In his introduction to this extensive collection of nonfiction work, Neil Gaiman, the author of The Sandman and Coraline, remembers how, as a child, the thoughts of HP Lovecraft or Stephen King on literature would point him towards new worlds of writing. Gaiman’s hope, therefore, is that somewhere in his “motley bunch of speeches and articles, introductions and essays” there will be a book, a film or a piece of music that will intrigue.
Certainly his thoughts on Lou Reed – published in the Guardian and Time Out – will have readers scurrying back to the “four sides of tape hum” that is Metal Machine Music. The Reed interview is just one of hundreds of hugely enjoyable, thoughtful and wise pieces on everything from writing for children to horror, Doctor Who to SimCity. Like a series of thoughts for the day via the enthusiastic worldview of one of our most inquisitive writers, it’s a perfect antidote to cynicism and a paean to the power of reading.
The View from the Cheap Seats is published by Headline (£20). Click here to buy it for £16.40
