Review: The Neil Gaiman Reader
Apr. 30th, 2020 10:29 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ritaerThe Neil Gaiman Reader
Darrell Schweitzer, ed.
Wildside Press, 2007
One of the many books on my shelves snatched up eagerly when brought to my notice by a review or catalog entry or when spotted on a bookstore shelf, then nestled in the 'books to read' pile until buried by newer acquisitions. It is survival by random chance on my bookshelves. Then carried to my car for the book to be read while waiting in line or grabbing a meal out. Ooops, COVID 19, shelter-in-place, no eating out, etc. But I finally finished. The first five essays are on the _Sandman_, the series that lured me back into the world of comics (graphic novels). Back when my kids were in elementary school the fad was for collecting stickers. So every allowance day my daughter would beg to be driven to the local source, a now defunct Comics and Comix, which had an entire wall of rolls of stickers. Bored, I began browsing the comics, which I hadn't looked at since I was a child. I had never been a fan of superhero comics so passed over the DC Universe and the Marvel World. But there was a comic peeping out with "The Kindly Ones" on the cover. Hummmm, I say to myself, could there be a comic book about those 'kindly ones,' the ladies called that in a usually futile attempt to divert their attentions? Yes--the Eumenides were indeed the subject of this strange comic. Hooked, I started back at the beginning and read the whole series. I encountered a website that annotated the work--amazing piece of amateur scholarship. And hence I was introduced to the world of adult comics and graphic novels. Soon enough I was haunting Comic and Comix waiting for the next trade compilation of Garth Ennis' _Preacher_ because I was writing an academic paper on the working class vampire character, Cassidy.
But, back to _The Neil Gaiman Reader_. Two excellent interviews, one from 1995, one from 2000. Four essays on the _Sandman_, and essays on _Neverwhere_, _Stardust_, _American Gods_ and _Coraline_. Analysis of Gaiman's use of mythology, of stories within stories, flashbacks and metafiction are also of interest. Lesser known works such as _Violent Cases and _The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch_ also receive attention. As in any anthology the essays vary in style and quality, but all are worth reading. All in all, if you are a fan of literary analysis and a fan of fantasy and a fan of Gaiman, or any of the above, you may want to read this book. It is still in print and available from the publisher at www.wildsidepress.com. Given Gaiman's productivity the bibliography is out of date, however it includes links to online updates that appear to be comprehensive.
Darrell Schweitzer, ed.
Wildside Press, 2007
One of the many books on my shelves snatched up eagerly when brought to my notice by a review or catalog entry or when spotted on a bookstore shelf, then nestled in the 'books to read' pile until buried by newer acquisitions. It is survival by random chance on my bookshelves. Then carried to my car for the book to be read while waiting in line or grabbing a meal out. Ooops, COVID 19, shelter-in-place, no eating out, etc. But I finally finished. The first five essays are on the _Sandman_, the series that lured me back into the world of comics (graphic novels). Back when my kids were in elementary school the fad was for collecting stickers. So every allowance day my daughter would beg to be driven to the local source, a now defunct Comics and Comix, which had an entire wall of rolls of stickers. Bored, I began browsing the comics, which I hadn't looked at since I was a child. I had never been a fan of superhero comics so passed over the DC Universe and the Marvel World. But there was a comic peeping out with "The Kindly Ones" on the cover. Hummmm, I say to myself, could there be a comic book about those 'kindly ones,' the ladies called that in a usually futile attempt to divert their attentions? Yes--the Eumenides were indeed the subject of this strange comic. Hooked, I started back at the beginning and read the whole series. I encountered a website that annotated the work--amazing piece of amateur scholarship. And hence I was introduced to the world of adult comics and graphic novels. Soon enough I was haunting Comic and Comix waiting for the next trade compilation of Garth Ennis' _Preacher_ because I was writing an academic paper on the working class vampire character, Cassidy.
But, back to _The Neil Gaiman Reader_. Two excellent interviews, one from 1995, one from 2000. Four essays on the _Sandman_, and essays on _Neverwhere_, _Stardust_, _American Gods_ and _Coraline_. Analysis of Gaiman's use of mythology, of stories within stories, flashbacks and metafiction are also of interest. Lesser known works such as _Violent Cases and _The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch_ also receive attention. As in any anthology the essays vary in style and quality, but all are worth reading. All in all, if you are a fan of literary analysis and a fan of fantasy and a fan of Gaiman, or any of the above, you may want to read this book. It is still in print and available from the publisher at www.wildsidepress.com. Given Gaiman's productivity the bibliography is out of date, however it includes links to online updates that appear to be comprehensive.
