The View From The Cheap Seats

‘Gaiman is god in the universe of story and for millions this will be a holy book’ – Stephen Fry

Neil Gaiman is famous for comics, graphic novels and dark tales of science fiction and fantasy. Some of his most famous works have been made into movies, such as Coraline and more recently American Gods, which will release as a TV series in 2017. He writes in a magical style which entrances and then lures you into his stories and his truth, both real life and fantastical. The View From The Cheap Seats is a collection of non-fiction writings by Neil which give you a chance to peek inside his heart and wander around his very wordy, clever head for a while.

American Gods looks devastatingly good

What I loved about this book is that you don’t need to read it from beginning to end. You can dip in and out of the pages reading Neil’s speeches, articles and other snippets of Mr Gaiman’s life and career. Just flick through and find a speech, or to a piece about Lour Reed or Terry Pratchett to inspire you.  It’s insightful, witty, incredibly tender in places, and will be a treasured book for many a bookworm.

Share with any booknerds you know, or buy it for them and instantly become their favourite.

5 out of 5 from me

 

The Book Jacket

The View from the Cheap Seats draws together, for the first time ever, myriad non-fiction writing by international phenomenon and Sunday Times bestselling 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. ‘Literature does not occur in a vacuum. It cannot be a monologue. It has to be a conversation’ Welcome to the conversation.

Neil Gaiman fled the land of journalism to find truths through storytelling and sanctuary in not needing to get all the facts right. Of course, the real world continued to make up its own stories around him, and he has responded over the years with a wealth of ideas and introductions, dreams and speeches. The View From the Cheap Seats will draw you in to these exchanges on making good art and Syrian refugees, the power of a single word and playing the kazoo with Stephen King, writing about books, comics and the imagination of friends, being sad at the Oscars and telling lies for a living. Here ‘we can meet the writer full on’ (Stephen Fry) as he opens our minds to the people he admires and the things he believes might just mean something – and makes room for us to join the conversation too.

About the Author

Neil Gaiman is the author of over thirty acclaimed books and graphic novels for adults and children, including American Gods, Stardust, Coraline and The Graveyard Book. His most recent novel for adults, The Ocean at the End of the Lane was highly acclaimed, appeared on the hardback and paperback Sunday Times bestseller lists and won several awards, including being voted Book of the Year in the National Book Awards 2013: ‘Some books you read.

Some books you enjoy. But some books just swallow you up, heart and soul’ Joanne Harris. The recipient of numerous literary honours, Neil Gaiman’s work has been adapted for film, television and radio. He has written scripts for Doctor Who, collaborated with authors and illustrators including Terry Pratchett, Dave McKean and Chris Riddell, and The Sandman is established as one of the classic graphic novels. As George R R Martin says: ‘There’s no one quite like Neil Gaiman.’ Originally from England, Neil Gaiman now lives in America.