Rating the Princes Charming by Christoper Healy + Giveaway
Artwork copyright © 2012 by Todd Harris
Let’s take a look at these Princes Charming in their original tales and see how they rate as true heroes.
CINDERELLA’S PRINCE
Defined character traits: Handsome; rich; possibly sneaky.
Known deeds: In most versions, he sends a valet to scout out a girl he liked and lost, though in a few variations he does the girl-scouting himself. And in one Grimm Brothers version, the prince actually schemes to make Cinderella lose her slipper — he sneakily coats the steps with wax so that her shoes stick to them. So depending which version you read, the prince is either sweet-but-lazy or resourceful-but-Machiavellian. Oh, and there’s also the bit where the wicked stepsisters trick the prince into thinking the slipper fits them by cutting off parts of their feet. The prince never notices the bloody mess himself — he needs a magical bird to point it out to him. So… points for observation skills.
Hero rating (out of 10): 3
SNOW WHITE’S PRINCE
Defined character traits: Lucky; kinda creepy.
Known deeds: He stumbles upon Snow White, presumably dead, in a glass coffin and is so smitten by her beauty that he tries to buy her from the dwarfs — at least that’s the way the Grimms tell it. When he realizes she’s not dead, he’s just kind of like, “Hey, cool.” In other versions, he’s just so saddened by the loss of someone so pretty that he can’t help but kiss her. I suppose that’s slightly better.
Hero rating: 1
RAPUNZEL’S PRINCE
Artwork copyright © 2012 by Todd Harris.
Known deeds: In the original tale, the prince discovers Rapunzel in the tower and wins her over by being a generally nice guy. And she proposes to him (at least in some versions). So he returns to her every day, bringing bits of silk so that she can eventually tie them into a ladder and escape. Prince Smarty McGenius thinks this is a much better plan than just bringing an actual ladder. When he returns on one occasion to find the witch there instead of Rapunzel, he jumps out of the tower, lands in a thorn bush, and blinds himself. The guy messes up repeatedly, but, hey, at least he tries.
Hero rating: 5
SLEEPING BEAUTY’S PRINCE
Defined character traits: Brave (if foolhardishly so); a bit cocky
Known deeds: In some classic versions of the Briar Rose tale, the princess has been asleep for one hundred years before our prince shows up. And during that time, many wannabe heroes have died trying to hack through the mystical briar patch that covers the whole kingdom. The prince is undaunted by this, though, enters the tangle of thorns anyway, and kisses the enchanted maiden to wake her. Other iterations of the tale require the hearty prince to vanquish the evil fairy herself before reaching Sleeping Beauty. Either way, you’ve got to give the guy props for courage. But you’ve also got to admit he’s perhaps a little too well-stocked in the ego department. When people remind him about all the other princes whose bodies are still sticking around, impaled on those magic thorns, he basically says, “Well, it’s not going to happen to me.” Self-confident? Sure. Bit of a show-off? Absolutely. Wise? Meh.
Hero rating: 9
Okay, so Sleeping Beauty’s prince may be the real deal (or at least something approaching it), but his motives aren’t the most noble we’ve ever seen. In the end, I still think giving Prince Charming a makeover was the right thing to do.
About The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom
Enter a world where everything, even our classic fairy tales, is not at all what it seems.
Prince Liam. Prince Frederic. Prince Duncan. Prince Gustav. You’ve never head of them, have you? These are the princes who saved Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapunzel, respectively, and yet, thanks to those lousy bards who wrote the tales, you likely know them only as “Prince Charming.” But all of this is about to change…
Rejected by their princesses and cast out of their castles, Liam, Frederic, Duncan, and Guztav stumble upon an evil plot that could endanger each of their kingdoms. Now it’s up to them to triumph over their various shortcomings, take on trolls, bandits, dragons, witches, and other associated terrors to becom the heroes no one ever thought they could be.
This title is the first in a series about the adventures of Liam, Frederic, Duncan, and Gustav. The second title is due out in 2013.
About Christopher Healy
Headshots for author Christopher Healy, at his Maplewood, NJ home one June 22, 2011. (photo by Christopher Barth)
Follow Christopher on Twitter
Check out The Hero’s Guide on Goodreads.
Check out the rest of the tour!
Giveaway!
Listen to the audio sample because I am giving away an audiobook thanks to Christopher and Walden Pond Press. Use the Rafflecopter below to enter!
Oh my goodness, this book sounds so cool! I love this guest post.
I have been hearing so much about this book today, all over my twitter feed. I have to say this post put me over the edge, I have got to read this one!
Even though he is a troubled soul, the Beast from Beauty and the Beast will always be my favorite prince.
This book is SO FUNNY, and really smartly written. I am a huge fan.
I like Caspin. And Corwin of Amber is a classic. And I always loved Hal and Alan in Nancy Springer’s The Silver Sun, I must have read that book 10 times when I was a kid. But it’s true, when I think back, very few of the heroes in my stories are princes, usually they’re women or if they’re men they’re magicians or soldiers or ordinary guys who get caught up in bigger events and turn out to be more than they first appear, but seldom princes still. I’m looking forward to checking out this book and seeing how these princes manage under duress, it looks like a great story.
I love the Beast from Beauty and the Beast. He is a very troubled character who gives up hope that no one can see him as anything but a most and not what is inside of me.
That is an awesome audiobook! I need to get my hands on it! And my favorite prince is probably Prince Phillip (from Disney’s Sleeping Beauty) because, as stated above, he’s the only one who really does anything. Plus he’s a hottie!
I have my copy in my hands right now and I can’t wait to dive into it. I have not heard ONE thing about it that was less than hilarious, awesome, clever, etc. WOO HOO!
I loved Sleeping Beauty’s prince in the Disney movie because they gave him a bit of personality. This book looks like SO MUCH FUN, though! I’m a sucker for anything fairytale-esque.
I vote Beast, too.
Prince Blomquist von Saunabaden aka the Frog Prince in Once Upon a Fairy Tale.
This book and audio CD contain the retelling of four favorite stories (The Frog Prince, Little Red Riding Hood, Rumplestiltskin and Goldilocks and the Three Bears). Narration on the audio CD is is performed by a variety of celebrities including Minnie Driver, Hugh Grant, Barbra Streisand, and Robin Williams to name a few.
In addition to the prince’s retelling, in The Frog Prince you get to hear the story from the perspective of the princess (Princess Isabelle von Trifle), the frog (Hexed), and HRH Ermintrude Brunhilda Katerina Liliana III (the princess’s mother). The Princess’s Pillow even weighs in with its account. A great book if you can get a hold of a copy.
I think my favorite prince from the top three would be Snow White’s. I mean he might be creepy for wanting to buy a dead girl, but a man like that has to have some interesting adventures. He could even be some sort of villain. This is giving me ideas. Maybe Snow White didn’t live happily everafter. Sounds a little Bluebeardish.
What an awesome guest post! :D
My favorite prince is probably Beast, too, but I actually don’t really know. I’m not big on princes… haha. :D
My favourite prince is Disney’s Beast. I find it interesting that a spoiled 11 year old prince with no parents was cursed because he was rude to a creepy stranger at his door. I’d be jaded too if that happened to me.
This book sounds brilliant! Not keen on Sleeping Beauty’s prince myself because Grimm made the story a lot more PG. Makes Snow White’s prince look normal.
Does Shrek count? He’s my favorite prince because he’s honest about who (and what) he is.
I need more funny audiobooks! Princes do get short shrift in a lot of the fairy tales. Most of them are just another pretty face. Except for the frog prince, who I guess wasn’t too pretty.
Prince Hubby. What can I say? I’m partial :)
My favorite prince is definitely the beast! This book sounds great!
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