Modern Mythology - Niel Gaiman

Mood: Bored / Irritated
Music: Invisible Scratch Pickles [Q-Bert, Disk, Shortkut]

I just finished Neil Gaiman's book Anansi Boys the other night. I actually tore through it. I love fiction for that! Niel Gaiman came to me by way of a children's picture book illustrated by Dave McKean which was given to me for my birthday by my sister-in-law (thanks Brooke.) The book was The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish and I was instantly drawn to the artwork of Dave McKean:



This was followed by a second children's book by Niel and Dave, called The Wolves in the Walls. Again the artwork had my full attention:



Then while perusing the previews at the end of Kung Fu Hustle, I came across a trailer for a movie called Mirrormask... written by Niel Gaiman, directed by Dave McKean and brought to us by the Jim Henson company. This time it was more than the artwork that had my attention. Gaiman's story telling and humor got me... while his children's books had hinted at his writing talents, Mirrormask made it clear there was more to him than picture book stories. So, I started looking for more of his books... looking mostly in the children's sections of bookstores (because that's where I had discovered him of course.) Ashley and I came across a very clever book titled Coraline (not Caroline.) This thriller (for young readers) boasted a cover and only a few illustrations by Dave McKean. Ashley and I began reading it out-load to Owen before bedtime in small chunks... however, it quickly snagged us both and we had to each admit that we had been reading ahead on our own.

For my birthday a few weeks back, I was surprised with Anansi Boys. An adult novel that tells the story of Fat Charlie and his estranged brother as they come to terms with their father's death. Sounds pretty run-of-the-mill huh? Well, their father was a god... a spider god. Mix in some West African folk mythology and a modern setting and Gaiman's flare for humor, which reminds me so much of Douglas Adams, and you have a page turner. Havign recently finished Joseph Campbell's The Hero With a Thousand Faces, I am pretty aware of mythological themes at the moment. Gaiman's longer work is filled with them... the hero's quest, the tasks, redeaming the father, becoming an adult, saving the world, etc. Gaiman does a masterfull job of recasting mythical themes into modern fiction. I gave it 4 stars at amazon.com.

Next on my list for fiction is... American Gods.