for not having discovered Neil Gaiman before.
American Gods is a fucking stellar book.
ECH,
has not finished it, so no spoilers please
Johhny dies at the end.
And yes, you are an asshole.
Actually, this reminds me of when I finally read Pratchett, only a month or so ago.
After American Gods, a whole new world awaits! *has Neverwhere on deck*
Actually, I wonder...
ECH, what parts of American Gods is resonating with you?
I think you might like Anansi Boys, but I'm not sure...
TBH, I haven't really gotten far enough into the story to give a good answer to that. It's his style of storytelling that really grabs me. I really like how he forces you to visualize the settings, almost as if it were a graphic novel without pictures.
also, the whole "wandering the american wasteland as a permanent interloper" vibe really grabs me. reminds me of the years I spent bumming around the country keeping Greyhound in business.
Both you and LMNO should read Good Omens, which is co-written by Gaiman and Pratchett. It's a bit British in places, but does not detract from the overall story too much.
American Gods is such a great read. One of my favorite novels.
I'm not as big a fan of Neil Gaimain's stuff which is aimed at children, but his more adult stuff is really deeply enjoyable.
If you're digging American Gods, I wager you'd dig Sandman. It's a weighty collection to pick up, but do check out books IV (A Season of Mists) and IX (The Kindly Ones) - Neil Gaiman IMHO is the Shakespeare of the graphic novel format. Those books have some really awesome stories, characters, and art.
American Gods, Neverwhere, Good Omens, Stardust, Anansi Boys, ALL OF SANDMAN!!!
That should be a good start ;-)
I have to pick up Stardust. I absolutely freakin' loved the movie and read some of the graphic novel a while back, so I'd like to read the actual novel.
I still haven't finished Good Omens because it's one of those things I pick up and read on lunch breaks without actually buying. I ought to actually buy it, because I always end up sitting on the floor of Barnes and Noble giggling obnoxiously because it's so good.
I may or may not have several Gaiman e-books (dont worry, I bought the real things long before).
PMing me will not force me to reveal details as to their whereabouts.
Sandman is definitely worth it, especially if you get the ones illustrated by Yoshitaka Amano.
American Gods is probably the best book i've read recently.
a great read.
you're gonna enjoy it until the end, i'm sure.
Cain: Read Good Omens. Great stuff.
ECH, if it's his writing style you dig, and don't mind his excursions into tales of fairies and Gods, then anything he's ever written will please you.
Actually, I think you'd have fun with his Coraline and The wolves in the walls, too (kids' books, nominally).
I've got nothing against tales of faeries and gods, provided they're not being told by someone who actually believes what they're saying.
In that case, I highly recommend his entire bibliograhy, including (maybe even especially) his graphic novels.
I also recommend meeting him at a book signing and sucking his cock.
American Gods is based on Gaiman's actual travels across the country.
I have two friends that just took a two week long vacation to visit some of the locations in American Gods. I hear they brought me back a crappy keychain from the House on the Rock.
I really love Gaiman's take on things. As an Brit exploring the States, noticed that there are no thousand year old shrines or ancient cathedrals. But he felt that the real holy places in America are these roadside tourist traps and kitschy little one horse towns. Places where people are drawn to. The "real" America. I can get down with that.
Bill Bryson has a similar take in his American travels, IIRC
Brush with greatness: I'm friends with Chris Ewen, of Future Bible Heroes and Magnetic Fields, and who is fairly good friends with Gaiman.
[/name drop]
I've only ever read "good omens" by Gaiman and I wasn't that thrilled. But maybe that's because I was pretty tired of Pratchett at that particular time. I used to love Pratchett, but it kind of got samey after 15 books or so...
Quote from: nurbldoff on September 11, 2007, 07:44:32 PM
I've only ever read "good omens" by Gaiman and I wasn't that thrilled. But maybe that's because I was pretty tired of Pratchett at that particular time. I used to love Pratchett, but it kind of got samey after 15 books or so...
Good Omens is quite different than most of his other work... Pratchett's style is much less subtle and thus the book tends to carry a Pratchett feel more than a Gaiman one (IMHO, based on my perception etc etc etc).
OK, I guess I'll give Gaiman a second chance some day.
Quote from: LMNO on September 11, 2007, 06:07:02 PM
Brush with greatness: I'm friends with Chris Ewen, of Future Bible Heroes and Magnetic Fields, and who is fairly good friends with Gaiman.
[/name drop]
One of the projects Chris is working on is an album where he wrote the music and then had various famous types write the lyrics. One of which was done by Neil Gaiman, so you can add 'and has collaborated with' before 'with Gaiman'
Can't recall who else he was supposed have worked with on it though.
I frequently leave anonymous comments on Gaiman' blog.
Cain,
brushing with greatness.
i'd entirely forgotten about american gods. definately going to read it again. starting now.
Anansi Boys was a lot of fun for me, because it was A) a good story and B) touched on the immense significance of storytelling itself.
he definately has a great writing style. i remember reading smoke and mirrors years ago, that for me really showed how good he was at storytelling. very short and sometimes brilliant stories. i too loved anansi boys, and a nice (kinda) follow on from ag. i almost started smoking cigarellos because of it. almost. more recently i read the graveyard book, although its not as good as his other stuff and a kids book, i still realy liked the storytelling aspect of it
Quote from: slothrop23 on October 22, 2010, 12:56:05 AM
he definitely has a great writing style. i remember reading smoke and mirrors years ago, that for me really showed how good he was at storytelling. very short and sometimes brilliant stories. i too loved anansi boys, and a nice (kinda) follow on from ag. i almost started smoking cigarellos because of it. almost. more recently i read the graveyard book, although its not as good as his other stuff and a kids book, i still realy liked the storytelling aspect of it
Good Omens is still the funniest book i have ever read. I read it at least once a year.
I've owned 6 copies of the book. 4 hardback, 2 paper.. the only one I have left is my one holdout hardback..
I have to bury that on my bookshelves so no one sees it and asks to borrow it.
The pickle feels obligated to be a library for his friends and acquaintances.. even to his financial and literary detriment.
Oh man, I highly recommend Neil Gaiman to anybody who likes awesome things. My favorites are Sandman and Neverwhere, but I also like American Gods. I have not read Anansi Boys.
he speaks his stories well, too.
i've got a two disc set called 'Warning: Contains Language' wherein he reads stories and poems from his book, 'Angels and Visitations' ....
it apparently isn't being pressed anymore, so if you want a copy of it....
Quote from: nurbldoff on September 11, 2007, 07:44:32 PM
I've only ever read "good omens" by Gaiman and I wasn't that thrilled. But maybe that's because I was pretty tired of Pratchett at that particular time. I used to love Pratchett, but it kind of got samey after 15 books or so...
I didn't especially like Good Omens either. I like both authors individually, but together they don't seem to fit as well.
You can definitely tell which parts are written by which author, so it's an interesting way to compare writing styles.
I borrowed Signal to Noise from the library today, looks interesting.
Also, Fragile Things had some good stories in it.
Gaiman has a rare talent. His graphic novels are some of the few that I would class as genuine literature in their own right. Sandman is breathtaking, beautiful, and moving. He has the range and scope of Alan Moore, without ever becoming as 'serious' as Moore. His fiction is unique, American Gods is brilliant. Anansi boys is good too. He's not technically a brilliant Author, but where his talent lies I think, is as a Storyteller. There are very few people who can tell a tale like Gaiman. The way his fairytale style takes proper grown up stories, and tells them without coming across in a 'childish' way is really unique. He is a proper Storysmith, a Craftsman, in an almost Bardic tradition. His insight into the human condition translates beautifully into his mythical works, like Sandman, and his characters are crafted with real feeling and empathy. All his material that I've read, transcends any genre it might be marketed as, and this is a mark of special talent.
I love it.
The short story (one page) called "The End" in Fragile Things is mindblowingly awesome.
The best single page I ever read.