128 replies to this topic

[Francis Buck]

I've never read a single one of his books. I've heard tons about him, I remember in high-school a bunch of my reader friends were raving about him, but he's just one of those authors I never remember to read. Well, now I want to check some of his stuff out. But where should I start? What are his best books? I know I've heard a lot about American Gods, but I'm curious about his other stuff as well. What are The Sandman comics like?

Edited by Francis Buck, 27 April 2012 - 09:01 PM.

[N. Baratheon]

He's a brilliant author, definitely one of the best currently working.  I would recommend American Gods, Neverwhere, and The Sandman comics.

[Sci-2]

Sandman is worth it, not a perfect narrative by any means but one of the best comic projects ever put together.

Neverwhere and American Gods are both good novels. Smoke and Mirrors is a good shorts collection.

[Sonic The Hedgehog]

He's an okay author. His books don't really stick out as anything special to me though. You're going to get lots of people telling you to read American Gods, but I really don't get why so many people seem to regard it as a great book (I saw it on a "classics" table in Barnes And Noble next to books like Dracula and Oliver Twist). The meandering pace of the story constantly left me wondering why I was supposed to be reading the book. Neverwhere is shorter, and better IMO.

[Contrarius]

I love most Gaiman, don't care much about others.

I am personally not all that crazy about American Gods. Dunno why, it and I just don't mesh all that well. I did, however, very much enjoy Anansi Boys. I also love The Graveyard Book in a big way, as well as Good Omens (written with Terry Pratchett). I want to read Neverwhere again, because like American Gods I just didn't mesh with that one somehow and I want to figure out why not. I've also read some great short stories by him, especially one that's a sort of reimagining of Sherlock Holmes called....."Study in Emerald", I think. So give those a try as well.

Edited by Contrarius, 27 April 2012 - 09:45 PM.

[peterbound]

Everything i've read by him has been superb.  The man is a living fucking genius.  Start with Good Omens, move onto The Graveyard Book (read it with your kid if you have one), and then mosey on over to the God books.  

And sciborg is fucking nuts.  Sandman is one of, if not the, greatest piece of comic/literature written.  

His short stories are sublime.  Devour them.

[Lightning Lord]

I've enjoyed everything I've read by him, American Gods, Anansi Boys, Neverwhere, Good Omens, Smoke and Mirrors.  I like his use of folktales and culture-myths to craft a new story, or just to play on themes found in those stories.

Also, he totally destroyed people that attack authors for not writing more quickly.

[SkynJay]

Good Omens was my first read of his, only because I was already reading Pratchett.  Then I read American Gods.  To this day I consider it one of my top five, and while putting it on a classics table right now may be premature, it will belong there some day.  It doesn't meander, it takes its time and does it right.


Hell, want a chance to read him without the commitment?  Snow, Glass, Apples is all over the internet, and is am amazing short story retelling of something most would recognize.

[Sci-2]

Quote

And sciborg is fucking nuts. Sandman is one of, if not the, greatest piece of comic/literature written.

I can't speak to literature, I agree it is one of the best US comic projects. I think the last couple books are done pretty well, but there are some rough patches in the beginning.

And yes, I am fucking nuts.

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

Francis Buck, on 27 April 2012 - 08:57 PM, said:

What are The Sandman comics like?

Start there. Simply brilliant. The guy crafts mythology like no other.

[peterbound]

sciborg2, on 27 April 2012 - 10:37 PM, said:

I can't speak to literature, I agree it is one of the best US comic projects. I think the last couple books are done pretty well, but there are some rough patches in the beginning.

And yes, I am fucking nuts.

Ok, the beginning when it was seriously tied to the DC continuity ya.  Even those are still wicked cool.  By the time you get to volume 2, the book has a life of it's own.

[Evamitchelle]

I loved American Gods, but I found Neverwhere and Stardust a bit disappointing after that. They just all seem really similar somehow.

[SkynJay]

Neverwhere was more interesting than great, but still worth a read.  And I have a soft spot for Stardust, I would never recommend it as a first try.

And early Sandman has the Corinthian, one of the coolest bad guys ever.  I am not much of a comic guy, but even I read Sandman all the way through.  I also enjoyed Marvel 1602, even though I had to use Wikapedia for many of the characters.

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

SkynJay, on 27 April 2012 - 10:58 PM, said:

And early Sandman has the Corinthian, one of the coolest bad guys ever.  I am not much of a comic guy, but even I read Sandman all the way through.  I also enjoyed Marvel 1602, even though I had to use Wikapedia for many of the characters.

You have to love the Serial Killer Convention.

[Chise]

I found Sandman and American Gods kinda tedious... but Neverwhere and Stardust were fantastic!! Plus a whole bunch of his random short stories (especially The day the saucers came ... because I'm sappy like that)

for bonus amusements, watch Neverwhere the cheap mini~series as well - its fun to see what he rewrote in the book to 'flow' better after the thing was filmed
oooh, and Marvel 1602 comic books! (avoid Marvel 1602: Fantastick Four like the plague. Its a crap spin-off not by him)

[wolverine]

Sonic The Hedgehog, on 27 April 2012 - 09:40 PM, said:

He's an okay author. His books don't really stick out as anything special to me though. You're going to get lots of people telling you to read American Gods, but I really don't get why so many people seem to regard it as a great book (I saw it on a "classics" table in Barnes And Noble next to books like Dracula and Oliver Twist). The meandering pace of the story constantly left me wondering why I was supposed to be reading the book. Neverwhere is shorter, and better IMO.

I think he is alright but he certainly does not make me rush out to read his other books.  I have only read Stardust, American Gods, and some of Smoke and Mirrors but nothing stood out as being particularly special for me.

[Contrarius]

Everybody should at least read The Graveyard Book and Good Omens before giving up on the guy. Those are great books, IMNSHO.

[Roose Bolton's Pet Leech]

Comics

The Sandman comic series is supremely awesome, and remains Gaiman's greatest achievement. The major arc follows Morpheus (aka the Lord of Dreams) as he faces Change, but there are any number of sideplots worked into the series, and the Endless are one of the great dysfunctional families of fantasy. There's also a short spin-off series featuring Death (Morpheus' sister), which is good but lacks The Sandman's grandeur.

The Tragic Comedy of Mr Punch is more a short-story in comic form, and deals with childhood memories of the seaside and puppet shows. Typically Gaimanesque in finding the dark behind the mundane.

Novels

American Gods is an overlong treatment of one of Gaiman's favourite themes, namely mythology and traditional belief. It's heavy on symbolism, so much so that it comes across as trying too hard.

Coraline is probably the best of his novels. Written for kids, it's dark, but more in a sort of macabre version of Alice in Wonderland sense than Roald Dahl.

Neverwhere is another revisiting of folklore in an urban setting (specifically London). Less sprawling and (IMO) more effective than American Gods.

Stardust is a shortish modern fairy tale. Sort of a cross between Lord Dunsany and Mervyn Peake, but lighter.

Anansi Boys is a humorous take on African mythology updated for the modern world. One notable feature of it: pretty much all the characters are black, but Gaiman never actually mentions it: instead, non-black characters get specified as white, and being black is the default.

Good Omens is his collaboration with Terry Pratchett, and is a humorous take on the apocalypse and the Book of Revelations. The book overall feels more Pratchettesque than Gaimanesque though.

Interworld is a comparatively obscure and forgettable sci-fi collaboration. Don't bother with it unless you want to be completist.

Short stories

Gaiman excels at the short-story form; they tend to be better than his novels. Highlights include Snow, Glass, Apples, a dark perspective flip on Snow White, and A Study in Emerald, a Sherlock Holmes pastiche set in a Lovecraftian universe.

[Serious Callers Only]

Boring writer, ok comic writer

[red snow]

Sandman is excellent and some of his short stories are brilliant too. One that's worth tracking down is his short story set in the world of the matrix films - he absolutely nails the concept and introduces some amazing new ideas to the world.

I thought American gods was very good. I would say my main issue with him is that he tends to over-rely on the whole gods in our world/ referencing folktales approach. Much like how I think Tim Burton is very talented but always does exactly the same thing, i think Gaiman is the same with his writing. The thing is I know he's capable of a lot more (based on his short stories) but the guy is incredibly successful at doing his "thing". If he enjoys writing that then fair enough.