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Great Science-Fiction a critical list with discussions Science-Fiction and Fantasy Books by
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Standard Disclaimer:
This is a brief discussion of Neil Gaiman and, of course, of some speculative-fiction books by Neil Gaiman This discussion and list does not necessarily include every book by Gaiman: it includes only those books that I both know and like. Just as with the author list itself, omission of a particular item may mean I didn't think highly enough of the omitted item, or it may simply mean that I have not yet sufficient familiarity with it. (In a very few cases, I have listed some books merely on the strength of my opinion of the author: all such books are clearly marked below, as throughout these lists, with a hash mark (#) before the title so you know what's what.) I don't pretend that this discussion is a deep analysis. My intent is no more than to give you a rough idea of what kinds of tales Gaiman tells, how those tales are usually told, and what makes them and Gaiman worthy; in sum, to help you rank Gaiman (and the works by Gaiman listed here) on your personal literary "to do" list. |
Regrettably, I have not yet had an opportunity to write an essay on this author, but the "Other Resources" section below will lead you to some information about the "Notable Books" listed farther down this page.
As with most contemporary writers, Gaiman maintains his own official web site: Neil Gaiman; also as with many, he has, in addition, a blog. But he goes one step farther: he also has, as a separate site, an "official" Online Bookstore. And the lad doesn't miss a trick: beyond even those, there are a Gaiman wiki site and the "official" UK publisher's website for Gaiman. (Are there any unofficial versions of any of those "official" sites? One wonders, but one doubts.) Anyway, as wossnose used to say, "Fascinating." (Oh, and there's also a Neil Gaiman Message Board, too, though whether it's also "official" I couldn't say.)
There is at least one fan site: Referencing the Magian (but it's stale--last updated 2001).
Beyond Gaiman's own corral, there are numerous pages, but curiously few have much to say in the way of analysis, criticism, or appreciation: they are almost all news about Gaiman's numerous ventures (books, "graphic novels", movie scripts, and so on); interviews that tend, again, to focus on events not analysis; and other "famous for being famous" sorts of stuff. A good summary of all that sort of thing is available at Mahalo. Also, the Neil Gaiman Visual Bibliography covers a lot of ground--more than just the obvious works.
Of actual critical analysis, the available pages seem chiefly these: Neil Gaiman, Introduction in Contemporary Literary Criticism at eNotes (which has a useful drop-down list of further critical articles); and A Neil Gaiman Review by "Eva" at A Striped Armchair. There is also "Signifying in Comic Books: Neil Gaiman's The Sandman", a 1999 Master's Thesis by Michael Niederhausen; while its focus, comics, is for us here off-center, it's still useful.
For those who want to explore the myriad of one-off individual book reviews, Google Is Your Friend--in fact, here's a friendly Google search link for the purpose.
And, as might be expected, quite a few interviews--in fact, there are tons, so many that I gave up listing them individually, and instead just give you this link to a Google search on "Neil Gaiman interview"; do have fun.
There are several, including at least:
Prince of Stories: The Many Worlds of Neil Gaiman, by Hank Wagner, Christopher Golden, and Stephen R. Bissette
The Neil Gaiman Reader, Darrell Schweitzer, editor
Hanging Out With the Dream King: Interviews with Neil Gaiman and His Collaborators, Joe McCabe, editor
Neil Gaiman's The Sandman and Joseph Campbell: In Search of the Modern Myth, by Stephen Rauch
Neil Gaiman on His Work and Career, by Bill Baker
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Site Directory:
The site's Front Page |
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(essential one-time reading) |
Introductory Material: | ||
Welcome:
a quick site overview and some mechanical details |
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Apologia:
the criteria used to make these lists (A long page, so also available in two parts for those with slow internet connections.) · Apologia: Part 1 · Apologia: Part 2 |
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Site Organization: what's where, and why |
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(the heart of the site) |
The Authors: | ||
Author List (just a lightly annotated list of the authors here--not the best place to start) |
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Specialty Lists: several author "sub-lists" (such as the 5-star greats) |
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Author Links: links to useful external pages or sites for each listed author |
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More Books: yet-unread candidate books by authors already in these lists |
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Other Candidates: authors, and books, that--pending actual reading--seem likely candidates for these lists |
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(typically gotten to by author) |
The Books: | ||
All Listed Science Fiction & Fantasy Books (a long file to download) |
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Preferred Editions: for those books having such (a work in progress) |
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The Other Books: all cited books not in the master fiction list, collected in one place |
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Overlooked Gems of Science Fiction & Fantasy: wonderful works sadly under-known |
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Light-Hearted Science-Fiction & Fantasy: there's more than you might think |
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Religiously Themed Science Fiction & Fantasy: something the field handles wonderful well |
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Science Fiction & Fantasy For Younger Readers: a selection from these lists of appropriate works |
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100 Great Works of Science Fiction & Fantasy: using an expansive definition of "works" |
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"Guilty Pleasures" of Science Fiction & Fantasy: sometimes even gourmets just want a big bag of potato chips |
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Buying Books New:
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Buying Books Used:
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Our Speculative-Fiction "General Store": | |||
About the Science-Fiction Book Club: info & online signup |
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(often the most interesting part of any site) |
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Musings: an ever-growing collection of, yes, musings |
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Obiter Dicta: collected miscellaneous |
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"That Other Genre": crime/mystery fiction |
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Science-Fiction & Fantasy Art and Illustration: online galleries of diverse works |
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sites that have noticed this one |
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The English Language: a few thoughts on its modern rape |
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Comments: some things said about this site by others |
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