Salutations, traveler of The Internets! Welcome to William's Bloody Hell, so named after our founder, Sir Bloody William.
He is seen in the likeness above in a rare, 19th century woodcut. This
image was rumoured to have been
commissioned after a bout of unpleasantness
in the White Chapel district of London. Do enjoy your stay and peruse our many, varied offerings, much of which cannot be found elsewhere!
:: Wolves in the Walls by Neil Gaiman ::
by William the Bloody
Lucy hears noises within the walls of her house. She knows exactly what sort of thing makes noises like this, but no one else in the house believes her when she tells them it's wolves. No, her mother, father, and brother all prefer to think it must be mice, rats or bats because you know what they say: when the wolves in the walls come out it's all over.
The Good: Wolves in the Walls is a book with pictures for small children about 5 years old and the feel is just right. The young girl knows what's going on, but no one will listen until it's too late and it is she who is brave enough to go back into the house and reclaim the family's property. The wolves in the story aren't too scary despite Dave McKean's odd art work. In fact what they do when they come out of the walls is all stuff a five year old would be worried about getting in trouble for. You know, throwing wild parties, eating in the living room, turning the television all the way up, that sort of thing. It's so cute, really. The art may be odd, but it fits with Gaiman's story telling well and I just love Lucy's pig puppet.
The Bad: For a spooky kids book, I felt it wasn't spooky enough. Yes, it's for five year olds, but I felt Gaimain could have upped the ante slightly. I mean his book Coraline which is geared towards eleven and twelve year olds had some bits that freaked even me out, so I was hoping for a little of that here, but didn't get any. McKean's art may not be for everyone.
Overall, I liked it. It had a small children's book charm and felt like it would make for an excellent kid's bedtime story. You can tell Gaimain has children because he really knows how to tell a story to them. A good book for anyone, not just your kids.
A
