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BOOK REVIEW: FTN reviews The Ocean At The End Of The Lane by Neil Gaiman

May 21st, 2014 by Marc Comments

The Ocean At The End Of The Lane
Written by: Neil Gaiman
Publisher: William Morrow; 1st edition (June 18, 2013)
ISBN-10: 0062255657
ISBN-13: 978-0062255655

There really isn’t anyone like Neil Gaiman. You never know what you’re going to get with the genius behind American Gods, Stardust and Sandman other than it’s going to be great.

That is apart from last year’s disastrous Doctor Who episode A Nightmare In Silver, but even for all its many faults it didn’t lack ambition.

There are no such problems with this tale of a man returning to his childhood home following a family funeral. As he gets closer to the stomping ground of his youth he begins to remember extraordinary events.

This really is a fairytale aimed at adults, about how, as we grow older and more cynical, we forget about how magical the world can be. In true Gaiman fashion it’s like nothing you’ve read before and parts of it are downright terrifying without falling into the trap of being all out horror. It’s more unsettling than anything else and it’s probably as close as Gaiman will get to writing a Harry Potter novel.

There’s so much to treasure here that it would be unfair to reveal too much, suffice to say this is a book to get lost in.

You’ll find yourself transported back to your youth and remembering those days when you snuck under the bedsheets in the dead of night to finish that book you love so much, armed only with a torch.

The Ocean At The End Of The Lane is an essential read for fans of the author and for everyone else it’s the perfect jumping on point to the Gaimanverse.

5 out of 5 Nerds

 

 

Marc is a self-confessed nerd. Ever since seeing Star Wars for the first time around 1979 he’s been an unapologetic fan of the Wars and still believes, with Clone Wars and now Underworld, we are yet to see the best Star Wars. He’s a dad of two who now doesn’t have the time (or money) to collect the amount of toys, comics, movies and books he once did, much to the relief of his long-suffering wife. In the real world he’s a graphic designer. He started Following the Nerd because he was tired of searching a million sites every day for all the best news that he loves and decided to create one place where you can go to get the whole lot. Secretly he longs to be sitting in the cockpit of his YT-1300 Corellian Transport ship with his co-pilot Chewie, roaming the universe, waiting for his next big adventure, but feels just at home watching cartoons with his kids….