Neil Gaiman

Neverwhere: A Novel
$13.99
I'm sure this was written as purely entertainment...a fantasy and a well written one at that...however, this one made me stop and think and that's what I truly love about it. It made me think about our lives and how sometimes it all seems so ridiculous. How we pass by those nameless, homeless individuals everyday as we rush here and there and how little we know of them or their sufferings or their world. This is a fantastic book, not only because it's well written, has a well thought out plot and has well developed characters, but because it made me look deeper into things I choose to put in the back of my mind. I highly recommend.

Odd and the Frost Giants
$14.99
This is a Norse mythology fairy tale told about a boy named Odd who ends up helping a few old Norse Gods gain back their city from a Frost Giant. The mythology is in style and includes the same character Odin: king of the gods, as previously portrayed in American Gods. Gaiman obviously knows his mythology from American Gods, as well as Anansi Boys and he once again puts that valuable knowledge to use in this young adult tale.

Odd the protagonist is somewhat of a cast out from his village in Norway and looked upon as useless because he has a crippled leg and his father has passed away. But Odd soon finds out a way to be useful when he follows a fox that takes him to a bear with his paw caught in a tree, and Odd helps the bear out. While Odd is scared stiff of the bear he still does the right thing by releasing the bear. Odd then finds out that the bear and fox, along with an eagle are talking animals. In fact they are the old Norse gods Odin, Loki, and Thor who have been transformed into animals and cast out of their city Asgard, by a Frost Giant. This tale is how Odd helps the old gods and confronts the huge Frost Giant.

This tale is very fairy tale like and was smoothly written. This is a book that can easily be read in one sitting but still offers up a lot of story. In other words you'll read through it fast as you want to know what happens but the story is long enough to not feel cheated at such a quick read, there is some beef here. This tale obviously is for young adults and they are the ones whose imaginations would appreciate the wonders of this tale the most, but as an adult this was still a very entertaining read and is easily recommended to adults too.

Anansi Boys
$7.99
Always witty and a bit wonky, Gaiman's Anansi Boys offers great escapist fantasy. A follow-up to 2002's American Gods, Anansi Boys picks up with Londoner "Fat Charlie" Nancy, who learns that his recently deceased father was the human form of Anansi, the African trickster god. After acquiring this knowledge at his father's funeral, Fat Charlie's life spins into disarray as he becomes reacquainted with his brother, Spider. Unfortunately for Fat Charlie, Spider seems to have inherited much of their father's trickster ways and begins to wreak havoc in Fat Charlie's life.

The Graveyard Book
$17.99
I adored the audio book version of Neil Gaiman's 'The Graveyard Book.' I always love listening to Gaiman read his works. When I read his books, I often hear his voice in my head.