Ahmed Al-Sheikh

English 112B

The Inspirational Mind

Once is a generation, an author comes along who ignites something valuable in any person. That thing is the imagination. They say that a person who cannot dream cannot be truly happy with things in life, great or small.

Neil Gaiman is one of the truly blessed storytellers alive today. Regardless of the medium, or the genre of story, he manages to tap into that part of the human mind that dreams. And with that, he is able to inspire others to dream. He tells stories of wondrous places, larger-than-life people, and yet taps into the essence of what it means to be human, making his fiction more enjoyable and believable.

The works in this annotated bibliography are all works by Neil Gaiman. They are as different from each other as can be, and yet they tap into the human imagination, and gives reason to dream while one is awake. For as Neil Gaiman said at a discussion at San Jose State, �Everything written is true,� and that includes the fantasy that he crafted.

All of these books are enjoyable reads, and more importantly, they spark the storyteller in all people. That is a gift that everyone should have.

Gaiman, Neil. Absolute Sandman Volume 1. New York: DC Comics, 2006.

Summary: In this omnibus collection of the celebrated comic book series, the entity known as Dream, lord of the realm of dreams and imagination, is captured and imprisoned for years. Upon his escape, Dream must rebuild his realm, set right the evils done in his absence, reconnect with his estranged family, all masters of abstracts, and understand the very essence of being human when one clearly isn�t.

Application: For many people, The Sandman series is what made them see that good stories are not relegated to a single medium. And while Dream may be something of a god in the ancient sense, he is painfully aware that his powers and long life do not make him that different. It can be a sobering experience for anyone. And the realms Dream can visit encompass every culture that exists. That is something to behold.

Gaiman, Neil. American Gods. New York: William Morris, 2001.

Summary: Ex-convict Shadow has been released from prison due to the death of his wife. He is then hired by the mysterious Mr. Wednesday to escort him across America as Wednesday meets with various old friends. However, it turns out that Shadow has been drafted into a war, between the American incarnations of the Old Gods of myth and the New Gods of the modern era.

Application: Not many books can be simultaneously an epic fantasy, a refresher course on ancient mythology and American history, and a commentary on the fragility of faiths. That Gaiman can tie all these ideas together in a coherent narrative is a testament to his talent.

Gaiman, Neil. Anansi Boys. New York: HarperCollins, 2005.

Summary: Charles �Fat Charlie� Nancy�s father, Mr. Nancy, has died. At the funeral, Charlie learns two interesting facts: his father was an incarnation of the West African spider god Anansi, and that he has a brother named Spider who inherited all the godly powers. When the two finally meet, sibling rivalry boils over into a cosmic battle for their bloodline

Application: Despite the fantastic elements of the book, it deals with the issue of family. Charlie lives in his father�s shadow, while Spider is endowed with more power than common sense. The two continuously clash over the differences in their ways of living until they have no choice but to work together to survive.

Gaiman, Neil. Books of Magic, The. New York: DC Comics, 1991

Summary: Timothy Hunter does not know it, but he has the potential to become the greatest magician in the world. When he is approached by four of the most powerful and infamous mystic superheroes in the world (The Phantom Stranger, John Constantine, Doctor Occult and Mr. E), he agrees to be taken on a tour of the past, present, future, and realms beyond to decide if he truly wishes to walk this path.

Application: Despite his similarity to another young, glasses-wearing wizard, Tim�s story is less about the idea of choosing sides in a battle of good and evil, and more about the fact that every choice has a consequence to it. Throw in that some characters that Tim meets, including the legendary Merlin, admit that regardless of consequence, people will often give in to the temptation of doing something stupid and fun.

Gaiman, Neil. Coraline. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2002.

Summary: Most children dream of having more interesting parents, homes and lives. Coraline Jones is no different. She loves to imagine and explore. One day, she ends up walking through the hall behind the bricked door in her flat, and ends up in the Other world, where her Other house and Other neighbors live, along with her Other father and Other mother. They will let Coraline have the life she wants, and all it will cost is her life and soul.

Application: Coraline is a very young girl, yet is mature enough in the realm of resourcefulness and common sense that she is able to challenge an otherworldly foe.

Gaiman, Neil. Death: The High Cost of Living. New York: DC Comics, 1992.

Summary: Once in many years, Death, takes a mortal form in order to connect with the people of the world. What most do not know is that Death is a cheerful Goth girl. When she meets a young man who is contemplating suicide due to apathy, she drags him along on a quest to find the heart of the witch Mad Hettie, and come face to face with the Eremite, who wants to capture the power of Death.

Application: Despite its fantastic tale, it is firmly grounded in reality. And as Death lives for a few days, she reminds readers that life is a precious thing to enjoy. And that is something important to remember when one is tempted to commit suicide

Gaiman, Neil & Pratchett, Terry. Good Omens. New York: Ace Science Fiction, 1990.

Summary: The angel Azriphale and the demon Crowley, the representatives of Heaven and Hell on Earth as well as best friends, have just learned that the Apocalypse is about to start, with the arrival of the Anti-Christ on Earth. Azriphale and Crowley like their lives on Earth with humanity, however, and decide to counter the End Times. However, they manage to misplace the child somewhere in England.

Application: The story, despite treading on Biblical territory and being about the end of the world, is very humorous, especially since the angel and demon can both see the absolutely ridiculous circumstances involving events on Earth as well as back in their respective camps. Also, the idea that Pestilence retired after the invention of penicillin should more than spark enough humorous ideas on how life has changed since some things were written.

Gaiman, Neil. Neverwhere. New York: Harper Torch, 1997.

Summary: Richard Mayhew is a young businessman in London. He has a lousy job and a controlling fianc�e. But when he saves a bleeding girl named Door, he finds himself drawn into a world of assassins, beasts, tricksters and angels, all in the world beneath the world, known to its denizens as London Below.

Application: Set in the real world of London�s tunnels and subways, mixing a subtle magic with the �real� world, Richard must learn to find his courage as he is still a mortal man, stepping in a very dangerous world.

Gaiman, Neil. Smoke and Mirrors. New York: Avon Books, 1998.

Summary: In this collection of poems and short stories, Neil Gaiman tells a modern day version of Beowulf, explains the story of Snow White from the stepmother�s point of view, and the story of a black cat which spends night after night defending its owners from a demon. And there�s still many more.

Application: The variety of stories and poems are enough of a treat. However, it�s Gaiman�s explanations for each piece, such as where the idea came from, and where they first appeared. For any aspiring writer, this is a necessary read.

Gaiman, Neil. Stardust. New York: Avon Books, 1999.

Summary: Tristran Thorn is hopelessly infatuated with the beautiful Victoria. When he sees a falling star, he promises to go beyond the boundary of his town of Wall, into the realm of Faerie, to retrieve it for her. However, the star is not willing to go with him; a witch wants to eat the star�s heart, and a sociopath prince is tracking them.

Application: One of the staples of literature is the �fairy tale.� Gaiman has managed to write an original fairy tale for a new generation of readers.