I had never heard of Neil Gaiman until last year, and I still haven't read anything by him. So, I probably would not be considered an avid Neil Gaiman fan.
My favorite books of his are probably Stardust, Neverwhere, and Coraline--. . .although I adore Smoke and Mirrors absolutely. Sandman is, of course, wonderful, but the aforementioned are more my cuppa . . magical realism, stories that glory in the fairytale-ness. Good old fashioned fantasy that's always twisted, just a bit. And I love his versatility.
And I actually did end up liking Stardust the movie, much to my surprise. Not really as an adaptation of the book, but I thought it wasn't half bad in its own right. xDD
I'm very much a Neil fan :). I would have to say that my favorite book by him is probably American Gods- just because I thought that the concept was totally fucking brilliant and was really well done (and was super rewarding for people really into myth to read.) However, in terms of his favorite light work? Good Omens, hands down. I don't even care that it was half Terry Pratchett (sp?)- it still counts and is still the best thing ever.
Late spammmage on the Neil question. I suppose his blog can't count as my favorite thing? He has a dog now, Cabal. Beautiful thing. And it's funny to see him dressed in all white when he's keeping bees.
And now I sound like an obsessive stalker. >.<
The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mister Punch is one of my favorites. Neverwhere is brilliant too. And 'Mouse' in Smoke and Mirrors has always stuck with me. I can't quite explain why.
I really love his style. Normally it's just solid storytelling, but then sometimes he hits one with a sentence that can leave a person breathless - a little catch in the throat from a seemingly innocent arrangement of words. The way he endows even the most secondary characters with their moment. As if he knows all their tragedies and is willing to share only the briefest glimpse.
So I'm a sucker for the painful bits, I guess. I'm in love with the humanity of it all.
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My favorite books of his are probably Stardust, Neverwhere, and Coraline--. . .although I adore Smoke and Mirrors absolutely. Sandman is, of course, wonderful, but the aforementioned are more my cuppa . . magical realism, stories that glory in the fairytale-ness. Good old fashioned fantasy that's always twisted, just a bit. And I love his versatility.
And I actually did end up liking Stardust the movie, much to my surprise. Not really as an adaptation of the book, but I thought it wasn't half bad in its own right. xDD
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And as he's the one responsible for the creation of Stardust, I LOVE HIM!
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And now I sound like an obsessive stalker. >.<
The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mister Punch is one of my favorites. Neverwhere is brilliant too. And 'Mouse' in Smoke and Mirrors has always stuck with me. I can't quite explain why.
I really love his style. Normally it's just solid storytelling, but then sometimes he hits one with a sentence that can leave a person breathless - a little catch in the throat from a seemingly innocent arrangement of words. The way he endows even the most secondary characters with their moment. As if he knows all their tragedies and is willing to share only the briefest glimpse.
So I'm a sucker for the painful bits, I guess. I'm in love with the humanity of it all.
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