Since it’s the Halloween month and all things creepy and wonderful are sneaking about, it seems like a good time to talk about one of the cooler things Neil Gaiman has done for his readers. His middle-grade novel The Graveyard Book achieved mass critical acclaim, from a Hugo to the Newberry award, as well as audience adoration from kids and adults (as discussed in last week’s post on all-ages scary stories).
But did you know that you can listen to it, read by Gaiman himself, for free? Right now?
Well, really, you’ll be watching it, as the story is contained in chapter-by-chapter videos of readings from the book tour. Which is honestly even cooler; Neil Gaiman has excellent stage presence and a wonderful reading voice.
If you follow through this link, you’ll find yourself on Gaiman’s website, where he hosts the videos of his book tour. There’s nothing illicit about enjoying this book for free—he invites and encourages you to do so. The videos are relatively high quality, also.
The Graveyard Book is haunting and poignant, dark in all the right ways, and just scary enough. It’s a lyrical masterpiece that I finished the first time in one rather breathless reading. Now it’s one of my favorite comfort-reads. The moral uncertainties and the frightful aspects of Bod’s personality, as well as the world he lives in, are so engaging. It’s a children’s book for everyone.
And, since you can have the author himself read the book to you right now and enjoy it as much as you want—why not?
(On the other hand, the paperback was also recently released, so if you really truly enjoy the free video recordings it might be good to pick up a copy, also.)
Lee Mandelo is a multi-fandom geek with a special love for comics and queer literature. She can be found on Twitter and Livejournal.
