Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman

 

61%

02.06.22

Gaiman leaves me conflicted. His characters (at least the male ones) are vivid, his world-building impeccable, his style of writing funny and clever and fluent and yet... there's never any emotional engagement in his stories, no reason to care about anyone... so that it all ends up more style than substance.

Coraline - Neil Gaiman

58%
07.01.04




I was never that keen on scary children's stories as a kid, but this is really too odd to be particularly frightening even to sensitive souls like me. It's elegantly written but, while weird in places, doesn't seem particularly original, nor are the characters very convincing. Coraline seems like an adult stuck in a child's body. Perhaps Gaiman is trying not to patronise his young readers but some concessions need to be made to all of us.

The Moonlight Market - Joanne Harris

43%

22.04.26

I've finally managed to finish a Joanne Harris book, but it was still underwhelming. She's a poetic writer, in many genres, but, like the works of Neil Gaiman, this fantasy, though vivid, was emotionally unengaging. And the main character was such an idiot that when he seemed to die near the end I really hoped that was it.

Anansi Boys - Neil Gaiman

65%
23.01.07




This was fun, but probably not as lightweight as it first appears. West Indian myths rewritten by a Scotsman and with a surreal comic twist. The humour does fall flat at times but a warming winter read all the same.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman

58%
30.08.13

Beautifully written, evocative and readable. Derivative, superficial and confused. Indistinguishable from Coraline and hardly a classic, but good enough for my train journey.