For many readers, it's almost impossible to choose a favorite author. With so many unique styles, genres, and voices to choose from, picking just one from the legion of excellent candidates seems like too much to ask. Yet, for some readers, the choice is easy: British fantasy author Neil Gaiman.
Gaiman's catalog is sprawling, covering everything from short stories and comics to children's books and novels. Whatever the project, Gaiman brings exquisite detail, lovingly rendered settings, multifaceted and endearing characters, and lore that seems to have roots far deeper than the page. For all these reasons and more, Neil Gaiman will go down as one of the most imaginative and successful writers of the modern age. Here are some of the best Neil Gaiman books currently available.
Updated September 30, 2023, by Kath Leroy: Television-wise, Neil Gaiman's stories are experiencing their golden age. The Sandman has become a hit and in late July 2023, the second season of Good Omens premiered, a fantasy series based on a book by Gaiman and the late Terry Pratchett, once again gaining positive reviews from the audience. While the fans are waiting for the new season of their favorite show to premiere, it's as good a time as any to take a closer look at Neil Gaiman's many novels and comic books, aimed both at adult readers and children (sometimes both). With so many fascinating tales to choose from, Gaiman's work continues to captivate a wide audience.
15 Anansi Boys
- Genre: Fantasy novel
- Release Year: 2005
Anansi Boys is one of the underrated Neil Gaiman novels. It mostly stands in the shadow of American Gods as it's the second book in the loose series and brings forth one of the most intriguing side characters in American Gods, Anansi, and his two sons, including Charlie, who, until recently, had no idea that his dad was a God.
Gaiman takes the concept of a person suddenly finding themselves in a whole different world that he used so well in the likes of Neverwhere or Stardust or even Coraline, and it's both a smart and occasionally funny story, especially for all fans of mythology.
14 Marvel 1602
- Genre: Comic book
- Release Year: 2003
Alternative versions of popular Marvel superheroes, such as the long-running series What If...?, ale all the rage. Neil Gaiman chose a different approach, and he brought together his experience with superhero comics and his interest in history, creating the storyline Marvel 1602. As the title suggests, the story takes place in the final years of Queen Elizabeth I's reign, and the well-known characters lead different lives.
The art of the series is stunning, and for all experienced Marvel fans, it's intriguing to discover how much the lives of the heroes changed had they lived in the early 17th century, and not in the 20th or the 21st century.
13 The View From The Cheap Seats
- Genre: Non-fiction
- Release Year: 2016
The book The View from the Cheap Seats stands out even among Neil Gaiman's varied and rich bibliography because it's neither a novel, a collection of short stories or a comic book. Instead, it provides Gaiman's fans with a unique insight into the head of their favorite writer. Gaiman speaks about his life, his love for all things creative as well as culture in its many forms.
The reader learns more about what Gaiman is like, what he enjoys, whom he knows, and so on, all the while reading an entertaining book written in an easily accessible yet clever way. As far as behind-the-scenes books are concerned, The View from the Cheap Seats delivers what it promised: an engaging read.
12 Eternals
- Genre: Superhero comic book
- Release Year: 2006
Neil Gaiman has a talent for writing powerful, near-immortal characters, as all fans of his The Sandman series would no doubt confirm. Eternals have nothing to do with the Endless family, since they're set in the Marvel universe, not DC. The comic book serves as an excellent introduction to them and dives deep into the minds and lives of the individual characters, each of whom deals differently with what they can do and who they are.
The comic book is ideal for those who want to know more about the Eternals after watching the 2021 MCU movie of the same name or simply for those who enjoy complex yet fascinating Marvel stories strongly tinged with cosmic themes.
11 Stardust
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- Genre: Fantasy novel
- Release Year: 1999
Of all Neil Gaiman's work, Stardust is the closest to classic fantasy. However, Gaiman changes the genre's rules to fit the story he wishes to tell, and he does so in a way that leaves the readers captivated, and drawn into his world full of magic, danger, and love.
Stardust serves as a coming-of-age story, with the main hero Tristran Thorne searching for a fallen star and realizing the world is much more complex than he had originally believed. The novel seems to have it all, from humorous moments to touching ones. It inspired the 2007 live-action adaptation directed by Matthew Vaughn in which Charlie Cox took on the leading role of Tristran (called Tristan in the movie), almost a decade before his first portrayal of Daredevil in the MCU.
10 Norse Mythology
- Genre: Short stories based on mythology
- Release Year: 2017
There is much more to Norse mythology than the MCU Thor movies would have audiences believe. Neil Gaiman's passion for the topic is obvious from the book. Combined with his unique style of writing and the fast pace, Norse Mythology is the type of book the readers will finish fast because something captivating happens on every page.
The book provides enough detail to capture the attention of people familiar with the topic but at the same time, it serves as a good introduction to Norse myths of gods, heroes, tricksters, and other extraordinary beings that wouldn't be out of place in Gaiman's other books too.
9 Smoke And Mirrors
- Genre: Short stories collection
- Release Year: 1998
Other than being a prolific novelist and screenwriter, Neil Gaiman has also mastered the art of writing short stories. He published multiple short story collections but Smoke and Mirrors stand out even among them despite their overall high quality. It mixes multiple genres, creating a rich whole that will leave the readers admiring the many ideas Gaiman can come up with.
First published in 1998, Smoke and Mirrors contains themes and emotions that Gaiman returned to in his work over and over again, in different forms, from the fine line between reality and imagination to the pain of loss and heartbreak. As such, it's an ideal book for new readers who can get a glimpse of Gaiman's style and decide if they would like to read more of his work.
8 The Sleeper And The Spindle
- Genre: Short fairy tale retelling
- Release Year: 2013
Fairytale retellings are a popular fantasy genre, as they take the stories so many people know and love and offer an original spin on them. Neil Gaiman has done so multiple times, most notably with the short book The Sleeper and the Spindle which offers a variation of the fairytale of Sleeping Beauty and Snow White. It's possible to finish the book fast considering its length.
However, it's not as suitable for children as other fairytale retellings since Gaiman doesn't spare the characters. The story has its magical as well as scary moments and the illustrations by Chris Riddell help create its unique atmosphere, making it the perfect Neil Gaiman book for those who have no time to spare.
7 Neverwhere
- Genre: Fantasy novel
- Release Year: 1996
Though less famous than some of Gaiman's other novels, Neverwhere is no less enjoyable. It's the story of Londoner Richard Mayhew, a young businessman whose normal life is disrupted when he stops to help a young girl whom he finds bleeding. The girl's name is Door, and the Door is on the run from a pair of assassins, which is only the beginning of Richard's problems. Unlike some stories with characters that are well-written but not likable, Gaiman's are both in Neverwhere.
Something has gone wrong: those around him lose any sense of who he was, causing him to lose his job, his apartment, and soon his fiancée. Richard's only choice to fix things is to enter the mysterious world of London Below and look for Door. From there Neverwhere becomes a modern fairytale of sorts, packed with imaginative characters and locations, putting Gaiman's whimsy on display as much as his keen eye for detail.
6 The Day I Swapped My Dad For Two Goldfish
- Genre: Fantasy picture book
- Release Year: 1997
Neil Gaiman's first children's book, The Day I Swapped My Dad For Two Goldfish, has two incredible things going for it other than its title: the writing prowess of Gaiman and the illustrative beauty of Dave McKean. McKean would go on to collaborate with Gaiman on a variety of other projects, elevating every one of them with his unique style.
The story is Gaiman's riff on a classic: an object gets swapped from person to person, but then the original owner needs it back and has no option but to undo all the swaps, one at a time, in order to retrieve it. Gaiman excels at taking inspiration and twisting it in unique ways, bending old stories until they all but break, and then walking them back from the edge. The Day I Swapped My Dad For Two Goldfish is a children's book, but it's crafted with all the love and attention that Gaiman gives to his adult novels, and it has Dave McKean's artwork to bring it to life.