Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman

I am not that familiar with Norse mythology but got interested after reading American Gods by Neil Gaiman. This book is a far less intense adventure with the gods along with a boy named Odd and Frost Giants. Though I suppose Frost Giants can be somewhat intense. I stumbled upon an article in the School Library Journal where Neil Gaiman talks about writing Odd and the Frost Giants for World Book Day if any one else is interested:

http://tinyurl.com/yac93th

Death: The High Cost of Living by Neil Gaiman

2009 had some of the best of times but it also had a ton of the worst of times for my family. That is why I thought it appropriate for the last book of my 2009 reading to be the graphic novel, Death: The High Cost of Living by Neil Gaiman with illustrations from Dave McKean, Chris Bachalo and Mark Buckingham. Finished it at 11:45pm on New Years Eve. Yes that is right, I am such a party animal.

As usual, Mr. Gaiman does not disappoint. Death: The High Cost of Living centers around Sandman’s sister, Death. One day in every century Death becomes human to better understand what it feels like for the lives she takes, or in other words, to have mortality.

On this day mortal death and a troubled sixteen year-old embark on an adventure to search for the heart of a two-hundred-and fifty-year-old homeless woman. Like my 2009 this quest has some best of times and then some not so pleasant times.

If you are not familiar with the Sandman series, the question is, why not? Okay, just kidding. I think you would still be able to follow along the story line without having read any of the Sandman Graphic Novels, but I highly recommend his whole series.

Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? By Neil Gaiman and Illustrated by Andy Kubert

I will confess, this is the first Batman graphic novel I have read and the reason was because it was Neil Gaiman’s Batman.

Thus I cannot compare it to other Batman’s, but I thought it had the same surreal dream state of his Sandman series. Batman attends his own funeral (or at least it appears that way) along with his dearest friends and deadliest enemies. Each of them gives quite a different eulogy of the Cape Crusaders life, and death. As the Dark Knight hears the contradictory tales, he must determine the truth for himself.

Amazing story telling that pares perfectly with the bold and macabre illustrations. Then the bonus material is chalked full of that Gaiman dry sense of humor that I love so well.

Black Orchid Written by Neil Gaiman; Art by Dave McKean

The artwork and the fact it was written by one of my favorite writers, Neil Gaiman, is what drew me to Black Orchid. I read the description:

After being viciously murdered, Susan is reborn fully grown as the Black Orchid, a hybrid of plant and human, in order to avenge her own death. Now as this demigoddess attempts to reconcile her human memories and botanical origins, she must also untangle the webs of deception and secrets that led to her murder.

Okay, I was hooked and the Black Orchid came home with me. I finished it over two weeks ago, but struggled with how to summarize it. The story is rich, dark and surreal, almost like you are floating through a poem. Though imagine my surprise during that poetic journey when I turned a page to stumble upon the cape crusader, Batman. Never saw that coming. I think fans of The Sandman and MirrorMask would enjoy the Black Orchid’s story and the psychedelic images of Dave McKean.

The Sandman Volume 10: The Wake by Neil Gaiman

At the end of The Sandman Vol 10: The Wake, Neil Gaiman writes that he has always been bad at goodbyes, but I thought he did an excellent job in this last volume of Sandman by doing what he does best, telling stories. This was not at all how I thought the series would end, you would have thought by now I would have known that Mr. Gaiman would not do the obvious or even the next couple of obvious. Instead he ends with four unique stories of a surreal wake, an undying friendship, a Chinese sage travel through the dessert with a kitten, and William Shakespeare’s final obligation to The Sandman. Intriguing tales with the wonderful imagery of Michael Zulli, Jon J Muth, and Charles Vess (who also illustrated the Blueberry Girl). I procrastinated reading this last volume in the series because I did not want it to end, but I guess I was being silly, as I will never stop having dreams.

P.S. Don’t worry, nothing happens to the kitten.

Crazy Hair by Neil Gaiman

Okay I now have a new favorite book by Neil Gaiman. I absolutely adore Crazy Hair! It is an amusing rhyming tale about all that goes on up in his crazy hair.





In my hair Gorillas leap,
Tigers stalk,
And ground sloths sleep.
Prides of lions
Make their lair
Somewhere
in my crazy hair.

The artwork of Dave McKean is just as fun. I love his hairy illustrations. They are tangled with lots of vivid nuances. In other words, great eye candy.

And though I am not one to usually place a dare...
I would challenge him on who has the craziest hair.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

I have never been physically exhausted after reading a book until American Gods by Neil Gaiman. A one-word description: INTENSE. I was never sure what to expect on the next page, heck, not even in the next paragraph and there was a lot of “oh, that can’t be good.” I will also confess I am not up on my gods and goddesses like I should be thus there were several wikapedia breaks during reading this book.

American Gods begins with Shadow getting out of prison a day early because his wife has been killed in a terrible accident. On the plane ride home to the funeral, he meets a mysterious stranger that wants Shadow to come work for him. Let’s just say the position has a somewhat vague job description. Meanwhile there is a storm brewing in American where past and present beliefs are about to clash and Shadow finds himself right in the middle of the storm’s path. As I said, it is an intense ride, but if you can weather the storm, totally worth it.

Blueberry Girl by Neil Gaiman

I first heard of the Blueberry Girl when attending Neil Gaiman’s book tour of The Graveyard Book (Newbery Winner) in Boulder. At the end of the program he treated us to a reading of the Blueberry Girl. He said that when Tori Amos was expecting her little girl she called him up and asked if he would write a prayer for her. Tori would call her baby bump a blueberry and from that Neil wrote this beautiful poem for girls (actually for women of all ages). Later he paired with illustrator Charles Vess to create this delightful and inspirational picture book.

This is a prayer for a blueberry girl...

Words can be worrisome, people complex, motives and manners unclear,
Grant her the wisdom to choose her path right, free from unkindness and fear.

Not only does this book make a wonderful present for an expecting mother of a little girl or the newborn herself, but I think it would also make a great gift to girls graduating from high school or college or even for a new bride.

Here is a video from Neil Gaiman reading Blueberry Girl, you can also visit his web site, Mouse Circus, where he explains what type of book this is.

Congratulations Mr. Gaiman!

I was very excited yesterday to read that Neil Gaiman had been awarded the 2009 Newberry Medal for The Graveyard Book. It was a most excellent book and I got the pleasure of hearing him read the last half of chapter 7 in Boulder on his book tour. I did a post about my Evening with Neil if you would be interested in reading more about his reading. Then if you haven't had the wonderful experience of reading The Graveyard Book, I highly recommend it. You can go to my The Graveyard Book post for more information on the book.

Funny, I remember while reading the book I had a dental appointment. I brought it along with me not only to occupy my time but to take me to a place far far away from the one I was having to be in at the moment. The dentist came in and made some comment about me reading a horror novel. I told him it really wasn't a horror story but more of an adventure about a little boy being raised by ghost in a graveyard. I went on to explain that Neil Gaiman wrote it, how he came up with the idea and it was like the juggle book but instead in a graveyard. I believe I may have even added my excitement about getting to go to his book tour.

Then for the next several minutes (in dentist time I believe it is equivalent to an eternity) with numerous instruments in my mouth thus unable to defend my dear favorite writer, I got to hear how ridiculous of a story that would be, totally unbelievable...uh, excuse me, but that is why they call it FANTASY!! He went on that the Jungle Book was far fetched but not as an absurd of a concept as The Graveyard Book. He continued to rant on after that how a better storyline would have been a little boy lost in the city raised by homeless people. I will be honest, at that point I started drifting, thinking what would be cooler is if talking rats or perhaps a mutant race of homeless people would raised him. I doubt if my dentist and I would ever be Goodreads buddies.

Any way, I guess a story of a little boy being raised by ghost in a graveyard isn't so absurd after all.

Congrats Neil!!

The Sandman Volume 9: The Kindly Ones by Neil Gaiman

I got The Sandman Volume 9: The Kindly Ones by Neil Gaiman the weekend before Thanksgiving thinking I could nurse it through the long holiday weekend. My mistake was I cracked it open that Monday and had it done by Tuesday. Needless to say I loved it.

When Lyta Hall’s child is taken from her she turns to The Kindly Ones or The Furies to take revenge on whom she thinks is responsible, Morpheus, The Lord of Dream. The Furies do not rest until their vengeance is satisfied and the world of Dream is in peril. But who is really behind the disappearance of Lyta’s little boy, and what sacrifices will have to be made in order to save the Kingdom of Dreaming?

Unlike some of the other Sandman Volumes, like Dream Country, Fables & Reflections, and the Worlds' End, this is not one you should probably pick up without reading the prior volumes. Mr. Gaiman does an excellent job weaving in the storylines and characters from his earlier tales in to this one epic journey. You follow each of their separate stories knowing that somehow they are intertwined but wondering how the dots will be connected, or will they? Like the story, the illustrations are just as dark and dramatic.

Need the weather to clear up so I can run out and get the next volume.

The Sandman World’s End Volume 8 by Neil Gaiman

Two co-workers are driving back to Chicago late one night when it starts to snow. Despite the fact it was June, Brant did not think this odd, just slowed down from eighty to sixty. He thought about waking Charlene but she was sleeping so soundly. That is when something huge and strange ran out on to the road causing Brant to lose control of the vehicle through a fence, down an embankment before crashing into a tree. After pulling Charlene out of the wreckage the two made their way through the storm to an Inn, The World’s End.

At the Inn, they encountered individuals and creatures from different realms and times than their own. As the visitors waited out the storm they gathered and shared their stories. From the politics of Faire to an air burial in Necropolis Litharge, each of tales takes you on an imaginative and sometimes mystical journey. But what drew all these strangers to the World’s End? What is behind this epic storm? And will Brant and Charlene be able to make their way back home?

World's End is one of my favorites of the Sandman Series by Neil Gaiman. Rich imaginative storytelling where you never quite know where the path is leading you, but you are loving the ride. It is really a story within a story and sometimes there is even a story within that story.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

As I posted earlier I got the pleasure of going to a Neil Gaiman reading in Boulder at the first of the month. On his book tour of The Graveyard Book, he read a chapter a stop with the exception of chapter 7, which due to its length had to be spread across two stops. Unfortunately the Boulder stop fell on part 2 of chapter 7. This was unfortunate not because of his reading, which was superb, but that the 2nd part of chapter 7 gives a way the ending. Now that in itself would not have been bad, it was just I was only on chapter 4.

However, even knowing how the book was going to end, it was still a wonderful trip. I loved the storyline of a little boy being raised by ghost in a cemetery and the story of how Mr. Gaiman came up with the idea. When his son was young, there was no place for him to ride his bike where they lived so Mr. Gaiman would take his son to a nearby cemetery to ride his bike. As he watched his son ride his tricycle around the gravestones, he thought what a wonderful place for a boy to be raised. He had enjoyed Kipling’s Jungle Books as a boy, and thus the idea for The Graveyard Book was conceived, and twenty-some years later, was finally born.

In The Graveyard Book, a boy is adopted by a graveyard after his family is killed. I know it may sound cool to be raised by ghosts and a guardian that is neither dead nor alive in an overgrown old graveyard. And of course it would be, but even growing up among the dead there are still many things a live child needs to learn such as fading and how to recognize and escape from Ghoul Gates. Each chapter is a short story about the boy’s adventures as he grows up in the graveyard. In fact, chapter 4, The Witches Headstone, can also be found in Neil Gaiman’s book of short stories, M is for Magic (highly recommended).

Once again Mr. Gaiman amazing me with his imagination and story-telling abilities. My favorite chapter was chapter 3 where we learned about Ghoul Gates. My sister and I come from a long line of cemetery walkers from my mother side and have recently taken back up the tradition. Our eyes will now be pealed wide open to spot the Ghoul Gate. According to Mr. Gaiman all cemeteries have them, and I have a feeling he is an excellent authority on the matter.

What exactly is a Ghoul Gate? I suggest you read chapter 3 in The Graveyard Book to find out ☺ .

An Evening with Neil Gaiman

Though I hate to admit it, I am a bit of a homebody. In the evening I just like to settle in on our comfy couch with a good book and a calico snuggled on the lap. It has to be a pretty rare and special occasion to convince myself to break this routine. Yesterday was one of those rare and special occasions. Yes, I got off the couch (to the calico’s dismay) and spent a wonderful evening in Boulder with Neil Gaiman. Okay, it was actually me and 299 other people who went to see Mr. Gaiman read from his latest book, The Graveyard Book. He was outstanding, though I may be prejudice because he is my all time favorite author, no, I don’t think I am, he was outstanding.

He read the last half of chapter 7 which I won’t go into any details since that chapter gives a lot of the book’s mysteries away. He said the original plan was to read a chapter a stop, which worked out perfectly until he got to chapter 7 which is twice as long as any other chapter in the book. Thus he read the first half in Los Angeles Monday night and the 2nd half last night to us. He received a huge “NO!” when he stopped reading in LA because it just so happens the first part of chapter 7 ends on a rather steep cliffhanger.

Of course he has that lovely British brogue, but he added a Scottish accent for one of the characters that I quite enjoyed. Needless to say he has a wonderful reading voice and had the crowd laughing or at the edge of their seats waiting for the next passage. He said that on this book tour he took along Mr. Prosperity, who he then pointed out the gentlemen filming the reading, and said that the videos were being posted on his blog. Thus if you would like, you can also hear and see Neil read The Grave Yard Book.

After the reading we got a special treat and got to see behind the scene’s footage for the upcoming movie based on his book Coraline, where he magically grows a beard on the set or at least that is what he told us. Henry Selick, who was also the director of Nightmare Before Christmas, directs the movie. Neil said when Nightmare Before Christmas came out he left the theater going “why aren’t there more movies like this.” I totally agree, but sounds like we will get our wish come February 2009 when Coraline the movie hits the theaters.

Before his reading they had note cards out where you could write down a question for him to answer. After getting to see clips from Coraline, he came back on stage with the stack of note cards. He said that we had excellent questions, but horrible handwriting. The previous night in Los Angeles, he thought the questions were on the dull side, but the handwriting was beautifully legible. My husband was tickled because his was the 2nd question that Neil answered on where the inspiration came from for his movie MirrorMask. He said the inspiration and imagery was all Dave McKean, but then followed that up with an amusing story on them creating the movie and Terry Gilliam coming over for tea.

Then he had the usual questions on does he have an audience in mind when he starts a story. He says he writes for him and then let’s the publishers figure out the audience. He followed that up by saying a writer’s job is to explode, and then the publishers come in and pick up the shrapnel, bits and pieces and see if they can make a book out of it. He has no set writing routine, though wishes he did. He did mention that he tries to write where there is no internet because once he goes searching on something, 3 hours later... He broke his finger while coming down a mountain in China, which he thought if you had to break a finger, that was the way to do it because it was such a great story vs. breaking one by slamming it in a door. When asked what his to-read stacks of books were at home, he replied “a wall.” Then his all-time favorite breakfast is a cheese omelet.

He ended the evening reading us a poem he wrote for Tori Amos’s little girl, which is going to be published as a picture book coming out April 2009 called the Blueberry Girl. Beautiful poem for girls, and like Dr. Seuss’s Oh, the Places You'll Go, I have a feeling it will be enjoyed more by us older kids than little ones.

Besides an imaginative and creative storyteller, he is an amusing speaker and I do not regret leaving the safe compounds of my home and comfy couch to spend the evening with him. Despite the protest from the calico.

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

What book should one read when getting to go see the fantasico comedian Eddie Izzard? Well I am sure there are several, but I highly recommend the Good Omens The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter Witch, by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.

It is a story about Armageddon, demons, angels, and prophecies. The world is going to end this Saturday; the Divine Plan has been set in motion. However, you know that old saying “The best-laid plans of mice and men/often go awry,” or in this case “The best-laid prophecies of the Almighty and the Prince of Darkness for the end of the world may not quite go as foretold.” Yes, it seems that a certain demon and his angel pal, who have been living amongst us humans, aren’t too keen on giving up their current life-style. Couple that with an aging sergeant of the Witchfinder Army and a spiritual guide on a motor scooter along with the four horsemen on Harleys, and of course, the end of the world would not be complete without at least one UFO encounter, you could see where perhaps things might not go as expected. Oh, then there is the small issue of misplacing the Antichrist, but hey, sometime these things happen.

Like the back of the cover says, “What’s so funny about Armageddon? More than you’d think....” Good Omens is a hard-to-put-down LOL read to the very end.

The Sandman (Vol. 7): Brief Lives by Neil Gaiman

That’s right, two of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman graphic novels in one week. In Vol. 7: Brief Lives, Delirium, the youngest of the Endless decides that she wants to find her older brother, Destruction, who left the family and his responsibilities 300 years ago. She first goes to her sisters Desire and Despair but they refuse to help her in her quest. She then goes to her brother Dream and to her surprise he agrees to accompany her on a journey through the waking world to locate their long lost brother. What starts out as a trip to bring things back to the way they were, ends up changing The Endless forever.

The last couple of volumes our tall dark dream man only had cameos where in this volume he was the leading man. It is a fast read for me as I was anxious to see what the final destination of their journey had in store for them...I was not disappointed.

The Sandman Vol. 5: A Game of You by Neil Gaiman

I am continuing in making my way through Neil Gaiman’s Sandman Volumes, not exactly in order mind you, but I have been able to follow along with out any issues. In fact that is the wonderful thing about Sandman, though all intertwined, the stories can also stand on their own.

In the A Game of You, we find Barbie, who we first met in the The Sandman Vol. 2: The Doll's House, living in a grungy city apartment building with a colorful cast of eccentric neighbors. The story would have been interesting enough just following the lives of this motley crew, but it also moves us back and forth from the warped world of this urban apartment to a dream realm of talking animals, a mystical stone, and an the evil Cuckoo. A bird? Perhaps. We do see glimpses of the Dream Lord, Morpheus, through out the book, but the story centers mainly on Barbie and her two worlds. Neil Gaiman’s books are always filled with surprises and unexpected turns and this one is no different. And as I have found with all the Sandman Volumes I have read, the artwork and design is out of this world.

The Sandman Vol. 3: Dream Country by Neil Gaiman

The Sandman Vol. 3: Dream Country consist of 4 stories plus a bonus treat at the end. The first story, Calliope, is about a novelist who has become void of ideas. Desperate to write again, he makes a bargain to enslave a muse to consume her for his own inspiration. In A Dream of a Thousand Cats, a broken-hearted but brave Siamese ventures to the land of dreaming seeking out the Cat of Dreams for revelation. Warning to cat lovers, the beginning of this story is harsh and intense, but if you can make it through that, I think you will enjoy the ending. Next the Sandman invites his friends from the world of Faerie to join him for an enchanted performance in the World Fantasy Award-wining A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The final story does not have our Dream Man, but instead his sister Death. Façade is about a lonely and isolated soul who is tired of living behind the masks. All four are fast-pace intriguing tales.

At the end they included Neil Gaiman’s script for Calliope with a few of his written comments. Since I am currently working on a graphic novel, I found the script both fascinating and highly amusing.

Midnight Days

This graphic novel is a collection of previously uncollected Neil Gaiman pieces. Each story has an introduction from Mr. Gaiman giving a little background history and inspiration for writing the piece. He wrote that the short story Hold Me was one of his favorites of all his short stories. The story has John Constantine attending a party and leaving with an acquaintance to the not-so-nice part of London. Not only did I enjoy the story but also I loved the artistic style of the illustrations. Likewise, I loved the style and layout of the illustrations in the last story Sandman Midnight Theatre. As usual, Neil Gaiman does an excellent job in his storytelling and I found the stories behind the stories just as fascinating.

The Dangerous Alphabet

The Dangerous Alphabet by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Gris Grimly is a curious poetic journey through an alphabet with unsavory characters and letters of mischief. Two brave children and their courageous gazelle embark on an adventure where they encounter pirates, creatures of all sorts, and a not-to-be trusted alphabet.

“E’s for the Evil that lures and entices;
F is for Fear and its many devices...”

Needless to say, if you have been to my blog before, I am a huge Neil Gaiman fan. When I found out he was working with one of my other favorites, Gris Grimly, I knew I would have another treasure for my collection, and I was not disappointed. The rhyming couplets had a slight Edward Gorey feel to them (who I also love), and every time I read through the book I see another devious nuance in the monstrous illustrations.

However, readers beware! You may find yourself so entranced with Gaiman’s rhythmic verses and Grimly’s esoteric visions that you may not realize just how dangerous the Alphabet really is in this story.

The Books of Magic by Neil Gaiman

Timothy Hunter’s life is about to change forever when four men of the “Trench Coat Brigade” confront him with the question, “Do you believe in magic?” Then each man, John Constantine, the Phantom Stranger, Dr. Occult and Mister E, leads the boy on an unforgettable journey into the realm of magic, past, present, future, and the fairylands. But can these four journeymen be trusted? Is there a trader amongst them? Why is Timothy’s life in danger and will he decide to join their ranks in the world of magic?

Neil Gaiman once again takes hold of the imagination and does not let go until the last page is read. If you have his Sandman series then you will recognize some of the characters, but even if you haven’t, this book is still an enjoyable ride.