R-Jeneration: Author puts new spin on old tale

Once upon a time there lived the seven deadly dwarves, who performed the sins of mortals for room and board.

An old crone clambered through the bowels of the Earth intent on killing her only daughter with a poisoned apple.

An ice-cold maiden is held captive by a prince.

The retelling of "Snow White" in Tanith Lee's "White as Snow" follows the trinity of the maiden, the old woman and the goddess.

The story unfolds with the life of Arpazia, the wicked queen with the mirror known of old, whose kingdom is destroyed at age 14. Her forced marriage with the destroyer of her home, Draco, leaves her with a child (Candacis) she has resolved to ignore.

Stripping away the cliche version of "Snow White" told to children at bedtime, "White as Snow" breathes life into the dwarves who are not related and make their way in the world as actors who mine as a day job. Each playing the role of a sin, the lines are blurred between which dwarves are acting their parts and which live as their sin on a daily basis.

A blend of neglect and an inability to love, the portrayal of Candacis creates a detached state of mind for the majority of the novel. This becomes a drawback as the detached mentality makes feeling deep emotions for the strife that characters endure difficult. A pessimistic view of the world is constantly in action, leaving the notion of happily ever after in the dust.

Yet the story itself is quite moving with its blend of folklore and cyclical destiny. Arpazia begins as the maiden and becomes the old woman when she makes the wrong decision, which voids her chances of being the goddess. Candacis then takes up this journey and succeeds in an unexpected manner.

A poetic rendition of a beloved classic, "White as Snow" unveils the reasons behind the corrupt nature of the wicked queen. The barrier of good and evil is distorted as the story unfolds, creating pity and sympathy for a host of characters usually labeled as the villains.