Author Gush: Neil Gaiman

Where to begin?

I feel like everyone remembers the first Neil Gaiman book they ever read. That first dose that spiked their addiction. For me that was Neverwhere. Like the fabled gateway drug of yore I swiftly moved on to American Gods, Stardust, and The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Even Norse Gods which could potentially be branded as merely a reinterpretation of classic Norse sagas is simply enthralling.

So what is it about Mr. Gaiman that so star-spangles my banner?

It’s the rhythm, dear reader.

When reading the works of Neil Gaiman you are no longer a person in their home but a weary traveler finding rest around a campfire in some long forgotten land, listening as a keeper of lore spins you a tale to keep the cold at bay.

There is an intimacy in Gaiman’s writings, as if it dulls the outside world as you read, allowing you to see the pictures he paints with crystal clarity. It’s damn fine work if I do say so myself, and it’s not just quality: the dude is prolific. Furthermore he’s that time honored savior of an author who puts in the effort and produces exclusively high quality works. I quite literally have never picked up a book of his that I didn’t like.

He’s hard to define, harder to quantify.

The closest I can get to describing the way it feels to read one his books is that you’ll feel….purple.

Don’t laugh. Seriously, pick one up and tell me I’m wrong. I dare you. You won’t.

So tell me: what was the first Neil Gaiman book you read? Which one’s your favorite? How purple did you feel while reading?