The New Yorker Hearts Neil Gaiman

I rarely read the New Yorker. It's just not my style. But this morning I couldn't overlook this intriguing article about Neil Gaiman--"Kid Goth: Neil Gaiman’s fantasies"--by Dana Goodyear:

Gothic horror was thoroughly out of fashion in children’s literature when, in the early nineteen-nineties, the writer Neil Gaiman began to work on “Coraline,” a book aimed at “middle readers”—aged nine to twelve—in which he reimagined Clifford’s demon as “the other mother,” an evil and cunning anti-creator who threatens to destroy his young protagonist. “The idea was, look, if the Victorians can do something that deeply unsettles kids, I should be able to do that, too,” he told me recently.

Gaiman, who is forty-nine and English, with a pale face and a wild, corkscrewed mop of black-and-gray hair, is unusually prolific. In addition to horror, he writes fantasy, fairy tales, science fiction, and apocalyptic romps, in the form of novels, comics, picture books, short stories, poems, and screenplays. Now and then, he writes a song. Gaiman’s books are genre pieces that refuse to remain true to their genres, and his audience is broader than any purist’s: he defines his readership as “bipeds.” His mode is syncretic, with sources ranging from English folktales to glam rock and the Midrash, and enchantment is his major theme: life as we know it, only prone to visitations by Norse gods, trolls, Arthurian knights, and kindergarten-age zombies. “Neil’s writing is kind of fey in the best sense of the word,” the comic-book writer Alan Moore told me. “His best effects come out of people or characters or situations in the real world being starkly juxtaposed with this misty fantasy world.” The model for Gaiman’s eclecticism is G. K. Chesterton; his work, Gaiman says, “left me with an idea of London as this wonderful, mythical, magical place, which became the way I saw the world.” Chesterton’s career also serves as a warning. “He would have been a better writer if he’d written less,” Gaiman says. “There’s always that fear of writing too much if you’re a reasonably facile writer, and I’m a reasonably facile writer.”

Read the entire article HERE

I've only read one of Gaiman's books--The Graveyard Book (which was reviewed HERE)--but I liked his style and am planning to read one of his adult novels one of these days. If anyone has any recommendations as to which to check out first, I'd be much obliged! :)

Book Review: The Graveyard Book

New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman is solid once more in The Graveyard Book.

Gaiman's most recent "YA" novel clearly show his versatility as an author, as he charms audiences of all ages. While The Graveyard Book is most certainly written for a much younger, children's audience but was still quite an enjoyable read, even for me.

Nobody Owens, the sweet, kind, lovable boy known to his friends (and enemies) as Bod, is growing up in the most unusual of circumstances. After his family is brutally murdered by a man named Jack, toddler Bod narrowly escapes by crawling his way to a nearby graveyard. In a unique re-telling of The Jungle Book, Bod is taken in by the ghosts of the graveyard and taught all matters of things, from how to read to how to Fade to how to open a ghoul-gate.

While Bod's adventures are highly entertaining and painted by Gaiman with descriptive and palpable verve, I found the stringing together of his experiences to be a little loose. The story felt fragmented to me with not quite enough glue to hold the various storylines together. Certain parts that seemed to hold a lot of weight to me ended up not being mentioned again much to my disappointment. The plots that did tie back in were more satisfying ultimately, but I still felt like there was too much going on, too many stories and too much time to cover, for the story to really be as cohesive as I would have liked. I still don't even quite understand what happened with the main story.

The main message, however, and Bod's growth and development was strong enough to overshadow the flaws I found in the storyline itself, so I still kept turning the pages. The supporting cast of characters was also quirky and engaging, holding my interest. I loved the young witch, Liza (who seems to me to be crushing on our dear Bod just a tad!); Bod's mysterious Guardian, Silas; his trusting and vulnerable friend, Scarlett; and all the crazy characters resting not so peacefully in the graveyard's hallowed ground.

I must also say that I give Gaiman props for writing a children's book with such dark and morbid topics and making it seem light and understated. And the illustrations by Dave McKean were a nice addition to a book so wrought with imagery.

The Last Word: An entertainingly unique telling of an age-old story, full of unfamiliar and imaginative characters and adventures.