There's nothing better than a dark tale, especially on the night of spooks, trick-or-treating and pumpkins...
Neil Gaiman knows the importance of reading and his genius covers books, graphic novels, audio, film and television. Fellow author Clive Barker once described him as a star: "He constructs stories like some demented cook might make a wedding cake, building layer upon layer, including all kinds of sweet and sour in the mix."
It had been reported early this year that Gaiman will be writing the script for a film adaptation of Journey to the West, an ancient Chinese folk tale popularised across the globe by cult Japanese television show Monkey (starring Masaaki Sakai) in the late 1970s.
Now Gaiman is inviting you to book-give for halloween...
And as he explains, the idea is simple:
"This halloween give somebody a scary book... to read. That's it, that's the idea. It's going to be a tradition. In ten years' time everybody is going to be giving somebody else, or lots of somebody elses, a scary book for halloween. But for right now we're starting a tradition: All Hallow's Read."
Of course reading is mostly a solitary experience, unless you are part of a group who choose to take it in turns to read chapters, so don't give up on the fun of trick-or-treating, carving jack-o'-lanterns, attending costume parties, apple bobbing, and watching horror films.
This is all about giving a spooky book to someone as a gift, whether you know them or not, and sharing the magic of literature.
For more information: All Hallow's Read
