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Neil Gaiman: where do I start?

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  • 13-05-2011 10:36am
    #1
    AnnyHallsal
    Registered Users Posts: 4,117 ✭✭✭


    I've wanted to read something by Gaiman for ages but am overwhelmed by the amount of stuff he's written: any suggestions for a good starting point?

    Thanks :)


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    #2
    Apolloyon
    Registered Users Posts: 322 ✭✭Apolloyon


    He has a couple of short story books. 'Smoke & Mirrors' is the one I've read and it's worth a good read! 'Coraline' is also quite short but very good. And if you've enjoyed them, I would reccommend 'American Gods'. It's my personal favourite of his! I hope that helps!


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    #3
    fenris
    Registered Users Posts: 3,078 ✭✭✭fenris


    Neverwhere is a goodie if you are visiting London


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    #4
    AnnyHallsal
    Registered Users Posts: 4,117 ✭✭✭AnnyHallsal


    Apolloyon wrote: »
    He has a couple of short story books. 'Smoke & Mirrors' is the one I've read and it's worth a good read! 'Coraline' is also quite short but very good. And if you've enjoyed them, I would reccommend 'American Gods'. It's my personal favourite of his! I hope that helps!

    Brilliant help, thanks, off to bookdepository with me :)


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    #5
    Ellian
    Registered Users Posts: 301 ✭✭Ellian


    In my opinion, there is The Sandman and then everything else. When they do his obit. it is almost 100% certainty that is the thing they will mention first. So that would be my suggestion. It does help if you have some knowledge of the DC universe (although not essential) and if you are not toally hooked by Number 8 - The Sound Of Her Wings, then it is probably not for you. PS. I also think the artwork got better from 8 onwards...


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    #6
    AnnyHallsal
    Registered Users Posts: 4,117 ✭✭✭AnnyHallsal


    Ellian wrote: »
    In my opinion, there is The Sandman and then everything else. When they do his obit. it is almost 100% certainty that is the thing they will mention first. So that would be my suggestion. It does help if you have some knowledge of the DC universe (although not essential) and if you are not toally hooked by Number 8 - The Sound Of Her Wings, then it is probably not for you. PS. I also think the artwork got better from 8 onwards...

    Cool, thanks.

    I'm not a total comic newbie. I've read some of the mainstream .. X-Men, Spiderman, Batman, Alan Moore, Swamp Thing, kind of stuff.

    Exciting. Think I'll pop into that shop on Exchequer St.


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    #7
    Ellian
    Registered Users Posts: 301 ✭✭Ellian


    AnnyHallsal wrote: »
    Cool, thanks.

    I'm not a total comic newbie. I've read some of the mainstream .. X-Men, Spiderman, Batman, Alan Moore, Swamp Thing, kind of stuff.

    Exciting. Think I'll pop into that shop on Exchequer St.


    Preludes and Nocturnes and The Dolls House are the first two collections - you should definitely start at the beginning. It's not really the kind of thing you can jump into in the middle. And I ency people who are coming to it for the first time... it really is a treat.


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    #8
    folan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,630 ✭✭✭folan


    Apolloyon wrote: »
    I would reccommend 'American Gods'. It's my personal favourite of his! I hope that helps!

    seconded. great book.


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    #9
    emeraldstar
    Registered Users Posts: 5,383 ✭✭✭emeraldstar


    American Gods is a good book, but I'd rate Neverwhere higher. I wouldn't really recommend Stardust though, OP; I found it a bit dull.


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    #10
    greenman667
    Registered Users Posts: 16 ✭greenman667


    I've read two of his books - not so much with the graphic novels

    American Gods - 8/10
    Neverwhere - 6/10

    Just my opinion, but thought he was trying to be a bit too clever with Neverwhere


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    #11
    Aldebaran
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,053 ✭✭✭Aldebaran


    I've attempted to read American Gods twice now but I just can't get through it, which is weird because it seems like the type of book I'd love.


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    #12
    orchidsrpretty
    Registered Users Posts: 2,138 ✭✭✭orchidsrpretty


    I read American gods first- loved it! read Neverwhere- loved it just as much and am just about to start on Anansi boys which I am sure I will love too. I have never really been into reading short stories, are his worth the read?


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    #13
    sallydan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 59 ✭✭sallydan


    Apolloyon wrote: »
    He has a couple of short story books. 'Smoke & Mirrors' is the one I've read and it's worth a good read! 'Coraline' is also quite short but very good. And if you've enjoyed them, I would reccommend 'American Gods'. It's my personal favourite of his! I hope that helps!

    Coraline is great! short and sweet;)!


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    #14
    spanx
    Registered Users Posts: 48 ✭spanx


    I came across The Neil Gaiman ready reckoner the other day. It might be helpful. Personally, I really liked The Graveyard Book.


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    #15
    dr gonzo
    Registered Users Posts: 1,676 ✭✭✭dr gonzo


    Hard to say, his stories are all quite different but still all share that world within worlds theme.

    If American Gods seems like to much of a tome to try him out i would go with everyone else here and suggest Neverwhere although Graveyard book would be a great starter too.

    +1 on what a previous poster said about Stardust, im a big Gaiman fan but Stardust was a bit weak in my opinion.

    Anansi Boys is quite good too but if youre gonna pick it up i suggest American Gods first.


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    #16
    Vim Fuego
    Registered Users Posts: 743 ✭✭✭Vim Fuego


    Of his novels, I've read American Gods and Neverwhere. I liked them both but Neverwhere is my favourite of the two. I read the 'Author's Preferred Version' of both if that makes any difference.


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    #17
    randomguy
    Registered Users Posts: 282 ✭✭randomguy


    Another good guide - the list at the end of the article suggests where to start:
    http://www.avclub.com/articles/neil-gaiman,43154/


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    #18
    Stevonicus
    Registered Users Posts: 27 ✭Stevonicus


    The first thing of Gaiman's I read was Good Omens, his collaboration with Terry Pratchett. If you like Pratchett that may be a good jumping off point.

    The first solo work of his which I read was Neverwhere, which I greatly enjoyed. I reread it last week, and still think it's one of the most enjoyable books I've read, if not exactly the most technically perfect. It was originally adapted from a tv series he wrote for the BBC, but the series had lots of things cut which Gaiman wanted to include. The book, or at least the Author's Preferred Text edition, is basically the story he originally wanted to be told.


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    #19
    The Mad Hatter
    Registered Users Posts: 4,718 ✭✭✭The Mad Hatter


    Ellian wrote: »
    In my opinion, there is The Sandman and then everything else. When they do his obit. it is almost 100% certainty that is the thing they will mention first. So that would be my suggestion. It does help if you have some knowledge of the DC universe (although not essential) and if you are not toally hooked by Number 8 - The Sound Of Her Wings, then it is probably not for you. PS. I also think the artwork got better from 8 onwards...

    This is gospel. Gaiman has written some very good stuff, but Sandman is, in my opinion, streets ahead of anything else he's done.


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    #20
    mikhail
    Registered Users Posts: 3,863 ✭✭✭mikhail


    The Mad Hatter wrote: »
    This is gospel. Gaiman has written some very good stuff, but Sandman is, in my opinion, streets ahead of anything else he's done.
    I've only read Preludes and Nocturnes of his Sandman stuff, and while it's excellent, I don't know that it's fair to make a direct comparison between a graphic novel and a hunk of text like American Gods. Actually, my favourite Gaiman is the short story collection Smoke and Mirrors.


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    #21
    Vim Fuego
    Registered Users Posts: 743 ✭✭✭Vim Fuego


    I've just read Smoke and Mirrors. Like most short story collections, it has its good points and bad points (the bad points are generally when Neil seems to get experimental or engage in poetry). However, the final two stories are hugely enjoyable. I would say check out the following two to get a feel for his style, you can probably find them online, and I believe both have been adapted into radio plays.

    Murder Mysteries - This is the best thing I've ever read from Gaiman (admittedly, I'm still working on Sandman). I think it's a good link between his comics and novels considering that it deals with angels, falls from grace, heaven, the creation of the universe and is framed by another story set in LA. I'm still pondering over this one. If you liked the Kevin Smith film Dogma and the comic Preacher, I think you'd really like this.

    Snow, Glass, Apples - A retelling of a classic fairy story, it skews what we believe we know about the characters and is quite bloody and scary at the same time.


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    #22
    The Mad Hatter
    Registered Users Posts: 4,718 ✭✭✭The Mad Hatter


    mikhail wrote: »
    I've only read Preludes and Nocturnes of his Sandman stuff, and while it's excellent, I don't know that it's fair to make a direct comparison between a graphic novel and a hunk of text like American Gods. Actually, my favourite Gaiman is the short story collection Smoke and Mirrors.

    Well if memory serves, American Gods is around 100,000 words long, I think, whereas The Sandman is over 500,000, so in scale The Sandman is bigger. It's also got more intricate structural details - Gaiman really gets comics - and I think it deals with bigger themes in a better way. Preludes and Nocturnes is by far the weakest of the series, by the way. You should move on to the next one:) And yes, Smoke and Mirrors is great.

    I also don't think graphic novels are an inherently weaker form of fiction than novels - just different.


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    #23
    lordgoat
    Moderators, Music Moderators Posts: 11,362 Mod ✭✭✭✭lordgoat


    The Mad Hatter wrote: »
    Well if memory serves, American Gods is around 100,000 words long, I think, whereas The Sandman is over 500,000, so in scale The Sandman is bigger. It's also got more intricate structural details - Gaiman really gets comics - and I think it deals with bigger themes in a better way. Preludes and Nocturnes is by far the weakest of the series, by the way. You should move on to the next one:) And yes, Smoke and Mirrors is great.

    I also don't think graphic novels are an inherently weaker form of fiction than novels - just different.

    On this post i'm finally going to buy Sandman, thanks.

    Where's the best place to get it from online?


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    #24
    mikhail
    Registered Users Posts: 3,863 ✭✭✭mikhail


    The Mad Hatter wrote: »
    Well if memory serves, American Gods is around 100,000 words long, I think, whereas The Sandman is over 500,000, so in scale The Sandman is bigger. It's also got more intricate structural details - Gaiman really gets comics - and I think it deals with bigger themes in a better way. Preludes and Nocturnes is by far the weakest of the series, by the way. You should move on to the next one:) And yes, Smoke and Mirrors is great.

    I also don't think graphic novels are an inherently weaker form of fiction than novels - just different.
    I agree re graphic novels. I don't think I implied that - just that they're different, complicating direct comparison. However many words the entirety of the Sandman series comprises, it has a radically different structure to a novel.

    Thanks for the recommendation; I did like Preludes and Nocturnes, so no doubt I'll get around to the next volume eventually. They're very expensive though - about twice as expensive as a paperback - which explains why I've been relatively slow to do so.


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    #25
    The Mad Hatter
    Registered Users Posts: 4,718 ✭✭✭The Mad Hatter


    mikhail wrote: »
    I agree re graphic novels. I don't think I implied that - just that they're different, complicating direct comparison. However many words the entirety of the Sandman series comprises, it has a radically different structure to a novel.

    True, sorry, sometimes I argue by reflex:)
    Thanks for the recommendation; I did like Preludes and Nocturnes, so no doubt I'll get around to the next volume eventually. They're very expensive though - about twice as expensive as a paperback - which explains why I've been relatively slow to do so.

    Know what you mean>.<


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