March 21 - "October in the Chair"

“October in the Chair”
by Neil Gaiman
Fragile Things (2006)

* * * * (Great) Fantasy

The months of the year gather around a campfire to share stories. October, in the seat of position, shares the final tale of the night – the story of a runaway boy and the friend he finds in the moonlit fields.

The brothers and sisters of the months in this story could very well be cousins to the brothers and sisters of the Endless from Gaiman’s popular comic series, Sandman. Even the idea of gathering to share stories doesn’t stray far from the format of comic series. Don’t get me wrong, this similarity is in no way a disparagement to the story here; it is a compliment. It was enjoyable trying to match personalities and traits to the individual months, but it was October’s tale within the larger story that made this an interesting piece of fiction. The tale of Runt was reminiscent of Nobody Owens from The Graveyard Book. [There are a lot of connections to be made when you enjoy the works of such a prolific author.] Gaiman is at his best when pairing the innocent and supernatural. The open-endedness of Runt’s tale is what leaves an enduring impact on the reader. It is the type of story that will come back into your thoughts long after you’ve placed the collection back up on the shelf.