The View from the Cheap Seats: Selected Nonfiction

Published by Hachette UK Audio

The View from the Cheap Seats draws together, for the first time ever, myriad nonfiction writing by international phenomenon and Sunday Times best-selling author Neil Gaiman. From Make Good Art, the speech he gave at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia that went viral, to pieces on artists and legends including Terry Pratchett, Lou Reed and Ray Bradbury, the collection offers a glimpse into the head and heart of one of the most acclaimed writers of our time.

This collection brings together more than 60 pieces of Neil Gaiman's outstanding nonfiction. Analytical yet playful, erudite yet accessible, this cornucopia explores a broad range of interests and topics, including (but not limited to): authors past and present; music; storytelling; comics; bookshops; travel; fairy tales; America; inspiration; libraries; ghosts; and the title piece, at turns touching and self-deprecating, which recounts the author's experiences at the 2010 Academy Awards in Hollywood

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hachette UK Audio
• Release date: May 31, 2016
• ISBN: 9781472208040

Reviews for The View from the Cheap Seats

[kalliegrace · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoy Neil Gaiman's works, and I love his thoughts on his works and the works of others. The first essay on books and libraries is phenomenal. That said, since this is a collection of speeches and introductions to the works of others, it was a bit repetitive at times, and I think I'd prefer if he just wrote his thoughts in a book, for a book, rather than collecting thoughts he wrote for other things. This is still excellent and give insight into his work and who he is.

[kavinay-677830 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The un-essential Neil Gaiman.

I'm not trying to be mean; this is by the author's own admission a collection of odds and ends. The problem is really that there are few essays or critiques and most of the works therein are the intros to other people's books. Okay, but not particularly engaging. An interesting read for fans, but I doubt you'll take it cover to cover.

[jennybeast · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is taking me a long time to read, because it's so rich and heady. I want to savor the insights and spend time thinking. It's a great collection for the Gaiman enthusiast, if a bit repetitive at times in theme (given how many of the essays are talks or graduation speeches, that's not so surprising, and even those are really interesting in how they develop over time.)

Finally finished it. Loved it. Particularly love that Neil is so willing to share his life with us -- to open a window on his friendships, on his challenges and his history and his family. It gives me a sense of connection to him that is comforting to me, for all it is not real. I also really enjoyed getting to know the other parts of Neil Gaiman's work -- the journalism, the comics. I'm one of the myth and fairy tale readers. I started to know him as a poet in obscure fairy tale retelling collections, before I ever found his prose.

I find myself swinging back and forth between wanting to give up my day job and find a way, like Gaiman, to make the art my soul and center, and trying to find a way to channel my everyday fury at the fact of the day job like Pratchett did, into my art. Thank you, Neil, for both of these examples. They are massively inspiring.

advanced reader's copy provided by Edelweiss.

[jbd1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An engaging collection of short essays, introductions, speeches, &c. Uneven as such things tend to be, and a bit repetitive in spots, but still a good volume to enjoy some excellent writing.

[tobinelliott · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'm not sure why I approach every Neil Gaiman book as though I'm not going to like it, but I do. It's quite weird when I look at my bookshelves as see all the Gaiman books and comics I own, knowing I enjoyed each of them, and yet, for some reason, I'm always reluctant to pick up another one.

Weird.

But that's exactly what happened with this one. I saw it in the book store. I read the back cover. I thought, no, I wouldn't enjoy that.

And then, next thing I know, I'm reading it. And, as usual, enjoying the hell out of it.

I enjoyed this book so much. Maybe it was the sections where he talks writing. Maybe when he's talking comics. Maybe it's when he's talking about all the cool books he's read, many of which I have as well. Maybe it's all the cool authors and musicians he's talked to, authors and musicians that I enjoy.

Or maybe it's just that I love Gaiman's outlook on life, on writing, on creativity, on all of it.

And yet, I guarantee you, regardless of how much I loved this book--and really, I loved it a lot--the next time I see something by him, I'll likely approach it with some trepidation.

Then, I'll find myself reading and loving it too.

Weird.

[drfuriosa · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An intellectual, witty, and provocative collection of introductions, speeches, and op-eds. The last section is particularly wrenching--especially the essay on his son's namesake and his tribute to Terry Pratchett.

[bobbybslax · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Gaiman shines brightest whenever he's writing about stories, and that's pretty much all the time he writes. Here, he reveals his opinions on other writers, musicians, and artists. There's a whole lot of introductions to other books which I found to be less desirable, since most of them were unfamiliar to me. But he often displayed his passion for the craft through this and through the other, more informative, more substantive sections of the book.

[cail_judy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book gets five-stars for being exactly what it promises - the best of Neil Gaiman's non-fiction writing.

The content is well-structured and the essays flow into one another gracefully. For example, a casual reference to the painting "The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke" in the first essay of the "Stardust and Fairy Tales" section sets-up a final essay that is entirely about "The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke." It felt like turning over stones, with bigger rewards under each one.

The best part of this book was flipping to a new section and letting Neil wax poetic about whatever the hell he wanted--Lou Reed, making MirrorMask, his favorite bookstores, etc. The essays on Bradbury, the necessity of libraries, Dave McKean and Terry Pratchett were all standouts.

[pdcread · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Up until now, Neil Gaiman has been known as a fiction writer, giving us delights like Neverwhere and American Gods and is the creative force behind the equally amazing and disturbing Sandman series of graphic novels. I first came across him in the collaboration with Terry Pratchett that is Good Omens. When I first read it I hated it as it wasn’t Pratchett enough for me. The second time I came across him was when a book group I am in was reading The Ocean at the End of the Lane. This melancholy story is an adult fairy tale as a man relives the moments of his childhood with the strange happenings that went on. It blew me away. Since then I have read lots and lots of his books. I like the twists he adds to classic fairy tales, his children’s books enthral and scare at the same time. Best of all he has an imagination that literally knows no bounds. His latest book, The View from the Cheap Seats is his first foray into non-fiction, collected from the articles, speeches, obituaries and sometimes just random stuff he has written.

I did not want to be nailed to the truth; or to be more accurate, I wanted to be able to tell the truth without ever needing to worry about the facts.

The dedication is to his son Ash – these are some of the things that your father loved and said and cared about and believed a long time ago, and so he sets his agenda of subjects that have formed his opinions, shaped his writing and influenced his life. There are pieces on art and music, books and comics, authors who became friends and collaborators. Tales from his childhood as he read his way through the local library and in the process discovered worlds that existed inside the covers. He celebrates the idea; an element that is invisible and contagious, cannot be supressed and is impossible to control. The introduction to books are great, encouraging you to read before coming back to him to carry on the conversation that he has started and to tell you why that book is important to him and why it should be to you too.

I learned that we have the right, or the obligation, to tell old stories in our own ways, because they are our stories, and they must be told.

Gaiman’s mind is like an ocean of infinite width and fathomless depth and in this not insubstantial book he shows us the wealth of ideas he has drawn on and dropped in this ocean. These influences have stretched his imagination and given us, the reader, a series of books and graphic novels that are rich, deep twisted and dark. I liked his fond memories of writers, particularly favourites of mine, Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams. They were great friends of his, who he misses every day and it brings out happy and sad memories for him. It is full of useful advice too, extolling the virtue of setting your sights high as it is no more effort to produce something cool than it would be to produce something only average and that the only way to do things right is to do them wrong first. Even though he brings all of these things to your attention, persuades you to read and discover the things that made him who he is, there is still something that he does to make his books have that little extra something, that 45 degree skew, that enthrals and scares at the same time.

Brilliant stuff from a master wordsmith.

[charrlygirl · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This audio, read by Neil himself, was interesting-depending upon the subject being discussed.

For myself, I loved the essays and speeches about Terry Pratchett, (that one was my favorite and it even made me tear up), comics, Fritz Leiber, myths and music, (especially the Lou Reed piece).

I was not so much interested in the essays, introductions and speeches regarding people that I had no interest in and/or no knowledge of.

This was a very long collection and I did find my mind drifting quite a bit. I love Neil Gaiman, but I think I love him the most when he's telling fictional stories.

[linyarai · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I really wanted to like this, but it just didn't grab me. I loved the beginning where he talked about the importance of literature and libraries and reading to children, but after that it was just introductions to books and authors I didn't know.

[glennis.leblanc · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This nonfiction collection reads like Neil Gaiman is sitting down and telling you lots of cool stories about writing and people he knows. The collection is sectioned out with talks about his writing, speeches he has given over the years, introductions he has written for books. The only problem is this really isn’t a complete collection but more of a greatest hits of some of the introductions. After reading this there are some writers I want to track down just from reading Neil talk about how wonderful they are. The nice thing about this collection is it doesn’t need to read in one sitting and it makes for a great book to dip in and out of.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss

[catherine_gv · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'll be honest here: I can't stand Neil Gaiman's fiction writing style. I'm not saying he doesn't write well, I'm saying it's just not for me. And that's not from lack of trying: I've read three of his books and... no. Just no.HOWEVER, I know he must do some things right because of how renown he is in the writing world. Plus, I believe that even though his style doesn't appeal to me, he has a few things to teach me about writing. So, I decided to give this selected nonfiction book a try.It wasn't entirely what I expected what with very few essays about the writing world. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it greatly! I mean it when I say 500 pages wasn't enough! I read it every night before going to bed and I was always looking forward to what Neil had to say next.As much as his fiction writing style repels me, I admit his nonfiction style is excellent! It's honest, straightforward, vulnerable and funny. It's charming in his own way.It was fun to see what made up this author and he got us close to several celebrities in different fields. It was like a "behind-the-scenes" view.I loved it!Now, I'll be off buying it to put it in my writing books section, even though it's not about writing per se. But I still think this book is important. At least to me.If you love Neil Gaiman: read it!If you don't like his writing style: read it, too! It might show you different sides of things, opinions, people. It might make you fall in love with his nonfiction writing style, just like it did me.

[captainbookamir · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As a note, I listened to this as an audiobook. My commute to and from university was definitely improved by hearing Neil talk to me about art and life and interesting people. Not all of what I heard was new, as I have read and heard a fair amount of his essays and speeches before, and I knew some of the stories like that of the feral child in the library. But I didn't mind hearing them again. There was not necessarily a lot of different stuff being told in here or in many different ways, but then again, I suppose that's because Neil has been trying to bring across the same things, the things that matter the most to him, to many different people again and again.

There was definitely new stuff for me as well. I learned a lot about comics, about which I knew nearly nothing, for example. And I had to stifle my urge to squeal with delight when the topics of Lord Dunsany, and Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell came up, seeing as I was on public transport.

I think, all in all, that if you are familiar with Neil Gaiman you can guess a lot of what will be said in some essays. But not all of it. Besides, what you won't hear are a lot of introductions to a lot of good authors, illustrators, directors, artists. Even if I don't want to check all of them out, I have certainly heard of some very interesting new stories for me to go and find.

[charlotteburt · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wonderful, Especially the first and last quarters.

[melydia_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A nonfiction collection (speeches, essays, and introductions) by a master of fiction. I spent a lot of time boggling at the sheer variety of books he's read and movies he's watched and people he's met. Sometimes I felt like this was not a book to be read straight through, since he does repeat some stories, particularly from his childhood, but all in all there's a decent variety. Certainly worth reading, if only to add some titles to your To-Read list. There's a healthy dose of inspiration to be had as well.

[bragan_8 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a collection of miscellaneous non-fiction bits and pieces by Neil Gaiman from the late 90s through about 2016, when the book was published. And when I say "miscellaneous," I mean it. There are speeches given at various venues, a lot of introductions to other people's novels (or short story collections or comics), even things he wrote for the liner notes of albums. It should feel interesting -- because Gaiman is always interesting -- but kind of disjointed and slight. After all, lots of these pieces are very short, most of them are out of their proper context, and, because they were never meant to appear all together like this, there is inevitably a little bit of repetition, as Gaiman tells the same anecdote or makes the same point in more than one place.And yet I found myself strangely engrossed, interested in everything Gaiman had to say, even when he was introducing works I'd never read by people I'd never heard of. 500 pages of this, and, I swear, I never got tired of it. I think that's in large part because it's not as disjointed as you'd expect, since almost all of these pieces involve variations on the same broad subject matter: stories, storytelling, and storytellers of all kinds. And, boy, is this a topic Gaiman can talk about intelligently, compellingly, and eloquently. I could listen to him going on all day. Or, apparently, for the five days or so it took me to read the book.

[jaredorlando-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A View from the Cheap Seats is for hardcore Gaiman fans, lovers of introductions and speeches, and aficionados of the inspirational word.

[m_mozeleski · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A brilliant collection of introductions to other books, speeches written about various events, and discussions on the people important to Neil Gaiman.

The last one is about Sir Terry Pratchett, and will probably make you at least tear up, but don't read it first because then nothing else will be appetizing.

All entries in this book are quite moving.

[quondame · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Reads vert easily, little sweet Neil writing nibbles. He loves comics and movies and libraries and books and music and his people and tells you why.

[mahsdad · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a collection of Gaiman's non-fiction work, to quote him from the introduction; This book is not "the complete nonfiction of Neil Gaiman." It is, instead, a motley bunch of speeches and articles, introductions and essays. Some of them are serious and some of them are frivolous and some of them are earnest and some of them I wrote to try and make people listen. You are under no obligation to read them all, or to read them in any particular order."To be honest, I didn't read all of them. There was a section where he is writing introduction to graphic novels and comic artistic collections. These aren't really in my wheelhouse and I didn't know who a lot of these folks were, so I moved on. However, the majority I did read are wonderful examples of the mind and voice of Gaiman. In includes introductions to authors I either need to read, or forgot that I read them and need to read again. Reviews of some classic movies, interviews with musicians, several stories about his wife Amanda Palmer, a lovely eulogy of Terry Pratchett and his essay Make Good Art. Well worth your time.From an introduction a Harlen Ellison collection : "It's true of the rest of the tales herein. They remain relevant; the only thing in the anthology that feels dated is the introduction, as Harlan grooves to Jimi Hendrix and points to Piers Anthony as an underground writer. But hell, no one reads introductions anyway. (Admit it. You're not reading this, are you?)""Make good art. I'm serious. Husband runs off with a politician? Make good art. Leg crushed and then eaten by mutated boa constrictor? Make good art. IRS on your trail? Make good art. Cat exploded? Make good art. Somebody on the Internet thinks what you do is stupid or evil or it's all been done before? Make good art. Probably things will work out somehow, and eventually time will take the sting away, but that doesn't matter. Do what only you do best. Make good art."8/10S: 11/2/17 - 11/24/17 (23 Days)

[stormraven_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The View from the Cheap Seats is an eclectic mix of selected fiction drawn from a wide swathe of Neil Gaiman's career. The works include the transcripts of speeches, introductions to books, memorials to departed writers, liner notes from albums, interviews, and pretty much every other form of writing that one can think of. The topics covered range from libraries to bookstores, from authors to books to music, and from comic books to refugee camps. While this volume is not a complete collection of Gaiman's nonfiction (assembling which would likely be a nigh impossible task), it does contain a broad spectrum of his work, both in terms of style and substance.[More forthcoming]

[seschend · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Read via library & despite already owning 25% of these essays in other books, I'll be adding this volume to my shelves for inspiration in years to come.

[brakketh-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Well written but I found it repetitive and underwhelming.

[ritaer_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

As in many collections of short pieces the quality of the contents varies. The first section of probably of the most general interest since it contains speeches given on a variety of occasions. Other sections contain reviews of authors, comics, books, and music and will accordingly interest some readers more than others.

[mstrust · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A collection of what must be every speech and book introduction Gaiman has ever written, along with a few interviews and short articles. At just over 500 pages, there are speeches about bookstores, myths and comic books. He visits Stephen King at home and interviews Lou Reed, spends an entire night in Soho looking for something seedy to report on, and discusses Poe, Wells and Bradbury. This is one of those books that needs to be read with a pen and paper nearby. I found myself stopping to rummage my shelves, wondering if I had the books he discussed, had a seen that movie, do I own enough Lou Reed, can I find the podcasts he refers to? I love books like that. I admit to skimming over the comic books introductions because I have little interest and there were so many of them, but nearly all of the writings here have fascinating little asides.

[mishker-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The View From the Cheap Seats is a compilation of Neil Gaiman's best non-fiction. Some of these are essays, some are introductions, some are speeches and all of them are thoughtful. In this book, Neil Gaiman shares things he believes, things about the people he is fortunate enough to know, movies, comics, music and more. You might be thinking that Neil Gaiman is best known for stories, fantasy or science fiction works and why would anyone want to read 500 pages of speeches and introductions, who reads introductions anyways? Well, I always read introductions and hopefully you will too. In The View from the Cheap Seats I have learned what I have always known, but have never put into complete thoughts; stories are important, stories have power. I have learned that words are magic that turn into ideas, ideas that can make you change the world. In his essays, speeches and introductions about other authors I learned of the deep respect held for fellow mentors and writers. I also gleamed some insight into how authors work and develop ideas. Most of all, I discovered some authors that I have never had the pleasure of reading and have now been added to my to-be-read pile. With any compilation, you could pick and choose which sections to read or individuals selections. If you do choose to read this, read it however you choose, skip around, devour or meander through, but I do suggest reading it all and letting the power of the words soak in. This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

[thewallflower-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

These are all the speeches, articles, blog entries, and forewords Neil Gaiman has written over the years. A lot of them were about stuff I know nothing about -- old authors that he admired, music I don't listen to, stories from his youth I'm too young to appreciate. It's not a memoir, it's a series of essays. Most of them are gushes about someone. There's nothing about the writing process or creation in here, except the "Make Good Art" speech which everyone knows.And it's long. His writing style is unchanged -- full of comfort and warmth, like when Luke Skywalker meets Obi-Wan Kenobi for the first time, and you know that this guy is one of the good ones. But I am not the kind of guy who has found solace in any of Gaiman's influencers -- Diana Wynne Jones, Terry Pratchett, Will Eisner, etc. There are a few memorable ones, but as a whole, this is only for the most diehard Gaiman fan.

[arkrayder · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is an excellent book! I listened to the audiobook version, read by Neil Gaiman, and it was just a pleasure to listen to. Listening to this book I believe is the best way to absorb Gaiman's text. Gaiman's reading is brilliant and just listening to him talk about his favorite books and music just makes you want to read more.

[texascheeseman · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The View from the Cheap SeatsAuthor: Neil GaimanPublisher: William Morrow / HarperCollins PublishingPublished In: New York City, NYDate: 2016Pgs: 522_________________________________________________REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERSSummary:Neil Gaiman non-fiction essays on authors, music, storytelling, comics, bookshops, travel, fairy tales, America, inspiration, libraries, ghosts, the Academy Awards, etc_________________________________________________Genre:LiteratureFiction EssaysCorrespondence LettersSpeechesWhy this book:Neil Gaiman.522 pages on writing, authors, where stories come from, the inner workings, thoughts, dreams, research..._________________________________________________Favorite Character:Neil Gaiman, his ideas, his ideals, his character.The Feel:Sitting down with a very intelligent friend who has strong opinions and having a wide ranging discussion about life, the universe, and everything in it.Love all the behind the scenes of the writing of American Gods speeches and essays, a favorite.Favorite Scene / Quote:From Credo: “I believe that you can set your own ideas against ideas you dislike. That you should be free to argue, explain, clarify, debate, offend, insult, rage, mock, sing, dramatize, and deny. I do not believe that burning, murdering, exploding people, smashing their heads with rocks (to let the bad ideas out), drowning them or even defeating them will work to contain ideas you do not like. Ideas spring up where you do not expect them, like weeds, and are as difficult to control.”I love that quote from Credo because it brings to mind every “no you move” essay and speech that I’ve ever heard in my life.From Why Our Future Depends on Libraries, Reading, and Daydreaming: The Reading Agency Lecture, 2013: “...I listened to a talk about the building of private prisons---a huge growth industry in America. The prison industry needs to plan for its future growth---how many cells are they going to need? ...using a very simple algorithm, based on asking what percentage of ten- and eleven-year olds couldn’t read. …”That is disheartening.Telling Lies for a Living...and Why We Do it: the Newbery Medal Speech, 2009: Love the speech. The Graveyard Book is one of my favorites.Four Bookshops: “...all of those bookshops come back, the shelves, and the people. And most of all, the books, their covers bright, then, pages filled with infinite possibilities. I wonder who I would have been, without those shelves, without those people, without books.”The Pornography of Genre, or the Genre of Pornography: “Now the advantage of genre to a creator is it gives you something to play to and to play against. It gives you a net and the shape of the game. Sometimes it gives you balls.”That puts me in mind that genre is the set of accepted cliches that provide the framework.What The [Very Bad Swearword] is a Children’s Book, Anyway? The Zena Sutherland Lecture: Walking home from private school, Gaiman heard a joke with that dirty word in it. He repeated it to his friends at school. One of them promptly went home and told it to their mother, who withdrew the boy from that school and raised hell. Gaiman was excoriated over it and his mother was called to the school. She was told that the only reason he wasn’t removed was because the other boy was already gone and they didn’t want to lose 2 school fees. Over a joke that the young Neil Gaiman already didn’t remember. And he had to tell his mother when she asked that he had used the word fuck. He stated that he learned two important lessons: be extremely selective with your audiences; words have power. I would submit that he learned four lessons with the other two being: some people have giant sticks up their bums; money talks and bullshit walks.“...do not come to authors for answers. You come to us for questions.”Enjoyed his take on Lovecraft, Jack Kirby, and Astro City.Wisdom: How Dare You: On America and Writing About It: Slowly I realized both that the America I’d been writing was wholly fictional, and that the real America, the one underneath the what-you-see-is-what-you-get surface, was much stranger than the fictions.What The [Very Bad Swearword] is a Children’s Book, Anyway? The Zena Sutherland Lecture: Children are very good at looking away.Loved the story of his 11-year old daughter liking R.L. Stine and his taking it as an oppotunity to introduce her to Stephen King’s Carrie. ...and her still glaring at him whenever Stephen King comes up in conversation.On Stephen King for the Sunday Times: They pay me absurd amounts of money for something that i would do for free” - Stephen King.Pacing:Non-fiction about writing, culture, storytelling...pace is not your friend here.Plot Holes/Out of Character:Themes and stories repeat between many speeches, addresses, and essays.Hmm Moments:The Pornography of Genre, or the Genre of Pornography: Love the reference to Sturgeon’s Law with 90% of everything being crap. And the final 10% falling along the spectrum between good and awesome. I feel that it is more a Bell Curve between unreadable crap and the best ever.Love the way that he references a paper that compared musicals, pornography, and Westerns as a way to explain genre. Imagein those 3 without songs, sex, and gunfights, respectively. Remove them and you have soap operas and the same fan may not crossover.What The [Very Bad Swearword] is a Children’s Book, Anyway? The Zena Sutherland Lecture: Often the adult book is not for you, not yet, or will only be for you when you’re ready. But sometimes you will read it anyway, and you will take from it whatever you can. Then, perhaps, you will come back to it when you’re older, and you will find the book has changed because you have changed as well, and the book is wiser, or more foolish, because you are wiser or more foolish than you were as a child.That exact circumstance is how I discovered Norman Spinrad’s The Iron Dream, which my understanding of has evolved a number of times over the years. One of my favorites. I have re-read it three or four times. And another re-read should be in my near future.WTF Moments:Ghost in the Machine: Some Hallowe’en Thoughts: When he tells the story of the blogger, without any identifying characteristics on the site, blogs about wanting to commit suicide, flat, bleak, hopeless, not a cry for help, just didn’t want to live any longer. He tried to find out where the blogger was and what he could do to send help. She described getting the pills a few at a time so they wouldn’t be missed from medicine cabinets. And finally, she posted “Tonight.” Helpless, he swallowed the feeling of not knowing who to tell and how to help. And then, she started to post again, at this point, I thought he was going to tell us that she was doing some kind of sociology project. However, she posted that she was cold and lonely where she was. He thinks she knows he’s still reading. Brr, that’s good.These Are Not Our Faces: “There was a story I was told as a child, about a little girl who peeked in through a writer’s window one night, and saw him writing. He had taken his false face off to write and had hung it behind the door, for he wrote with his real face on. And she saw him, and he saw her. And, from that day to this, nobody has ever seen the little girl again.” This is the reason that writers look just like other people today, though sometimes their lips move as they write. “This is why people who encounter [fantasy] writers...are rarely satisfied by the wholly inferior person that they meet.”I don’t believe that I’ve ever managed to write with my true face. Maybe this is why I haven’t been truly satisfied with anything that I’ve written...yet.Meh / PFFT Moments:The later sections of the book has blurbs written for other books and intros which aren’t as good as some of the essays and speeches in the earlier parts of the book. _________________________________________________Last Page Sound:An interesting read.Author Assessment:To me, Gaiman writes like Morgan Freeman speaks. In the same way that I would listen to Freeman read the phonebook, I would read Neil Gaiman if he wrote a trilogy about the life of a mayfly.Editorial Assessment:Could have realistically been trimmed by a good 200 pages and wouldn’t have suffered from the absence.Knee Jerk Reaction:glad I read itDisposition of Book:Irving Public LibrarySouth CampusIrving, TXDewey Decimal System: 824.914 G141vWould recommend to:genre fans_________________________________________________