Neil Gaiman

Akuma · Dec 20, 2005

What's the big deal with this guy? People seem to love his writing but I myself can't stand it. I've read American Gods and his co-author Good Omens and was not impressed.

I let the first one lay untouched a few years before I tried it again, figuring it was an age thing. But reading it again, I still was unable to love it.
Am I too young to appreciate his work? Or is he just famous because of his Sandman graphic novels (Which are really neat, by the way)? What's so great about his writing?

Wait, wait--I bet he's British, isn't he? Foiled again!

veinglory · Dec 20, 2005

I agree his graphic novels are great--his books and tv scripts, well, I am underwhelmed.

Avalon · Dec 20, 2005

For what it's worth, I loved American Gods. I thought it was clever, the characters were amazing, it was well constructed, and it riveted me as a writer and as a student of writing. I've read bits and pieces of it often, as I've tried to figure out ways to do various things in my writing.

I loved it enough that I bought Anansi Boys in hardback. I just finished it a couple of days ago. For me personally, I didn't find it as effective as I found American Gods, but I still thought it was a good tale told very well indeed.

Don't shoot me!

Just figured I'd add another opinion into the mix.

JerseyGirl1962 · Dec 20, 2005

Akuma said:
What's the big deal with this guy? People seem to love his writing but I myself can't stand it. I've read American Gods and his co-author Good Omens and was not impressed.

I let the first one lay untouched a few years before I tried it again, figuring it was an age thing. But reading it again, I still was unable to love it.
Am I too young to appreciate his work? Or is he just famous because of his Sandman graphic novels (Which are really neat, by the way)? What's so great about his writing?

Wait, wait--I bet he's British, isn't he? Foiled again!

I liked his Neverwhere so much (it's set in the London Underground), that I asked for a copy of American Gods on this neat, free site called paperbackswap.com.

In a word: bleck. All the product placements and what seemed to me like too many sex scenes (and really weird ones, well, to me anyway). The only good stuff IMHO were the asides about different gods/goddesses or whatever you want to call them who made their way to America; I wish he would've told that story instead of the one he came up with.

I've since traded it away, and I'm glad I did.

~Nancy

willietheshakes · Dec 20, 2005

Different strokes...

I think Gaiman is most impressive. A consummate storyteller with a wealth of ideas and significant underlying complexity.

But there's nothing saying that everyone has to like all the same books...

Avalon · Dec 20, 2005

A quick aside:

What is this?

this neat, free site called paperbackswap.com

The sound of it makes me nervous...

Jamesaritchie · Dec 20, 2005

Akuma said:
What's the big deal with this guy? People seem to love his writing but I myself can't stand it. I've read American Gods and his co-author Good Omens and was not impressed.

I let the first one lay untouched a few years before I tried it again, figuring it was an age thing. But reading it again, I still was unable to love it.
Am I too young to appreciate his work? Or is he just famous because of his Sandman graphic novels (Which are really neat, by the way)? What's so great about his writing?

Wait, wait--I bet he's British, isn't he? Foiled again!

Born and raised in England, but has been living in Minesota for some time. I don't really like graphic novels at all, but his fiction is all right. It's well-written, I think, just not the type I usually read.

emeraldcite · Dec 20, 2005

I think you could start a thread on any writer and you'd find a slew of opinions. Take any of the bestsellers and do the same. Some will love them, some will hate them.

My wife just finished <i>American Gods</i> and thought it was great. From what I've read from it, it seems intriguing, well-written, and a bit off (ie just a bit odd).

It's on my list to read over the holiday, but I have an Anne Frasier novel and a Jack McDevitt to finish first. Maybe I'll read Chabon's <i>The Final Solution</i> first. But it's there on the list...somewhere.

Perks · Dec 20, 2005

I've only tried American Gods and couldn't get through it. That's rare for me. I felt like a bit of a dunce, since so many people seem to love him, but lucky for me, they make all flavors.

Richard White · Dec 20, 2005

I haven't read too many of his novels, but I loved his work in Sandman. His "A Midsummer's Nights Dream" arc was absolutely brilliant (IMNSHO).

He's the guest of honor at Balticon this year and as a comic author as well as a writer, I'm definitely looking forward to meeting him.

veinglory · Dec 20, 2005

I must say i went off him after meeting him, a bit of a git IMHO. Sometimes it's better *not* to know

dragonjax · Dec 20, 2005

I definitely don't want to know, Vein. Neil is my god of writing. Ever since reading SANDMAN #23 (then having to get all the previous issues), I've been a devoted fan. Some of his fiction works better for me than others, but as a rule, he blows me away.

:faint:

veinglory · Dec 20, 2005

It's probably safe to assume I was the git in the exchange then

moblues · Dec 20, 2005

I enjoyed Neverwhere as well. The symbolism of the darker reaches within and discovery always draw me in.

Mike

aka eraser · Dec 20, 2005

I just finished American Gods last week. I enjoyed it but thought it could have been better. He strikes me as a writer who has all the tools but just hasn't quite hit his stride yet.

mkcbunny · Dec 20, 2005

I really enjoyed American Gods until the big climax; that just didn't work for me. But until that point, it worked for me. I also liked the short YA horror tale Coraline, which is just simple enough to make it easily adaptable to the screen (which is in progress).

There's something a bit too similar about the plots of Coraline and his recent film collaboration MirrorMask—which was co-written and directed by the illustrator Dave McKean but has so many familiar Gaiman characteristics: protagonist finds alternate world, goes on personal quest, plus specific types of creatures, multiple doorways and passages ... just too much of the same thing. MM also rang of Neverwhere, although I've only seen the BBC adaptation of that and haven't read the book.

I haven't read any of his other work, though I am familiar with the Sandman series. I've had Good Omens on the shelf for several years and might get to that someday.

mdin · Dec 20, 2005

I loved the writing in American Gods. I loved the story. I especially loved the (out of place) cut scene short stories. I hated the ending.

Neverwhere is one of my favorite books. Urban fantasy at its finest. (Has anyone seen the cheesy BBC miniseries based on the book? I rented it on Netflix. I couldn't stop laughing at it even though it was completely true to the book. I highly recommend it.)

I didn't like Good Omens, but I'm not a big fan of the other author involved.

ChaosTitan · Dec 20, 2005

XThe NavigatorX said:
I couldn't stop laughing at it even though it was completely true to the book.

Actually, I hear that it's the other way around.

A friend (who is a huge fan of Neverwhere) told me that Gaiman wrote the miniseries for the BBC, but found he loved the world so much, and had so much to say about it, that he then turned it into a novel.

-Kelly

mdin · Dec 20, 2005

chaostitan said:
Actually, I hear that it's the other way around.

A friend (who is a huge fan of Neverwhere) told me that Gaiman wrote the miniseries for the BBC, but found he loved the world so much, and had so much to say about it, that he then turned it into a novel.

-Kelly

Really? That'd explain why it's so close to the book. I knew he wrote the teleplay.

AdamMac · Dec 20, 2005

Akuma said:
Wait, wait--I bet he's British, isn't he? Foiled again!

What does being British have to do with it?

As for American Gods, I agree with mkcbunny and Navigator. The build-up was great, maybe too great. It kind of fizzled for me toward the end. The in-laid short stories were the best parts of the book for me though.

jules · Dec 21, 2005

I have American Gods sitting on my "too read soon" pile at the moment, so can't really comment on that. But what I have experienced of Gaiman's work so far (Good Omens, Coraline, and the episode of Babylon 5 entitled Day of the Dead) has been good, IMO. He seems to be particularly good at handling introspection in a way that draws you to his characters. I'll grant that that probably isn't for everyone, though -- it leads to a fairly slow style with not a huge amount of action.

britwrit · Dec 21, 2005

Gaiman's like a lot of other writers. His work on Sandman was so wonderful and fantastic and enchanting that he gets a pass on much of what he's done since then.

Jamesaritchie · Dec 21, 2005

britwrit said:
Gaiman's like a lot of other writers. His work on Sandman was so wonderful and fantastic and enchanting that he gets a pass on much of what he's done since then.

Maybe, but I've never even seen Sandman, and I still think Gaiman is a pretty darned good writer.

JerseyGirl1962 · Dec 21, 2005

Avalon said:
A quick aside:

What is this?

The sound of it makes me nervous...

Avalon,

I have a number of paperback books around the house that I haven't looked at in years, and rather than let them continue to gather dust, I pass them along to people who want to read them.

If someone is interested in a book, better they get that (on my dime, since I pay for postage when I send out and vice versa for books people send to me) than to have those books sitting in a landfill somewhere.

Of course, I have plenty of books I wouldn't give up for the world, so I don't list them. Think of it as an online library...no selling involved whatsoever.

BTW, one of the books I asked for and received I have now passed along to someone else. I've already decided I'm going to buy that very same book at some point next year.

~Nancy

azbikergirl · Dec 21, 2005

The fact that Gaiman is so popular just means lots of people have different tastes than I do. Same with Danielle Steele and David Baldacci. I found American Gods so dull, I couldn't get through it. For those who enjoy his books, I'll leave them on the shelves for you.

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