# Neil Gaiman literature \[New fan\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 22, 2006, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810 "2006-05-22T20:40:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/1 "2006-05-22T20:40:56Z")
I bought Smoke and Mirrors not so long ago and it’s the first ‘difficult to put down’ book I’ve had in absolutely ages. I’m nearly through it now so today I bought Neverwhere. (I liked the look of the synopsis) One of the comments on the back of the book is this. “The sort of book Terry Pratchett might produce if he spent a month locked in a cell with Franz Kafka” (whoever that [latter name] is) As an avid Pratchett fan this is a bonus. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/2 "2006-05-22T21:13:22Z")
As an avid Pterry fan, you _have_ read Good Omens, yes? _Neverwhere_’s good, _American Gods_ is better. _Anansi Boys_ is great too. There should be plenty of threads about those last two here. His blog is great, too. ---
**Author:** ![Talon\_Karrde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Talon\_Karrde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Talon_Karrde)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/3 "2006-05-22T21:14:12Z")
Smoke and Mirrors is great. I thought Neverwhere was okay, but kind of flawed. Some things about it were interesting, but fell kind of flat. Neverwhere was first a BBC miniseries, and it’s on Netflix. I’ve seen the first episode. It’s not too bad, but it obviously had a very low budget. You have to be forgiving in that regard to enjoy it. IMO, Neil Gaiman’s best writing is with the Sandman comics. I’ve read the first three volumes, and they are great. I don’t know if you knew this, but Neil Gaiman also co-wrote a book with Terry Pratchett. I haven’t read it yet. Franz Kafka was a German writer, best known for the story “The Metamorphosis”. ---
**Author:** ![ddgryphon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@ddgryphon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ddgryphon)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/4 "2006-05-22T21:15:15Z")
Not trying to be snarky, but you should make an effort to know about this: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz\_Kafka](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Kafka) And FTR: Gaiman is an incredible writer. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/5 "2006-05-22T21:48:56Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > I’m nearly through it now so today I bought Neverwhere. (I liked the look of the synopsis). Neverwhere worked better for me as a TV show with bad BBC special effects (which I’m pretty sure it was first) than it did as a book. Not that it was a bad book, but it was a slightly better tv show. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/6 "2006-05-22T21:54:46Z")
As someone who has been meaning to read Gaiman, what should I start with? StG ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/7 "2006-05-22T22:07:33Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > As someone who has been meaning to read Gaiman, what should I start with? > > StG Well, _I_ started with _Marvel 1602_ and am now onto _American Gods_. I wanted to read _Sandman_, but I flipped through the first graphic novel in a bookstore and hated the artwork. Not Neil’s fault, since he only wrote the thing, but I couldn’t get past how much I didn’t like looking at it. When I am done with _American Gods_, I plan to move onto _Neverwhere_ and _Good Omens_. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/8 "2006-05-22T22:33:10Z")
Sandman is unquestionably Gaiman’s masterpiece. That doesn’t necessarily mean you want to read it before anything else, but it’s also incredibly accessible, moreso than American Gods IMHO. You’re not a Gaiman fan until you’ve read it. **bouv** , the art in Sandman changes dramatically five or six issues in, when Sam Keith quit. The coloring also gets better by the end of that volume. And whie I’m on the subject, the style of the book changes pretty significantly as well; the first seven issues are rather different than most of the series that follows, with issue #8 the first one that really feels the way the rest of the series feels. (Gaiman has said that that’s where he found his sea-legs, so to speak.) It’s interesting, just yesterday I was thinking about how much Sandman has affected my own writing. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/9 "2006-05-22T22:42:37Z")
Is Sandman a comic book? StG ---
**Author:** ![Hung\_Mung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Hung\_Mung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hung_Mung)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/10 "2006-05-22T22:43:18Z")
Personally, I started by dipping my toes into the Sandman. I still haven’t read most of that series, but I bought Neverwhere and Good Omens. I fell utterly in love with Good Omens, enjoyed Neverwhere, plan to re-read American Gods for the third time later this year, really enjoyed Anansi Boys and could hardly put down Stardust. Gaiman’s one of my favorites. ---
**Author:** ![Hung\_Mung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Hung\_Mung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hung_Mung)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/11 "2006-05-22T22:45:07Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > Is Sandman a comic book? > > StG Yes, and a damn fine one. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/12 "2006-05-22T22:45:37Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > Is Sandman a comic book? > > StG Not anymore. ---
**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/13 "2006-05-22T22:45:51Z")
I agree that _Sandman_ is both really accessible and enjoyable - I think it’s a good place to start. _Good Omens_ is good, especially since you’re also a Pratchett fan, and think _Neverwhere_ or _American Gods_ would also make good starting points. BTW, I recently saw _Mirrormask_ and really liked it, but I can see how it might not be for everyone. As far as things that wouldn’t make good starting points, I think _Mr. Punch_ and _Black Orchid_ might not be the best starts. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/14 "2006-05-22T22:47:14Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > Is Sandman a comic book? That’s like saying, “Is Salma Hayek a female?” ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/15 "2006-05-22T22:49:39Z")
Loved _Neverwhere_, which I’d call a fantasy with healthy doses of both horror and humor, sometimes simultaneously (which isn’t easy to pull off). Here Gaiman created one of my favorite fantasy worlds that I’ve visited recently. Loved _Coraline_: manages to be genuinely creepy while still being a children’s book. Loved _Anansi Boys_. It covered some of the same ground that both Gaiman and others have been over, but it did so very well. Enjoyed _Good Omens_ and _American Gods_ but thought both were overrated; they didn’t live up to the enormous praise I’ve seen both here and elsewhere. _Good Omens_ is neither my favorite Gaiman nor my favorite Pratchett. _American Gods_ had some good ideas that I imagine could have been developed better, and the book was a bit overly long, sprawling, and Stephen King-y. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/16 "2006-05-22T23:09:36Z")
> [@wevets](#): > > I agree that _Sandman_ is both really accessible and enjoyable It’s not his most _financially_ accessible work! I’ve been interested in reading it, but it looks like the whole thing would set me back a couple hundred dollars. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/17 "2006-05-23T02:01:14Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > As someone who has been meaning to read Gaiman, what should I start with? I picked up “American Gods” one day in the middle of reading dry spell–fiction had just turned to dust for me, and I was glum about it, as reading has been one of the greatest pleasures of my life. Could not put the book down. I honestly never knew what was going to happen next, and I needed to know! And the premise is so strikingly original (at least to me). What an idea! I really, really enjoyed it, and have gone on to read most everything else, and hope to get to Sandman. Stardust made me cry. In a good way. ---
**Author:** ![Talon\_Karrde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Talon\_Karrde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Talon_Karrde)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/18 "2006-05-23T02:06:14Z")
> [@wevets](#): > > BTW, I recently saw _Mirrormask_ and really liked it, but I can see how it might not be for everyone. I liked Mirrormask, but it is more for younger people. I would have loved it if I saw it when I was 12. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/19 "2006-05-23T02:43:37Z")
> [@Thudlow Boink](#): > > It’s not his most _financially_ accessible work! I’ve been interested in reading it, but it looks like the whole thing would set me back a couple hundred dollars. Public library to the rescue! If they don’t have the Sandman volumes (and you have a pretty cool library if they already do), you should be able to request each book via inter-library loan (for free). Now you have no excuse not to read them! ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/20 "2006-05-23T05:07:09Z")
> [@Thudlow Boink](#): > > It’s not his most _financially_ accessible work! I’ve been interested in reading it, but it looks like the whole thing would set me back a couple hundred dollars. It’s worth it. Also, you don’t have to get tham all at once – buy the first one, ruminate on it a tetch, then get The Doll’s House, etc. Heck, it took me the better part of five years to get the whole thing. (Of course, that was partly because he was still writing 'em.) Oh, and it looks somewhat bigger than it is – the series is ten volumes, from Preludes & Nocturnes to The Wake. There are two later Sandman books, but they came after the series had been over for some time and are more like revisiting the ol’ homestead than they are a part of the actual story. Not to say they aren’t good (Dream Hunters especially; I found Endless Nights to be uneven in the extreme). –Cliffy [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810.md?page=2)