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4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
This is a fantastic book, packed full of Gaiman goodness. The title of the book is a bit misleading in that I thought it would be full of things "drawn" by Mr. Gaiman... there *are* some thing that he drew inside, that is true. Doodles, pictures, illustrations and such. But in other areas, the book just goes on about his 'art', in that it discusses the different types of creative output Mr. Gaiman has created over the years. The author discusses the different times in his life, what he was doing then, how he felt about those things, gives examples along with some art --whether by him or illustrators that drew to go along with books he wrote--or both.
This book is over an inch thick. It makes someone who quite likes Mr. Gaiman's work suddenly flip through it simply LUST for books they've never read. It causes you to buy things. It may cause you to buy *lots* of things. Oh the books you've never seen... there are SO many, and so gorgeously illustrated!!!
There is even a REALLY cool, creepy Gaiman-esque take on the A,B,C's... I swear, none else could do it like this... it's adorable and macabre all in one. "The Dangerous Alphabet"
Don't say I didn't warn you.
It happened to me...
This book is over an inch thick. It makes someone who quite likes Mr. Gaiman's work suddenly flip through it simply LUST for books they've never read. It causes you to buy things. It may cause you to buy *lots* of things. Oh the books you've never seen... there are SO many, and so gorgeously illustrated!!!
There is even a REALLY cool, creepy Gaiman-esque take on the A,B,C's... I swear, none else could do it like this... it's adorable and macabre all in one. "The Dangerous Alphabet"
Don't say I didn't warn you.
It happened to me...
mostly for fans. see my review here: http://entertainmentrealm.com/2014/06/01/the-art-of-neil-gaiman-book-review/
This coffee table book is more like a biography and annotated bibliography mashed together with pictures in.
That's not a bad thing, it's just not quite what I expected. Still, as a dedicated fan of Neil's, this was an interesting look into some of the moments in his life and the hows and whys of his work so far.
That's not a bad thing, it's just not quite what I expected. Still, as a dedicated fan of Neil's, this was an interesting look into some of the moments in his life and the hows and whys of his work so far.
This book gives us a full view of the many wondrous creations that have poured forth from the feverish brain of Neil Gaiman. From comics to movies to radio plays to novels and short stories to television, there is seemingly nothing this man cannot do and do well.
If I had but one one thousandth of a percent of his talent I would be a happy man.
If I had but one one thousandth of a percent of his talent I would be a happy man.
I liked this book quite a bit, but there is this nagging sense that it's not quite the book it could be. Or, perhaps, that one day we'll get another book like it or an expanded new edition that will be even better. I admire Neil Gaiman a huge amount, of course. I'd count him as my favorite writer, on most days. And usually I do not care much about the personal lives of my favorite creators. It's not so much that I'm disinterested, just that I'm more interested in what they are creating versus their lives. So, even though I was a big fan, a lot of this was new to me. I'd just read his non-fiction articles book, which meant that I knew a bit more than I would have going into this one. But, even still, there was a lot of new stuff, and the photos and bits of notes and pieces of art here and there were great to look at.
The problem is, the book is ascribed to "Hayley Campbell in conversation with Neil Gaiman" and there is a little of that. But I wish there was so much more. The book starts off really promisingly, but towards the end there's a feeling it's running out of steam. The detail becomes more sparse about the creation of various works, for one thing. But, the worst thing is that Neil is almost always only present through quotes from older articles. I really would have loved to get his perspective on, say, Mirrormask after 10 years have passed. Or, even what he feels about things like his Doctor Who episodes. You get more insight the further back in his career he goes, mostly because he's talked about it in some other interview. Maybe we'll have to wait to get more insight into those things, but it does make the back half of the book less interesting.
The problem is, the book is ascribed to "Hayley Campbell in conversation with Neil Gaiman" and there is a little of that. But I wish there was so much more. The book starts off really promisingly, but towards the end there's a feeling it's running out of steam. The detail becomes more sparse about the creation of various works, for one thing. But, the worst thing is that Neil is almost always only present through quotes from older articles. I really would have loved to get his perspective on, say, Mirrormask after 10 years have passed. Or, even what he feels about things like his Doctor Who episodes. You get more insight the further back in his career he goes, mostly because he's talked about it in some other interview. Maybe we'll have to wait to get more insight into those things, but it does make the back half of the book less interesting.
I found parts of this book fascinating - looking at how the mind of this author works, how he collects ideas, eventually uses them (or not), and so on. I enjoyed reading about the books I've read by him (each of which I have loved), but found I have as little interest in his writing of comics as I do in reading them. So, as his early career was largely about that, there were large parts I skimmed. This book is visually interesting, which made the skimmed bits a pleasure to look at.
This is a biased review, because I fangirl super hard for Neil Gaiman. I suppose this book was put together with people like me in mind, and you should know that unless you really love the guy and his books, you may not find this book interesting...
When I got my first copy of "American Gods", I didn't leave my apartment for 3 days because putting that book down before I was done felt plain wrong. I read "Neverwhere" chewing nervously on the edge of my pillow, wondering what the Hell would happen to Richard and Door. I bawled my whole entire life out at the end of the "Graveyard Book". I went to see Neil do a reading and signing in 2013: he complemented me on my hair (which actually looks a lot like his inasmuch as it's a mop of uncontrollable curls - except mine is hot pink) and doodled in my copy of "The Ocean at the End of the Lane". I have a picture of that moment: I look so excited, it's kinda ridiculous. When I was sick in bed the following year, giggling at "Fortunately, the Milk" made the whole ordeal a lot easier to deal with.
That's my weird relationship with Mr. Gaiman: he's the guy who's stories fascinate, comfort and poke at my heart in the most unbelievable (and often unexpected) ways. So a big, gorgeous book about his stories, doodles and inspiration is basically a lovely, chewy candy: it satisfies a weird craving to know more about some of my favorite stories and how they came to be, it points me towards new books and graphic novels to read (sorry, credit card...) and it makes me feel completely vindicated about my opinion of the "Neverwhere" tv series...
This is for the hardcore Neil fans like me, but also for the beginners who are wondering just what the fuss is all about! The only thing missing from this book is a list of his recommended readings: I would love to know what he reads!
Thank you to the best parents-in-law ever for the lovely present! You guys know me so well!
When I got my first copy of "American Gods", I didn't leave my apartment for 3 days because putting that book down before I was done felt plain wrong. I read "Neverwhere" chewing nervously on the edge of my pillow, wondering what the Hell would happen to Richard and Door. I bawled my whole entire life out at the end of the "Graveyard Book". I went to see Neil do a reading and signing in 2013: he complemented me on my hair (which actually looks a lot like his inasmuch as it's a mop of uncontrollable curls - except mine is hot pink) and doodled in my copy of "The Ocean at the End of the Lane". I have a picture of that moment: I look so excited, it's kinda ridiculous. When I was sick in bed the following year, giggling at "Fortunately, the Milk" made the whole ordeal a lot easier to deal with.
That's my weird relationship with Mr. Gaiman: he's the guy who's stories fascinate, comfort and poke at my heart in the most unbelievable (and often unexpected) ways. So a big, gorgeous book about his stories, doodles and inspiration is basically a lovely, chewy candy: it satisfies a weird craving to know more about some of my favorite stories and how they came to be, it points me towards new books and graphic novels to read (sorry, credit card...) and it makes me feel completely vindicated about my opinion of the "Neverwhere" tv series...
This is for the hardcore Neil fans like me, but also for the beginners who are wondering just what the fuss is all about! The only thing missing from this book is a list of his recommended readings: I would love to know what he reads!
Thank you to the best parents-in-law ever for the lovely present! You guys know me so well!
Very thorough look at Gaiman's artistic output - must have for fans, and will reward the casual reader who may have only heard of SANDMAN.