# 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:** 2
**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, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/21 "2006-05-23T05:10:26Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > Is Sandman a comic book? > > StG Actually, it’s 76 of them. 😉 But as alluded to above, the series has been collected into ten reprint collections or, as we comics fans incorrectly call them, trade paparebacks. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/22 "2006-05-23T05:13:50Z")
You all have _excellent_ taste. 😃 ---
**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 23, 2006, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/23 "2006-05-23T14:28:17Z")
> [@Kythereia](#): > > You all have _excellent_ taste. 😃 We know. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/24 "2006-05-23T15:12:23Z")
> [@Talon Karrde](#): > > I liked Mirrormask, but it is more for younger people. I would have loved it if I saw it when I was 12. Proving that I’m really a kid at heart! 🆒 P.S. I can’t believe I forgot to mention the two Death miniseries: _Death: The Time of Your Life_ and _Death: The High Cost of Living_. It’ll be much cheaper than _Sandman_, and I think the first one I mentioned would make a good start, while the second should really be read after reading _A Game of You_. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/25 "2006-05-23T16:25:57Z")
I read Sandman about a year ago after having had it recommended to me for quite some time. It quickly and easily found a place in my list of ‘best things I’ve ever read.’ ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/26 "2006-05-23T16:45:12Z")
You lucky bastards. I started reading Sandman around the end of the first year it was printed, and had to wait a month in between each issue! (I still have my collection. Sometimes I think about selling them but I doubt I ever will.) I loved _Good Omens_, too. And I’m not really a Pratchett fan. It’s the only Gaiman book I’ve read. I also have a comic called _Snow, Glass, Apples_ that is a great retelling of the Snow White fairy tale. It sounds like I have to check out some of his other books as well! ---
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/27 "2006-05-23T17:48:16Z")
> [@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. Well, in the good news/bad news category, [DC is going to be adding Sandman to their “Absolute” line of reprints](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1401210821/). They’re leatherbound, oversized, and with minor corrections to some colors here and there. Wonderful news, no? Well, they’re also $50-70 a pop, and there’s no way all of Sandman is going to fit into one volume. OTOH, it might lower the prices of the paperback versions a smidge, so that’s something. (Yeah, between this, the PS3, and the impending purchase of a new car, this isn’t going to be a cheap year for me.) :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/28 "2006-05-23T18:00:29Z")
Just remember, when the wolves come out of the walls **IT’S ALL OVER!!!** ---
**Author:** ![Waverly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/57b2e6/32.png) [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/29 "2006-05-23T18:55:07Z")
I hated HATED **HATED** American Gods, but thought Coraline was OK. American Gods was a haphazard collection of inane, underdeveloped caricatures. The whole idea could possibly have fueled a short story, though not this tragically long narrative, _if_ Gaiman could have bothered to pick at least one character and make it interesting. Do I give up now, or is Neverwhere or Good Omens different enough that they’d be worth a try? ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/30 "2006-05-23T19:56:55Z")
I heard of Sandman thru SDMB recommendations & read it when I checked it out through my local library. SDMB & libraries - can’t sing their praises enough. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/31 "2006-05-23T21:56:04Z")
> [@Waverly](#): > > I hated HATED **HATED** American Gods, but thought Coraline was OK. American Gods was a haphazard collection of inane, underdeveloped caricatures. The whole idea could possibly have fueled a short story, though not this tragically long narrative, _if_ Gaiman could have bothered to pick at least one character and make it interesting. > > Do I give up now, or is Neverwhere or Good Omens different enough that they’d be worth a try? Different strokes for different folks. I’d rank **American Gods** among his best. If you haven’t read **Good Omens** , though, _read it_. I’m telling you, you’ll be converted for life. ---
**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 23, 2006, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/32 "2006-05-23T22:01:29Z")
> [@Waverly](#): > > I hated HATED **HATED** American Gods, but thought Coraline was OK. American Gods was a haphazard collection of inane, underdeveloped caricatures. The whole idea could possibly have fueled a short story, though not this tragically long narrative, _if_ Gaiman could have bothered to pick at least one character and make it interesting. > > Do I give up now, or is Neverwhere or Good Omens different enough that they’d be worth a try? I think Good Omens would be worth your time, but you may want to try getting it from a library first. If you didn’t like AmGods, don’t bother with anything else. ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/33 "2006-05-23T22:06:34Z")
Absolutely read _Good Omens._ It’s one of my all time favorite books and got me onto Pratchett. I had already read _The Colour of Magic_ but wasn’t really impressed, but after I read _The Light Fantastic_ I was hooked for life. Likewise I immediately started reading _Sandman_ and was similarly hooked. I’ve enjoyed all Gaiman’s books but I have a fondness for _Neverwhere_, in part due to the BBC series, having watched it one night when they ran all the episodes on Iowa Public TV. ---
**Author:** ![wonderlust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonderlust/32/7237_2.png) [@wonderlust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonderlust)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/34 "2006-05-23T22:20:23Z")
Having been afraid of trying _dark_ fantasy, my first toe-dip was _Neverwhere_, which I fell in love with, and which gave me courage to try more. I’ve now read all his novels and children’s books (excluding my signed first-edition of Anansi Boys, which I’ll read soon.) I tried the Sandman, but couldn’t get past the first issue - the art was too dark, visually. Also, I got messed up because I forgot what order to read the captions in when there are 4 or 5 in the same box (help, anyone?). I bought Mirrormask, but couldn’t finish it. I dislike Dave McKean’s style, and hated the surrealism of it. I think I like my own visuals more than the ones that accompany Gaiman’s text…except I do love the picture of Coraline’s Other Mother tapping her button-eye with her long, long fingernail. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Goob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c77e96/32.png) [@Mr.Goob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Goob)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2006, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/35 "2006-05-24T00:13:45Z")
I’ll read his doodles, sketches and grocery lists. Neverwhere was good. I loved Stardust. American Gods faded a little at the end for me. I started with and will always love Sandman. Wow, just wow sums it up upon several years of reflection. It took him a while to get going with the comic idea. So, please please please read [Season of Mists](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1563890410/102-5641604-6506549?v=glance&n=283155) and see if it strikes you. If you like it, you will go back and start at the beginning. The art comes and goes. Read it for the writing. ---
**Author:** ![wonderlust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonderlust/32/7237_2.png) [@wonderlust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonderlust)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2006, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/36 "2006-05-24T04:58:17Z")
I have several pieces of \*Sandman \*already, but unread. Before I buy more, I’d rather be won over by something I already have. Which is most likely to represent the _Sandman_? I have _Preludes and Nocturnes_, _Death the High Cost of Living_, _Death the Time of Your Life_, and the gorgeous hardbound _Dream Hunters_ (so I can drool and puzzle over Amano’s art). ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2006, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/37 "2006-05-24T15:03:09Z")
Of those, the only one that’s really part of Sandman (as opposed to being side projects/spin-offs) is Preludes & Nocturnes. My typical advice is just to power through it, but of course most of the people I talk about Sandman with are already comics fans of one stripe or another. If you find you can’t do that, then both Death: The High Cost of Living and The Dream Hunters should work better for you. The art is nothing like what you find in P&N, and neither is the type of storytelling; the unabashedly horror comics of the first seven issues quickly give way to the tone present in the rest of the series, and that same style is in The High Cost of Living as well. It’s also just a really good small story. The Time of Your Life isn’t recommended as a starting point; it’s much more about the characters’ relationships, these being characters that you’d be best served to already know by reading A Game of You and The High Cost of Living; also it’s not that good, IMHO. Dream Hunters is wonderful. But given the art and the structure (written as an original graphic novel instead of 22 pgs. every month like it or not) it’s not exactly the same beast as the Sandman series. But it does tell a grand mythological story not unlike the ones found in the main series and it’s clearly written with a similar narrative voice. Indeed, reading The High Cost of Living and Dream Hunters together you’d probably get a pretty good idea of the spectrum on which Sandman operaties; the first being a sort of slice-of-life ground-level story and the latter being fantastic in both story and scope. –Cliffy ---
**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 24, 2006, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/38 "2006-05-24T17:11:39Z")
> [@Cliffy](#): > > Of those, the only one that’s really part of Sandman (as opposed to being side projects/spin-offs) is Preludes & Nocturnes. My typical advice is just to power through it, but of course most of the people I talk about Sandman with are already comics fans of one stripe or another. > > If you find you can’t do that, then both Death: The High Cost of Living and The Dream Hunters should work better for you. The art is nothing like what you find in P&N, and neither is the type of storytelling; the unabashedly horror comics of the first seven issues quickly give way to the tone present in the rest of the series, and that same style is in The High Cost of Living as well. I’ve only read up to Dream Country, but I remember the second volume would qualify as horror too. Or maybe horrific humor. ---
**Author:** ![wonderlust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonderlust/32/7237_2.png) [@wonderlust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonderlust)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2006, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/39 "2006-05-24T17:19:37Z")
Thanks for the good input, **Cliffy**. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810/40 "2006-05-26T14:22:27Z")
> [@Talon Karrde](#): > > I’ve only read up to Dream Country, but I remember the second volume would qualify as horror too. Or maybe horrific humor. I see where you’re coming from, but I think it still partakes more of the rest of the book than those first seven issues do, even tho’ The Doll’s House certainly treats some horrific events. But to my mind, most of P&N feels like you’re reading a well-written DC horror comic from the 70’s, and The Boll’s House doesn’t have that same feeling. > [@](#): > > =brightpenny]Thanks for the good input, Cliffy. Happy to help; it would not be an exaggeration to say that _Sandman_ changed my life, although perhaps not as much as one or two other things I have read. –Cliffy [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaiman-literature-new-fan/357810.md?page=3)