Pajiba

I love Neil Gaiman's mind, I want to lick it.

All day

Like an icecream.

I think there's a little too much slavish devotion to Gaiman, and I say this as someone who generally enjoys his work -- especially his children's books and short stories. Not everything the man writes is genius.

That being said, I really did enjoy Anansi Boys. Fat Charlie isn't too smart, but he's still smarter than he has been led to believe, and that's something that isn't addressed in fiction very much. This is a sweet little book. Easy to read, with a light comic touch, and human, relatable characters even when they aren't literally human.

If you think Gaiman is overrated, this is probably the best book for an adult to read, simply because it's not trying to make a big statement. It merely succeeds nicely at making a small one.

I have often felt a vague guilt over not loving Gaiman half as much as it feels I should, and your review has shed a light as to why. Thanks! I do enjoy him, but don't love him.

The Steinbeck comparison is spot-on-- I imagine I can't get enough of the bloke because the emotion surges I get out of his work would only need a swelling orchestral arrangement to qualify for artery-clogging shlock.

I must conclude I'm easily manipulated. Might have figured that out when I couldn't stop crying the first time Rose's dad showed up in Doctor Who-- and every time after, too-- despite only barely tolerating Billie Piper and her character. The He-monsley would taunt me about my finely tuned chav empathy.

Still, the book does sound interesting! Must give it a try. Maybe swooping bouts of passion needn't be a requirement.

I've been putting this one off fro a time now since I was unimpressed with two of his previous works. For me, Gaiman is pretty hit or miss. I loved American Gods and The Graveyard Book but was indifferent at best regarding Neverwhere and Good Omens.

While I quite liked Anansi Boys and American Gods, I do have to side with the notion that Neil Gaiman is slightly overrated.
Although I thought Neverwhere was brilliant and I havent had the pleasure of reading his Absolute Sandman graphic novel series, I just find descriptions of him as the pinnacle of fantasy writing to be slightly wide of the mark.
I mean he is very good but i dont feel the passion flowing through his books as the greats of the genre.
I dont become obsessed by his work when I read it like the true greats of the field.

I really didn't like Good Omens, but decided to give Gaiman another chance. I loved Coraline and American Gods, but Stardust wasn't that great. I think he can be brilliant and slightly boring in spots, but he's definitely an entertaining, imaginative writer. Maybe not everyone's cup of tea. I think I'll get this from the library instead of buying it.

Admin, I didn't know this either when I read it, but Neverwhere was apparently a TV series first. I watched on Netflix Instant and it was pretty fun, but I liked the book better.

admin, if I remember correctly Neverwhere was first a television series then written into book form after the series ended.

Figgy, ninja'd me by seconds. This feat is undermined, however, by her abominable taste in not liking Stardust. Dunsany-style fairy tales rock my socks.

Er, LIKED it better. And now that I think about it and re-read this review, I think it's right in that sometimes his books can be a little dry, so Stardust to me felt a little...lifeless in parts. I didn't buy the two protagonists falling in love, for one.

I loved the movie because of how much fun it was, really fleshed out the story with humor and feeling.

I actually listened to the audiobook read by Lenny Henry and really enjoyed it. I also liked 'The Graveyard Book'. I will be a fan of Gaiman's simply because Hollywood wanted to adapt this book but make the characters white and he said no.
Hear that, Mr. Shamaylan?