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Neil Gaiman

B

Bernard

New Member
I noticed that Neil Gaiman wasn't in the Author discussion, therefore decided to start a Thread. I've read a few of his books (American Gods, Good Omens with Terry Pratchett and Stardust) and so far I really like his writting. Has anyone read Neverwhere? I heard it was his best?
 
I read Neverwhere after catching one of the TV programmes and thought it was superb - a dark, modern fairytale. Every time you figured you had it all sussed, he would throw something else in and send your mind whirling. I'm also a fan of his short stories in Smoke and Mirrors - the short story really lends itself to his particular talents.
 
I guess you could say I'm a bit of a Gaiman fan: American Gods, Sandman/Death, Stardust, Neverwhere, Coraline, Smoke and Mirrors. I think that's it.

[edit]I forgot all about Good Omens and Signal to Noise and The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish and Mr Punch![/edit]

I think out of his novels I liked Neverwhere best, yes. And Smoke and Mirrors has some really lovely stories in it!
 
I haven't read anything from him yet, but I've got American Gods waiting on my shelf. I'll be sure to give it a go soon!

Cheers
 
Neil Gaiman is a fantastic writer! I think his stories and prose are just wonderful.

However, I would like to add that he is a bit overhyped. I think becuase of the lack of original and talented writers. yes, his is DAMN good but he is not the writing God that people make him out to be. He is getting better and better though, and maybe one day, he will be :)

I liked American Gods and Stardust was great too! The Sandman comics are in a league of their own! A must read!
 
You're right 'Wabbit. He's not the best writer ever, but the way he tells a story and the story he tells is usually something I enjoy a lot. I thought American Gods wasn't the best thing he's ever done though, so I couldn't say if he's getting better or not. ;)
 
Gaimon is a brilliant writer. To me, I just feel that he is not yet totally at home within the format of a novel. The books still seem as if they are structured to be a comic book. I do think he is getting better at the novel format though :)
 
I think his pacing could use a touch of improvement, but in general his novels are some of the best i've read, as far as originality of ideas and wry humor. I enjoyed American Gods more then Neverwhere, but both were excellent.
 
I recently read his American Gods, which I utterly loved (I'll be sure to write a review, soon), but my question is this:

Are his other books just as good, or is American Gods the exception?

Cheers
 
I enjoyed Neverwhere, but it didn't reach the same level as American Gods. It's a good read, but not as deep. Still the same blend of humor and darkness. I'd give it a full recommendation, but it's not the same feel.

He's awfully busy writing movies, voice plays, comic books, reviews, etc., but I'm sure that once he puts his mind to it he'll write more exceptionally good novels.
 
if you enjoyed _american gods_, you should enjoy his other books as well. i loved _neverwhere_ and enjoyed _good omens_ (which he co-wrote with terry pratchett).

i also have read his whole run of _the sandman_ graphic novel - which i consider one of the most imaginative works of graphic fiction ever, which heartily recommend. he even had a single issue of the Sandman comic win the World Fantasy Award (unprecedented), which i read caused such a commotion in the fratenity that they had to revise the rules to disallow comics from being entered into the competition again.

i wonder what the fraternity thought when _american gods_ won the nebula.

ds
 
Martin said:
Do you know of any movies he was involved in?

Cheers
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He did the english translation for Princess Mononoke. Evidently the filmmakers asked Quentin Tarantino to do it, he said no, he wasn't qualified, but recommended Neil Gaiman.

He's also working on something with Jim Henson productions currently.
 
I have read all of his stuff ( including sandman *not the graphic novels but when they were actually out in comic form :eek: ) Read them all apart from caroline. It's a very short childrens book. A friend of mine ( who is a Gaiman fan, read this book and said she was very dissapointed with it ) and so it put me off reading it.

Yeah, all of his stuff is very good. I really liked StarDust which is a fairy tale. It was based on a graphic novel that he did.

He is a really great writer and I love the beauty of his prose. However, I really feel that he is still struggling somewhat with the novel format. He, to me, still writes as if he were writing for a comic or graphic novel. He seems to have this God like status around him that I really don't understand. For me, he has a few faults with his writing but he will iron those out with time. He is a wonderful writer and one of the best writers living today, but he's not perfect.
 
LOL, yeah, that's the one.

Not that it really matters, but you might be interested in what the others had to say... Now go get me some Gaiman! ;)
 
SillyWabbit said:
I have read all of his stuff ( including sandman *not the graphic novels but when they were actually out in comic form :eek: ) Read them all apart from caroline. It's a very short childrens book. A friend of mine ( who is a Gaiman fan, read this book and said she was very dissapointed with it ) and so it put me off reading it.
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it's actually _coraline_, not caroline. it's such a simple change, and that name really stuck to me. all the carolines i know had a tough time with me during that period. _Coraline_ is actually quite nice, and had a good ending. the feel (the feeling, not the plot, which is very different) of the whole book reminded me of clive barker's _the thief of always_, which was also written as a children's fable/story.

i overlooked _sandman_ during my comics collection days, but started buying them during the _world's end_ run. to say i was confused is an understatement. once the trade paperbacks came out everything made sense. moral: if you want to read sandman, read the early ones first, despite what they say about being individual volumes and can be read independently.

ds

p.s. i will start using capitalization in my next post - i notice i irritate myself reading my own posts. :rolleyes:
 
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