The Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Illustrations by Dave McKean (US Edition)

ISBN# 978-0-06-053092-1

Available now

Published by HarperCollins

Format: HC, 312 pages

Genres: YA, fiction, urban fantasy

So, if you haven't heard of Neil Gaiman by now I assume you're avoiding him on purpose and not reading this review anyway.  Now for the other side of the fence, if you're reading this review looking for undue praise of Mr. Gaiman's talent you're not going to find it here so move along.  While I am a big fan of his comics Sandman and Death I do not feel the same way about most of his novels.  I grew up taking walks through the graveyard with my grandmother so I have always loved them which is probably what guaranteed this book at least a shot when I have given up on most of his others.

Nobody Owens, Bod for short, is one lucky toddler.  In one night his whole family is murdered and he finds himself taken in by a graveyard full of ghosts just as his would-be assassin arrives at the gates.  As you can guess he isn't brought up quite like other boys, but wouldn't you be pretty happy learning how to fade, haunt, and dream walk too?  Along with learning the alphabet he's also learning history from people that were there and languages that have never been heard by the living.  Along with the ghosts Bod also has a mysterious guardian named Silas who can leave the graveyard at night and bring back things a growing boy needs.  He meets his first living friend, Scarlett, at the age of five, but after a confrontation with the Sleer (three-headed serpent guardian) Bod finds in a burial mound her family moves far away.  Later, he manages to get into even more trouble when he falls asleep on top of a ghoul gate and is carried off by ghouls who tell him to join them, either voluntarily or by force.  Luckily, before much can happen he is saved by Night-gaunts and his teacher, Miss Lupescu.  His countless misadventures with the living and the dead serve to prepare Bod quite well when his family's murderer catches up with him once again, but this time there's Scarlett to worry about and Jack brought back-up.

The story was good and so was the pacing, but it's very dry.  This is the problem I have with a lot of his novels.  His books become boring for me and I give up on them because there's no feeling, no emotional attachment.  If Gaiman can't bother to be attached to his characters and what happens to them why should I?  It's like he's a reporter or a cop and his books are just reports he turned in full of facts, but not much else.  If you've liked all his past work I have no doubt you'll like this too, but if you're looking for something that will really pull you in you may want to pass.  If you are an urban fantasy fan you'll want to read it just for some of the ideas alone.  I liked the book, I really liked Sirus and the secret Jacks of All Trades organization (wish there had been more about them), but not enough to read it again or buy it.

Zhye