Science Fiction and Fantasy Association of New Zealand

The Truth Is The Truth Is A Cave In The Black Mountains
by Neil Gaiman
Illustrated by Eddie Campbell
Headline

Supplied for review by Hachette New Zealand

Reviewed By: John Toon

This is one of a number of short stories by Neil Gaiman that have been adapted with illustrations and published on their own as mid-sized hardbacks. Unlike the others in the series that I've seen, this one isn't a variation on a familiar fairy tale.

Set in the Scottish highlands around the time of Bonnie Prince Charlie's exile, it's the story of how two men go questing for fairy gold and how one gets his revenge on the other for an old crime. It's a well written piece, and Eddie Campbell's mixture of expressionistic paintings and rough sketches blend well with the rugged setting and the dreamlike aspects of the story.

There's not much more to be said – a short book, and a short review. I don't think I'd be tempted to pay the cover price for such a slim book myself, but I can see it finding favour as a collector's piece or as a gift for younger readers. Common-or-garden readers like myself might be better advised to pick up Gaiman's most recent anthology, Trigger Warning, which includes the text of this and a couple of dozen other stories.

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