Savedr Male, 27. USA

I do NOT read these kinds of books as a general rule, mostly due to a lack of interest. This book stands out, though, as one of the most interesting nonfiction books I've ever read!

If you're at all a fan of Bruce Campbell, the Evil Dead movies, if you're an aspiring (or barely-working) actor, or if you're just interested in the business of TV and movies in general, you OWE it to yourself to read this book. You won't soon regret it!

I feel sometimes like Gaiman is the best-kept secret in American/English fiction. This is the second Gaiman book I read, and I was not at all disappointed. He's quickly becoming my new favorite author.

Gaiman has a very English sensibility for comedy, and is not at all afraid to include fantastic, dark events and places in his novels. He tends to write strikingly identifiable characters, too; he has a gift for the slightly dopey protagonist, too clumsy for his or her own good, with whom we fall in love by the middle of the story, and hang on for dear life while his/her grand destiny unfolds. In spite of the fantastic events they contain, his books seem extremely real; you don't read them so much as experience them.

You can tell that this book started its life as the script to a television miniseries, but don't let that steer you away. The type of writing it was early in life is probably responsible for giving the book a little more of a jerky feel than Gaiman's other stories (particularly the masterpiece "American Gods"), but all the elements of a great book are there. It's gripping, the characters all feel real and important (though I would love to see a few sequels set in this world, a la "Anansi Boys", to tell a bit more of their stories), the setting is well-illustrated enough to be enthralling, and the storyline has a lot in common with the much-cliched roller coaster, twisting and turning and delighting the reader throughout.

This is a great book. If you've never read Neil Gaiman before, go borrow something of his from the library, or purchase this or any other Gaiman book at any cost; he's amazing. If you're already a fan, this book will not disappoint, except if you're looking for something mirroring the grandiosity of "American Gods"; this book's not quite that large. But it's large enough, and great in its own right. Go get it!