Neil Gaiman is one of the most beloved writers alive. He has been hard at work since he began writing and is still going strong. He has written all kinds of things: novels, short fiction, graphic novels, audio theater, screenplays, and nonfiction books.
He has been active since 1984, and it is only normal that with such a devoted fandom, a lot of his work has been adapted for audio theater, theater, and of course both for the big and the small screens. Some of these adaptations are more cherished than others, but with so many out there, one can definitely find something that is more their cup of tea than the rest and enjoy getting lost in dark fantasy worlds.
8 The Sandman (Series)
Neil Gaiman wrote The Sandman as a comic book which was published by DC Comics from 1989 until 1996. The comics had their own audience and fandom, long before they were thought of as adaptations. In 2020, The Sandman Act I became available as an audiobook with an amazing cast, and two more acts followed. The series on Netflix received amazing reviews both from critics and fans, who loved the fact that it was made with a lot of respect for the original stories and characters. It has been renewed for a Season 2 on Netflix.
In the first season of The Sandman, the viewer is getting acquainted with Morpheus and his siblings. The seven Endless are Dream (Morpheus), Death, Despair, Destiny, Delirium, Desire, and Destruction. Morpheus has been held captive by a cult that wanted to capture Death but got him instead. When he is finally free after 106 years, he tries to fix the damage that was done to our world and to the world of the Dreaming.
7 American Gods (Series)
Check it out on Amazon Prime Video!
In 2001, the American Gods book came out and was instantly loved by fans of myths and legends. In 2017, American Gods got adapted for a TV show and up until now has received mostly good reviews, with some being a bit harsh regarding the fact that it strays away from the original story. Still, the visuals and the acting are so great, that cover any unfortunate decisions.
Shadow Moon is released early from prison because his wife died in a car crash, which reveals that she had a relationship with his best friend. While in great emotional distress, Shadow meets Mr. Wednesday, a con artist that half tricks, half convinces him to work for him. What he doesn’t know is that he has agreed to fight on the side of the Old Gods against the New Gods.
6 Good Omens (Series)
Check it out on Amazon Prime Video!
In 1990, two great forces of fantasy came together to create one of the most enjoyable and funny books. Neil Gaiman and the late Terry Pratchett joined their creative minds and came up with Good Omens. In 2019, Good Omens became a deliciously weird TV show which was well-received by everyone. In fact, it was so well received that it was renewed for a second season, although the story of the book ends with the last episode of Season 1. Fans everywhere cross their fingers not to be disappointed with the continuation but are also super eager to see what they will come up with.
The angel Aziraphale and the demon Crowley have been acquaintances since the beginning of time – literally. Although they are not of the same mind, they must come together to prevent Armageddon, the final battle between Heaven and Earth, which is bound to happen soon. Having enjoyed life on Earth a bit too much, the two of them will do anything to keep the Antichrist from rising and end their stay here.
5 Likely Stories (Series)
Although it is unlikely that a lot of fans know this, Likely Stories is a TV series, and it is adapted from Neil Gaiman’s work. It is exclusive to Shudder, a video-on-demand channel that focuses on horror stories, and it might be the reason not a lot of buzz was created about this marvelous miniseries which is absolutely perfect for fans of Black Mirror and the like.
The four standalone episodes are: Foreign Parts, in which a banker gets an STD even though he is celibate; Feeders And Eaters, in which a waitress learns a very weird story about an old man and his feeding habits; Closing Time, in which a writer hears of a ghost story that is too weird to be true; Looking For The Girl, in which a photographer is obsessed with a model he saw in a magazine as a teenager and tries to track her down.
4 Stardust (Movie)
Neil Gaiman wrote Stardust in 1999, and it is one of his sweetest, although still dark, stories. When it was adapted for the big screen in 2007, the directors kept the feeling and made it into a fairytale that could be considered equal to the classic The Princess Bride. The cast includes huge names, like Robert De Niro, Charlie Cox, Claire Danes, Sienna Miller, Ricky Gervais, Peter O’Toole, Michelle Pfeiffer, Rupert Everett, and even Ian McKellen as the narrator.
Young Tristan is a hopeless romantic who lives in a town that borders a magical land that not a lot of people dare to cross. Tristan promises his beloved that he will bring her a fallen star if she marries him, not knowing that the star has the form of a beautiful young woman, who is hunted by everyone.
3 Coraline (Movie)
In 2002, Coraline came out and made everyone wonder if it is actually a kid's book or not. The answer hasn’t been properly given until now, although the truth is that Coraline can (and probably is) both an adult and a kid's book. In any case, it is a story that people loved and kept in their hearts for years and were more than delighted when it became a stop-motion animated film, in 2009.
Coraline is an 11-year-old girl who tries desperately to get her parents' attention and fails, since they have a lot of work to do, seemingly all the time. She discovers a different world, where she finds a version of her parents that seem ideal but hides some very dangerous secrets.
2 How To Talk To Girls At Parties (Movie)
Gaiman’s stories, whether they are big or small, have the potential for more exploration and are, in a way, like soft clay, which can be transformed into whichever moral the reader wants to take from them. How To Talk To Girls At Parties is one of these examples, since it was a short story that became a movie and managed to keep all the ingredients that Neil Gaiman originally put on it, but with a lot of others added by the screenwriters and director of this film.
Enn is a punk from London that might or might not have a problem with talking to girls at parties. When he and his friends go to a bizarre party, Enn will realize that he just hadn’t met the right girl up until then. She is so perfect, she is almost…out of this world.
1 MirrorMask (Movie)
This one is another great work by Neil Gaiman that is practically unknown, even to his most devoted fans. Gaiman wrote the screenplay for MirrorMask on a story that he thought along with the director and designer of the movie, Dave McKean. It is a visual masterpiece with amazing performances and great music.
It tells the story of a teenage girl who gets into the other side of things, in a fantasy world where she is mistaken for a princess, and she is burdened with the task of finding a magic charm called MirrorMask if she wants to save the kingdom.