There’s no greater feeling on earth than when you start reading a fantastically inspiring and wonderfully entertaining new book. A great book is more often than not much better than a good TV show. Every turn of the page, you become more and more compelled by the words written – you just can’t put it down for more than five minutes before it’s finished.
There’s thousands of incredible authors out there to explore, from crime writers to romance novelists, but we think there’s one particular author who stands out as one of the best fictional authors of our time. That man is British novelist Neil Gaiman. Here’s what we think are his best books.
Interworld (2007)
‘Interworld’ is a sci-fi trilogy, and each one in the 3-part series just gets better and better. It’s a collaboration with fellow author and life-long friend Michael Reeves, and the two of them create a fantastically fun world for you to immerse yourself in. The story follows a high-school student named Joey Harker, who finds himself lost in another unworldly dimension in which he must team up with other versions of himself to save the entirety of their shared multi-verse. Riveting stuff!
Coraline (2002)
This may well be the one on this list which you’ve already heard of – all thanks to Tim Burton’s hit film adaptation in 2009. But it was the original book that really captured our imaginations first, with a plot that follows a young girl named – you guessed it – Coraline. She enters a secret door to a world similar to her own, but it’s better in so many ways. At first, she rejoices in the ‘better’ life, but after her alternative world starts to show its darker secrets, Coraline must find a way back to her own life.
The Graveyard Book (2008)
This is one for young adults, but it’s equally as entertaining for older ages, too. It follows the story of a young boy named Jack who was raised by a family of ghosts after his family was tragically murdered when he was just a young child. Although it doesn’t exactly sound like an uplifting tale, ‘The Graveyard Book’ is actually at times a heart-warming story about love, hope, and forgiveness, earning Gaiman multiple award nominations.
Good Omens (1990)
‘Good Omens’ is another collaboration, this time with author Terry Pratchett. You may already know this title, because a television adaptation was released just a few months back in May, 2019. But before you watch the TV series, check out the novel. It follows the misadventures of a demon and an angel, who have to put their differences aside and work on their friendship to stop the world coming to an end by the impending doom of the AntiChrist’s return. Yes really! We’re not making this up.
Smoke & Mirrors (1999)
Aswell as long-form novels, Gaiman has also released his fair share of short stories too. His best book of this nature comes in the form of ‘Smoke & Mirrors’, which features a collection of both poems and short stories – all of which have similar themes of religion, fantasy, and self-reflection. Our personal favorites are ‘Troll Bride’ (a retelling of the fairy-tale ‘Billy Goats Gruff’), and ‘Murder Mysteries’ (a short story about a detective investigating the demise of an angel).
If you fancy yourself a bit of a bookworm, then we cannot urge you enough to check out the work of Neil Gaiman. Prepare to feel amazed, delighted, and tired from all the late nights you spend unable to put the book down. Get reading!
