The un-essential Neil Gaiman.

I'm not trying to be mean; this is by the author's own admission a collection of odds and ends. The problem is really that there are few essays or critiques and most of the works therein are the intros to other people's books. Okay, but not particularly engaging. An interesting read for fans, but I doubt you'll take it cover to cover. ( )

Inched my way through this one, reading a few pieces a day. It's a varied collection, and it's long, weighing in at just over 500 pages. There's a lot of swell Gaimany stuff in here, but it still would have been a nice collection if it had been a bit shorter. There were a lot of introductions. Maybe too many introductions.
I liked his magazine articles and pieces on literature and writing the most, as well as what he wrote about making Mirrormask with Dave McKean. That was one of my favorites.
Diehard Gaiman fans won't want to miss. ( )

This is the type of book to be loaned from a library. (or a friend; who -I suspect- would not be too sad to never see it returned) Unless, of course, you are quite determined to have all of these writings on your bookshelf and in one place.

Just do yourself a favour - don't try to read it all at once. It's a lot of Neil's measured talking to try and cram into your head all at once. Have you heard him give a talk about something, where words feel both prepared and carefully weighted even as they are spoken? This is a bit like that. And a lot of it. Also - the tone does not change. It gets rather tedious and monotonous to read after while.
YOU ARE WARNED.

There are good things in here. And I like having them collected under one cover. But I also did not care about half the things in here. So make of this what you will.

Generally, as far as advice goes:
- do not buy this as a gift unless it is specifically requested
- borrow it to read if you want to read any of the contents ( )

This is taking me a long time to read, because it's so rich and heady. I want to savor the insights and spend time thinking. It's a great collection for the Gaiman enthusiast, if a bit repetitive at times in theme (given how many of the essays are talks or graduation speeches, that's not so surprising, and even those are really interesting in how they develop over time.)

Finally finished it. Loved it. Particularly love that Neil is so willing to share his life with us -- to open a window on his friendships, on his challenges and his history and his family. It gives me a sense of connection to him that is comforting to me, for all it is not real. I also really enjoyed getting to know the other parts of Neil Gaiman's work -- the journalism, the comics. I'm one of the myth and fairy tale readers. I started to know him as a poet in obscure fairy tale retelling collections, before I ever found his prose.

I find myself swinging back and forth between wanting to give up my day job and find a way, like Gaiman, to make the art my soul and center, and trying to find a way to channel my everyday fury at the fact of the day job like Pratchett did, into my art. Thank you, Neil, for both of these examples. They are massively inspiring.

advanced reader's copy provided by Edelweiss. ( )

I'm always a little biased when it comes to Neil Gaiman. Ever since I first read Neverwhere, my introduction to Gaiman's work, I have hungrily devoured all of his stories. Whether it be short stories, movies, TV programs, comics, novels, or non-fiction, I gleefully retreat into his magical worlds. I find myself owning multiple copies of his books. Audio, hardback, radio plays, DVD's, and e-books. I find that, no matter what the medium, I can find something new and exciting when I listen to a passage than when I first read it as written word.

I simply loved this book. I can hear Gaiman in my head as I write this review. The lilting gait he has with each sentence. So, yes, I am an enthusiast of all of his work, and this is no exception. I always find myself telling people they should listen to him narrate a story. Or forcing his wonderful, fun-filled, imaginative novels on to friends. I will probably do the same with this. If you're a fan of Gaiman you will find nothing wrong with his newest collection. If you are not a fan of Gaiman, what is wrong with you? I mean, you're gonna love him! Go out and pick up one of his books! ( )