, fairytale, havedeadtree

"Castle Waiting" tells the story of the inhabitants of Sleeping Beauty's castle, after she has been woken and long ago left. An isolated castle surrounded by the ruin of a town and a high briar hedge, it is a place which has become a sanctuary.

This thick volume is divided into three main portions. A swift retelling of Sleeping Beauty's tale. The arrival of Jain, fleeing her brutal husband so she can bear another man's baby (the baby entertainingly resembles Shrek). Then the story of Peaceful, a...more

2 likes · like · see review

Oct 14, 2009 Rosalia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 500-essential-gn, fairy-tales, fantasy, graphic-novels, based-on-mythology, 2009

This is one of my favorite graphic novels and one of the first ones I ever read. While reading through Castle Waiting the reader will find bits and pieces of many other fairy tales including Sleeping Beauty, Puss in Boots, and various mythologies. However Castle Waiting picks up where the stories end. We find that Sleeping Beauty's Castle has become a sanctuary for people who need a place to go whether it's to begin a new life, or end life in peace. The main focus of this book is Lady Jain, a wo...more

like · see review

Dec 12, 2012 Christian Hendriks rated it 5 of 5 stars

Perhaps five stars is excessive. That being said, I wanted to distinguish it from books that I merely "Really Liked." Castle Waiting, Vol I reminds me that the fantasy genre can contain things other than violence-oriented adventure narratives, and this alone warrants quite a few stars. It treats its characters with a gentleness and empathy that I find hugely soothing, but does not shy away from judging the clearly villainous. It also gives attention to the patterns of everyday life and to the im...more

like · see review

Jul 03, 2012 Brett rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: five-stars, teen-graphic-novel

Now this is it. This is what I was looking for when I began reading graphic novels a month or two ago, & I could not possibly love it more. I love the classic fairy-tale setting & the quirky characters, I love the way that those characters' stories through time kind of overlap & interweave, I love the outright nods to classic fairy stories such as "Sleeping Beauty" as well as the more sly little references, & I especially love the idea of a place where misfits can make their own...more

like · see review

Jul 14, 2011 Cat rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was a very cute graphic novel, and its heart is in the right place, namely with bearded ladies (proud freaks and passionate nuns), single mothers, patron saints who defend women from brutal husbands, and Sleeping Beauties who get the hell out of Dodge because, well, Dodge (or, in this case, the castle life) is boring. I wanted to be more transported by it than I was, so I didn't love it. Some of this may have been due to my own limitations as a graphic novels reader; as someone who somehow...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Bearded Nuns	6	31	Mar 01, 2012 01:26pm

combine
Other Editions (3)

Genres

Sequential Art > Graphic Novels

297 users

Fantasy

223 users

Sequential Art > Comics

83 users

Fantasy > Fairy Tales

49 users

Young Adult

36 users

Humor

21 users

Graphic Novels Comics

14 users

Adult

10 users

Humor > Funny

8 users

Young Adult > Teen

8 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Linda Medley

Linda Medley is the author of the acclaimed Castle Waiting graphic novel, published by Fantagraphics Books. A freelance illustrator since 1985, Linda Medley has illustrated children's books for Putnam, Grosset & Dunlap, Houghton-Mifflin, and Western Publishing. Linda has worked in the comics industry as a penciller, inker, painter, colorist and sculptor. Her pencilling work includes stints on...more

More about Linda Medley...

Books by Linda Medley

Castle Waiting: The Curse of Brambly Hedge (Castle Waiting)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Castle Waiting, V...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Quotes from Castle Waiting, Vol. 1

“Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin” — 2 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: Castle Waiting, Vol. 1
avg rating	preview: Castle Waiting, Vol. 1 Goodreads rating: 3.99 (3044 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/177395.Castle_Waiting_Vol_1?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1289587132l/177395.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/177395.Castle_Waiting_Vol_1?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Castle Waiting, Vol. 1 by Linda Medley[/url]

Castle Waiting, Vol. 1 (Castle Waiting Omnibus Collection #1)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website