SNOW, GLASS, APPLES.

and from sandman = the story at the worlds end when whats his face sees the funeral in the skies and see's death stare at him. Does that count?

from the sandman books, definitely "midsummer night's dream" from the dream country book. shakespeare's gift WAS unnatural, good stuff, now all writers and playwrights can feel better about themselves.

i love neil's lovecraft inspired tales, shoggoth's old peculiar and not the end of the world again and a study in emerald.

monarch of the glen was brilliant and one of his earliest ones, we can get it for you wholesale was also fantastic. is it me or does anyone else think that neil's a better writer of short stories than he is of novels?

quote:

Originally posted by mister_noel_y2k:
is it me or does anyone else think that neil's a better writer of short stories than he is of novels?

I'm not sure. I like most of his short stories more than Coraline, Stardust or Anansi Boys, so I would totally agree except that... American Gods is just so brilliant that I can't even describe it.

Anyway, comics are what he's best at if you ask me. Sandman is still his crowning achievement.

There are so many that are so great; Snow, Glass, Apples is amazing. It is not, however my favorite story. Like many other of Gaiman's stories, Snow, Glass, Apples crates this chilling, haunted feeling inside after I finsih reading it, but "The Price," (about his black cat that fights off the devil) that is my favorite.

i can't decide on one favourite; i have three.

1: snow, glass, apples
2: murder mysteries
3: the price

in no particular order. if i REALLY had to choose one, it would be murder mysteries.

Murder Mysteries - especially in its graphic novel incarnation - is also a really good portrayal of Los Angeles. Not that I've ever been there. But it's one of the things that's made me want to.

Feeders and Eaters is a really good story; it scared the hell out of me.

Oh yeah, The Price is another of my favourites. Glad you guys mentioned it.

oh my. i can't pick on even just three.

The Hunt. i read Fables and Reflections first because it was the only sandman in the library, and i LOVED The Hunt. instantly.
Snow, Glass, Apples.
Nicholas Was
The Price
Chivalry
Ramadan
The Problem of Susan. i will NEVER be able to read narnia in the same way. ever. he did a VERY good job of creeping me out entirely.
Being an Experiment. heard the read version and laughed til i cried.

"The Price." "Chivalry" comes close, but "The Price" is just this lovely, self-contained, readable in one bathroom sitting story that gets you from the first page and carries you through to last without letting you catch a breath.

I thuroughly understand why people like Murder Mysteries and Snow, Glass, Apples. Both were amazing and I would probably saw my own arm off for the ability to write even one story half as good. The one thing about Murder Mysteries that has plagued my thoughts is why Gaimain tells it as him being told it. Why not just start with heaven and hell? I refuse to believe that it was for no reason. I think if I ever came face to face with Neil, I'd have to ask him. The idea of a story as a bartering tool stuck with me though. To this day I'll accept a story in exchange for a favor.

What I can't understand, however, is that I am the first person to mention The Goldfish Pool and Other Stories. Perhaps it's just the way my mind works, but the several plot lines wrapped up into that one, the brief glimpses into so many lives, really struck a chord with me. I loved the John Belushi sub-plot. What Pious said towards the end "He died alone, it don't matter a rat's ass whether there was anyone with him or not. He died alone." Had me thinking for days. Pious seems the kind of person who, should he had been real, I would have been able to spend hours sitting with him listining to everything he has to say. I love stories, and they are all the better if they are real or teach you something.

Baby Cakes... I don't know,it left an animal-rights activist vibe with me that I didn't like. It probably had something to do with the way the author kept insisting that we were smarter then the animals or the babies. The comparison between eating meat and eating babies was one I didn't really like, either. I didn't find it all that creepy, just annoying.

quote:

Originally posted by Dweller in Darkness:
"The Price." "Chivalry" comes close, but "The Price" is just this lovely, self-contained, readable in one bathroom sitting story that gets you from the first page and carries you through to last without letting you catch a breath.

I totally agree, I love that story, but when my brother read it (and I expected him to like it too) he said he didn't like it because it felt like it ended before it began, that it was too short. Just an example of the same thing being good for some people and bad for others I guess.

Oh yeah, The Goldfish Pool and Other Stories, someone should have mentioned that yeah. I love the tone and atmosphere it creates. The only thing that alienated me a bit was the focus on Victorian English magic shows and early cinema. They're not areas I know anything much about so I couldn't appreciate the story as much as I can some others.

Limertilly, where is Being an Experiment? I haven't heard of it.

it's called "Being An Experiment Upon Strictly Scientific Lines" and is an experiment of the effect of alcohol on writing. it's hysterically funny, and worth hearing. it's available on various of neil's audio releases, and might even be available through neil's bit of this site, as opposed to the message board bit. i suggest doing a google hunt for it, though. might even be on youtube.

Thanks a lot I'll have a look around.

I like THE DAUGHTER OF OWLS the most, largely because of the stylistic and non-sensical language used. It's just a cool and very short story, one that you can easily enjoy if you only had ten minutes.

I guess my favorite is Murder Mysteries probably because I was raised by very religious Christian parents and they always quote Bible stories to me to explain how great God is. Although I tried to believe them, I still questioned some of the things God did. Some seemed unfair to me. Some seemed selfish. After reading Murder Mysteries, everything was suddenly clear to me. Now I understand why God did the things did. So thanks Neil for that!

I also like 'We Can Get Them For You Wholesale' because it made every hair in my body rise. I've read a lot of creepy stories but this one gave me a whole new sensation that I never felt before.

And lastly, Babycakes. Simply because I had nightmares about babies for weeks after reading this!

Read "Forbidden Brides of the Faceless...." in Fragile Things last night

It just may be the story that has freaked me out most of any story I have ever read. For some reason, it seemed to bridge the gap between book/me via the switch between writer and story in the short itself.

Had nightmares... a lot of them

I like,
Chivalry
Troll Bridge
The Case of Four and Twenty Blackbirds

"The Price" was fantastic. I think that, if reincarnation isn't bs (and I think it is, but work with me here) and if I'm very very good, I will be reincarnated as a cat. just hopefully not this particular cat, because I don't think I'll ever be that good.

"Snow, Glass, Apples" left me completely chilled. I couldn't rest until I'd finished the story...and then I couldn't rest because I had.

"Shoggoth's Old Peculiar" was not that impressive when I read it, but, when I heard Gaiman read it aloud, it came alive, and "eldrich" is now my vocabulary word of choice. bloody odd.

and possibly my favorite short story, period, is "What I've Tasted of Desire," from Endless Nights. it hits all my philosophical and emotional soft spots. my husband has yet to figure out that he needs to buy me this graphic novel; I only show him this story every time we're in the book store. sheesh.

Jeeze, this one's tough! I ADORE anll of them! They all stick in my head, each as beautiful and enveloping as the last. My favorite work of his, though, is the story in the "Mr. Punch" graphic novel, and the poem "The Hidden Chamber."

Other People in the book Fragile Things.

his take on grendal was very interesting.