Infinite Possibilities
Any new book by Neil Gaiman is a cause for celebration, even if it is a very minor work, and not even quite new, as it turns out. This 'book' was originally planned as a television show back in about 1995, when Neil was in London working on the Neverwhere series and Michael was making adventure serials at DreamWorks. Unable to sell the idea to 'the kinds of people who make television', they decided to write it as a novel, hoping that it would then be possible for even a television executive to understand it. However, they soon found out that television executives don't read books either, and so the project was abandoned. Fast forward to the present, and suddenly there was enough interest in the project, at least in the form of a novel, and Neil found himself getting the almost seven-year old MS ready for publication. (In fact, one of the people eager to read the story as a real book was Neil's son Michael.) This is Neil's second collaboration on a novel after the amazing ?Good Omens? with Terry Pratchett, but, truth be told, it is nowhere near as good. It is difficult to precisely pinpoint what is lacking, but something is, and the finished work feels more like the draft of a treatment meant to sway the aforementioned television executives than anything of the order that Gaiman's fans have come to expect and deserve. If you are already a Gaiman fan, go ahead; but don't let this be your introduction to his genius.
