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#32: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

2/27/2014

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As his family is murdered, a baby escapes into a nearby graveyard, whose denizens take him in and raise him to adulthood. I was really resisting reading a Gaiman book for this list, but the reviews on this intrigued me. I must say it is classic Gaiman, in both the good and bad ways I've come to think of him.

Good: charming touches, such as listing the birth/ death date and last words from each tombstone listed after each ghost's name. I liked Bod, the main character.

Bad: that pervasive feeling that this book could have been so much more than a revenge and end of world story featuring ghosts, vampires, and a werewolf. It almost feels like he relies on his marketing to make his stories tick. And I hate saying that.

Lessons for Writing: don't rest on your laurels. Write your heart out. Fill the world with art and poetry. (I have decided to go to a poetry workshop in late May. Did I mention that?)

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    In 2011, I began reading a list of 100 Great Fantasy Novels. I am listing them on this page.

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    Hi!  I am Nye Joell Hardy.  
    I write science fiction and fantasy.  The science fiction makes my head happy.  The fantasy makes my heart happy.  Although I sell all these things, none are making me rich.  But I'm happy, damn it.  

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