Trigger Warning - Neil Gaiman

Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances by Neil Gaiman

352 pages

Neil's written a beautifully crafted collection of short stories and poetry and put them all together under the guise of being edgy and pushing the boundaries of people's psychological, mythological, and emotional boundaries.  But, while mesmerizing in their way (the last piece in particular is fantastic if you enjoyed American Gods), I'm still sleeping at night.  Fantastic read, but more subtly disturbing than super scary.

I did especially like that the author included a foreword that gave the stories, well...backstory.  It was a nice touch; like Gaiman, I also enjoy peeping in the mental window of the writer's process, and it was one of the most enjoyable parts of this read.

American Gods, by Neil Gaiman

American Gods, by Neil Gaiman, 632 pages

Shadow is about to leave prison, where he has been behaving himself for the past three years.  Days before his release, he discovers that the only person waiting for him, his wife Laura, has died in an accident with the man who was going to give him a job.  With everything falling apart, Shadow is approached by a man named Wednesday, who offers him a job.  Upon taking the job, Shadow finds himself thrust into a world where obscure gods brought to America are real and all around us, a war is brewing between old gods and the new gods of media, electronics, drugs, among others, and where roadside attractions are the holiest places in America.  It's a sprawling work with alot of fun bits about mythology.

Good Omens: the Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman

Good Omens: the Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman, 412 pages

Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett team up to write a very funny and very British book about the end of the world.  When the devil decides that it's time to send the Antichrist to earth in order to get started on the apocalypse, an angel and demon accustomed to the ways of London scheme to prevent the world's demise.  This book was very funny, full of typical Pratchett footnotes, names, and turns of phrase.  There are actually several interlocking storylines, including a young witch who has a book detailing the end of the world, a gang of kids who don't know that one of them is the son of the devil, and the four horsemen of the apocalypse, who actually ride motorcycles.

Marvel 1602, by Neil Gaiman

Marvel 1602, by Neil Gaiman, 248 pages

What if all of the Marvel heroes that we know and love were Marvel heroes in the year 1602?  Well, Sir Nicholas Fury would be advisor to Queen Elizabeth, and his loyal assistant would be young Peter Parquagh, with a penchant for spiders.  And the Inquisition would be trying and burning mutants at the stake, Dr. Doom would be a count keeping the Fantastick Four captive, and apparently the world might end because of a incredibly strong, blonde-haired American Indian named "Rojahz" (but pronounced Rogers. Marvel fans will see where he's going with that.)  This was tougher than most Marvel works to get into, simply because of some of the language and making connections with who characters were seventeenth-century equivalents of.  But it was well worth the read for those who like Marvel characters and also enjoy historical fiction.