Neil Gaiman's Troll Bridge by Neil Gaiman, Colleen Doran (Illustrated by)

Neil Gaiman writes creepy stories.  Some I like, some I don't.  But I really have a thing for trolls and goblins and other magical creatures, so I had to read this one.  Especially since it was in graphic novel form.

Dark Horse Books and Edelweiss gave me the opportunity to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published October 4th.

This is the story of a young boy growing up with no siblings.  He read a lot, had a good imagination, and loved to wander.  He reminded me a bit of myself; my brother didn't come along until I was six.  Luckily, I never met a troll...

He looks at the old abandoned house and imagines the things that must be within it.  He never goes in but he knows the night brings new horrors; the dark is like that.  Then he adventures down a path he hasn't seen before.  He walks under an old railway bridge and continues on for a bit, then he returns.  When he comes back, he meets the troll.  The troll is going to eat his life but he tells him how much he hasn't done in life and how he won't be a satisfying meal.  He promises to return later when he has more to offer.

The next time he sees the bridge, it's in a development.   He's walking with a girl he has a crush on and he's planning on kissing her and asking her out under the bridge.  Instead, he meets the troll again.  I was quite disappointed when he tried to give his new love to the troll instead of paying the price he'd offered in the past.  The troll decides to wait longer.  The new love ends before it started.

The young man grows up and turns into an adult that doesn't behave any better with a wife and child than he did with his girlfriend.  As his life falls to pieces, he returns to the troll.

The ending is different from what I expected but exactly what was needed.  We should all take note to behave better in life.  There is a hell...