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    The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains: A Tale of Travel and Darkness with Pictures of All Kinds
    The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains: A Tale of Travel and Darkness with Pictures of All Kinds
    The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains: A Tale of Travel and Darkness with Pictures of All Kinds
    Audiobook1 hour

    The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains: A Tale of Travel and Darkness with Pictures of All Kinds

    Written by Neil Gaiman and Eddie Campbell

    Narrated by Neil Gaiman

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    The text of The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains was first published in the collection anthology Stories: All New Tales edited by Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio. This gorgeous full-color illustrated book version was born of a unique collaboration between writer Neil Gaiman and artist Eddie Campbell, who brought to vivid life the characters and landscape of Gaiman's story. In August 2010, The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains was performed in the concert hall of the Sydney Opera House to a sold-out crowd—Gaiman read his tale live as Campbell's magnificent artwork was presented, scene-by-scene, on large screens. Narrative and art were accompanied by live music composed and performed especially for the story by the FourPlay String Quartet.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateJul 8, 2014
    ISBN9780062332134
    The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains: A Tale of Travel and Darkness with Pictures of All Kinds
    Author

    Neil Gaiman

    Neil Gaiman is the New York Times bestselling and multi-award winning author and creator of many beloved books, graphic novels, short stories, film, television and theatre for all ages. He is the recipient of the Newbery and Carnegie Medals, and many Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, and Will Eisner Awards. Neil has adapted many of his works to television series, including Good Omens (co-written with Terry Pratchett) and The Sandman. He is a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR and Professor in the Arts at Bard College. For a lot more about his work, please visit: https://www.neilgaiman.com/

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    Reviews for The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains

    4.5/5

    165 ratings29 reviews

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    • 4/5
      1/2-3/4 of the way in and I was hooked. Sitting in the car listening in the garage. Sitting in the car listening in the parking lot waiting outside my daughter's school. The music is overwhelming at first. It took me a while to acclimate to it, then it seemed perfect by the end too.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      To be honest, this wasn't my usual genre of book but I'm open to reading all different styles of books. I picked up this little gem and began it before bed last night and very quickly I realised that it was right up my street. The illustrations are just excellent and fitting to this tale. My eyelids were heavy and I tried to fight sleep to finish this and I just wanted to know everything, but reluctant I put it down and slept. Fast forward to this morning when I reached over and finished it.It was as disturbing as I though it would be, yet intriguing and written so well. The first by Neil Gaiman I have read but certainly not the last. I just listened to the audiobook sample after reading the reviews and will listen to it as soon as I find it.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      The artwork in this one was really interesting, it varied between almost comic strips and full images. The story was good, and a bit twisted, I would have liked to keep reading about the character.
    • 4/5
      I don't know if I read this story previously elsewhere, or if it just has such a visceral presence that I recognize it ifrom some collective memory. Creepy, enthralling, great storytelling. I wasn't sure what to the think of the crudeness of the illustrations going in, but they become so integral so quickly that I can no longer imagine the story without them.
    • 5/5
      Love the story, and the art really enhances the tale.
    • 4/5
      Incredible work!!This is a short novelette from Gaiman along with Eddie Campbell’s dark fascinating paintings. Reading this story is very fast and like other Gaiman’s work very rich. Campbell’s graphic novel’s style is strange and at first I didn’t really enjoy it but after a few pages I was all in. So much harmony between the story and the art work.Story starts with a small man looking for a guide to accompany him to a mysterious cave. For the contrast the guide man is very big/tall. As they travel story reveals itself and the companions’ true intentions.
    • 4/5
      This is very Gaiman-y. Excellent and haunting illustrations as well.
    • 4/5
      LOVED this. As always Gaiman brilliantly brings to life an old tale, "a tale of travel and darkness with pictures of all kinds." It's a quick read and you will have it done within an hour, but the story will stick with you. It's mesmerizing and powerful in its simplicity and raw emotion. It's hard to summarize this book without giving too much away. Just know that the haunting illustrations and great story-line are worth an hour of your life. Gaiman is a master of the dark otherworlds; this story of vengeance, adventure, and shadow is no exception.
    • 4/5
      This book marries comic panels, watercolors, art, and a story in a fascinating blend. Written to be read aloud, the tale flows easily as the reader follows two men on the Isle of Skye as they journey to a cave filled with gold-- a cave that is not always there, and that takes something from those who enter it. A revenge tale and a bit of a mystery, the story is powerful, worth reading aloud, and something that will bring back memories for anyone who has been to Skye.
    • 5/5
      I first read this short story online many months ago. It confused me, and I'm not quite sure why. Maybe because the version I read did not have the amazing artwork by Eddie Campbell. I would have loved to see this read live by Gaiman, with the backing of a string quartet as Campbell's illustrations are projected behind them (but alas, the San Francisco show was sold out). This is a story about a little man and a reiver who go out on a journey to a certain dark cave in the mountains. There is gold in the cave for those brave (and stupid) enough to go get it, but in exchange, the person loses all sense of good and evil. As the two men continue on their journey, we discover that the little man chose this particular guide for a very specific reason...Another haunting and fantastic story by Gaiman that makes you think about humanity and the nature of good and evil.
    • 4/5
      Legend says that in the Black Mountains is a cave filled with gold. One day Calum MacInnes has a dwarf call at his home seeking this mythical place. MacInnes reluctantly agrees to guide him there, for a price, and they set off for Misty Island where it supposedly is located. There is a healthy amount of distrust between the travellers, MacInnes at one point tries to lose the man, but he finds him fairly quickly. They do bond eventually and slowly reveal secrets from their past, dark secrets that no others had known before. Their secrets are linked to the cave of gold, which is claimed holds a curse for those that take it, a curse that MacInnes thinks he still carries from the first time he visited. Will they find the cave and is it cursed?

      This is a moody, atmospheric tale that Gaiman has written, full of XXX and revenge. It is a story that I first read in Trigger Warnings and quite liked, but the dark tale is perfectly complemented by the artwork of Eddie Campbell who manages to convey the brooding skies and mountains of the region as the characters swirl around each other. Solid stuff from Gaiman once again.
    • 4/5
      This is more of a novelette crossed with tons on illustrations. It is set in Scotland around the time they are trying to get Bonnie Prince Charles onto the throne since there are hints about giving gold to a king so he can come back. What starts out as a quest for gold turns into revenge tale. Good story and you can read it separate here or read it in the collection it first appeared in 2011 in Stories
    • 4/5
      The story was pretty dark, though that is expected out of the word-smith, Neil Gaiman. It was an interesting short tale.
    • 4/5
      A small man, a dwarf, hires a guide to take him to a mysterious island in search of a cursed treasure. This is no regular man, and the choice of guide was anything but random.
    • 5/5
      A terrific short story written and read by Neil Gaiman.
    • 4/5
      An 'adult picture book' more than a graphic novel, the result of a successful collaboration between Neil Gaiman (words) and Eddie Cambell (pictures).
    • 4/5
      A wonderful folk tale that is everything we've come to expect from Neil Gaiman - an overarching darkness throughout, a plot that involves mystery, unexpected revelations with twists and turns of events, and a new way of looking at things we've taken for granted. The story follows two men on a journey in search of gold in the Black Cave in the Mountains, but I won't reveal too much else since the story is fairly brief, and I don't want to spoil it for anyone.The book is heavily illustrated, which initially gives it the appearance of a picture book. However, the book is really part graphic novel, part short story, and part picture book. The blending of these genres is refreshing in this context, and I loved the way it made the text come alive in some parts and allowed my imagination come alive in others. Fans of Gaiman's work (such as myself) will be very pleased with this one.
    • 5/5
      Not quite a novel, not quite a graphic novel. I don't care, it's by Neil Gaiman, it's set in Scotland, there is skull on the cover and just look at the title: The Truth is a a Cave in the Black Mountains! How could you deny the pull of that spell? Anyway, Neil Gaiman did not let me down. This story is short but delightfully mysterious, a little creepy, and frosted with that slight sense of the ancient magic that is hard to find these days. The book itself is solid with a satisfying weight to it. As usual, it wasn't cheap. There is a price. There is always a price.
    • 5/5
      Sorry - but I have not read a Neil Gaiman book yet that disappointed. This book is as visually gorgeous as is the tale - a combo of graphic novel and fairy tale - about truth and love and revenge .. a must own for any lover of Neil or the graphic genre
    • 5/5
      Atmospheric and original, and like much Gaiman does free of pandering.
    • 3/5
      This is not quite a graphic novel that takes place on the Isle of Skye in the Outer Hebrides. It was originally published in a short story collection before being made into this novella. Like most Neil Gaiman stories, it's a dark tale with a little magical mysticism thrown in.
    • 4/5
      A nicely psychological story with wonderful illustrations that add a lot - I enjoyed this immensely.
    • 4/5
      A very short story/novella, which like much of Gaiman's work is a dark twisted fairy tale. Thoroughly enjoyable on audio, with musical accompaniment that mostly enhances the story.
    • 4/5
      With is usual touch of the macabre, Gaiman takes us on a journey through the highlands of Scotland. Along with his words, we are treated to the murky, dynamic, and stylized art of Eddie Campbell. Set in a twisted world of dark water and fading sun, full of ghosts and danger, this tale is perfect for a dark and stormy night. It’s a strange tale. Naturally, as the product of the mind of Gaiman, known for his creepy stories. It reads like a folktale, with the central character being a strange little man of possible other-worldly origins, with a dark purpose that brings him to the Cave of the title. From there, he will find the tools he needs to enact his revenge. The plot twists, dark deeds are done, and you aren’t sure where the tale will lead you. The art is fantastic – part graphic novel, part sketches, with a muted tones and rough lines. It matches the story perfectly. Worth reading if you enjoy haunting dark tales with ghoulish art.
    • 4/5
      This is a short story/graphic novel that take place on Isle of Skye in Scotland. In the story a dwarf visits a man who is supposed to know the location of a cave that holds all the gold a man can dream of...for a price. So starts a journey deep into greed and darkness.This book is a bit of an oddity. It was apparently based on a live reading Gaiman did of this story while Campbell did live artwork. It’s part short story and part graphic novel. It is definitely intended for adults/older young adults. There is a cabin that the two characters stop at where the man obviously abuses his wife (emotionally/physically/sexually).It’s a very good short story and I really enjoyed that part of the book. The story is full of the deep and dark irony that I have come to associate with many of Gaiman’s books. The story has a bit of a folklore feel to it as well as telling a moral of sorts.I did not like the illustration. The bigger pictures are done in a very unfinished waterpaint looking style that I didn’t really enjoy. The graphic novel panels look like someone gave a child a marker and told them to make loose sketches of people. I am not familiar with Campbell’s art style, so I am guessing this is just his typical style. However, it wasn’t for me.Overall a very well done short story that is done in a unique way. However I did not enjoy the illustration style. Also this may kind of look like a picture book, but I would recommend for older young adults and adults. A must have for any Neil Gaiman fanatic, but not my favorite.
    • 4/5
      An illustrated dark fantasy (or maybe fantasy/horror) short story by Neil Gaiman, about a man seeking a cave where treasure may be found... for a price, of course. It's a good example, I think, of Gaiman's skill as a storyteller. Although it's short, this tale is perfectly paced, doling out effective little bit of mystery and revelation, tension and foreshadowing as it goes along. And the illustrations, by Eddie Campbell, are eye-catching, varied, and integrated into the storytelling in some interesting ways.
    • 4/5
      As Gaiman writes in his post script, "It's not a pure prose, not a graphic novel. It's a story with pictures unlike anything else I've written." So what is it? It seems to be a legend told in the dark style that Gaiman's readers have come to know and expect. Basically, it is a tale of a dwarf, why's he need to be short? I don't know. He hears there's gold to be found in a distant cave and he needs the help of a man to take him there. Ok, that's all you need to know, it's a short story and I think the message is loud and clear. It's a dark tail, dark illustrations but it will certainly make you contemplate it.
    • 3/5
      I got this to review from Headline via Bookbridgr. Like I needed another source of goodies! Anyway, I hadn't read this short story before, so my first experience of it was this version with Eddie Campbell's illustrations and the slightly odd partial graphic novel format (which I wanted to kill with fire because for whatever reason I found the lettering hard to decipher, I don't know if I'm the only one).Viewed as a sort of fable/folk tale, I enjoyed it. The structure is great, too: the slow unspooling of information so that it all comes together close to the end, and if you were to start reading it again right away, you could appreciate the little clues. The art worked well for me, too, slightly unsettling and vivid, without any attempt to be photo-realistic.What didn't work for me so well was the treatment of women. The frankly unnecessary rape scene in the middle -- I'm not going to tone it down and say it was "almost" a rape scene: it was a man having sex with his frightened wife after beating her, let's call it what it is -- and the idea of an independent, fierce young woman dying because her hair is tied to a thorn bush. That sort of works in a fairytale sense, but in reality... if I had to separately break every strand of my hair to get free, I would (yes, even back in the days when I had long hair and it was my pride and joy). I'm pretty sure 99% of people with long hair would value their lives over their hair.And you know, the main character... I could forgive him wanting vengeance, and I could forgive him for the thing he can't forgive himself for. What I can't forgive him for is lying there on the floor of a hut where a woman has given him hospitality while she is beaten and raped for doing so -- after he got her to come out from where she was hiding with promises she wouldn't be harmed. Especially as it's all focused on how uncomfortable he thinks about it -- I'm pretty sure a woman in that situation would be feeling worse.I know it's set in a different culture, etc, etc, but it isn't even necessary to the narrative or characterisation. Passing the woman's husband outside would yield the same information, and we could avoid the whole sorry episode.
    • 5/5
      If there's one thing I absolutely love about Neil Gaiman, it's his versatility. He can write these dense fantasy novels and then follow it up with a childrens book and then follow that with something like The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains. I would best describe this book as a flushed out parable. I loved the way he takes a story that seems simple on the surface and then makes it all complicated and difficult and dense. The artwork was superb. In truth, I just wish I had also bought the audiobook and let Gaiman himself read it to me.