Preview: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

“The Graveyard Book” (Neil Gaiman)

Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite authors. I first fell in love with his writing after reading the brilliant, multi-layered American Gods. I enjoyed Stardust and Neverwhere almost as much. While I feel he missed a trick with the American Gods spinoff Anansi Boys, in general I hold Gaiman’s work in high regard.

The Graveyard Book, a young-adult novel whose title intentionally alludes to Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book, tells the story of a boy named Nobody–Bod for short–who is orphaned and grows up among the supernatural beings in a graveyard. I don’t know much more than that, at the moment, although I’m sure some excerpts have surfaced, since the 30 September release date is right around the corner.

Even better, for me at least, Neil Gaiman will be in my hometown of Santa Monica on 6 October. I missed the chance to see him speak when I was in Oxford, so I’m very excited to now have the opportunity.

I’ll report on both the book and the public appearance very soon.