The Graveyard Book

This is the most recent publication, a young adult novel, by Neil Gaiman (who will have a new picture book [I think] coming out on March 10, 2009.)

If you have read his short stories, you will quickly recognize this as an extension of "The Witch's Headstone" out of M is for Magic. I am convinced if Gaiman was not already a successful author, this book would not have been published. The first half of the book is not so much a single story, but a series of short stories describing events in the main character's life. One of these chapters actually is "The Witches Headstone." The second half of the book, while still more broken than your typical narrative, does successfully and gracefully conclude the story.

Anyway, this book is absolutely wonderful. The writing style is a good balance between what is found in Gaiman's adult novels and the easier to read young adult genre. The characters are enjoyable (and as a sidenote, Liza Hempstock is quite possibly the cutest character I have ever read.) And, as I said, the plot is creative and original.

This is a book that will be adored by most of its readers, the small exception will be those who are obsessed with thrillers and suspense. If you enjoyed Gaiman's short stories, The Graveyard Book is a must-read.

The Sandman

This is the series of graphic novels written by Neil Gaiman (and much contributed to by artists, etc, whom I know nothing about.)

So far, this is the only graphic novel I have read, so I can't really tell you how it compares to other graphic novels, but the awards it has won probably testifies to its quality almost as well as I could. According to Wikipedia, it is the only comic book to ever win the World Fantasy Award and one of the few comic books to ever make it on the New York Times Bestseller List.

Well, I'm really just drawing a blank here...what can I say?

Gaiman is at his best in these stories. The world he creates becomes not just something the reader wants to believe, but something the reader can believe, an achievement made all the greater by the inclusion and morphing of so many religions and mythologies.

If you love Neil Gaiman already, you need to read The Sandman. If you don't know who Neil Gaiman is yet, go read something he wrote in a more respected medium, fall in love with him, then read The Sandman.

Interworld

This is a young adult novel coauthored by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves.

Admittedly, it's been a while since I read it, so I can't say anything very specific.

Probably the biggest thing fans of Neil Gaiman will notice is a fairly large departure from Gaiman's traditional style, even more so than in Good Omens, which he coauthored with Terry Pratchett. And, though I hate to say it about anything Gaiman has touched, this is a fairly average book.

I guess if you liked Ender's Game (by Orson Scott Card) then Interworld might be right up your alley.

Hunger Games

This is a young adult novel by Suzanne Collins, and evidently the start of a series.

Like Child-44 (previous post) I found Hunger Games on a Barnes and Noble list, this one for the best young adult novels of 2008.

In a literary sense, this book is of a higher caliber than the typical Harry Potter or Twilight-type young adult novel, and in an entertainment sense, it is just as gripping, if not even more so. The main character is extremely well developed, but if there are any drawbacks to this novel, it is the lack of information about secondary characters. Generally, all the reader gets to know is what the main character thinks about everything else.

Anyway, go read this book. It doesn't take long, and after everyone is finished with Twilight, this is likely going to be the series they are talking about.

Child-44

This is a novel by Tom Rob Smith.

Child-44 is a suspense/thriller/general-page-turner-type-book set in Stalinist Russia. However, since the author is English, was born in 1979, and studied creative writing in college, and because I personally know very little about the USSR, I'm not going to say how accurate of a portrayal it is.

I picked it up because Barnes and Noble named it as the best fictional novel of 2008. My own opinion is that it is an above average suspense novel, but still a far reach from anything great.

I'll say one thing that annoyed me though. This book is written in third-person limited, but this "limited" part switches from scene to scene. For one part, the reader may be following the thoughts of the main character, for the next part, it could be the thoughts of his wife, or his boss, or his antagonist. It could be an interesting technique, but the author fails to make it flow smoothly, instead leaving gaping holes and making the reader wonder, "If she is thinking this now, then why was she doing that back there?"

In short, this is not a book you need to go out of your way to read. If you are bored, going to be sitting in waiting rooms a lot, go ahead and check this out, otherwise don't worry about missing out.