I’m really not at all sure how I’ve managed this, but I’d not previously a Neil Gaiman novel. This is a terrible oversight, since I own more than one, and I’ve been reading Gaiman’s blog pretty assiduously for the last two or three years (it’s really good). I did see the TV series of Neverwhere a few years ago – and it’s finally got a DVD release here recently.
I did start a Gaiman novel some years ago, but for whatever reason, stopped after a couple of pages. As it turns out, it was Starburst. Although it took me a few pages to remember. But this time I carried on and was pleased that I did. This is a story largely set in Faerie just beyond the village of Wall. We follow Tristan as he visits the land and goes on many an adventure.
I won’t say much more as it’d spoil it for you, but it’s a wonderful short book and I now realise that I’ve got a wealth of Gaiman novels (and comics) to catch up on.
Of course it wasn’t a completely random choice for me to start with Stardust. There’s a feature film of it coming soon, and I always like to read the novel before I see the film. The film’s trailer makes it look sumptuous by the way, although I suspect that the UK version of the trailer has rather more Ricky Gervais in it than is strictly accurate.