Book blogging (mostly)
The Graveyard Book (audio)
I have a weird relationship with Neil Gaiman’s books. His stories always fascinate me conceptually, but upon reading them, I’m inevitably underwhelmed. That isn’t to say his books are bad, just not as great as I hope they will be upon reading a plot summary.
The Graveyard Book suffers this same small letdown. The idea – a young boy, orphaned after the brutal murder of his family, is raised by the ghosts that inhabit a nearby graveyard – is pretty awesome. The execution, while still very entertaining and enjoyable, is just enough less awesome to be disappointing. Maybe I expect too much from Gaiman, but if that’s the case it’s his own fault for having such awesome ideas.
The best part about The Graveyard Book is how it celebrates life through the constant presence of death. This theme emerges so naturally from the content of the book that it doesn’t ever feel cliche or preachy. Gaiman also ties everything together nicely in the end. Unfortunately, there are too many parts that drag along the way to make it excellent from beginning to end.
On the whole this a good book and, if you choose to go with the audio version, I think you will be pleasantly surprised by Gaiman’s skill as a narrator. In spite of my own weird disappointment, I don’t have a problem recommending this. It’s not Gaiman’s best (Neverwhere, Stardust), but it’s far from his worst (Good Omens).
-
-
I admit my enjoyment of Stardust can be attributed to the fact that I’m a sucker for a good love story. Plus, it was just so much fun to read. As for Good Omens, it has been 6 or 7 years since I read it, but the whole time I remember thinking “I’d rather be reading Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.”
-
-
#3 written by Shawn FH 1 year ago
Well, Douglas Adams is pretty hard to dispute, and holds the higher rank no matter how you slice it. Some of Pratchett’s books still make me think that… I find that I appreciate Pratchett most when I immensely enjoy the subject matter to begin with.
As long as we’re sliding into that genre, have you read Peter David? His “Sir Apropos of Nothing” is excellent.
-
I’m glad you too are underwhelmed by Gaiman. I’ve always felt like such a mutant in thinking his books are…a let down…because everyone else I know practically wets themselves over his novels.
However, I have been itching to try Stardust and The Graveyard Book…perhaps I will trepidatiously pick one up.
-
As I said above, keep in mind I’m a sucker for a love story, but I thought Stardust was a lot of fun, and if you’re not looking for anything too serious it’s a very enjoyable read.
With both it and The Graveyard Book I think if you go into them with muted expectations you will find them clever and enjoyable, if nothing else.
-
-
I have read Gaiman’s Stardust and Neverwhere. I thought Stardust was all right, but I didn’t like Neverwhere all that much. I was annoyed by the main character and didn’t quite buy into the world he had created. I’ve heard Gaiman speak and he’s a terrific, funny speaker. But I just was not wowed by the books I read.
-
- Comment Feed for this Post
100% agreed on The Graveyard Book and Neverwhere, though I’d be tempted to flat-out swap Stardust and Good Omens. I confess that Stardust underwhelmed me, while Good Omens hit my sweet spot of being a Terry Pratchett delivery of a Neil Gaiman plot playing havoc with Armageddon.