Neil Gaiman knocks it out of the park in Vancouver

Seeing the around-the-block lineup at the Vogue Theatre yesterday afternoon, you might be forgiven for thinking that it was for the music industry's latest hot young thing.  

However, if you’re one of the literati in the know, you’re well aware that all the fuss was for English rock-star author Neil Gaiman, who was to perform later that night on the last stop on the North American arm of the tour for his latest book The Ocean at the End of the Lane.

The show only started about 10 minutes late, which I count as quite a feat, considering that it was sold out and people had started lining up as early as four hours beforehand. When apprised that the lineup was, in fact, for Neil Gaiman, passersby tended tended to reply with “Who?” or, my personal favourite, “Is he a band?”

Unlike the last time Gaiman stopped in Vancouver, there was no music at this show, as wife Amanda Palmer was absent. However, Gaiman did get the show rolling with a reading from The Ocean at the End of the Lane, selecting a passage from the beginning, so as not to spoil it for the half of the audience that hadn't read it yet. His latest novel tells the story of a man who returns to his hometown after a long absence and somehow becomes involved in a series of events that started in his childhood.

Pausing to answer a selection of audience questions, Gaiman  alluded to possible American Gods and Neverwhere sequels, hinting that they might be out soon. This was pretty big news, as he himself noted that he has a tendency to be more intrigued by beginning new projects than revisiting old ones.

He closed with a reading from soon-to-be-published children's book Fortunately, the Milk. The book, due out in mid September, details the fantastical adventures of a father who steps out to get milk for his children's breakfast and gets lost along the way. 

Post-event, Gaiman stayed behind to interact with the staggeringly large number of audience members who wanted their chance to meet the author and get their hands on personalized copies of his works. And although I got out of there relatively early (I got lucky and was in one of the first rows called up), I have no doubt that he was there until the bitter end.

Congrats, Neil Gaiman, and I'll see you on your next tour.