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Five Neil Gaiman Books Everyone Should Read

By November 10, 2016Authors

Neil Gaiman is a favourite author of us here at For Reading Addicts and we have all read most of (if not all of) his books, many of them several times over and we think he should be a favourite of yours too.

A curious mix of the old and new, guaranteed to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and thoroughly fabulous Neil Gaiman’s writing style is totally unique and if you have not read anything by him yet you need to fix this gaping chasm in your reading history pronto. Here to help you catch up are five Neil Gaiman books that everyone should read (and not just because they happen to be our favourites either).

Coraline

Yes I know it’s children’s literature but if you’ve never read anything by Neil Gaiman before then Coraline is simply a perfect starting point. Described as being a children’s dark fantasy novella Coraline follows a young girl and her family as they move into a new house far away from everything and everyone she loves. With her parents too busy for her Coraline is left to fend for herself and when she finds a whole ‘other’ family behind a small doorway she finds in her room everything seems to feel so much better as her other mother is attentive and caring in a way that her own is not but of course there is a catch, Koumpounophobes look away now.

Coraline US
Coraline UK

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Neverwhere

Beneath the streets of London is another city, a city of monsters and saints, murderers and angels, and pale girls in black velvet. When a young businessman stops to help a young girl he gets more than he bargained for as this other London is revealed to him. With everything around him strange yet familiar Richard Mayhew finds himself on a quest that he is completely unprepared for with companions he cannot quite believe exist. Beautifully written and available both as a Graphic novel and in its original format as a TV series Neverwhere works just as well in classic book format.

Neverwhere US
Neverwhere UK

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American Gods

What happened to the Gods of old when the world moved on? They moved with it of course, but as their believers fell away and new things are worshipped new gods rise up and the power begins to shift. American Gods is an epic tale of the old battling the new, of a strange and puzzling journey across modern America undertaken by the old Gods of a quest to solve a series of murders that occurred in a small American town one winter and the desire to return everything to how it should be. This book is profoundly strange, disturbing, gripping, and utterly brilliant all at once.

American Gods US
American Gods UK

American Gods Review

The Ocean at the End of the Lane

Driving down the lane where he used to live as a boy a place where forty years ago the family lodger stole their car and committed suicide in it our narrator takes us on a journey so fantastic it defies explanation. With a duckpond that is actually an ocean and three women who are his only defense against the dark things that challenge him this is a short story that you will find yourself reading in a single sitting.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane US
The Ocean at the End of the Lane UK

The Ocean at the End of the Lane Review

The Graveyard Book

After escaping the clutches of a murderer intent on killing his entire family little baby Bod finds sanctuary in the local graveyard where the resident ghosts and ghouls take it upon themselves to raise this baby and care for him as only they can. Learning about life from the dead Bod still has the murderer to fear, after all Bod is unfinished business. Following Bod’s life from babyhood to adolescence The Graveyard Book will have you laughing and bawling all the way to the climactic finale which you will probably reach at about four in the morning.

The Graveyard Book US
The Graveyard Book UK

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I love Neil Gaiman’s description of what he does:

“I make things up and write them down. Which takes us from comics (like SANDMAN) to novels (like ANANSI BOYS and AMERICAN GODS) to short stories (some are collected in SMOKE AND MIRRORS) and to occasionally movies (like Dave McKean’s MIRRORMASK or the NEVERWHERE TV series, or my own short film A SHORT FILM ABOUT JOHN BOLTON).

In my spare time I read and sleep and eat and try to keep the blog at neilgaiman.com more or less up to date.”



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