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ofearna's review
bought a bundle of his stuff for the CBLDF and WOW!!! :P
also has a bunch of essays
Jerusalem (collected in the more easily accessible Trigger Warning) read 9/28/2015
Feminine Endings (collected in the more easily accessible Trigger Warning) read 10/11/2015
Orange (collected in the more easily accessible Trigger Warning) read 9/28/2015
Conjunctions
also has a bunch of essays
Jerusalem (collected in the more easily accessible Trigger Warning) read 9/28/2015
Feminine Endings (collected in the more easily accessible Trigger Warning) read 10/11/2015
Orange (collected in the more easily accessible Trigger Warning) read 9/28/2015
Conjunctions
samratbasani's review against another edition
4.0
A very enjoyable collection of odds and ends to have rattling around your brain later.
jonmhansen's review against another edition
4.0
Gaiman himself calls it "a collection of B sides." Fair enough.
violetturtledove's review
emotional
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I really enjoyed this as a 'look behind the scenes' of some of his unpublished stuff. The quality is variable, as is the subject matter (some articles, speeches etc as well as stories) and the ebook edition is full of typos it's a must-read for Gaiman completists.
apageinthestacks's review
5.0
I loved this for what it was: a chance to experience some of Gaiman’s earliest work and least-collected work. Granted, that also means they weren’t as good, but they’re valuable to see how Gaiman has evolved as a writer.
verkisto's review
3.0
So, apparently there's an entire "Little ... Book" series published by Borderlands Press, each featuring hard-to-find stories and other original content from a variety of authors. I wasn't aware of it until I did a little research into this book, which surprises me, since I used to be an avid follower of Borderlands Press. Now most of them are out of print, which is a shame. I'm glad I was able to read this as an ebook, though, since I doubt I would have spent what the secondary market is asking for this volume.
A Little Gold Book of Ghastly Stuff is a "B-Sides and Rarities" collection of Gaiman material, ranging from fiction to poetry to nonfiction, some of which is hard to find. It's a bit of a mixed bag, though, which is about what one would expect from such a collection. Luckily, there's more good than mediocre, and more mediocre than bad.
The collection opens with a poem titled "Before You Read This", which is appropriate, even though I'm not a big fan of poetry. It sets the stage for what's to come.
"Featherquest", the first story in the collection, was Gaiman's first published story, and ... well, it shows. It hints at the kind of style Gaiman would grow comfortable with, and touches on his unique blend of humanity and myth, but it was overlong and, frankly, a bit boring. By the end, I was eager to see how it would wrap up, and it did so too quickly, and without much of a conclusion. It's probably Gaiman's equivalent of Y Kant Tori Read, since reading it shows you how his talent would develop, but you don't necessarily want to experience it again.
The next three stories -- "Jerusalem", "Feminine Endings", and "Orange" -- were published in Trigger Warning, but like most short stories, I got a little bit more out of them than I did the first time. Of particular note is that the Jerusalem Syndrome described in "Jerusalem" is a real thing.
Next is a brief story called "Orphee", about Orpheus, about whom Gaiman has written before. This seemed to have a twist to it, but I kept getting distracted by his use of Orpheus in Sandman, and kept picturing the scene of his beheading. I wish I could have dismissed it so I could have appreciated the story more.
"Ghosts in the Machine" struck me as an autobiographical piece, but given the way Gaiman threw in some nifty ideas for ghost stories, I'm not so sure now. I wish he'd write stories about those ideas, though.
The next piece is "Grimmer Than You Thought", an introduction to an annotated edition of the Brothers Grimm's stories. It has some astute observations on fairy tales (Gaiman), but I can't help but feel like it would be better read with the book it introduced. It pairs well with "Once Upon a Time", an essay on fairy tales that follows.
Following those pieces is one called "Dresden Dolls", which is about Amanda Palmer, Gaiman's wife. She was half of a musical group called the Dresden Dolls, and Gaiman writes about a reunion show, and all the good and bad that comes along with being in a musical group, and what a reunion means. It's touching and revealing at the same time.
Next is the introduction to a book titled Hothouse by Brian Aldiss, an author I've never read. The introduction is one of those that assumes the reader already knows a lot about the book he's about to read, which can be annoying in a spoilery way, but luckily it stops right at the point where Gaiman starts going into a lot of detail. Unluckily, this is because the piece just cuts off in the middle of a sentence.
"Entitlement Issues" follows, which is Gaiman's infamous "George R.R. Martin Is Not Your Bitch" piece from his blog. It's an important piece, not just for Martin fans, but for anyone who get embroiled in an ongoing series and feels some sort of entitlement to future books. You can even read it here, in just a few minutes.
The next piece is also from Gaiman's blog, and is entitled "Freedom of Icky Speech", which is an appeal for exactly what it says. It's an intelligent, reasoned musing on why censorship is wrong, even for things with which we don't agree. You can also read this one online, though it may take longer than just a few minutes.
Following are two speeches Gaiman gave, one at the 2004 Harvey Awards (which is a nice examination of comics and their importance), another at the 2005 Nebula Awards (which examines science fiction and its importance). Then the volume concludes with another piece of poetry called "Conjunctions". I like that Gaiman bookends this collection with poetry, though I can't say I thought much about either.
I purchased this book through a StoryBundle (a fantastic pay-what-you-want bundle of ebooks that contributes to charities), so I read the ebook version of this book, and it's full of typos and other printing errors. There were several per page, enough so that it became distracting. I paid a lot less for this book (and a lot more to boot) than I would have had I bought a print copy, but I still expect the conversions to be good. The number of errors was inexcusable. Plus, the ebook version of the book appears to be missing two pieces (reviews of Black House and Summerland, apparently), and includes one that may not have been in the print edition ("Dresden Dolls").
Overall, I'm glad I had the chance to read this material, since I'm a Gaiman completionist. Had I paid a lot of money for it, I might have felt differently, but I appreciate that Gaiman chooses to make this available to folks, even if it's for a limited time (I'm not sure how available it is outside of that StoryBundle). I wouldn't recommend it to casual readers, or to Gaiman readers who aren't the kinds of fans who want to read everything he wrote, but if you are that kind of fan, it's worth tracking down.
A Little Gold Book of Ghastly Stuff is a "B-Sides and Rarities" collection of Gaiman material, ranging from fiction to poetry to nonfiction, some of which is hard to find. It's a bit of a mixed bag, though, which is about what one would expect from such a collection. Luckily, there's more good than mediocre, and more mediocre than bad.
The collection opens with a poem titled "Before You Read This", which is appropriate, even though I'm not a big fan of poetry. It sets the stage for what's to come.
"Featherquest", the first story in the collection, was Gaiman's first published story, and ... well, it shows. It hints at the kind of style Gaiman would grow comfortable with, and touches on his unique blend of humanity and myth, but it was overlong and, frankly, a bit boring. By the end, I was eager to see how it would wrap up, and it did so too quickly, and without much of a conclusion. It's probably Gaiman's equivalent of Y Kant Tori Read, since reading it shows you how his talent would develop, but you don't necessarily want to experience it again.
The next three stories -- "Jerusalem", "Feminine Endings", and "Orange" -- were published in Trigger Warning, but like most short stories, I got a little bit more out of them than I did the first time. Of particular note is that the Jerusalem Syndrome described in "Jerusalem" is a real thing.
Next is a brief story called "Orphee", about Orpheus, about whom Gaiman has written before. This seemed to have a twist to it, but I kept getting distracted by his use of Orpheus in Sandman, and kept picturing the scene of his beheading. I wish I could have dismissed it so I could have appreciated the story more.
"Ghosts in the Machine" struck me as an autobiographical piece, but given the way Gaiman threw in some nifty ideas for ghost stories, I'm not so sure now. I wish he'd write stories about those ideas, though.
The next piece is "Grimmer Than You Thought", an introduction to an annotated edition of the Brothers Grimm's stories. It has some astute observations on fairy tales (Gaiman), but I can't help but feel like it would be better read with the book it introduced. It pairs well with "Once Upon a Time", an essay on fairy tales that follows.
Following those pieces is one called "Dresden Dolls", which is about Amanda Palmer, Gaiman's wife. She was half of a musical group called the Dresden Dolls, and Gaiman writes about a reunion show, and all the good and bad that comes along with being in a musical group, and what a reunion means. It's touching and revealing at the same time.
Next is the introduction to a book titled Hothouse by Brian Aldiss, an author I've never read. The introduction is one of those that assumes the reader already knows a lot about the book he's about to read, which can be annoying in a spoilery way, but luckily it stops right at the point where Gaiman starts going into a lot of detail. Unluckily, this is because the piece just cuts off in the middle of a sentence.
"Entitlement Issues" follows, which is Gaiman's infamous "George R.R. Martin Is Not Your Bitch" piece from his blog. It's an important piece, not just for Martin fans, but for anyone who get embroiled in an ongoing series and feels some sort of entitlement to future books. You can even read it here, in just a few minutes.
The next piece is also from Gaiman's blog, and is entitled "Freedom of Icky Speech", which is an appeal for exactly what it says. It's an intelligent, reasoned musing on why censorship is wrong, even for things with which we don't agree. You can also read this one online, though it may take longer than just a few minutes.
Following are two speeches Gaiman gave, one at the 2004 Harvey Awards (which is a nice examination of comics and their importance), another at the 2005 Nebula Awards (which examines science fiction and its importance). Then the volume concludes with another piece of poetry called "Conjunctions". I like that Gaiman bookends this collection with poetry, though I can't say I thought much about either.
I purchased this book through a StoryBundle (a fantastic pay-what-you-want bundle of ebooks that contributes to charities), so I read the ebook version of this book, and it's full of typos and other printing errors. There were several per page, enough so that it became distracting. I paid a lot less for this book (and a lot more to boot) than I would have had I bought a print copy, but I still expect the conversions to be good. The number of errors was inexcusable. Plus, the ebook version of the book appears to be missing two pieces (reviews of Black House and Summerland, apparently), and includes one that may not have been in the print edition ("Dresden Dolls").
Overall, I'm glad I had the chance to read this material, since I'm a Gaiman completionist. Had I paid a lot of money for it, I might have felt differently, but I appreciate that Gaiman chooses to make this available to folks, even if it's for a limited time (I'm not sure how available it is outside of that StoryBundle). I wouldn't recommend it to casual readers, or to Gaiman readers who aren't the kinds of fans who want to read everything he wrote, but if you are that kind of fan, it's worth tracking down.
serena_dawn's review
3.0
It's of interest to listen to Orpheus Underground if having read "Orphee"; I much enjoyed Music Matters: The Orpheus myth. as well. Although the connection between Jesus (that is his "The Harrowing of Hell" hinted in some texts) and the Christian connection and use of Orpheus seems to be a obvious/Eurydice blind spot.
nmcannon's review
5.0
After reading this, I fully qualify myself as a Gaiman nerd. A LITTLE GOLD BOOK OF GHASTLY STUFF contains 5 short stories, 8 nonfiction essays, 2 speeches, and one prose-poem, which, instead of being scattered about the internet and literary magazines, are collected in one volume for convenience. While the works are highly varied, they're all united by their author and his classic, topsy humor. I found myself giggling a lot and disturbing my reading partner with paraphrases. That being said, I'm unsure that anyone not totally into Neil Gaiman and his amazingness would enjoy it as much, since the works are so different, and new readers tend to need more persuasion to like anything. The above 5 stars are more personal than others I've given. On the other hand, if you're looking for winter holiday gift for someone who is a fan, this book is a lovely little gem for readers looking to laugh and learn more about their favorite speculative fiction author.
watercolorstain's review
3.0
I bought a whole bunch of Neil rarities through Humble Bundle, and this was the first one I picked out. I hope the rest is much better from a purely technical standpoint, since this was riddled with typos and one of the nonfiction pieces even cut out mid-sentence...
That aside, this was pretty much split 50:50 in short stories/poetry and nonfiction pieces such as introductions to other works, award speeches, and blog entries. Not all of this can really be considered hard to come by anymore: Three of the short stories (the better ones) have since been collected in his most recent short story collection, Trigger Warning, and I had also already read/heard three of the non-fiction pieces (one was featured in An Evening With Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer, two others were posted on his blog. I hadn't read The View From the Cheap Seats at this time yet, but some of these are collected in that non-fiction collection as well).
There isn't all that much golden stuff in here, but also nothing truly ghastly. Feminine Endings remains one of my favorite things he's ever written, it's delightfully creepy, and I ended up liking the other two stories better than the first time I read them, too. All in all, this is a pretty average collection of b-sides, something for the die-hard fans.
Before you Read this: ★★★
Featherquest: ★★★½
Jerusalem: ★★★★
Feminine Endings: ★★★★★
Orange: ★★½
Orphee: ★★★
Ghosts in the Machines: ★★★
The Annotated Brothers Grimm: ★★
The View from the Cheap Seats: ★★★★★
Once Upon a Time: ★★★
Dresden Dolls: ★★★
Introduction to Hothouse by Brian Aldiss: ★ (because it cut out midsentence)
Entitlement Issues: ★★★★★
Why Defend Freedom of Icky Speech: ★★★
Harvey Awards Speech: ★★★
Nebula Awards Speech: ★★★
Conjunctions: ★★★★
That aside, this was pretty much split 50:50 in short stories/poetry and nonfiction pieces such as introductions to other works, award speeches, and blog entries. Not all of this can really be considered hard to come by anymore: Three of the short stories (the better ones) have since been collected in his most recent short story collection, Trigger Warning, and I had also already read/heard three of the non-fiction pieces (one was featured in An Evening With Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer, two others were posted on his blog. I hadn't read The View From the Cheap Seats at this time yet, but some of these are collected in that non-fiction collection as well).
There isn't all that much golden stuff in here, but also nothing truly ghastly. Feminine Endings remains one of my favorite things he's ever written, it's delightfully creepy, and I ended up liking the other two stories better than the first time I read them, too. All in all, this is a pretty average collection of b-sides, something for the die-hard fans.
Before you Read this: ★★★
Featherquest: ★★★½
Jerusalem: ★★★★
Feminine Endings: ★★★★★
Orange: ★★½
Orphee: ★★★
Ghosts in the Machines: ★★★
The Annotated Brothers Grimm: ★★
The View from the Cheap Seats: ★★★★★
Once Upon a Time: ★★★
Dresden Dolls: ★★★
Introduction to Hothouse by Brian Aldiss: ★ (because it cut out midsentence)
Entitlement Issues: ★★★★★
Why Defend Freedom of Icky Speech: ★★★
Harvey Awards Speech: ★★★
Nebula Awards Speech: ★★★
Conjunctions: ★★★★