Neil Gaiman books

[sunnysmile]

I've just read World's End, and I love the way Neil Gaiman takes things from our world and gave it a different twist in his comic books. Another reason I like it is because it made me see things from a different angle. I'm going to search for his other stuff! Woo hoo!

Okay, my question now is: Has anyone read his books (the kind with words)? Are they any good?

[wordmonkey]

I read "American Gods" a while back and I thought the idea was awesome, I was totally hooked. Really well done.

Then I got to the end and I was left thinking, "...is that it?"

Not sure what I was looking for, but I felt totally let down by the end. I guess maybe I thought the characters deserved something more.

Still wouldn't mind emulating his career though.

[sunnysmile]

I know what you mean, wordmonkey, now that you mentioned it. I couldn't understand the ending to World's End as well, about the giant figures across the sky. If anyone has read it and knows what it means, please share!

I'll go get American Gods then and see. At least, I'll be prepared for the ending. LOL Thanks!

[UrsulaV]

The giant figures in "World's End" make sense once you've read the rest of "Sandman"--they're a procession in honor of a specific character--but you've gotta read the other books.

They are worth it, utterly and totally. Start with vol 1, order them all, because otherwise you'll kick yourself waiting.

His written books are good. "Stardust" was my favorite. "Neverwhere" is pretty decent, has some nice imagery. The one he wrote with Pratchett, "Good Omens," is a work of genius.

[madderblue]

About a week ago I stumbled upon him and became very intrigued. Why hadn't I discovered him before? He's good looking, he's a spec writer, he's won loads of awards...

I just started Anansi Boys and have ordered American Gods and one of his short story collections. I am very curious about the graphic novels as well.

[Inkdaub]

I also recommend you read all the Sandman and begin at the beginning. There are aspects of the storyline that carry throughout the entire run.

My favorite Gaiman novel is Neverwhere followed by Stardust, which can also be found in a graphic novel form including illustrations but written in prose.

[sharpierae]

"Neil Gaiman is a total rock star." --As said by a YA librarian friend of mine a few years back after seeing Mr. Gaiman walk around an ALA library confrence (or something) wearing a leather jacket.

Neverwhere. Good Omens. Stardust. are my favorites in that order, check 'em out, sunnysmile.

I can also recommend his children's books too (the goldfish one and the one about wolves in the walls)

You gotta admire that man's dark twist.
xxxrae

[Manxom Vroom]

I've been a fan of Neil since he first started writing Sandman. Taken as a whole, Sandman is the greatest thing he's ever written. I think he has yet to write a novel that is as good, but I expect that he will. "Anansi Boys" is his most accomplished novel to date. He's also a super nice guy to boot. To know him is to love him.

He's going to go mega-huge next year, what with movie adaptations of "Coraline," "Stardust" and "Beowulf" from a script he wrote with Roger Avery.

[PeeDee]

I've been reading Neil Gaiman a long time, in comics and in prose. If I had to have a role model, he'd be it.

I remember reading World's End, and seeing the giant figures and mostly just being puzzled by it. Then, a week later when I was doing nothing in particular, I suddenly froze when it clicked and I understood them. It broke my heart, right on the spot. It was like Neil had just come over and shot my dog. I kept going "Oh ****, oh ****, he's going to do it...."

I was a wreck for the rest of the Sandman run. Then we had the final three issues (particularly the one with Hob and the final one with Will Shakespeare) and then I was a wreck for a good deal longer.

American Gods was a wonderful book, I thought. So was Anansi Boys. Neverwhere, I thought he was still learning quite what he was doing, and Stardust was a magnificant fairy tale. Smoke & Mirrors has some good short stories, and if you can find it Adventures in the Dream Trade is a collection of articles, essays, and introductions by Neil and is a fascinating read.

If you get the chance to see him in person, do so. He's wonderfully charismatic, he entertains no end, and he's just downright nice.

[BottomlessCup]

And, he mentioned our little dust-up on his blog! He called us "decent folk!" Us!


There's a big-time film version of "Stardust" in post-production right now.

[PeeDee]

And, he mentioned our little dust-up on his blog! He called us "decent folk!" Us!


There's a big-time film version of "Stardust" in post-production right now.

It should be good. Matthew Vaughn's a good director. I'm looking forward to not only that, but to Beowulf that he wrote with Roger Avary....and Coraline which is being done by Henry Selick. Who could be more perfect for Coraline than Henry Selick, honestly?

[madderblue]

I just recieved and read the first of the Sandman series, OmG, I'm hooked!

[willietheshakes]

I couldn't understand the ending to World's End as well, about the giant figures across the sky. If anyone has read it and knows what it means, please share!


You read World's End first?
You read the ninth book of a ten book series before anything else?

Hmm.

I'm not going to share, because to do so would ruin one of the great, great reading experiences out there. Suffice it to say, it's well worth pursuing. I'm with PeeDee on this -- I was wrecked by the ending of Sandman for a long time, and I re-read the entire series at least once a year.

Yeah, it is THAT good.

[willietheshakes]

I just recieved and read the first of the Sandman series, OmG, I'm hooked!

I envy anyone who has the privilege of reading The Sandman for the first time.

[engmajor2005]

Neil Gaiman is not a rock star. Neil Gaiman is not a writer. Neil Gaiman is not a man. Neil Gaiman. Is. A. GOD.

I like American Gods, followed by Neverwhere and Anansi Boys, followed closely by everything else. Sandman, much like LOTR, is one big book, so read it from the beginning.

[PeeDee]

I'm not going to share, because to do so would ruin one of the great, great reading experiences out there. Suffice it to say, it's well worth pursuing. I'm with PeeDee on this -- I was wrecked by the ending of Sandman for a long time, and I re-read the entire series at least once a year..

I'm STILL wrecked by the ending. I hapepned to be talking to a gal, the other day, who was slowly working her way through the series and was just about to hit book nine and ten. She liked "Brief Lives," but she thought that it was taking a darker turn (Sandman...darker turn!? Yikes.) and it worried her.

I tried to just give general chatter about the series, not wanting to blow the ending, and I realized I was getting bummed out. In fact, writing this post has just slumped my night a little bit. It affected me a LOT.

American Gods is a wonderful example of how to write a novel. I can suggest that aspiring writers not necessarily try to write novels like Neil Gaiman has written them, but rather, to take lessons from how he writes his novels. His use of language is both sparse and expansive, both at once, and that's important.

He's the main reason I write by hand these days, and I'm better for it.

[Inkdaub]

I am also still wrecked by the ending. I feel emotional about it as I type this. I read a terrible film script adaptation of Sandman on the web once. This thing was pretty awful to be true...but I almost cried at the end when a line from the comics was used in the screenplay.

[madderblue]

Loved one and have already ordered the Absolute Sandman for a Christmas present to me...from me!

[PeeDee]

Loved one and have already ordered the Absolute Sandman for a Christmas present to me...from me!

Don't think I don't hate you for it. If you happen to not like the Absolute Sandman, you can feel free to send it to me.

I haven't even seen it yet. Dreamhaven books has a lovely copy on display, down in the Twin Cities (not forty five minutes from where I live) but I haven't had a chance to go make love to it yet.

[willietheshakes]

It's lovely...

[madderblue]

Suuuure PeeDee...I promise you (cross my heart), if I don't like The Absolute Sandman (*gasp*), it's yours! And we all know how this turns out, right?

In order to keep my suitcases light (and because you're not allowed to lock them anymore, so why fill them with presents that can disappear?), I was ordering a good chunk of my Christmas via Amazon and having it shipped to my parents' house. It was then that I ran across T.A.S. I knew it had to be good but reading all those customers reviews just pushed me over the edge. Click click...CLICK!

Now, I may be eating tuna sandwhiches for Christmas dinner, but you can bet I'll have some good reading while I munch!

[Inkdaub]

Is Dreamhaven the bookstore that is sortof Gaiman's 'headquarters'? The place where he knows the staff and always has special stuff going through the store and such?

[PeeDee]

Is Dreamhaven the bookstore that is sortof Gaiman's 'headquarters'? The place where he knows the staff and always has special stuff going through the store and such?

That's the one, yeah. It's in Minneapolis, just down the street from a cool Indie movie theater, and another cool bookstore called "Hugo's." If there's an artsy-neighborhood, it's this one. It's a slobby neighborhood too, probably because it's so full of these artistic people.

Dreamhaven is magnificant, even if you're not a Neil Gaiman fan. They sell thousands of old comics, the whole store is full of sci-fi/fantasy/horror books of every shape and size imaginable, books that I've never seen anywhere else or have only just HEARD about. They have cool artwork all over the walls, they sell interesting CDs by strange gothic rock bands, they have Neil Gaiman's Hugo's, Nebulas, and other awards on display in case you ever wanted to see one.

It's a bit of a sensory overload. You can't look at everything at once. I tend to check out a shelf or two each time.

They have the complete hardcover editions of Harlan Ellison's "Edgeworks" books, for pete's sake.

[Inkdaub]

Yeah I've heard Dreamhaven mentioned fairly often at Gaiman's site. Sounds like a great store. The sort of store I would like to open if I opened a store.

[Inkdaub]

I hope Gaiman's next book has nothing to do with gods.

[mooncars]

If you're a Gaiman fan , then your collection isn't complete without this (http://www.amazon.com/Last-Temptation-Neil-Gaiman/dp/156971455X). It's more than twice the length of most of his other works.

[PeeDee]

More than twice the length? Whut?

I've owned that since '94 or so. I bought it shortly after Alice Cooper's CD of the same name came out (which I also gobbled up; big Alice Cooper fan).

It's not long though. Unless I'm not following your meaning here...

[Summonere]

Curious:

To those who liked American Gods … why?

Just asking.

[mooncars]

More than twice the length? Whut?

I've owned that since '94 or so. I bought it shortly after Alice Cooper's CD of the same name came out (which I also gobbled up; big Alice Cooper fan).

It's not long though. Unless I'm not following your meaning here...

Two points here. Firstly, I've been a huge Coop fan since 72. Point number two.....I have no clue as to why I said it was twice the length of his other works. I must have been talking to someone and typing at the same time. Either that or it's time for my meds again. :ROFL:

[PeeDee]

Curious:

To those who liked American Gods … why?

Just asking.

Because it was big and weird and strange. I liked Shadow, even though there was so little about him. I liked the detail of the story (both the grand detail, as well as the minute details). I enjoyed life in the little town of Lakeside. I liked Sam Black Crow, and I liked Wednesday, and I particularly like Czernobog.

I know a number of people who either disliked the book intensely, or just didn't enjoy it. Ah well. To each their own. :)

[PattiTheWicked]

I just read Anansi Boys, my first foray into Neil Gaiman World.

It's official... he's a god.

Now I'll have to get American Gods and the Sandman series.

[PeeDee]

The nice thing about Neil Gaiman (and he says this himself) is that evne if you don't like a particular book by him, you may find yourself liking the next one. For example, fans of Stardust and Neverwhere might not like American Gods. Folks who liked American Gods might like anansi boys, or Sandman, or....you get the idea.

[Inkdaub]

The nice thing about Neil Gaiman (and he says this himself) is that evne if you don't like a particular book by him, you may find yourself liking the next one. For example, fans of Stardust and Neverwhere might not like American Gods. Folks who liked American Gods might like anansi boys, or Sandman, or....you get the idea.

That's true, though I have yet to meet a Gaiman fan who didn't like Sandman. I'm a Stardust/Neverwhere guy, though. I love them both.

American Gods...not so much. I couldn't stand Shadow at all. I wanted to scream at him to just once for the love of all the gods in the book STAND UP FOR YOURSELF. Just for five seconds. I know the whole deal...Shadow is his name and there is even a passage where the wife says she could be in a room and never know he was also there. So yeah Shadow is supposed to be the way he is...but I just couldn't like him at all.

Anansi Boys is better. I still hope the next book isn't about gods.

[PeeDee]

1)That's true, though I have yet to meet a Gaiman fan who didn't like Sandman. I'm a Stardust/Neverwhere guy, though. I love them both.

2)American Gods...not so much. I couldn't stand Shadow at all. I wanted to scream at him to just once for the love of all the gods in the book STAND UP FOR YOURSELF. Just for five seconds. I know the whole deal...Shadow is his name and there is even a passage where the wife says she could be in a room and never know he was also there. So yeah Shadow is supposed to be the way he is...but I just couldn't like him at all.

3)Anansi Boys is better. I still hope the next book isn't about gods.

1) Oddly enough, my wife didn't like Sandman much. She enjoyed Coraline, she enjoyed American Gods, she enjoyed Anansi Boys. She enjoys the short stories that I read to her. She couldn't get into Sandman.

2) Shadow is....very interesting, partially because he's so passive. There's a lot to him, it's just taking time to figure out. I can very much understand why some people are turned off by him, though.

3) His next book is called The Graveyard Book and is about a baby who is orphaned in a graveyard and raised by dead people, and learns all the things that dead people do. I'm looking forward to it.

[Inkdaub]

3) His next book is called The Graveyard Book and is about a baby who is orphaned in a graveyard and raised by dead people, and learns all the things that dead people do. I'm looking forward to it.

This sounds awesome.

[endless]

*cough, sputter, erk*

Didn't like Sandman? Excuse me? You've got to be absolutely crazy not to like the Sandman as Gaiman has written him. Talk about ground-breaking and wonderful. That series hooked me years ago and has never let me go.

The series gives you a good shake and leaves you yearning for more.

[PeeDee]

Sandman broke my heart. Absolutely broke my heart. I wandered around lost and forlorn for days. I wrote nothing for weeks.

[truelyana]

That name sure rings a bell

[endless]

PeeDee, I love the tapdancing faces!

When I read the ending of Sandman, I choked up. "No!" I wailed. I wanted more. I wanted Daniel to go on with the story.

Looking back, that was the only way to end the series. Gaiman grabbed you and made you cry. Yes, he managed to leave me empty and wrung out. I wanted to phone him and shout, "Keep going, damnit! I don't want it to be over!"

As if _I_ could ever phone him! *Chuckles* Yeah, right.

But I wanted to.