American Gods by Neil Gaiman (novel #216)

They [American gods] were afraid that unless they kept pace with a changing world, unless they remade and redrew and rebuilt the world in their image, their time would already be over. ~ Narrative

 

I’ve been intrigued by this novel but also dubious. Intrigued because I think Gaiman is an artist with words, dubious because it’s a bit out of my comfort zone.

 

Intrigue won out in the end.

 

This fantasy is about American gods – the little “g” gods that immigrants brought to America, both fairly recent since the discovery of the New World and ancient, the first peoples whose origins are mostly lost in prehistory. These gods, the creations of myriad cultures, are mostly forgotten, forsaken, and feeble.

 

Yet they endure in mostly human form and often as pathetic or bitter shadows of their former glory.

 

Speaking of shadows, the main character is Shadow Moon – not a god – released from prison a few days early due to the tragic death of his wife. Shadow is a strange dude. He is shaken by nothing: not the death of his wife, nor meeting gods, leprechauns, or imps; not by talking animals, nor TV shows that speak to him. These and other chimeras appear in Shadow’s world, and he treats them as casually as finding a penny on the sidewalk.

 

Like when he meets the ghost or zombie of his dead wife…

 

Her cold hand sought his, and he squeezed it gently. He could feel his heart beating in his chest. He was scared, and what scared him was the normality of the moment.

 

That was the first thing I didn’t like. I’m certain that Gaiman intended to make Shadow hardened and aloof, but he was unbelievable.

 

The story is captivating, at times almost maddeningly so. I couldn’t figure out where it was all leading and couldn’t stop until I knew.

 

It is leading to an epic battle between the old gods and the new gods of modern America: technology, capitalism, and mass marketing, which also have embodied agents. Shadow is stuck somewhere in the middle.

 

Despite the intriguing need to know what was next, I was mostly disappointed. At first, it had a feel distinctly like Stephen King’s The Stand, but as it progressed, it felt more like Gaiman’s own Sandman. Besides Shadow’s un-believability, the ending was anti-climactic. The characters were the best parts. Odin aka Wednesday, who was the other main character, Shadow's new employer, leader of the old gods and the one calling for the war.

 

They made me. They forgot me. Now I take a little back from them. Isn’t that fair? ~ Wednesday

 

Pain hurts, just as greed intoxicates and lust burns. We may not die easy and we sure as hell don’t die well, but we can die. ~ Wednesday

 

There was Shadow’s cellmate Low Key, who turned out to be Loki. Most of the gods went by monikers that were subtle clues to their mythical identities. I caught a few, but many were lost on me. Gaiman did his research, and he can certainly write.

 

My Rating: 3 ½ out of 5 Stars

 

I’ll read more by Gaiman. I enjoyed Coraline and Stardust, but Sandman not so much. But one of the best things I’ve read by Gaiman is his foreword to the 60th-anniversary edition of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451.

 

 

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Stardust by Neil Gaiman (novel #195)

“Adventures are all very well in their place”, he thought, “but there’s a lot to be said for regular
meals and freedom from pain.” ~ Tristran Thorn, the hero of our tale

What a delightful little tale: fairy tale to be precise. For it is little, barely 150 pages, and definitely a tale of Fae, precisely in the vein as described by Professor Tolkien’s scholarly essay On Fairy Stories. So much so, that I wonder if Gaiman read it, and then carefully followed the rules to compose this wonderful story. Fae, or Fay, or Faerie is a land similar to our own in many ways, but inhabited by mythical beasts, and peopled by a diverse set of sentient beings. Humans of our world at times are suffered, or fated, or chanced to wander into Fae, through various portals and times.

 

For Tristran Thorn, it was through a simple break in the wall, which separated his town from Fae. None were allowed to pass. But Tristran does not know that his first trip through the wall was not as a grown man, from the human world into Faerie, but rather as a babe from Faerie into the human world. Owing to this distinction, and for the love of a beautiful woman and a fateful oath, Tristran is allowed to pass…

 

…too ignorant to be scared, too young to be awed, Tristran Thorn passed beyond the fields we know…

… and into Faerie

 

Tristran’s quest is a search for a fallen star, a promise to his love. The star, in Fae at least, takes the form of a young woman. He encounters witches, and kings, unicorns and fairies, enchantments and dangers, causing him to eventually lament…

 

“Adventures are all very well in their place”, he thought, “but there’s a lot to be said for regular meals and freedom from pain.”

 

I love Gaiman’s narration. It is vivid, friendly, and whimsical. In his description of his version of Fae, he offers this amusing line…

 

Here, truly, there be Dragons.

 

It isn’t for young children. It is rather violent at times, and there is one brief amorous scene that is a bit risqué. This was my second read of Gaiman, Coraline being the other. I enjoyed both very much and I’ll definitely read more by this versatile writer.  

 

 My rating 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

 

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Coraline by Neil Gaiman (novel #136)

Be wise. Be brave. Be tricky.

Coraline Jones is eleven years old, the only child of loving, busy, and distracted parents. She is good at entertaining herself and likes to explore, which is a fortuitous pastime, since her family has moved into a large, old house, with eccentric tenants, who never get her name right, and lots of floors, windows and doors. There is one door in particular that captures her attention. Under normal circumstances, the door opens to a bricked-up wall.

But Coraline finds herself in circumstances, not at all normal, when upon opening the door, against the advice of the mice, the door opens to reveal a passage to another house much like her own, family and tenants included – and yet – not at all like her own.

Intrepid, inquisitive, and independent, Coraline explores the other worldly alternate home, and at first finds it fascinating. However, she soon discovers a sinister and ghoulish danger waiting to trap her.

I know this is supposed to be a spooky tale, a creepy tale, maybe even a horror, which is why I chose it as part of the R.I.P.14 reading challenge. But if I were to categorize Coraline in one word, it would be sweet. 

I believe it was Gaiman’s intent to show his daughters, and all children:

…that being brave didn’t mean you weren’t scared. Being Brave meant you were scared, really scared, badly scared, and you did the right thing anyway.

Truthfully, I KNOW that was his intent. He says so, with those very words in the foreword. He is probably a fan of To Kill a Mockingbird.

Do you read forewords? I sometimes do, sometimes don’t. I’ve read a couple that spoiled the novel – I hate that. This one didn’t spoil the story, but it probably added to my impression of the story being sweet. Neil Gaiman began this story for his first daughter Holly, but set it aside and finished it years later for his youngest daughter Maddy. Told ya it was sweet.

Coraline has been described as a story that all ages might enjoy, and I agree, but it was definitely written for children. The omniscient narrator is childlike, innocent, and unpretentious.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The San Francisco Chronicle Book Review put it very well:

Coraline is by turns creepy and funny, bittersweet and playful. A book that can be read quickly and enjoyed deeply.

The only work I’ve read previously by Gaiman is Sandman, a graphic novel, which has a decidedly different audience and theme. I knew Coraline was written with a different audience in mind, but otherwise, I had no expectations. I wasn’t surprised though. I knew Gaiman is a versatile writer, and this short story certainly demonstrates it. I really enjoyed Coraline – in short – it was sweet.

Film rendition: The 2009 Henry Selick film is very good. There are a few minor departures from the book, but still very faithful. 

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The Sandman volume 1 by Neil Gaiman

The Sandman volume 1: Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Sam Keith, Mike Dringenberg, and Malcolm Jones III 

What power would Hell have if those here imprisoned were not able to dream of Heaven? ~ Dream

The Sandman series, a monthly comic book that ran for 75 issues, January 1989 – March 1996, has been arranged in 10 Volumes. Volume 1 – Preludes and Nocturnes contains the first eight stories – all about Morpheus the Lord of Dream, or simply Dream, who is one of the seven Endless: Destiny, Death, Desire, Despair, Delirium, and Destruction.

The story begins when a foolish occultist seeking eternal life, attempts to capture Death (Dream’s sister). Equipped with some mystical artifacts and special incantations, the occultist fails to capture death, but accidentally captures Dream – a powerful demigod nonetheless. Dream is robbed of three “tools”, his pouch of sand, his helm, and a magical jewel, and is himself kept captive for 70 years.

Over the decades, these tools are dispersed to various mortals and one demon, who know not how to wield them. Of course, Dream eventually escapes and sets about to recover his tools and his dominion over the realm of dreams. Preludes and Nocturnes tells of his capture, escape, and quest to recover his tools. 

Gaiman is a versatile writher with a wide-ranging repertoire. I love what he had to say in response to a claim that he doesn’t write comic books, but rather graphic novels. He said the commenter…

meant it as a compliment, I suppose. But all of a sudden I felt like someone who'd been informed that she wasn't actually a hooker; that in fact she was a lady of the evening.

Back to Dream or the Sandman – he is also called the Lord of Story, probably because our dreams are stories. And I think, because of this, Dream often refers, quite subtly to classic stories. For instance, he consorts with three witches and then thanks the “weird sisters” – which is how the witches in Macbeth are referred to, never actually as witches. There are frequent references to Shakespeare and other stories/authors; I'm sure I missed some. My favorite: the insane and creepy villain Doctor Destiny, who has Dream’s magic jewel, refers to it as “your precious”. I could just hear Smeagol saying it.

The Sandman, is part of the DC Comics universe, so there are frequent references to other DC heroes and villains.

The final story of Preludes and Nocturnes: The Sound of Her Wings is after Dream has recovered his tools, and was feeling perhaps a bit anti-climaxed. He gets a cheery little pep talk by sister Death as to what to do next.

I’m mildly curious as to what IS next for Dream. He seems a pretty decent chap, though grim and fearful. However, I’m not curious enough to continue with this series.

I’ve wanted to explore the world of graphic novels, and there are a few more titles I’ll read, but mostly – I’ll stick with dead authors.

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