The View from the Cheap Seats: Selected Nonfiction
Neil Gaiman
An inquisitive observer, thoughtful commentator, and assiduous craftsman, Neil Gaiman has long been celebrated for the sharp intellect and startling imagination that informs his bestselling fiction. Now, The View from the Cheap Seats brings together for the first time ever more than sixty pieces of his outstanding nonfiction. Analytical yet playful, erudite yet accessible, this cornucopia explores a broad range of interests and topics, including (but not limited to): authors past and present; music; storytelling; comics; bookshops; travel; fairy tales; America; inspiration; libraries; ghosts; and the title piece, at turns touching and self-deprecating, which recounts the author’s experiences at the 2010 Academy Awards in Hollywood.
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0 0I'm honestly not even sure what the first Neil Gaiman story I read was, probably either the Sandman graphic novel series or Neverwhere, but regardless, I fell instantly in love with the way he writes. Since then, I've enjoyed everything of his that I've managed to get my hands on but was slow in picking up this collection of essays and speeches because I wasn't sure if I'd enjoy his non-fiction as much. Turns out, I had nothing to worry about.
It's a pretty hefty volume (if you read the book) but the audiobook is what I'd really recommend. It's right around 13 or 14 hours and is read by Gaiman himself. While I wouldn't always recommend audiobooks narrated by the author, Gaiman is a spectacular narrator of his own writing and I wouldn't want to read this book any other way. The book is split into ten sections:
I. Some Things I Believe
Collected speeches on everything from libraries to bookstores to Halloween and genre fiction
II. Some People I Have Known
Introductions largely taken from the works of other authors or remembering them in some fashion
III. Introductions and Musings: Science Fiction
Introductions written by Gaiman to other sci fi books
IV. Films and Movies and Me
Reflections on some of Gaiman's favorite films and TV, along with reflections on MirrorMask, which he created along with Dave McKean
V. On Comics and Some of the People Who Make Them
Essays and speeches about the world of comics as well as specific stories
VI. Introductions and Contradictions
Various introductions that Gaiman has written from sci fi to nonfiction to comics.
VII. Music and the People Who Make It
Various introductions to artists that Gaiman has known
VIII. On Stardust and Fairy Tales
Introductions to other fairy tales as well as Gaiman's view on the genre and of his novel Stardust
IX. Make Good Art
Gaiman's popular commencement speech about making art
X. The View from the Cheap Seats: Real Things
Various essays about everything from Terry Pratchett to the Dresden Dolls (of which his wife Amanda Palmer is a member) to Syria
While some of the essays/introductions/speeches were less interesting than others, I ended up with so many favorite quotes and new authors to read because of this book. If you're a Gaiman fan, interested in his influences or just want a book of well crafted short writing, I'd highly recommend this one.
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