Neil Gaiman

r3nu4l · 06-06-2006 03:58PM #1

I first heard of Neil Gaiman through his 'Good Omens' work with Terry Pratchett, an amazing book.

Then I bought American Gods on special offer at WH Smith and loved that too.

Now I've just started Neverwhere (author preferred text version) and so far it seems brilliant

I love the uniqueness of his work, it is so imaginative and innovative.

So what do you think of his work?
What work of his should I read next?
Are there any of his books I should avoid?

Talliesin · 06-06-2006 04:12PM

No books to avoid.

The Sandman series of comics is a masterpiece.

Recently read Anansi Boys. Extremely good.

tSubh Dearg · 06-06-2006 04:15PM

Everything of his that I have read so far is great. I love Neverwhere and American Gods. I've just finished Anansie Boys which is very good, he manages to balance humour with black moments in his books very well.

I would also recommend his collection of short stories and poems Smoke and Mirrors. I gobbled them up in about a day.

He also wrote the graphic novel series The Sandman. I've never bee na bitg fan of comics but these I love and I passed them on to my highly sceptical parents to read and they loved them too.

I've yet to read a bad book by him though Stardust (I think that's the name) is maybe a little weaker than his other works.

I've also read Coraline which is one of his children's books "buttons for eyes!" It's probably more creepy to an adult than a child but it's still very well written, he doesn't talk down to children in his books.

Personally I love his use of mythology that is a feature in all his works, but that might just be because I studied Classical Studies in college.

I agree with you that he is a very imaginative author. I got to see him being interviewed for Rattlebag back in November and he was a very clear speaker and told a lot of amusing anecdotes of how he got into writing and so on.

I think that you should read Anansie Boys next or the short stories but really any of his stuff is good in my opinion.

John · 06-06-2006 10:45PM

I've only read Anansi Boys and I thought it was very poor. He should stick to comics.

r3nu4l · 07-06-2006 11:14AM

Well, I'm not a big fan of graphic novels but I will definitely give his a try.

I went to his website (not very good) and was amazed at the sheer breadth of his work. Wow!!

I think it would be a real shame if he stuck to graphic novels alone, Good Omens and American Gods were great and so far Neverwhere is shaping up to be a great read!

Thanks for the advice folks

simu · 07-06-2006 09:55PM

John2 wrote:

He should stick to comics.

I agree. I'm getting really sick of all these "kooky" kids' books for adults. They seem like the lazy way out tbh.

deman · 24-06-2006 03:56PM

Haven't read Neverwhere but I've seen the mini-series. Excellent story. Can't wait till Stardust comes out on a big screen

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0486655/

r3nu4l · 26-06-2006 12:32PM

Should finish Neverwhere on the bus this evening, coming home from work

I'm going to miss the characters and the world he created!

Great book, have to read some more Neil Gaiman soon

Edit: 27/6/2006: Finished it! Very fitting ending, really enjoyed the book

Tree · 27-06-2006 10:44AM

Halfway through Anansi Boys, enjoying it.

rather like tom holt stuff. got some very funny descriptions in it

Talliesin · 27-06-2006 10:31PM

Picking and choosing through Smoke and Mirrors, a short-story anthology of his, right now. It's a medium in which he writes well. TBH, while I disagree with simu and John2 in that I do enjoy his novels, I think he is a better writer of screenplays, children's books and short stories than he is a novelist, and it is as a comic-writer that he truly excels.

Andy-Pandy · 28-06-2006 11:01AM

Whats the first sandman comic,Whats the best place to start?

tSubh Dearg · 28-06-2006 11:35AM

The first Sandman comic is called Preludes and Nocturnes. It is important to read them in order as he constantly references back to things that happen in previous parts.

There are 10 books altogether. They are, in order:
Preludes & Nocturnes
The Doll's House
Dream Country
Season of Mists
A Game of You
Brief Lives
Fables and Reflections
World's End
The Kindly Ones
The Wake

There is another book in the Sandman series but it is seperate from those I just listed. It's called Endless Nights and it contains a story about each one of the Endless, Dream's brothers and sisters.

Andy-Pandy · 28-06-2006 12:20PM

tSubh Dearg wrote:

The first Sandman comic is called Preludes and Nocturnes. It is important to read them in order as he constantly references back to things that happen in previous parts.

There are 10 books altogether. They are, in order:
Preludes & Nocturnes
The Doll's House
Dream Country
Season of Mists
A Game of You
Brief Lives
Fables and Reflections
World's End
The Kindly Ones
The Wake

There is another book in the Sandman series but it is seperate from those I just listed. It's called Endless Nights and it contains a story about each one of the Endless, Dream's brothers and sisters.

Thank you, i shall order them today.

Brief_Lives · 07-11-2023 03:26PM

I never realised there was a Neil Gaiman thread on here.

I have been to loads of his readings, talks and book signings both in New York and London, and looks like he will be in Europe again soon.

I'll probably head to London to see him and do a bit of shopping.

Link here:

https://www.neilgaiman.com/where/

donaghs · 17-01-2025 06:19PM

Looks like heading for some difficult times ahead. There are two sides to every story, but as the numbers of people come forward, it does seem harder to believe him.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jan/17/neil-gaiman-allegations-sexual-assault

Brief_Lives · 17-01-2025 06:55PM

Yea, major shock. himself and palmer seem a right pair of epstein and maxwell, if true.

big thread on it in reddit.

Jim Herring · 17-01-2025 07:06PM

Another male feminist creep uncovered? 🤔

donaghs · 17-01-2025 08:12PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123067313#Comment_123067313

Mmmm, he did go out of his way to portray himself as the King of PC/Wokism (he used those both terms in the past, essentially claiming they were only about treating people with respect - which is one aspect of them, but a very unbalanced view overall).

r3nu4l · 18-01-2025 08:15PM

18 and a half years since I started this thread. Since then I've been married bought a house, had two kids, sold a house, moved country, bought another house, added a dog to the family and put on weight 🤣🤣

I'm glad I don't idolise ant benefit, author, musician or movie star but this news is still disappointing, I can't lie about that. It all broke in a podcast last year and since then more claims have come through.

@donaghs thanks for linking Marina's article, she's an excellent writer. Love her podcast with Richard Osman (The rest is entertainment)

Manach · 19-01-2025 11:04AM

I think the concept of separating the art from the artist applies. There are (too) many examples of producers of works not alligning with our own values but this should not disqualify their works from being appreciated.

Dial Hard · 19-01-2025 11:58AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123072329#Comment_123072329

Some people can't or don't want to do that, though, as it can feel like sending a message of "You can do whatever heinous things you like in your private life without it having any impact on you professionally", and that doesn't necessarily sit well with some. Also where do we draw the line? Is it OK as long as you're an artist? What about in corporate life? Should we turn a blind eye to the problematic or illegal behaviour of, say, CEOs, as long as they keep making their businesses plenty of money and thousands of people in employment?

I'm very, very conflicted about the Neil Gaiman thing, possibly because I'm a huge fan and I simply don't want it to be true. I have long been of the belief that two people can come away from the same sexual encounter with very differing experiences of what just happened. I thought it again reading the Vulture piece the other night. But if his behaviour is as described in the article, it's problematic at best. It's also very clear that he and his ex tend to draw vulnerable young women into their circle. I don't know if that was intentional or not, but it does seem like something they should at the very least have been aware of.

As I said, I'm just very conflicted on this one. I do have a feeling his books will end up coming off my shelf.

Brief_Lives · 19-01-2025 01:28PM

well, don't throw them out or burn them, as some idiots are doing.

give them to a charity shop or library if they are leaving your abode.

SartreAndSocrates · 16-04-2025 06:29PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123072465#Comment_123072465

I know you're honest enough to admit to being a fan, but how could you think two people would have different experiences regarding some of the allegations in that Vulture article?

The part where he got that vulnerable girl to do sexual acts with him in front of his 10 year old son was a bit….

Neil Gaiman

Comments