The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

As a toddler, Nobody Owens escapes from the man who murdered his parents and sister and is taken in and raised by the ghosts of a graveyard. Under the teaching and stories of its inhabitants, his adopted "parents" and his guardian, Silas, he earns the Freedom of the Graveyard, learns how to do the same things as ghosts, such as how to Fade and Haunt, and gradually learns the fate of his original family and why his keepers and guardian are so protective of him.

This was pretty weird but entertaining. I love the chapter Danse Macabre, I kept picturing the Thriller video, and it is a quick easy read. Pretty bizarre, but amusing enough to keep you reading.

4 stars

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Shadow has just been released from prison and is on his way home to rebuild his life with his wife Laura. A Few days before his release however, he is called into the warden's office and finds out that his wife and best friend, who had a job waiting for Shadow, are both dead, victims of a car crash. Shadow receives early release so he can attend to matters. On the plane ride to the funeral, Shadow is seated next to a man who goes by the name of Wednesday, and who offer Shadow a job that seems too good to be true. Shadow is not interested, but Wednesday keeps showing up where he shouldn't be, and Shadow finally relents. What ensues is a war among the gods of old, brought from their home countries to America by immigrants, and the gods of the new age, Technology, Media, etc, who are trying to take over. As Shadow and Wednesday go all over the US trying to recruit the gods of old to fight for their cause, the gods of the new age are following their every move, and every one waits for the storm to hit.

Not usually my kind of book but I loved this! Great story, great characters, I found myself slowing down at the end because I didn't want it to end. I wish there would have been more detail about the gods of old, but a highly satisfying read. If Stephen King wrote a book without his unnecessary, self-indulgent rambling, this would be it. Excellent.

5 stars

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Richard Mayhew has a pretty ordinary life. Works as an accountant, is engaged to be married, and lives his new life in London after moving from Scotland to take a job offer. All of that is turned inside out when he is walking with his fiance to have dinner with her important boss and an injured girls appears out of nowhere in the street in front of him. Against his fiance's wishes he takes the girl, Door, to his apartment to care for her. She insists on him not calling for an ambulance or police and asks him do do her a favor. Richard sets across London with her directions in hand to find the marquis de Carabas. After she leaves he tries to resume his old life but finds that he can't. No one can see him, seriously. The only people who can are the homeless of London. He then sets off on a journey to find Door to try and get his life back. This trip takes him through London Underground, where the people who have fallen through the cracks live. It is an adventure like no other, nothing Richard can quite believe, but then he has no choice if he wants his old life back.
Very....interesting. This is my first Gaiman book. It was kind of bizarre, but had a lot of colorful characters (Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar, Islington, the marquis, Hunter, Old Bailey, etc). Even though it was so incredibly strange, after awhile I didn't even stop to think to myself "this is ridiculous". It drew me in and I just accepted everything I was reading. I hated some characters, and loved others. I would really like to see a sequel to this, or a story about Islington and what happened to the city of Atlantis. I will be reading more by Mr. Gaiman. It's kind of fun to lose yourself in a bizarre world sometimes.

5 stars