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Critics' Opinion:
Readers' Opinion:
First Published:
Jun 2013, 192 pages
Paperback:
Jun 2014, 192 pages
Book Reviewed by:
Cindy Anderson
Buy This Book
This bewitching and harrowing tale of mystery and survival, and memory and magic, makes the impossible all too real...
A brilliantly imaginative and poignant fairy tale from the modern master of wonder and terror, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is Neil Gaiman's first new novel for adults since his #1 New York Times bestseller Anansi Boys.
This bewitching and harrowing tale of mystery and survival, and memory and magic, makes the impossible all too real...
Excerpt
The Ocean At The End Of The Lane
I remembered it before I turned the corner and saw it, in all its dilapidated red-brick glory: the Hempstocks' farmhouse.
It took me by surprise, although that was where the lane had always ended. I could have gone no further. I parked the car at the side of the farmyard. I had no plan. I wondered whether, after all these years, there was anyone still living there, or, more precisely, if the Hempstocks were still living there. It seemed unlikely, but then, from what little I remembered, they had been unlikely people.
The stench of cow muck struck me as I got out of the car, and I walked, gingerly, across the small yard to the front door. I looked for a doorbell, in vain, and then I knocked. The door had not been latched properly, and it swung gently open as I rapped it with my knuckles.
I had been here, hadn't I, a long time ago? I was sure I had. Childhood memories are sometimes covered and obscured beneath the things that come later, like ...
The novel invites more than one read-through, and more than one possible interpretation, which makes it a great choice for reading groups and book clubs. Even someone who has never read Gaiman, or perhaps not appreciated his other works, should give Ocean a try. Gaiman fans may recognize some themes from his previous works, such as myth and magic, good versus evil, and childhood versus adulthood, but this book is different. It is as if the author has borrowed bits and pieces from his various works, added a few new ones and then re-formed them, jigsaw puzzle style, into a beautiful and resonant work of art that is much more than the sum of its parts...continued
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(Reviewed by Cindy Anderson).
Before he began to write novels that would earn him public recognition, Gaiman wrote comic books and graphic novels. The Sandman graphic novels (1989-1996), initially published by D C Comics and later by Vertigo, were particularly popular with a total of 75 issues. The Sandman is about an all-powerful being called Dream, also named Morpheus. He is one of seven god-like siblings who have always existed, and who exert their influence on our world. The series follows Morpheus, who has been the prisoner of a group of wizards for 70 years. Once he escapes, he must find several powerful objects that will allow him to exact ...This "beyond the book" feature is available to non-members for a limited time. Join today for full access.
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