The problem with a
new book by an author I particularly like, is that I expect it to be like the
other books by that author. Even when I know it’s going to be different. Neil
Gaiman’s Trigger Warning is very
different from the other Gaiman books I’ve read.
It’s a collection
of short fiction, and I’ve only read his novels. Already I’m in unfamiliar
territory. But with Neil Gaiman it’s always unfamiliar territory. He writes
fairy tales and myths for grownups. If you haven’t read him before, let me
recommend Stardust, then Good Omens (which he did with Terry
Pratchett,) and American Gods. Each
is very different from the other, but they all do the same good things. They
take you on exciting journeys, provide you with interesting companions, and
never, ever do the expected.
He’s also written
numerous children’s books including Coraline,
which I love, and The Day I Swapped My
Dad for Two Goldfish, which I gave to my youngest grandchild Silas. The Ocean at the End of the Lane was for
oldest Martha. And a copy of Stardust for the middle grandchild John
Riley. All three were signed by Mr. Gaiman last February. That book-signing was
certainly memorable – all properly documented in a blog post. See Neil Gaiman Book Signing.
Trigger Warning starts out with a lengthy introduction
which I skipped after only the tiniest taste. I’m a cut-to-the-chase kind of
woman. What he thinks, what inspires him, where each story was first published
or aired (in the case of the Doctor Who
episodes) these are of interest to many, but I’m here for the stories.
The first two
stories just didn’t do it for me. I was on the verge of disappointment. But the
third? The third was the Neil Gaiman I love. “The Thing about Cassandra” is a
story about a very commonplace happening in a man’s past. Or was it
commonplace? Did it happen? It’s that little zone in your mind, the thinnest of
lines between reality and memory that we all have. And I was hooked.
The next Gaiman
book on my to-read list is Ocean at the
End of the Lane. Maybe I can borrow it from my granddaughter.
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