# ID a Neil Gaiman story

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-a-neil-gaiman-story/779602>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [February 11, 2017, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-a-neil-gaiman-story/779602 "2017-02-11T23:30:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\
**Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-a-neil-gaiman-story/779602/1 "2017-02-11T23:30:11Z")

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I feel like this should be very easy to find this on my own, but I’ve tried and failed, so I’m turning to you.

A few years ago, I heard Neil Gaiman reading a short story he wrote in which a man visits his elderly mother and discovers an artifact of his late father’s apparent double life as a Doc Savage-style pulp adventurer. His mother keeps trying to deflect his questions and downplay the whole thing but kept letting little details slip.

It was full of dialogue like “Of course you’re right dear. That couldn’t possibly be your father riding a pterodactyl in that photograph. Why, he always hated to fly!” Only much better, of course.

I’m almost positive I heard him reading the story on Selected Shorts, but I can’t find it on their website.

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**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\
**Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-a-neil-gaiman-story/779602/2 "2017-02-11T23:36:01Z")

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Perhaps adventure story from trigger warning?

Here’s a review.

> **[Neil Gaiman Is Back To Mess Up Your Dreams In 'Trigger Warning'](https://www.npr.org/2015/02/04/381641501/neil-gaiman-is-back-to-mess-up-your-dreams-in-trigger-warning)**
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> "Consider yourself warned," Gaiman says in his introduction. Many of these stories end badly for the people in them. But for the reader, Trigger Warning is a haunted, bloody, twisted pleasure.

And here is a reading of it:

[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/A-F2Jv7ar2o/maxresdefault.jpg "Neil Gaiman Reading "Adventure Story"") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-F2Jv7ar2o)

(I haven’t listened yet so sorry if its not right)

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**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\
**Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-a-neil-gaiman-story/779602/3 "2017-02-11T23:43:32Z")

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“Flappy things?”  
she thought for a moment.  
“Pteradactyles, dear. With a P.”

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**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\
**Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-a-neil-gaiman-story/779602/4 "2017-02-11T23:56:17Z")

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That’s it! Thanks!!!

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**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\
**Post date:** [February 12, 2017, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-a-neil-gaiman-story/779602/5 "2017-02-12T01:20:17Z")

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I recently listened to the audiobook of Gaiman reading _The Graveyard Book_ and he is an absolutely great reader. Coincidentally the week I was listening to it I went to see Nick Cave and Gaiman and his wife Amanda Palmer were sitting in front of us just among the ordinary folk.