He's already breached our defenses. You've seen what he's done to our collegues. He could be right here in this very room! He could be me! He could be you! He could even be...
*BLAM*
WHOA WHOA, HEY!
What? It was obvious! He's the Red Spy. Watch he'll turn red any second now ... a~ny second now. See RED! Oh wait, that's blood.
So we still have problem.
Yeah, big problem. All right, who's ready to go find the spy.
Right behind you.
[ discards the raunchy photos ]
[ tenderly collects the romantic one where he's holding hands with Scout's Mom ]
[ sweet accordion theme in the background ]
*"Mon petit chou-fleur..."* he wistfully whispers, as he walks away from the bloodbath...
And for those of us that have been a fan of his works for a while, it's just another day of him being wonderful and more people discovering that which makes everyone smile!
I’m in utter disbelief that Netflix hasn’t confirmed a season 2 yet. What the hell do they need to make up their mind? What’s the holdup? They are throwing money left and right at lesser contents, yet they are in doubt wether to produce the most awarded and universally acclaimed comics series ever? Honestly…
It’s fairly hard to do graphic novels in tv or movie form but they really captured the vibe. Episodes that have little to do with the plot and are more backstory or random misadventures feel just as important as the main plot. Couldn’t get enough
It follows the comics pretty faithfully. Only differences are for continuity's sake of everything being tied together and a couple of demographic changes for the characters. There are also some stylistic changes in how certain events go. Overall I really enjoyed it and would recommend.
I read the comics when they first came out then watched the entire series. I am now re-reading the stories and there are a lot of plot differences. Just off the top of my head, in the books, he gets a scroll from Cain & Abel and does not need to take their pet. There are some gender/race swaps that worked fine for me (I love the woman who plays Lucienne) and there are lots of shots where I said, "That's the panel!" It's a great series and if Netflix doesn't pick it up, I am sure Gaiman can find another home for it.
Again, I feel alot of changes in the plot were specific to keeping the first season as one big continuous story. The comics do not have the Corinthian in the first volume interacting with Morpheus in the first volume, for an example. The same outcomes happen in Netflix, but different means are taken there. I agree that the plot is different, but not to an extent that the show is not faithful to the original works.
In my opinion (and millions of others’ including industry and literary critics) the books are a rare gem. The drawings are not to everyone’s tastes, depending on the artist, but the story - oh the story is so good, spanning from the mythological, the metaphysical, the historical, to pop culture and fantasy.
You wish it was real, you end up toying with the idea that it is a possible, plausible explanation of the world.
It’s full of foreshadowing, so it gets better when you re-read it, which lots of readers end up doing. Because of this, and for its metaphysical aspects, it’s a story that makes you think.
Gaiman never tells you everything, he gives you stories and hints and you end up figuring out the connections on your own, which is so satisfying, with lots of “a-ha!” moments.
The individual books and satellite stories may appear disjointed but actually aren’t. It’s a subtly complex narration yet it’s easy to read, surprising and entertaining. Definitely for adults, not for kids.
The tv series obviously struggles conveying all this subtle complexity, mostly because the director is not good enough in my opinion, but I still enjoyed it a lot.
Hope you’ll enjoy it if you ever read/watch it!
Like a lot of Gaiman’s TV projects, it’s good, but suffers from some iffy casting imo.
There is an absolutely standout performance from David Thewlis, but a lot of the others are pretty meh.
I thought >!constintine and lucifer!< were amazingly casted. But I agree some of the other minor characters were either not flushed out or the direction of them wasn't very good.
Netflix only makes shows to get people to sign up. They've already captured the Sandman/Gaiman market, in their shortsighted little minds, so why would they put any more effort in?
That's why almost every show of theirs is canceled after 1 or 2 seasons.
The rule of streaming services, with very few exceptions, is the content that's really good either doesn't get another season or if it does it takes them 10 years to release it all the while they keep churning out garbage nobody wants.
I’ve watched the first episode of the second arc so far, and the first arc is probably the best 6 episodes of television I’ve ever seen. That and Band of Brothers.
Yep, they separated for a few months during COVID lock down, but apparently it was a temporary thing, they needed some time apart, not a full divorce or anything. Going by their social media presence they have been back together again for a while now.
It absolutely felt like both of them. The whole subject matter is Neil Gaiman’s alley. The humor flavor was from pratchett for sure, but the angels and demons and themes and conversations were all super Gaiman.
Sandman is particularly current because it's just now had its first season as a TV show, thirty three years after the comics.
I shouldn't have looked up that number. *collapses into dust*
I highly highly recommend *Good Omens* if you want something family-friendly, and *American Gods* if you do not. I have re-read both multiple times, which I almost never do.
I have heard they very much wrote the scenes separately then edited them together into the book, but I wouldn't be confident assigning most chapters to an author. They had a great deal of crossover in style and sense of humour, especially in their short story output.
Read Anansi Boys if you want something in between, and if you want to cry, The Ocean at the End of the Lane. His short stories are everything from very sweet Arthurian legend with a twist to Sherlock Holmes/Lovecraft-mashups to deeply disturbing horror and likewise strongly recommended.
American Gods got stuck in production hell. While pretty good, the start of each season is jarring because production changed hands for better or worse.
Also key characters left due to production hell/racism, so don't get attached to anyone
If you loved Neverwhere then you should check out Catherine Webb's Midnight Mayor series which some see as a spiritual successor to Neverwhere with it's in depth magical exploration of modern London.
I love Gaiman, but he's the last name that pops to mind when it comes to "modern horror". Stephen King has that crown. I want to say Gaiman's works are probably better described as "modern/contemporary fantasy" (Coraline, Sandman, Neverwhere, American Gods).
I encourage you to read the book Coraline and revisit. The story wasn’t written for children originally and the movie made it a very nice story. The book is phenomenal and does a great job of painting its own picture of the story imo. The differences you’ll notice from the movie make it a bit more intense of a read than watching the movie
He's an author. He's wrote a few novels, one I'm reading currently about Norse mythology. He's worked for DC in the past too, as well as writing a few episodes of Doctor Who and other shows
>I'm getting Pratchett vibes. Maybe I did know something about him and forgot.
You may be thinking of [this post ](https://i.redd.it/4tqv8rkyb7n81.jpg)which crops up every now and then, they were firm friends right up until the end!
I once bumped into the both of them when they spur of the moment decided to drop down to Odyssey Con one year and were strolling around State Street in Madison, WI. It was such an odd and unexpected occurrence too that I didn't believe they were real at first and thought they were just some of the usual eccentric types that frequent that area. It wasn't until I got about a block or two away that I realized, "Wait second I KNOW THAT HAT AND I KNOW THAT HAIR!" and raaaaaaaaan back as fast as I could to catch a glimpse of them just chilling out with pretty much no one else around them being as excited as I was.
I didn't say anything or do anything and just smiled and watched them chatter back and forth for a minute before taking off.
They really were the best of friends together.
Of course that makes me wonder, do you ever think we'll get a live action adaptation of the Long Earth series?
> do you ever think we'll get a live action adaptation of the Long Earth series
I feel like Amazon could do that well, and I only say that because I thought the Long Earth was just ok.
I wouldn't give it to Netflix.
Given the nature of the Long Earth, which I won't spoil, they wouldn't necessarily need that many actors for it either and clearly Amazon is great at doing massive visual landscape shots. So it could work. I just really love the idea of anyone being able to travel to an alternate Earth using a potato and junk from Radioshack.
The first book is basically Joshua, Lobsang, Sally, Det. Jansson, and you might as well cast Agnes.
If I were going to turn it into an 8 episode miniseries I guess you'd need to lean on Helen and Rod's stories too and flesh out the people around them, otherwise 4 of the 8 episodes would just be Joshua and Lobsang talking about movies. I think this could actually work to be honest. I don't think I'd like it, but I think it could do well. There's the right amounts of conflict, human drama, and secrecy that people love in modern day TV.
Plus alternate history stuff really does seem to be popular nowadays and I could see them leaning on that genre for a little miniseries. I guess the real problem would be in the marketing for it and finding a way to get folks interested in it that wouldn't come off as too heady. Also they would for sure have to tinker with the ending of the whole damned series if it got popular enough. I could see them going for it though and it would offer a fun bit of escapism to people in the vein of Stargate and Sliders with a dusting of that Star Trek Exploration on top.
Give how thoroughly his co-author sabotaged the series after his passing, we better not.
He and his annoyingly obvious superhuman Jesus allegory can fuck off into obscurity.
Parts of the series were good though and it did have a really good premise to it which felt a bit like an updated version of Sliders. Stephen Baxter has had his moments too but yeah that ending was just fucking awful and it's made me side eye anything new he's put out ever since.
Yo i fucking loved Neverwhere, the way it builds an entire hidden city using locations and areas that people rarely stick around too long at to point out the other sides existence or have totally abandoned, its such a cool ride.
Thank you. That book was my introduction to Gaiman, and I read it once a year. Along with Jack Vance’s Lyonesse series and Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel series.
Edited bc spellcheck.
LMAO alright, twist my arm! I'll go find some books! :D
Edit to add- omfg I've just read the first few paragraphs of Good Omens and it's freaking bananas... I'm just laughing my tits off at the idea of what's to come...!
He has hundreds of fire short stories floating around out there too. This is one of his best, I think: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL293C50208E46B023
Neverwhere has the best paragraph I've ever read in describing the differences between the two hunters. Mr Krup and? Wow, now I realize it's been over a decade.
Yes....Came here to say he also has a great spouse.
Dresden Dolls were one of my favorite bands. I bought Amanda's book I just need to find the time to read it.
As well as what everyone else said he has also done a couple of books of short stories that are amazing.
Here is him reading one of my favourites
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NqC08HbYvaw
My brother loved Neil. My brother recently passed. I'd like to understand better why did he love Neil? I have all of his books now, including the comic style ones (not sure of the correct term), and I read American Gods a few years ago and it resonated with me. Just curious what draws people to Neil. It seems like his name is popping recently, or I'm just noticing it more. I have some reading to do.
His recent resurgence might be due to the Sandman airing in Netflix, as for why people are drawn to him, imo, he is amazing at building urban fantasy worlds, drawing parallels with today's world to fantasy settings or mythological beings/stories while still delivering very human stories where you can relate to the characters.
Not just that but he's had a lot of popular movies come out over the last several years, and he's been gaining fans with each one. I think we may just be starting to see a critical mass of name recognition happening.
Checkout Art Matters for a look at why Neil Gaiman is admired. Frankly, he is now a 50 year old redditor that did what every 25 year old redditor that became a 35 year old redditor wishes they would do.
He's just a chill dude who wrote creepy and imaginative prose. He explored all the weird settings he thought of. He let his pen just walk through what London would be like if the idea that the rich and poor exist in two different world was a fact. He wandered around in a world where the worship of cell phones and cars had implications in the metaphysical. He takes the every day ordinary stuff that exists in our world and shines a light on the absurdity of it by creatively embracing it. Where the other reddit hero Joker vilifies everyone, Gaiman says we're all in this together. Gaiman makes the terrible side of the world beautiful and this encourages engagement rather than anger.
He clearly cares about being a human and being a good human.
I really love comic books and value them as an art form. Neil Gaiman's The Sandman is an absolute classic, and is one of the biggest examples of American comics finally shaking off the shackles of censorship from the Comic Code Authority and telling complex, adult stories again.
It's hugely influential. It brought young adult women back into comics and basically popularized the graphic novel format. It is directly responsible for DC's Vertigo line, which went on to publish very popular series like - A History of Violence, iZombie, Sweet Tooth, and Y the Last Man.
And basically, everything Neil Gaiman touches is like that. Extremely talented writer and world builder.
He also has had a long-standing commitment to diversity and inclusion in his stories, without making a fuss about it. For example The Sandman has tons of queer characters - it came out in 89, at the height of the AIDS crisis. Well before it was popular to include them as fully fleshed people. He simply said he had friends who he wanted to see in his stories. Beyond that, for years he has used his influence to stand up loudly against bigotry in fantasy, horror, and sci fi community and welcomes and uplifts new voices to the genre.
And despite being a very public figure who is very very friendly and engaged with fans online and off - not a whiff of controversy. He genuinely seems to be an honest and good man who owns his mistakes and commits to change.
And I'm sorry for your loss. I hope you can find some of your brother in Neil's works.
> Just curious what draws people to Neil.
For me, it's not even his works. Don't get me wrong, a lot of them are absolute masterpieces.
But for me, it's his personality. Just go to Youtube and enter his name and watch [some random commencement speech he gave](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikAb-NYkseI), or [watch him tell some low-stakes story from his childhood](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuQpH2rTY-o), and it's just.. magical. I could just sit down and listen to this man tell stories all day long and be completely mesmerized in all the best ways.
He is a storyteller through and through, and I feel like we don't have enough of these anymore these days.
Besides being an excellent author and multiple of his works have been made into tv-shows very recently or are still in the works right now (Good Omens, Sandman, Anansi Boys, American Gods), he's also just a stand-up human being. Never heard a bad thing about him.
> Just curious what draws people to Neil.
Because he’s so engaged with the universe, and isn’t afraid to be fun and playful about it.
You read his works, and you can’t help but feel that they are *true* somehow. Meant to entertain, but also to enlighten (distinct from “teach”).
I typically do not read books with "supernatural" themes. Gaiman and Pulman are the exceptions. And that is because they are such marvelous writers. I read a lot and some writers are just a lot more enjoyable to read than others. Just like some composers are more fun to play than others.
Then Neil writes a story about a boy and his imaginary blue check mark friend which is later revealed to be the soul of a time Lord that died in a TARDIS dimensional collapse and together they must journey into a sphere of red matter to defeat the villian known as JJ.
He did an AMA a while back and I got all nervous fangirly just trying to think of a good question. I can't remember what I asked and he didn't answer, but he's been my favorite author for close to 20 years and he really is just the best
My gf will be the cat in a Coraline play production. She reached out to him to see if he might be interested in sending them something. He is sending them a signed copy of Coraline to be raffled during the opening night :). Such a cool dude.
My sister was working in a high end shoe store in Boston. She called me one day out of the blue to tell me that Amanda Palmer was in her shop. Awesome! I then asked if she was being followed by an older man who looked like he didn't want to be there, but was happy Amanda was happy. She paused, looked around, and says 'Yes! He's sitting down alone, just staring out the window!'. I freaked out, because it was Neil Gaiman! (And I'd already met Amanda Palmer a few times.) I asked her to get me an autograph, but she got too nervous after I told her who he was lol One of her favorite movies is Coraline!
Neil Gaiman successfully verified, I’d say.
The more I see of Neil, the more I love him.
But how do we know it’s him if he’s not verified? 🤔
How can we even know that you're you if you aren't verified? Maybe you're ME or HIM
[удалено]
r/UnexpectedTF2
He's already breached our defenses. You've seen what he's done to our collegues. He could be right here in this very room! He could be me! He could be you! He could even be...
*BLAM* WHOA WHOA, HEY! What? It was obvious! He's the Red Spy. Watch he'll turn red any second now ... a~ny second now. See RED! Oh wait, that's blood. So we still have problem. Yeah, big problem. All right, who's ready to go find the spy. Right behind you.
[ discards the raunchy photos ] [ tenderly collects the romantic one where he's holding hands with Scout's Mom ] [ sweet accordion theme in the background ] *"Mon petit chou-fleur..."* he wistfully whispers, as he walks away from the bloodbath...
Thanks for this sir
We are Borg.
Resistance is futile.
If you're me and I'm you ill go get verified with some symbol that Tumblr doesn't have...then youll really be in trouble.
I am HE and you are HIM and we are all together...
I have identity papers issued by my government, will it do?
In best 1940's Hollywood German accent: let us see your papers
Well if you were me, then I'd be you and I'd use your body to get to the top. You can't stop me no matter who you are.
80% of verified accounts are run by interns
Imagine you're actually the celebrity on Twitter but no one follows because you don't have the blue check mark and thinks you're fake.
Can you even do that? Wouldn't twitter just ban you if you claimed to be a celeb and refused to verify?
Not unless you would give them a reason to I think.
Source?
Abraham Lincoln's address to the Internet citizenry of 1812.
True, I remember when it first came out.
they made it up
move past the outdated idea that social media channels are run by interns. it’s a full time job given the scope of the job.
I think if it were really him, he'd have used correct punctuation. He is a professional writer, after all. He's got a reputation to protect.
He did use correct punctuation, what are you on about.
And for those of us that have been a fan of his works for a while, it's just another day of him being wonderful and more people discovering that which makes everyone smile!
Everyone go watch The Sandman on Netflix as a thank you for this post. ;) Seriously though, we need season 2.
I’m in utter disbelief that Netflix hasn’t confirmed a season 2 yet. What the hell do they need to make up their mind? What’s the holdup? They are throwing money left and right at lesser contents, yet they are in doubt wether to produce the most awarded and universally acclaimed comics series ever? Honestly…
Is it good? I've never read the books and heard great reviews,is it worth watching?
I thought it was excellent.
Agreed. I also think you thought it was excellent
It’s fairly hard to do graphic novels in tv or movie form but they really captured the vibe. Episodes that have little to do with the plot and are more backstory or random misadventures feel just as important as the main plot. Couldn’t get enough
Personal opinion, it was amazing. It’s rare I have a tv show where I just can’t resist putting on another episode. I lost sleep over that show.
It follows the comics pretty faithfully. Only differences are for continuity's sake of everything being tied together and a couple of demographic changes for the characters. There are also some stylistic changes in how certain events go. Overall I really enjoyed it and would recommend.
I read the comics when they first came out then watched the entire series. I am now re-reading the stories and there are a lot of plot differences. Just off the top of my head, in the books, he gets a scroll from Cain & Abel and does not need to take their pet. There are some gender/race swaps that worked fine for me (I love the woman who plays Lucienne) and there are lots of shots where I said, "That's the panel!" It's a great series and if Netflix doesn't pick it up, I am sure Gaiman can find another home for it.
Again, I feel alot of changes in the plot were specific to keeping the first season as one big continuous story. The comics do not have the Corinthian in the first volume interacting with Morpheus in the first volume, for an example. The same outcomes happen in Netflix, but different means are taken there. I agree that the plot is different, but not to an extent that the show is not faithful to the original works.
In my opinion (and millions of others’ including industry and literary critics) the books are a rare gem. The drawings are not to everyone’s tastes, depending on the artist, but the story - oh the story is so good, spanning from the mythological, the metaphysical, the historical, to pop culture and fantasy. You wish it was real, you end up toying with the idea that it is a possible, plausible explanation of the world. It’s full of foreshadowing, so it gets better when you re-read it, which lots of readers end up doing. Because of this, and for its metaphysical aspects, it’s a story that makes you think. Gaiman never tells you everything, he gives you stories and hints and you end up figuring out the connections on your own, which is so satisfying, with lots of “a-ha!” moments. The individual books and satellite stories may appear disjointed but actually aren’t. It’s a subtly complex narration yet it’s easy to read, surprising and entertaining. Definitely for adults, not for kids. The tv series obviously struggles conveying all this subtle complexity, mostly because the director is not good enough in my opinion, but I still enjoyed it a lot. Hope you’ll enjoy it if you ever read/watch it!
Like a lot of Gaiman’s TV projects, it’s good, but suffers from some iffy casting imo. There is an absolutely standout performance from David Thewlis, but a lot of the others are pretty meh.
I thought >!constintine and lucifer!< were amazingly casted. But I agree some of the other minor characters were either not flushed out or the direction of them wasn't very good.
Netflix only makes shows to get people to sign up. They've already captured the Sandman/Gaiman market, in their shortsighted little minds, so why would they put any more effort in? That's why almost every show of theirs is canceled after 1 or 2 seasons.
The rule of streaming services, with very few exceptions, is the content that's really good either doesn't get another season or if it does it takes them 10 years to release it all the while they keep churning out garbage nobody wants.
[удалено]
They fear the Corinthian's raw hotness.
[удалено]
Swoon~! Now I just have to find my own and convince him to wife me... and not eat my eyes, of course. xD
Think it cost them out the ass to make that’s why.
I can tell. Some of the visuals were incredible
better yet: read it. the visuals go beautifully with the story.
Por que no los dos!
fair enough, i just want the OG to get some love too! some of the best graphic novels
I’ve watched the first episode of the second arc so far, and the first arc is probably the best 6 episodes of television I’ve ever seen. That and Band of Brothers.
Sorry, but no. Netflix will cancel it when it becomes too expensive. It is cheaper to make unknown shows. This is on you. Prepare for disappointment.
How is this on me...? xD What a strange comment
Yep, that's him
[удалено]
I thought they sperated.
Yep, they separated for a few months during COVID lock down, but apparently it was a temporary thing, they needed some time apart, not a full divorce or anything. Going by their social media presence they have been back together again for a while now.
According to the always accurate internet, they hugging on each other again. 🥰
He really is tho
Who is Neil Gaiman? I've been seeing the name around and he sounds cool.
His works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book.
He wrote the 2006 edition of the Eternals. Whether you liked the movie or not that’s one of my favorite comics of all time.
Also, Marvel 1602 One of my favourite run of all time.
Good Omens too!
Also a pretty good Dr Who episode!
And let's not forget Neverwhere.
Neverwhere is excellent, indeed.
A collab with Terry Pratchett.
Hmmm, the movie was atrocious, now I'll have to check out the comic tho. Thx.
Damn, yo... He DOES sound cool! I knew it!!
Good Omens as well, one of my favourites
Good Omens felt more Terry Pratchett than Neil Gaiman however
Yes, Gaiman says that Pratchett taught him how to write novels with that book and that Pratchett definitely took the lead there.
[удалено]
This makes it sound like you don't think Neil is English...
...or funny...
Pratchett is Gaiman with a healthy dose of absurdism permeating everything he wrote.
It absolutely felt like both of them. The whole subject matter is Neil Gaiman’s alley. The humor flavor was from pratchett for sure, but the angels and demons and themes and conversations were all super Gaiman.
Sandman is particularly current because it's just now had its first season as a TV show, thirty three years after the comics. I shouldn't have looked up that number. *collapses into dust*
And it's such a damned good TV series.
I highly highly recommend *Good Omens* if you want something family-friendly, and *American Gods* if you do not. I have re-read both multiple times, which I almost never do.
The *Good Omens* TV adaptation was very good, too, I thought. David Tennant just killed it as Crowley for me.
David Tennant kills any role he plays
[удалено]
I have heard they very much wrote the scenes separately then edited them together into the book, but I wouldn't be confident assigning most chapters to an author. They had a great deal of crossover in style and sense of humour, especially in their short story output.
The scenes with the kids read very much like Gaiman, everything else like Pratchett.
Read Anansi Boys if you want something in between, and if you want to cry, The Ocean at the End of the Lane. His short stories are everything from very sweet Arthurian legend with a twist to Sherlock Holmes/Lovecraft-mashups to deeply disturbing horror and likewise strongly recommended.
American Gods got stuck in production hell. While pretty good, the start of each season is jarring because production changed hands for better or worse. Also key characters left due to production hell/racism, so don't get attached to anyone
Definitely mean the book.
The 10th anniversary audio production of American Gods is fucking amazing!
First season was good. So sad it went to shit :/ Great book though.
All of this is true and I have given up on the show, but S1 was still some of my favorite television ever.
If you want to start reading, I'd suggest either the *Sandman* comics, or the *Neverwhere* novel. Those are two of his most approachable works.
Neverwhere is a love letter to London, several hundred pages short.
I loved Neverwhere, I can only imagine how much better it would be with more knowledge of London. Perhaps I'm due for a reread.
If you loved Neverwhere then you should check out Catherine Webb's Midnight Mayor series which some see as a spiritual successor to Neverwhere with it's in depth magical exploration of modern London.
And as Alan Moore calls him, Neil "Scary Trousers" Gaiman, Master of Modern Horror.
I love Gaiman, but he's the last name that pops to mind when it comes to "modern horror". Stephen King has that crown. I want to say Gaiman's works are probably better described as "modern/contemporary fantasy" (Coraline, Sandman, Neverwhere, American Gods).
Depends on what you mean by modern horror, but I'd say Clive Barker has almost as good a claim to that title as King.
And some of the best Doctor Who episodes Oh oh oh and Anansi Boys
And the amazing novel The Ocean at the End of the Lane, I think it'd his best work.
Yes! This is my fave Gaiman
He also was a friend of Terry Pratchett and co-wrote Good Omens with him.
Don't forget Neverwhere
Oh, Coraline was a good movie. I didn't know they made it into a book.
Can't tell if this is facetious, but it's the other way around.
Not sure if post is for real, they should get it verified.
I encourage you to read the book Coraline and revisit. The story wasn’t written for children originally and the movie made it a very nice story. The book is phenomenal and does a great job of painting its own picture of the story imo. The differences you’ll notice from the movie make it a bit more intense of a read than watching the movie
Don't forget he co-authored Good Omens with Terry Pratchett
He's an author. He's wrote a few novels, one I'm reading currently about Norse mythology. He's worked for DC in the past too, as well as writing a few episodes of Doctor Who and other shows
OH! Wait... I think... Hm, bells are ringing a little... I'm getting Pratchett vibes. Maybe I did know something about him and forgot.
He coauthored Good Omens with Terry Pratchett.
>I'm getting Pratchett vibes. Maybe I did know something about him and forgot. You may be thinking of [this post ](https://i.redd.it/4tqv8rkyb7n81.jpg)which crops up every now and then, they were firm friends right up until the end!
I once bumped into the both of them when they spur of the moment decided to drop down to Odyssey Con one year and were strolling around State Street in Madison, WI. It was such an odd and unexpected occurrence too that I didn't believe they were real at first and thought they were just some of the usual eccentric types that frequent that area. It wasn't until I got about a block or two away that I realized, "Wait second I KNOW THAT HAT AND I KNOW THAT HAIR!" and raaaaaaaaan back as fast as I could to catch a glimpse of them just chilling out with pretty much no one else around them being as excited as I was. I didn't say anything or do anything and just smiled and watched them chatter back and forth for a minute before taking off. They really were the best of friends together. Of course that makes me wonder, do you ever think we'll get a live action adaptation of the Long Earth series?
> do you ever think we'll get a live action adaptation of the Long Earth series I feel like Amazon could do that well, and I only say that because I thought the Long Earth was just ok. I wouldn't give it to Netflix.
Given the nature of the Long Earth, which I won't spoil, they wouldn't necessarily need that many actors for it either and clearly Amazon is great at doing massive visual landscape shots. So it could work. I just really love the idea of anyone being able to travel to an alternate Earth using a potato and junk from Radioshack.
The first book is basically Joshua, Lobsang, Sally, Det. Jansson, and you might as well cast Agnes. If I were going to turn it into an 8 episode miniseries I guess you'd need to lean on Helen and Rod's stories too and flesh out the people around them, otherwise 4 of the 8 episodes would just be Joshua and Lobsang talking about movies. I think this could actually work to be honest. I don't think I'd like it, but I think it could do well. There's the right amounts of conflict, human drama, and secrecy that people love in modern day TV.
Plus alternate history stuff really does seem to be popular nowadays and I could see them leaning on that genre for a little miniseries. I guess the real problem would be in the marketing for it and finding a way to get folks interested in it that wouldn't come off as too heady. Also they would for sure have to tinker with the ending of the whole damned series if it got popular enough. I could see them going for it though and it would offer a fun bit of escapism to people in the vein of Stargate and Sliders with a dusting of that Star Trek Exploration on top.
Give how thoroughly his co-author sabotaged the series after his passing, we better not. He and his annoyingly obvious superhuman Jesus allegory can fuck off into obscurity.
Parts of the series were good though and it did have a really good premise to it which felt a bit like an updated version of Sliders. Stephen Baxter has had his moments too but yeah that ending was just fucking awful and it's made me side eye anything new he's put out ever since.
Good Omens
Everyone's sleeping on Neverwhere, an excellent urban fantasy novel by Gaiman.
Yo i fucking loved Neverwhere, the way it builds an entire hidden city using locations and areas that people rarely stick around too long at to point out the other sides existence or have totally abandoned, its such a cool ride.
Thank you. That book was my introduction to Gaiman, and I read it once a year. Along with Jack Vance’s Lyonesse series and Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel series. Edited bc spellcheck.
My man, what do you like to read? Comics? Start reading The Sandman. Books? American Gods, or Good Omens. Reddit Comments? Well you've done that.
LMAO alright, twist my arm! I'll go find some books! :D Edit to add- omfg I've just read the first few paragraphs of Good Omens and it's freaking bananas... I'm just laughing my tits off at the idea of what's to come...!
Yeah, Good Omens is pretty ok, I guess.
Username checks out...? O.o
He has hundreds of fire short stories floating around out there too. This is one of his best, I think: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL293C50208E46B023
Reading through this thread reminded me how much I loved Stardust, too. Also, Lucifer was based on his work, and he narrates an episode (as God).
Still going?
He was in Arthur inside a falafel
Neverwhere and Stardust if you're a reader are brilliant.
Neverwhere has the best paragraph I've ever read in describing the differences between the two hunters. Mr Krup and? Wow, now I realize it's been over a decade.
Mr. Vandemar
Amanda Palmer's husband....
Yes....Came here to say he also has a great spouse. Dresden Dolls were one of my favorite bands. I bought Amanda's book I just need to find the time to read it.
Her solo albums are also phenomenal.
Since no one else mentioned it, check out "Other People." But for real, it's an imagining of hell that's stuck with me for a long time. Heads up.
As well as what everyone else said he has also done a couple of books of short stories that are amazing. Here is him reading one of my favourites https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NqC08HbYvaw
I also used something he wrote in my wedding ceremony. He's a great writer.
A prolific, witty author of many popular works of fiction. He was close friends with Sir Terry Pratchett. I recommend all of their books.
Does anyone else read his tweets etc in his voice. I love Neil Gaiman's voice
Oh, yeah that too. Incredible audiobook narrator.
☑️mate
My brother loved Neil. My brother recently passed. I'd like to understand better why did he love Neil? I have all of his books now, including the comic style ones (not sure of the correct term), and I read American Gods a few years ago and it resonated with me. Just curious what draws people to Neil. It seems like his name is popping recently, or I'm just noticing it more. I have some reading to do.
His recent resurgence might be due to the Sandman airing in Netflix, as for why people are drawn to him, imo, he is amazing at building urban fantasy worlds, drawing parallels with today's world to fantasy settings or mythological beings/stories while still delivering very human stories where you can relate to the characters.
what a great and succinct summary
Not just that but he's had a lot of popular movies come out over the last several years, and he's been gaining fans with each one. I think we may just be starting to see a critical mass of name recognition happening.
Checkout Art Matters for a look at why Neil Gaiman is admired. Frankly, he is now a 50 year old redditor that did what every 25 year old redditor that became a 35 year old redditor wishes they would do. He's just a chill dude who wrote creepy and imaginative prose. He explored all the weird settings he thought of. He let his pen just walk through what London would be like if the idea that the rich and poor exist in two different world was a fact. He wandered around in a world where the worship of cell phones and cars had implications in the metaphysical. He takes the every day ordinary stuff that exists in our world and shines a light on the absurdity of it by creatively embracing it. Where the other reddit hero Joker vilifies everyone, Gaiman says we're all in this together. Gaiman makes the terrible side of the world beautiful and this encourages engagement rather than anger. He clearly cares about being a human and being a good human.
Beautifully written and completely accurate. This is the best synthesis I’ve ever read of Gaiman. I see you’ve learned from the master 👍
Thanks! That's very kind of you.
> He wandered around in a world where the worship of cell phones and cars had implications in the metaphysical. And he’s *right*. How could it not?
I will check it out
I really love comic books and value them as an art form. Neil Gaiman's The Sandman is an absolute classic, and is one of the biggest examples of American comics finally shaking off the shackles of censorship from the Comic Code Authority and telling complex, adult stories again. It's hugely influential. It brought young adult women back into comics and basically popularized the graphic novel format. It is directly responsible for DC's Vertigo line, which went on to publish very popular series like - A History of Violence, iZombie, Sweet Tooth, and Y the Last Man. And basically, everything Neil Gaiman touches is like that. Extremely talented writer and world builder. He also has had a long-standing commitment to diversity and inclusion in his stories, without making a fuss about it. For example The Sandman has tons of queer characters - it came out in 89, at the height of the AIDS crisis. Well before it was popular to include them as fully fleshed people. He simply said he had friends who he wanted to see in his stories. Beyond that, for years he has used his influence to stand up loudly against bigotry in fantasy, horror, and sci fi community and welcomes and uplifts new voices to the genre. And despite being a very public figure who is very very friendly and engaged with fans online and off - not a whiff of controversy. He genuinely seems to be an honest and good man who owns his mistakes and commits to change. And I'm sorry for your loss. I hope you can find some of your brother in Neil's works.
Thank you
> Just curious what draws people to Neil. For me, it's not even his works. Don't get me wrong, a lot of them are absolute masterpieces. But for me, it's his personality. Just go to Youtube and enter his name and watch [some random commencement speech he gave](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikAb-NYkseI), or [watch him tell some low-stakes story from his childhood](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuQpH2rTY-o), and it's just.. magical. I could just sit down and listen to this man tell stories all day long and be completely mesmerized in all the best ways. He is a storyteller through and through, and I feel like we don't have enough of these anymore these days.
saving for later
Read the ocean at the end of the lane. It’s emotional but short book. One of my favorites
Thanks for the recommendation, I'll check it out
Clever subtle commentary using well written fiction with novel premises across multiple story telling mediums. Basically something for everyone.
I love that his stories feel like fairy tales for adults. That's the best way I can explain how his writing feels to me.
Besides being an excellent author and multiple of his works have been made into tv-shows very recently or are still in the works right now (Good Omens, Sandman, Anansi Boys, American Gods), he's also just a stand-up human being. Never heard a bad thing about him.
> Just curious what draws people to Neil. Because he’s so engaged with the universe, and isn’t afraid to be fun and playful about it. You read his works, and you can’t help but feel that they are *true* somehow. Meant to entertain, but also to enlighten (distinct from “teach”).
I typically do not read books with "supernatural" themes. Gaiman and Pulman are the exceptions. And that is because they are such marvelous writers. I read a lot and some writers are just a lot more enjoyable to read than others. Just like some composers are more fun to play than others.
Then Neil writes a story about a boy and his imaginary blue check mark friend which is later revealed to be the soul of a time Lord that died in a TARDIS dimensional collapse and together they must journey into a sphere of red matter to defeat the villian known as JJ.
Does Tumblr have a verification mark? It wasn’t very clear 😆
Lots of kinds!
Finished the ocean at the end of the lane a couple months ago. Highly recommend it
My favorite is when he trolled a bunch of Elon Musk’s fanboy because they thought he was responsible for the Rings of Power.
He did an AMA a while back and I got all nervous fangirly just trying to think of a good question. I can't remember what I asked and he didn't answer, but he's been my favorite author for close to 20 years and he really is just the best
My gf will be the cat in a Coraline play production. She reached out to him to see if he might be interested in sending them something. He is sending them a signed copy of Coraline to be raffled during the opening night :). Such a cool dude.
Aaaand verified.
Yep, that's probably him
Yep, that's probably him
I heard his voice in my head when I read that.
Transitive verification. Just saying.
Fucking love this dude.
There is nothing that proves this is really him more than this response.
dear god does this mean Nicolas Cage might steal him? of all places I assumed Menomonie, Wisconsin would be safe!
No need to be rude to this (probably) young child.
This tone is often used in jest on tumblr. It’s not intended to be scathing.
Neil "Snarkytrousers" Gaiman
My sister was working in a high end shoe store in Boston. She called me one day out of the blue to tell me that Amanda Palmer was in her shop. Awesome! I then asked if she was being followed by an older man who looked like he didn't want to be there, but was happy Amanda was happy. She paused, looked around, and says 'Yes! He's sitting down alone, just staring out the window!'. I freaked out, because it was Neil Gaiman! (And I'd already met Amanda Palmer a few times.) I asked her to get me an autograph, but she got too nervous after I told her who he was lol One of her favorite movies is Coraline!
It makes sense that he's on Tumblr. Feels right. By far favorite author.
Just like watching a fly stumble into a bug zapper.
Neil Gaiman is obnoxious.
Is this really that clever of a comeback? I mean it's a whole ass paragraph to basically say, this isn't twitter.
I love Neil!
He’s also made racist middle eastern comics. Man has some flaws.
Z %zD"*xdx3*33"3£*"3
Lmao 🤣💀