Top Ten Books For People Who Like Neil Gaiman

This week's Top Ten from The Broke and the Bookish asks for top ten books for people who like a specific author. I’m going to pick Neil Gaiman, but Gaiman’s work is so varied depending on what you read. He writes young adult novels, graphic novels, children’s books, etc.

So instead of listing ten books you might like, I’m going to list ten of his books and then provide a recommendation for each book. This should work in reverse as well. If you’ve never read Gaiman and would like to try him, pick one of the books in the second column that you already know you like and then try the recommended Gaiman book.

1) Stardust – The Princess Bride 

2) Neverwhere – The Book of Lost Things 

3) American Gods – The Stand 

4) Good Omens – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy 

5) The Graveyard Book – The Jungle Book 

6) Coraline – The Golden Compass 

7) Anansi Boys – Big Fish

8) Instructions – The Little Prince 

9) Sandman Chronicles – The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen 

10) Fragile Things – Edgar Allan Poe or H.P. Lovecraft’s short stories

BONUS: The Doctor’s Wife (BBC episode) – All of Doctor Who!

Good Omens

Good Omens
by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
★★★★☆

Two angels, one fallen (Crowley), one not (Aziraphale), have formed a friendship of sorts over the millennium. When they discover that Armageddon is rapidly approaching, they decide to work together to attempt to avert it. Toss in the Anti-Christ, the four horsemen, a scatterbrained nun and a dog named Dog and you’ve got a hilarious book.

The book is one part The Omen (the film) and one part Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (the book), combining a wry British sense of humor with an account of the End Times. I can’t stress enough how funny this book is. If you like Douglas Adams, Monty Python and comedy along that line (which I definitely do) I think you’d love it.

Gaiman and Pratchett make a brilliant team. There was a lengthy interview section at the end of my copy and both men say it’s almost impossible for them to separate who did what on this book. It was truly a combined effort and the results speak for themselves.

Here’s an example of their sense of humor. In on particularly funny scene, the four horsemen of the apocalypse allow a few Hell’s Angels to tag along with them. The Hell’s Angels decide to rename themselves so they’re more intimidating and they try to pick the worst things they can think of, they came up with…”Grievous Bodily Harm, Cruelty to Animals, Things Not Working Properly Even After You've Given Them A Good Thumping But Secretly No Alcohol Lager, and Really Cool People.” That may not seem hilarious taken out of context, but trust me, it is.