Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Title: Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Anges Nutter, Witch

Author: Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Publisher: HarperTouch 1990

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 413

Rating: 5 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: T4MC -- Name in Title; Neil Gaiman; Ebook; Eclectic -- Humor; 52 Books -- Week 2

The world will end on Saturday. Next Saturday. Just before dinner, according to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, the world's only completely accurate book of prophecies written in 1655. The armies of Good and Evil are amassing and everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan. Except that a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon are not actually looking forward to the coming Rapture. And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist.
Put New York Times bestselling authors Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett together . . . and all Hell breaks loose.

Holy crap on a stick! This was an awesome book. I don't mean a "that was a great read" kind of book. I mean the "I laughed out loud on airplanes" kind of book. The story is awesome, but it's the characters and style that really get me. The characters are all just so lovable, even the demons, even the Four Horseman (I mean Riders) of the Apocalypse. Crowley and Aziraphale are my absolute favorites. Their on-again off-again friendship of enemies is just amazing. I love how each one gets the other to slide just a bit to the other side. Hee hee. And Adam Young is the perfect little Antichrist without even knowing it. He commands attention and devotion and yet has quite a good head on his shoulders. Such fun! And let's talk about the style for just a second. I feel like Pratchett and Gaiman are telling me a story. They are sitting in my living room, drinking (wine probably) and taking turns telling me parts of this ridiculous story they heard. Even the descriptions are a conversation. I love this style. And all the little author's notes are just icing on the cake. (Yum cake!). I wholeheartedly encourage everyone to read this book.

2013 Neil Gaiman Reading Challenge

I really fell in love with Neil Gaiman's writing last year when I finally picked up his Sandman series. I had read Coraline and Stardust in the past, but somehow the comic series really grabbed my attention and refused to let go. So I decided that 2013 will be the year of Gaiman. I want to read a good chunk of his catalog. Specifically I want to finish The Sandman series. Anyone else love Gaiman? Join me! I won't be doing any review link ups or giveaways, but I'm just going to enjoy reading the books....

My TBR List:

Neverwhere
Good Omens
Coraline
Smoke and Mirror
The Sandman Vol. 6
The Sandman Vol. 7
The Sandman Vol. 8
The Sandman Vol. 9
The Sandman Vol. 10
The Graveyard Book
Anansi Boys

Sandman Volume 5: A Game of You

Title: Sandman Volume 5: A Game of You

Author: Neil Gaiman

Publisher: DC Comics 1993

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 192

Rating: 4 /5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel; My Years -- 1993

How I Got It: Library loan

Volume Five of New York Times best selling author Neil Gaiman’s acclaimed creation THE SANDMAN collects one of the series’ most beloved storylines.
Take an apartment house, add in a drag queen, a lesbian couple, some talking animals, a talking severed head, a confused heroine and the deadly Cuckoo. Stir vigorously with a hurricane and Morpheus himself and you get this fifth installment of the SANDMAN series. This story stars Barbie, who first makes an appearance in THE DOLL’S HOUSE and now finds herself a princess in a vivid dreamworld.

An all-encompassing storyline told through five chapters. I loved this story. I loved Barbie and Wanda and Foxglove and Hazel and Thessaly and all of Barbie's toys. The only thing I wanted more of -- Dream. I love him as a character. I was just upset to not really see him until the last chapter. Unfortunately I'm all out of volumes for the time being. I need to get back to the library for the rest.

Sandman

#1 Preludes and Nocturnes
#2 The Doll's House
#3 Dream Country
#4 Season of Mists
#5 A Game of You
#6 Fables and Reflections
#7 The Brief Lives
#8 World's End
#9 The Kindly Ones
#10 The Wake
#11 The Dream Hunters (with Amano Yoshitaka)
#12 Endless Nights

Sandman Volume 4: Season of Mists

Title: Sandman Volume 4: Season of Mists

Author: Neil Gaiman

Publisher: DC Comics 1992

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 224

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel; Support Your Local LIbrary; My Years -- 1992

How I Got It: Library loan

Volume Four of New York Times best selling author Neil Gaiman's acclaimed creation, with updated coloring and new trade dress. Ten thousand years ago, Morpheus condemned a woman who loved him to Hell. Now the other members of his immortal family, The Endless, have convinced the Dream King that this was an injustice. To make it right, Morpheus must return to Hell to rescue his banished love - and Hell's ruler, the fallen angel Lucifer, has already sworn to destroy him.

A great pick-up from Volume 3. I loved Dream's journey to Hell and all the characters he meets along the way. We get another appearance from Death (my favorite of the Endless). And we meet Lucifer again. He is an interesting character; one that I really can't figure out. I also loved the reappearance of his banished love. We met her in a previous volume. I can't wait to see what happens next on the journey.

Sandman

#1 Preludes and Nocturnes
#2 The Doll's House
#3 Dream Country
#4 Season of Mists
#5 A Game of You
#6 Fables and Reflections
#7 The Brief Lives
#8 World's End
#9 The Kindly Ones
#10 The Wake
#11 The Dream Hunters (with Amano Yoshitaka)
#12 Endless Nights

Sandman Volume 3: Dream Country

Title: Sandman Volume 3: Dream Country

Author: Neil Gaiman

Publisher: Vertigo 2010

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 160

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel; Support Your Local LIbrary

How I Got It: Library loan

The third book of the Sandman collection is a series of four short comic book stories. In each of these otherwise unrelated stories, Morpheus serves only as a minor character. Here we meet the mother of Morpheus's son, find out what cats dream about, and discover the true origin behind Shakespeare's A Midsummer's Night Dream. The latter won a World Fantasy Award for best short story, the first time a comic book was given that honor.
This volume includes issues 17-20 of the original series and features completely new coloring, approved by the author, of issues 17 and 18.

Hmmm... So I didn't like this volume as much as the first two. We get appearances by Dream, but the stories are stories of others. I did enjoy the story featuring Death. She is fast becoming my favorite character in the series. Her spunk is a great contrast to her job. I think my favorite part of the volume was actually the extras at the back. We get an actual manuscript from Gaiman detailing the stories to be included. They read like a play script with stage directions and character descriptions. I find the journey from story to comic to be an interesting one.

Sandman

#1 Preludes and Nocturnes
#2 The Doll's House
#3 Dream Country
#4 Season of Mists
#5 A Game of You
#6 Fables and Reflections
#7 The Brief Lives
#8 World's End
#9 The Kindly Ones
#10 The Wake
#11 The Dream Hunters (with Amano Yoshitaka)
#12 Endless Nights

Sandman Volume 2: The Doll's House

Title: Sandman Volume 2: The Doll's House

Author: Neil Gaiman, Sam Keith, Mike Dringenberg

Publisher: Vertigo/DC Comics 2010/1990

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 232

Rating: 5 /5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel; Support Your Local LIbrary; My Years -- 1990

How I Got It: Library loan

During Morpheus's incarceration, three dreams escaped the Dreaming and are now loose in the waking world. At the same time, a young woman named Rose Walker is searching for her little brother. As their stories converge, a vortex is discovered that could destroy all dreamers, and the world itself. Features an introduction by Clive Barker.
This volume includes issues 9-16 of the original series and features completely new coloring, approved by the author.

Another exciting Sandman volume. I love that this volume connects the reader to a very human Rose Walker. She's someone we can all travel with through the Dreamland. The Corinthian was extra creepy as a part of the Collectors. I think that part may just give me nightmares. I don't know what else to say. I just want to find out what happens next in the story.

Sandman

#1 Preludes and Nocturnes
#2 The Doll's House
#3 Dream Country
#4 Season of Mists
#5 A Game of You
#6 Fables and Reflections
#7 The Brief Lives
#8 World's End
#9 The Kindly Ones
#10 The Wake
#11 The Dream Hunters (with Amano Yoshitaka)
#12 Endless Nights

Sandman Volume 1: Preludes and Nocturnes

Title: Sandman Volume 1: Preludes and Nocturnes

Author: Neil Gaiman, Sam Keith, Mike Dringenberg

Publisher: Vertigo/DC Comics 2010/1988

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 240

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel; Support Your Local LIbrary; My Years -- 1988

How I Got It: Library loan

In PRELUDES & NOCTURNES, an occultist attempting to capture Death to bargain for eternal life traps her younger brother Dream instead. After his 70 year imprisonment and eventual escape, Dream, also known as Morpheus, goes on a quest for his lost objects of power. On his arduous journey Morpheus encounters Lucifer, John Constantine, and an all-powerful madman. This book also includes the story "The Sound of Her Wings," which introduces us to the pragmatic and perky goth girl Death. Includes issues 1-8 of the original series with completely new coloring, approved by the author.

I had been meaning to pick up this series forever. But the Omaha library only later some of the later volumes, so no go. Thankfully, Sunnyvale is awesome and actually has comics and graphic novels. I snatched the first three volumes to read.

I love the incorporation of the various other comic characters. I love the allusions to other mythological figures. I love the drawings of Dream. The background art is sometimes so chaotic and/or dark that it's hard to see what's actually being depicted. However, I really enjoyed the storyline of Dream retrieving his freedom and power. It was a great little journey. I am very interested to see where this story leads. And the introduction of Death was just amazing.

Sandman

#1 Preludes and Nocturnes
#2 The Doll's House
#3 Dream Country
#4 Season of Mists
#5 A Game of You
#6 Fables and Reflections
#7 The Brief Lives
#8 World's End
#9 The Kindly Ones
#10 The Wake
#11 The Dream Hunters (with Amano Yoshitaka)
#12 Endless Nights

Coraline: The Graphic Novel by Neil Gaiman

Title: Coraline: The Graphic Novel

Edited By: Neil Gaiman

Publisher: Harper Collins 2008

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 186

Rating: 5 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Support Your Local Library; April Read-a-Thon; YA

Very excited about this graphic novel! I absolutely adored the book and the movie versions. And this volume does not fail to satisfy. The other mother is suitably creepy. The place views were gorgeous. And the action shots invoked movement. All things that I would expect to see in a graphic novel. Great quick read for a raining night!