I first became aware of Neil Gaiman through a movie website, Coming Attractions (I think) before they were eaten by Cinnescape. I read a blurb about a movie in pre-production called Neverwhere, based on a novel by Neil Gaiman, describing a world beneath my feet, London Below, where monsters ran rampant, not all angels are good, and magic is still very much alive.

Sounded really interesting, so I picked up the book before my Christmas break. Read just about all the stuff of Neil's I could get my hands on ever since.

Trough my first boyfriend actually. He was a huge Sandman-fan, and let me borrow (or more like 'made me borrow') some of his books (he also introduced me to Oscar Wilde, bless him). I loved it, and I've been hooked on Gaiman ever since. He is a genius storyteller. And I love live at the Aladdin, when he tells the 'does-alcohol-improve-writers-creativity-story'

That story was hilarious. I loved it when the narrator lost count of how many drinks he'd had.

Have to agree with that. And I love it when he's reading the poem he wrote for the woman whose name I can't remember, and the 'rhyming with her name thing' is getting harder and harder. Extremly funny

Yes I had seen/liked Sandman, etc, but it was a review of American Gods and its mention of some of the story taking place in the Midwest and Gaiman's reasons for that in the article that got me to read the book when it came out and then go back and find myself really, really liking Sandman. A friend in college named Keri was always dressing up as Death and I guess that influenced me too.

My first was actually Coraline. A friend said it was the most wicked children's book she had ever read, even more than Dahl. I had to know more and was hooked instantly. I immediatley started American Gods and have gone through almost everything ever written by Gaiman. (Even reading a book because it had an introduction by him.)

quote:

Originally posted by Blaise:
(Even reading a book because it had an introduction by him.)

Heh, I've picked up so many books because he's done introductions to them or little blurbs. It's kind of funny, but I guess I trust him as a writer and a reader and I'm curious to know what he's read and what he's thought about it. So far, I don't think I've really been let down.

Hmmmmmmmmm. I might have to start up a new thread in the other writer's section, now

Actually, I'd never heard of Neil before until my boyfriend mentioned him. He can be a delightful person, but my thing was, and is, reading the classics (when I have the time). I think I'd be interested in reading Sweeney Todd, if it ever becomes possible to be published as a serial. Come on publishers, I thought at least a few of you guys were rule breakers in the comics biz - sheesh.
Fhionn

This message has been edited. Last edited by: fhionn,

Well much in line with previous entries here it was a former girlfriend of mine. My first serious girlfriend in fact, and much as she did me much in the way of serious harm I still have to thank her for introducing me to the wonderful world of Neil Gaiman.

First she gave me Good Omens to read (which also got me started on Pratchett, the cover art had always put me off his books) and then when i dragged her along to Nostalgia & Co (a comic store in Birmingham that i now believe has been bought by FP) to get my monthly dose of all things Marvel she set off through the DC racks and re-emerged with the collected Time Of Your Life.

If the fantastic Good Omens hadnt been enough to guarantee my further encounters with Neils work (which it probably had) after reading Death, whom like most young men and a far few young women i totally fell in love with, I was hooked.

A friend told me I must read Gaiman, and was trying to decide which I should start with. I picked up Anansi Boys first, which remains my favorite.

Back when Sandman was still coming out, I found a dogeared issue at a 7-11. It was the last part of the Orpheus arc, and I thought, wow, I don't get it. And the art sucks.

What I do remember were the Dave McKean covers with the "For Mature Readers" bit. Later I got into the graphic collections, and things progressed from there.

Who knows how I missed the existence of Neil Gaiman, but I did. It was not until I read Smoke and Mirrors a few months ago that I realized what a great writer he is. In particular it was the story "A Murder Mystery" that really got me.

Funny enough - as I type this I just received via the US mail my copies of The Sandman volumes 2, 3, and 4. Yippee!!!

Looking back I am not sure what started me, when reading comics it tends to be awhile before writer/artist sticks in my brain and I may have read Good Omens before I read any Gaiman comic but I was reading because of Pratchett and the other name just sat in my brain. I don't think I started to realise that I was a Gaiman fan until I finished Preludes & Nocturnes then I was going, "whoa this writer guy is good" Then I looked back and saw that I enjoyed his Mircleman works and Black Orchid. There are probally other poor authors that are out there that I am a fan of but I just don't know it yet.

My discovery of Gaiman is similar to what Yepa described in previous posts.

My first long-term boyfriend gave me Stardust as a Christmas present. Probably that was why i fell for my boyfriend at that time, and i slowly gained interest on Gaiman's works.

After that The Sandman, American Gods and Smokes & Mirrors became our company books at night. We'd both be reading Gaiman stories before sleeping.

a really good friend of mine is a huge fan of his.. he retold me a story about a man who was afraid of hights and a being called dream who told him he might fly.. i was sold...
the first thing i read was his short stories... i believe it was angels and visitations.. sold even more... read ..smoke and mirrors and picked up my first sandman collection..thats all it took..

I had just moved in with my foster-mother, and she had a shirt with Death (from "The Sandman") on it. I became really interested in it, seeing as I had never seen Death depicted so beautiful, or as a girl before.

She told me where it came from, and I set off and found all the comics. ever since then, I have been absolutely obsessed with Neil Gaiman's amazing self.

It began as a word passed down from a friends friend to me about the Sandman comics. I was very sceptic at first and I really, really refused to read them. I was into comcis, it wasnt that, this just didn't look like any comics I had ever read.

So I refused to even look at them for a couple of months. One day though, I was going through her books and I found something that looked quite interesting, it was a collaboration with Neil Gaiman and someone I vaguely remembered, an artist called Yoshitaka Amano. Obviously, the Dream Hunters really spurred me into reading more with Neil Gaiman. I started reading Sandman and shortly I bought every interesting book with him I could come across.

Needless to say, I'm stuck

I was big into Pratchett and read Good Omens. I was aware of Gaiman but didn't get into it too soon. One of my friends (haven't spoken to them in years now) told me about American Gods. Read it, loved it.

Much later I read Sandman. I'm still in the process of getting them all.

I met Gaiman's works last year,when i bought "1602". There are people that say that it's a conventional work,but i really liked it. Then i read sandman, and i thought:"Okay, 1602 is good, but this is incredible!".Season of mists is the most beautiful story i've ever read.then i've read american gods,stardust and anansi boys.and here i am!

I suppose I've been into Neil Gaiman's work since not quite the beginning, but close.

I first became aware of Neil way (way) back when I was in high school, obsessively reading "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."

Along the way I read "Don't Panic," and when "Good Omens" came out I recognized Neil's name from his having written "Don't Panic." I seem to recall an early review of "Good Omens" saying that it was, like, the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Apocalypse.

From there, being into comics, I read "Sandman." Then came everything else.

I still try to keep up with anything that he writes, but, except for "Sandman" and his work with John Constantine, I prefer his prose work.

My favorite Neil Gaiman-written thing is the "Smoke and Mirrors" collection, with "Sandman" being a very close second.