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Author Neil Gaiman's latest horror novel aimed at young readers
by Euan Kerr, Minnesota Public Radio
August 12, 2002

Neil Gaiman (Courtesy of HarperCollins)

St. Paul, Minn. — Neil Gaiman became the toast of the comic book world with his Sandman series. He then became a best selling novelist with his books "Neverwhere," "Stardust," and "American Gods." Now he has written "Coraline," a horror novel for children.

	"Coraline"

"Coraline" is about a little girl who discovers a malevolent netherworld hidden behind a door in her house. It's ruled by a hideous being known as "the other mother" who kidnaps Coraline's real parents. She then tries to imprison the girl herself.

Gaiman, an Englishman who now lives just outside the Twin Cities, says he began writing the novel for his daughter 10 years ago. He followed G.K. Chesterton's admonition that fairy tales are more than true, not because they say dragons exist, but because they say dragons can be beaten.

Neil Gaiman told Minnesota Public Radio's Euan Kerr the book elicits a very different reaction from different ages.

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