Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
5.0 out of 5 stars
I'm biased, but I think it's wonderful, 3 Jun 2008
Wonderful is not the same as "great;" while Gaiman has certainly done any number of works that have achieved greatness, I would characterize this one as more having achieved wonderfulness instead. To me that means as appealing as a great work, but not as life-changing. I have to admit, as one may guess, that Neil Gaiman is among my favorite reads, and this is a typical NG cocktail.
Three parts myth and legend, two parts quirky and appealing characters, one part strange settings (or, better yet, known settings seen through strange eyes). Mix, shake, douse with brandy, flambé.
The story follows Fat Charlie, a not actually particularly overweight young man, who starts discovering strange things about his father, the brother he didn't know he had, and (of course) himself. It touches on African folk tales, love, ghosts, show biz, public speaking, magic, mediums, murder, and any number of other subjects including accounting. In other words, standard Gaiman stuff. Fat Charlie loses a girlfriend, finds another, is accused of stealing money from his firm, ends up chasing a murderer, and of course has to confront a few gods and spirits on the way.
While lacking the passion and intensity (and darkness) of American Gods or his famed Sandman graphic novel series, it remains a wonderful, entertaining, engaging, humorous read.
|
|
|
|
by Neil Gaiman
by Neil Gaiman
by Neil Gaiman
by Neil Gaiman
With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is). 
Amazon Home