Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Neil Gaiman - The Graveyard Book

This is another magnificent book by the master storyteller, Neil Gaiman. This may be YA fiction but it is equally engaging for kids and adults alike. It certainly held me captive; but then again, all Neil Gaiman novels have. As usual, Gaiman has crafted an engaging set of characters, in particular Silas and Nobody Owens. I was completely drawn into Bod's world and I was hanging onto every word as I read about his adventures. If anything, this book was too short and there was so much more I wanted to know. For example, what is Silas's backstory? The novel hints at him being a vampire but this is never specified in the book, and there's no history on Silas or why he ends up at the graveyard. The Sleer also remains a bit of a mystery. I also don't think Gaiman provided a clear enough motive as to why the Jacks wanted Bod and his family dead. Gaiman also didn't explain why Bod seemed to be losing his 'graveyard' powers at the end - is it an age thing or is there some other reason? Certainly, I would love to read more about Silas and Nobody so hopefully Gaiman will bring them back in future books. In the meantime, this will be a treasured book and I look forward to reading it again and again.

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