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Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
born: 11-10-1960
in: Portchester, UK


Homepage:
neilgaiman.com


Bibliography (without Comics):
1984 .|. Duran Duran: The First Four
     Years of the Fab Five
1985 .|. Ghastly Beyond Belief
1988 .|. Don't Panic: The Official Hitchhikers
     Guide to the Galaxy Companion
1990 .|. Good Omens
     (with Terry Pratchett)
1991 .|. Now We Are Sick
1991 .|. Temps
1992 .|. Euro Temps
1992 .|. Villains!
1992 .|. The Weerde Book 1
1993 .|. Angels and Visitations
1993 .|. The Weerde Book 2:
     The Book of the Ancients
1996 .|. Neverwhere First Chapter from the Author's Homepage
1996 .|. The Sandman: Book of Dreams
     (Editor)
First Chapter from the Author's Homepage
1997 .|. The Day I Swapped my Dad
     for two Goldfish
1998 .|. Day of the Dead
1998 .|. Smoke and Mirrors First Chapter from the Author's Homepage
1999 .|. Stardust First Chapter from the Author's Homepage .|. Little Worm
1999 .|. The Sandman Companion
1999 .|. The Midnight Days
2000 .|. The Quotable Sandman
2001 .|. The Last Temptation
     (with Michael Zulli)
2001 .|. American Gods First Chapter from the Author's Homepage .|. Bookworm's Comment
2001 .|. Clive Barker's Hellraiser
      (with Clive Barker, Ed.)
2002 .|. Coraline First Chapter from Harper Collins
2002 .|. Two Plays for Voices
     (Audiobook)
2002 .|. A Walking Tour of the Shambles
     (with Gene Wolfe)
2002 .|. Adventures in the Dreamtrade
2002 .|. Snow Glass Apples
2003 .|. The Wolves in the Walls
     (with Dave McKean)
First Chapter from Harper Collins
2003 .|. The Sandman: Endless Nights
2005 .|. Mirrormask: The Illustrated Film
     Script of the Motion Picture
      from The im Henson Company

     (with D. McKean) First Chapter from Harper Collins
.|. Bookreporter.com
2005 .|. Anansi Boys First Chapter from Harper Collins .|. Bookreporter.com
2006 .|. Fragile Things First Chapter from Harper Collins
2008 .|. M is for Magic First Chapter from Harper Collins
2008 .|. The Graveyard Book
2008 .|. The Dangerous Alphabet
2010 .|. Blueberry Girl
 
New Biography! "Prince of Stories: the Many Worlds of Neil Gaiman"

The Official Neil Gaiman Website for Young Readers: www.mousecircus.com

American Gods
"American Gods" (Headline, Paperback, 1st edition UK, 2002, read: December 02)
"Days before his release from prison, Shadow's wife, Laura, dies in a mysterious car crash. Numbly, he makes his way back home. On the plane, he encounters the enigmatic Mr Wednesday, who claims to be a refugee from a distant war, a former god and the king of America. Together they embark on a profoundly strange journey across the heart of the USA, whilst all around them a storm of preternatural and epic proportions threatens to break."

The immigrants brought their ancient Gods with them to America: The Irish Leprechauns, the Egyptian Ibis and Anubis, Indian Rakshasas, Papa Legba and Baron Samedi from Africa and various other Greek and European Gods and Godesses. In time people forgot their old Gods, didn't bring any more sacrifices and they were left to themselves. Then there came new Gods who were worshipped: TV, consumerism and technology. Now a crucial battle is fought among the Gods. Are the old Gods able to unify and fight together against the new Gods? Or are they too weak and tired because they have been neglected for so long?

In the center of this fight is Shadow, an ex-convict, whose real part in the story will be clear only at the end. Before he can meet again his wife Laura after being released from prison she dies mysteriously. But she doesn't seem to be really dead, otherwise she wouldn't appear from time to time and talk to Shadow.
Beyond that he is hired by Mr. Wednesday to work for him as a bodyguard - an offer he just can't refuse. And while Mr. Wednesday tries to unite the old Gods, Shadow sees and hears things he wouldn't have thought possible.

The novel is long, complex and very "European". The interlocking storylines are not easy to understand in the beginning. The passages with Shadow and Laura are very beautiful, even though Laura is decaying more and more. It's strange that Gaiman doesn't use any Roman Gods even though almost every other culture is represented in the story. But just the idea of the novel of Gods being real and coming together to fight is so fascinating that it should be enough to give the book a chance.
[Dorothée Büttgen, April 03]

More great reviews at Bookworm's Lair:

Clive Barker, The Damnation Game     Chuck Palahniuk, Lullaby     Thomas Staab - Heart of Ice, Blood of Fire     Chet Williamson, The Crow - Clash by Night

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