Neil Gaiman is another one of those writers whose work is hard to describe, mostly due to the fact that he writes a little bit of everything. He’s written some fantastic childrens books that have been made into movies. He’s written comic books. He’s written short stories, a novela, and several novels of a dark and eerie nature.
Neil Gaiman’s work is not for the faint of heart. It can be trippy, intense, sometimes graphic, but his use of language is masterful and is craft is unparalleled.
I’d recommend starting with a book that Gaiman co-authored with Terry Pratchett called Good Omens about the battle between good and evil and the coming of the Apocalypse. It sounds like heavy reading, I know, but with Prachett’s comic genius and Gaiman’s way with words the pages just fly by.
I would also recommend Stardust, which was made into a movie with Michelle Pfeiffer. It’s not so dark as many of Gaiman’s books and it makes use of British folklore and fairy tales. It’s a wonderful, whimsical read.
For those who like darker, grittier reads, go ahead and check out Gaiman’s other adult novels and definitely look into his version of the Sandman comic. It’s pure genius.
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