Discuss books: Neil Gaiman

Heidi

I suppose I should preface my reply with a warning that I loved both American Gods and Anansi Boys…however, am still open to debating the merits of each in a (relatively) friendly manner! ;)

I’ve read the first three in the Sandman comics and was just blown away by them – and apparently the depth of the various story arcs and characters only increases as the series progresses – I’d highly recommend you check it out, if only so that you can honestly say you’ve given everything Gaiman created a go… ;)

As for The Graveyard Book, I read the short story that it evolved from, which was in one of his short story anthologies, and it was one of the few stories that I finished and felt like I wanted to know more about the characters, plot, etc. The other main selling point was when Gaiman himself described it as ‘the Jungle Book, if Mowgli had been raised in a graveyard’ (admit it, that’s a pretty awesome description, lol)

Jonathan

Yeah I should give the Sandman comics a proper try – I think I’ve got number VI (the only one the library had), the Sandman Diaries.

The Graveyard Book is his latest, right? Certainly the pitch sounds interesting. One of my issues with American Gods was that he was trying to do this thing on an epic scale and it didn’t really work for me – this one sounds more personal.

Heidi

Re: American Gods – I think what is so interesting about the book is that it cannot easily fit in most standard categories.

It is equal parts epic and non-epic – On one hand, you could say the ‘epic’ tag can be applied to the plot, which is the overwhelming battle between old and new beliefs, and the struggle for which side will maintain supremacy in the human mind/heart/soul; on the other hand, the plot is about a guy, the odd people he meets who make various claims which simultaneously can and cannot be explained by any sort of rational thinking. It’s a book where the macro and micro happen right alongside each other and where the plot itself is almost dependent upon how much ‘belief’ the reader has (and how willing you are to embrace the premise the author is offering). I think its strength as a book comes from the fact that, at the end of the day, it’s not really about some kick-ass battle between the gods of old and the upstart technological gods occupying the modern world (which saddens a part of me, b/c that would’ve been amazing to read, lol). In essence, the book is about humanity, its attempts to understand the world around it, and what truly might happen when what we ‘believe’ in is actually manifested in our ‘real’ world…

As for Anansi Boys, I think it was the humorous version of this idea, lol…with the twist of delving into African and Afro-Caribbean mythology that others might not know much about.

Jonathan

Well, I enjoyed Anansi Boys more than American Gods. I think you’ve kind of identified my problem with that book: it was trying to do too much, for me, and I’d have rather it tightened its focus.

And I didn’t get on with Shadow: I found his character, well, insubstantial. Which might have been the point, but I like to be able to empathise and sympathise.

For whatever reason I’ve always enjoyed Terry Pratchett more than Neil Gaiman – they seem to overlap a bit. What’s your opinion on Good Omens? As I said before, for me it’s possibly the best thing either of them have written.

Heidi

Gaiman wrote a follow-up short story about Shadow in the ‘Fragile Things’ anthology (I think it’s called something like ‘The Lord of the Glen’) where he takes on Beowulf – would be totally interested to hear your opinion on that one…

Ironically, I just reread Good Omens over the weekend for fun (have a good apocalypse, lol). First, one of my fave things about Good Omens is that you can really tell which bits come from which author, especially if you’ve read their works multiple times (waves hand in the air vigorously). I really liked the book and thought it was funny (esp. w/ the references to The Omen, etc.) – I don’t know if I’d say it was the best book they’ve each written, but it was pretty awesome to see the collaboration between the pair of them…I think my fave characters in it were Crowley and Aziraphale and their combined efforts to prevent the apocalypse from occurring (though I keep a special place in my heart for Death – who’s always fun to read about – and Agnes Nutter, a woman gifted with the ability to see the future and prepare accordingly (the gunpowder and nails were a nice touch, lol)…

For more overlap b/w the authors, check out Mr. Croup + Mr. Vandemar in Gaiman’s Neverwhere vs. Mr. Tulip + Mr. Pin in Pratchett’s The Truth.

Jonathan

Yeah someone else recommended that short story to me, but I haven’t read it yet.

And I can certainly see the overlap with those two sets of characters.

Maybe I should give Neil Gaiman a second chance (not that I dislike him)… his latest book sounds interesting.

Heidi

I think even that Neverwhere has ‘the Old Firm’ and The Truth has ‘the New Firm’ when referring to their respective assassin-partnerships…of course, that could be a memory error on my part (or wishful thinking!)

I actually read Neverwhere and thought it was cool, but nothing special…but I loved Stardust and Coraline, and I loved the idea behind American Gods, though felt like I was missing some things after the first time through it…It was only after several compulsive re-reads of both Neverwhere and American Gods that I completely fell for them hard…for me, there was just something about Gaiman’s writing that kept me coming back again and again…

Matthew

I actually discovered Gaiman via American Gods. I loved the epic concept and the way it was written in that Gaiman matter-of-fact tone. For me, generally, Gaiman gets it just right. The humour is there, but no so OTT that it detracts from the plot or sympathetic characters. The humour and the way characters react to the fantasy elementsactually makes it easier to suspend disbelief. I loved Neverwhere. I enjoy that Gaiman doesn’t try and explain the fantasy elements too rationally, but just presents them as there. Too many writers try and get all scientific and persuade us that the impossible can be possible by brute force, where as Gaiman just tells it as if it were fairly ordinary. I think Gaiman is at his strongest with his short fiction. I rediscovered a love of short fiction through Fragile Things and Smoke and Mirrors. Many of the stories defy categorising, which I like. There doesn’t have to be a twist in the tale, the tale itslf is compelling enough.
I haven’t read The Graveyard Book yet, although its in a pile of unread books waiting its turn…