Mini-review: The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains by Neil Gaiman

The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Eddie Campbell
Format: Hardcover
To be published by Headline on 17th June 2014
Pages: 72
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 
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You ask me if I can forgive myself?
I can forgive myself...

And so begins The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains, a haunting story of family, the otherworld, and a search for hidden treasure. This gorgeous full-colour illustrated book version was born of a unique collaboration between New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman and renowned artist Eddie Campbell, who brought to vivid life the characters and landscape of Gaiman's award-winning story. In this volume, the talents and vision of two great creative geniuses come together in a glorious explosion of color and shadow, memory and regret, vengeance and, ultimately, love.

...for many things. For where I left him.
For what I did.

**Many thanks to Headline and Bookbridgr for providing me with a free review copy!**

This was something a little different for me. I've read many of Neil Gaiman's short stories, and I tend to enjoy them quite a lot. I don't really read short stories much in general, but I feel like Gaiman is really good at short stories. They're just so incredibly rich, packing so much in in such a short space, and they always manage to feel like they're just the right length. Just perfect. I like that he tends to put a sharp twist towards the end of his short stories, something that feels like a twist in your own gut as you read it, a chill, a shiver, an abrupt realisation that makes the whole story seem that much more powerful.

This story was no exception. It was haunting and creepy and weird, just like many of Gaiman's short stories. But what made it different was that it was accompanied by some lovely art, blended perfectly with the prose. I've never read any of Eddie Campbell's graphic novels, but when I first opened this book I wasn't very sure about his art. I didn't think I liked it very much. But as I kept reading, I found that Campbell's style grew on me and I thought the art really added to the flavour of the story. There are some really stunning moments.

The story is set in a "Scotland much like our own in Jacobite times". It's about two men and a search for a cave, but of course, with Neil Gaiman, you already know it's about much more than that. The atmosphere of the Scottish isles is beautifully evoked, and I loved the pace and tension of the story, the slow foreboding ascent as the story gathers itself towards its conclusion. I loved finding out what the story was really about, how that's not so obvious until it is.

My boyfriend and I sat in bed reading this out loud, and he did all the Scottish voices, and it was so much fun. I feel like this kind of book is perfect for that kind of experience. We finished it in about an hour and a half, reading it out loud. I got chills at the end. It's a story where all things have their cost. If you're looking for happy stories, this is probably not where you should look. But if you're looking for something a little dark and different, this might just give you the kind of bitter, sharp jolt that you want.

Mini-review: The Snake Charm by Laura Lam

The Snake Charm by Laura Lam (#1 of the Vestigial Tales)
Format: eBook
Published by Penglass Publishing on 5th June 2014
Pages: 37
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Rating: 
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Untold centuries ago, the Archipelago was ruled by the Alder—mysterious beings who vanished, leaving behind only scattered artefacts of unknown power, called Vestige. Sometimes, a person will be lucky or unlucky enough to discover that each piece of Vestige has its own tale to tell…

The Snake Charm

To most, Drystan was just another buffoon in the collective of clowns. But behind the inane grin, he saw everything, keeping the secrets he discovered close, like precious gems to barter.

Mutiny is brewing in R.H. Ragona’s Circus of Magic. When Linden, the leader of the clowns steals one of the ringmaster’s most prized possessions, Drystan, the white clown, finds himself caught in the middle. Tasked with retrieving the Lethe, he’s forced to betray Linden or risk his troubled past coming to light. But the Vestige artefact has its own history and its own power. Drystan will learn what it can really do, and who it can hurt.

Vestigial Tales are stories set in the world of the award-nominated Micah Grey series. Step behind the circus ring from Pantomime, the theatre of Shadowplay, and more…

The first Vestigial Tale came out two days ago! It's a little prequel story to Pantomime, and you can go buy it off Amazon (lots of links here). It stands well on its own, so you can read it even without reading Pantomime first, but you'd probably be able to enjoy it a lot more if you have read both Pantomime and Shadowplay.

I liked this a lot! You all know how much I loved Pantomime and Shadowplay, and the universe of these books. This was an interesting look at a powerful and potentially terrifying Vestige artefact (I think it's pretty cool that these tales are all going to be centred around different Vestige artefacts, because they're fascinating and I can't wait to learn about other artefacts!), and I liked getting to know Drystan a bit more. What he was like at the circus, before Micah came along; the touch of loneliness in him. The way he quietly observes, and always keeps his true self hidden. It makes me all the happier that I got to see him the way he was in Shadowplay, so much more open, all the trust he showed in Micah in that book (and the trust that Micah showed in him!).

I also liked the glimpses of Frit that we got in The Snake Charm. If you know her story from Pantomime, you'll know that it is a very sad one, and that's the case here too, somehow sadder for the hint of hope that still lingers in her.

I only wish this story had been longer! I really want to spend more time with Drystan. I just am not very used to reading short stories most of the time and I feel like with a short story of this length, by the time I'm really getting into it, it's already over. I like to have more stuff to sink my teeth into. The Vestigial Tales are going to be of varying lengths though, and some will be longer, so I'm really looking forward to the rest of them!