Neil Gaiman Appreciation Post

After sending a couple asks on Tumblr, I realized that Neil Gaiman is probably a very busy author person, so I decided to make a post about it so that more people could see my adoration for this author and just how obnoxiously long I can make my sentences.

I was introduced to Neil Gaiman by way of the Sandman comics. I absolutely loved them, but didn’t get a chance to read them often because Barnes N’ Noble is far away and gas money is, well, money. But I loved them. So when my brother told me that he had written word novels as well as graphic novels, I just about pissed myself with excitement.

So, after that, I got started on The Graveyard Book. I fell in love again. He was the first author I had read a book by that actually wrote like someone would speak. I thought that was very comforting, and that the plot was just brilliant.

So I began recommending the Graveyard Book to anyone who would listen. And then since I liked that one, my brother gave me more.

He gave me American Gods. I liked this one too, but not as much as The Graveyard Book. 

He gave me Ocean at the End of the Lane. I continue to rave about this one whenever someone needs a new book to read.

He gave me Good Omens, which I am still reading and may love the concept unto death, after which point I will love it all the more.

I would later learn that both Coraline and Stardust are his. I am not at all surprised by this currently. I wasn’t then either, but the point is that I’m still not surprised.

I’m terrible at conclusions, but the point is this – Neil Gaiman is pretty cool, and you should all read his books. He’s one of the most down-to-earth writers that I know. My favorite example of this is the raven scene inAmerican Gods that made the entire book that much better.

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The bird turned, head tipped, suspiciously, on one side, and it stared at him with bright eyes.

“Say ‘Nevermore,’” said Shadow.

“F— you,” said the raven. [dashes added by me]

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I like this one because a) it’s brilliant and unexpected and b) it’s exactly how I would respond if I were a raven… without the dashes, that is. It just takes too long to say “Eff dash dash dash you”.

Also, he’s a dark writer, but not utterly hopeless. Hopelessness is boring and well, hopeless. I like hope. I think perhaps the best term is not “dark” or even “bleak”, but “realistic”. He is very realistic.

Still, he makes the reader think. Simple, mindless gory plots are for boring people. (Well, maybe not boring, but they’re for people I don’t wouldn’t normally hang out with.) Ocean at the End of Lane is the best example. It is confusing, and I like it that way. Sandman is a bit similar to that, I guess.

Anyone who makes a reader both immersed and confused by the plot at the same time is a good writer in my mind. And he inspired my writing to be better than it ever could be before.

(I think that is how I will end this giant piece, mainly because it is midnight as I write this and I have finals to study for.)

Gabriel Penn, out.

(Late) Monthly Read n’ Review: “The Ocean at the End of the Lane” by Neil Gaiman

Good heavens, this book is incredible.

I finished this book in a matter of literally two hours, because I loved it so, so much. I have very few words on this book, just because I don’t think I can explain adequately how incredible it is through any words made up to this point. But I’ll try.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane is rather short for a novel – 170 pages. I can’t say for sure whether I would like it to be any longer. It isn’t any less of a book because of its shortness. It’s something like a thirty-pound box that holds only one cubic foot of space.

My mind was being consistently expanded/blown to pieces as I was reading. The book uses mythos, theoretical physics and philosophy and combines them near-flawlessly. It’s often a bit confusing, but it’s not meant to be fully understood. It is, after all, from the viewpoint of a child.

**SPOILER WARNING**

The only flaw I could find was the hint near the end that a certain character did not exist and had only been a figment of the main character’s imagination. This, I think, was an attempt to make a point about human memory. However, certain scenes in the book require that a third lady exist. It seemed like a bit of a last-minute decision that we’re not supposed to question. Strange.

**END OF SPOILERS**

Still, it’s absolutely incredible and I would recommend this to everyone who enjoys a good grown-up fantasy story.

Book Review: “The Ocean at the End of the Lane” by Neil Gaiman

Good heavens, this book is incredible.

I finished this book in a matter of literally two hours, because I loved it so, so much. I have very few words on this book, just because I don’t think I can explain adequately how incredible it is through any words made up to this point. But I’ll try.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane is rather short for a novel – 170 pages. I can’t say for sure whether I would like it to be any longer. It isn’t any less of a book because of its shortness. It’s something like a thirty-pound box that holds only one cubic foot of space. 

My mind was being consistently expanded/blown to pieces as I was reading. The book uses mythos, theoretical physics and philosophy and combines them near-flawlessly. It’s often a bit confusing, but it’s not meant to be fully understood. It is, after all, from the viewpoint of a child.

**SPOILER WARNING**

The only flaw I could find was the hint near the end that a certain character did not exist and had only been a figment of the main character’s imagination. This, I think, was an attempt to make a point about human memory. However, certain scenes in the book require that a third lady exist. It seemed like a bit of a last-minute decision that we’re not supposed to question. Strange.

**END OF SPOILERS**

Still, it’s absolutely incredible and I would recommend this to everyone who enjoys a good grown-up fantasy story.

Guess what I’m reading today? Gonna try to get through it in one sitting.

Monthly Book Review Coming!

I have a saying. You should read a book for every ten selfies you take. Well, I don’t take many selfies, but I haven’t been into reading too much recently, either.

Monthly Book Review Coming!

I have a saying. You should read a book for every ten selfies you take. Well, I don’t take many selfies, but I haven’t been into reading too much recently, either. So we’re going to change that! Once a month, along with all my writing posts, you’re going to get a full book review!

I haven’t decided what the first one will be. It’ll either be one of the many Neil Gaiman books I have lying around or Pilgrim’s Progress, which I just got in the mail today. Still not sure. But it’s a comin’! So watch for my first book review coming July 1, 2015!

People think dreams aren’t real just because they aren’t made of matter, of particles. Dreams are real. But they are made of viewpoints, of images, of memories and puns and lost hopes.

Neil Gaiman, The Sandman (via sarcolinedream)