03 March 2007

The Wolves in the Walls



Author: Neil Gaiman
Illustrator: Dave McKean

Gaiman descends from his throne as the Supreme Lord of Comic Book and Fantasy Nerds to give us this dark and clever moral tale. McKean's illustrations look like a collage made from scraps pulled off the editing room floor of The Exorcist (including the infamous pea soup scene). They are wonderfully creepy and capture the mood perfectly.

The moral of the story is simple: There is nothing to fear but fear itself... especially if fear has sharp fangs and comes crashing through the walls with bloodthirsty eyes. We all love cute cuddly bunnies and warm fuzzy feelings, but it is refreshing to read the rare picture book with an edge to it. Even if it means I might need to plug in my night-light before going to sleep.

No comments: