In the middle of the night a family is murdered in their beds, but the job isn’t complete, the youngest child, a small baby, escapes the fate of his family and toddles off in the direction of the local graveyard. After creeping through the gaps in the railings the young child is then adopted by the ghostly inhabitants of the graveyard, at the pleading request of his mother’s spirit. The child is then raised by Mr and Mrs Owens, a ghostly couple, along side a not-quite-dead-not-quite-alive guardian by the name of Silas.
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman full book review
It has to be said that the book was a good page turner, and the story flowed well with recognised Gaiman humour and a touch of the macabre, however not as dark as Coraline. There is a slightly hollow feel left after reading it though, possibly due to a loose end situation. It would be nice to see sequels or even some spin off books, continuing the story of the lives of several of the characters. This should not however been seen as a negative point, indeed it is quite the opposite, Gaiman leaves the reader with the words ‘…and then?’ lingering on their lips, desperate to know more, to continue following the lives of the characters that they have grown to love.
Neil Gaiman is one of the top ten living post-modern writers, and is a prolific creator of works of prose, poetry, film, journalism, comics, song lyrics, and drama.
Related posts
Leave a Reply
Top 10 fantasy books
- The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
- Assassin’s Quest by Robin Hobb
- The Earthsea Quartet by Ursula Le Guin
- Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
- Ship of Destiny by Robin Hobb
- Nation by Terry Pratchett
- Midnight Tides by Steven Erikson
- The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
- Night Watch by Terry Pratchett
- A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett
Top 10 children's fantasy books
- The Iron Man by Ted Hughes
- The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson
- The Gruffalo’s Child by Julia Donaldson
- Stick Man by Julia Donaldson
- Time To Wash Faces! by Andrew Davenport
- Come To Tea On Planet Zum Zee by Tony Mitton
- The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
- Lost And Found by Oliver Jeffers
- The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
- The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
Latest reviews...
- The Runaway Troll by Matt Haig
- Shadow Forest by Matt Haig
- The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
- Shout for the Dead by James Barclay
- Cry of the Newborn by James Barclay
- Brisingr by Christopher Paolini
- Demonstorm by James Barclay
- Shadowheart by James Barclay
- Elfsorrow by James Barclay
- Nightchild by James Barclay
The Wardstone Chronicles
The Spook's Mistake arrived in 2008 to become the fifth instalment in the best ongoing fantasy series for young adults. The Wardstone Chronicles by Joseph Delaney are delightfully dark and a must read for children and adults alike.
The Spook's Apprentice
The Spook's Curse
The Spook's Secret
The Spook's Battle
Twilight movie trailer
TWILIGHT is an action-packed, modern day love story between a vampire and a human. Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) has always been a little bit different, never caring about fitting in with the trendy girls at her Phoenix high school. When her mother remarries and sends Bella to live with her father in the rainy little town of Forks, Washington, she doesn't expect much of anything to change.
