BLACK DOG by Neil Gaiman

A special illustrated edition of the AMERICAN GODS novella from storytelling genius Neil Gaiman. 

Baldur 'Shadow' Moon is on his way back to America, but in this story he's only made it as far as the Peak District in Derbyshire, England. Here he becomes involved with a strange, small-town couple - and the spectral legend of a black dog that causes death.

I'm a huge fan of Neil Gaiman's work. He always manages to tell a magical story deeply soaked in myth and folklore, while the familiar setting is somehow grounded in our world. Not to mention that this happens to be a story set in the American Gods world. So of course I wanted to read this novella.

Shadow Moon is an American wandering across the English countryside when he stops by a small pub and meets some of the locals. Oliver and Moira are an older couple who seem kind and are full of local stories. Cassie is an enigmatic alluring woman who seems to disappear as quickly as she appears.

Due to the heavy rain and the absence of accommodation, Moira and Oliver offer him a room in their house. But when the old man collapses on the way, it's not clear if the black dog said to roam the area has actually hooked its claws into him, or if that's just what he calls his depression.

The longer Shadow stays, the more he notices and becomes embroiled in an old secret that refuses to stay dead...

This is another excellent story by this amazing storyteller. I love Shadow. His easy and calm manner hide a clever mind most miss because of his appearance. I also really liked the mysterious Cassie and the sad story she had to tell. I enjoyed the mystery as much as the many breadcrumbs laid out along the way. And the combination of ancient dog and cat mythology was totally awesome.

I also have to mention how beautiful this book is. The cover is eye catching, the hardback book lovely, and the illustrations made by Daniel Egnéus throughout are so eerily purrfect. There's even a black bound ribbon bookmark attached.

Black Dog is an intriguing and mysterious novella that hooked me in and kept me guessing until the very satisfying end. It's also very clever and so pretty that I can't wait to add it to my bookshelf.

Neil Gaiman has done it again.

I loved this so much!

Black Dog, November 2016, ISBN 9781472235442, Headline