The Graveyard Book

I read a book! You know, a book? Feels like it's been ages since I read anything that wasn't Dresden related. 

Decided to bounce back into Neil Gaiman territory. The man who's brought us Stardust, Sandman (a comic series I'm still pushing my way through), and -- my personal favorite -- American Gods. I think if Gaiman has a talent for anything, it's creating a mythos. A fully fleshed out world for you to lose yourself in the lore and grand characters contained within. Jumping onto another piece of work of his, where does The Graveyard Book stack up against the rest?

Sadly, I place it at the bottom.

The Graveyard Book felt too toned down for my liking. It was a simple story contained in a world that felt rich with backstory and history, a history that's never really talked about. Instead the story stays swimming on the surface over this vast, vast mythical ocean that contains vampires and werewolves and goblins and the undead and more! Yet we only scratch the surface. And I suppose I wanted more. Much more!

Once upon a time I heard Ron Howard was going to direct an adaptation to this story. I could see that possibly working. Possibly. But I think there would need to be some fundamental changes to make it stand on its own a little better.

Still, this book does have a bit of charm to it as it resonates as sort of a children's storybook you might read to them before bed. Maybe that's where the simplicity comes into play. Because at the end of the day, it really feels like a story about an orphaned boy being raised by ghosts in a graveyard that's intended to help lull a kid softly to rest.