Neil, Neil, orange peel!

It was like an indie-goth version of Sardines as fans crammed into Books Kinokuniya yesternight for an appearance by Pomgolian fantasist extraordinaire Neil Gaiman. Thanks to my loftiness, I was able to gain an unobstructed view from a behind-bookcase location others had avoided.

We've all seen publicity shots of NG, but while he does dress entirely in black and have a Robert Smith mop (and paunch), there's a touch of Keanu Reeves about his features; an unfinished handsomeness. I'd liken his mannerisms to my old uni buddy JS and his speech to that of Alan Rickman. Neil talking mirrors Neil writing – masterful word choice and pacing, wholly original expressions, flights of silliness, sudden profundity.

We were fortunate to hear an enthusiastic rendition of two passages from "The Graveyard Book" (on sale in October), which he describes as "The Jungle Book" relocated to a cemetery, ie. it's about a boy raised by ghosts. He voiced each character differently, nailed the jokes and generally held us spellbound. I can see why publishers get him to narrate his own audiobooks.

This was followed by a 20-minute Q&A session in which Mr Gaiman dealt kindly with the dumber queries and rewarded the thoughtful ones with details of projects currently underway (an "Anansi Boys" movie), on the backburner (his idea for a "Neverwhere 2") and happening in the future (a "secret" collaboration with Tori Amos).

Speaking of TA, there was a cute girl sitting right at the front – which would've required arriving yonks before I did – outfitted just like Delirium, the "Sandman" character based on the singer.

I didn't stay for the autograph session, but I was impressed when Neil announced he'd be breaking the rule that only his latest releases (anthology "M Is For Magic" and picture book "The Dangerous Alphabet") could be personalised. Big cheer from the crowd. He then assured us he wouldn't leave the desk until absolutely everyone's stuff had been signed, and if the folks at the end of the queue wanted to grab dinner and return later, that was fine by him.

What a champ.