* February 7th:  It was really fun to hear Neil Gaiman talk.  He read bits from his books The Graveyard Book, Fragile Things (he read his poem “Instructions”) and Odd and the Frost Giants.  If you want to find out about what happened at Neil Gaiman’s lecture at UCLA, check out these two articles: 1 and 2.

- Burn by James Patrick Kelly

- The Living Dead – an anthology featuring Joe Hill, Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, George R. R. Martin and more

- Zombie Haiku: Good Poetry For Your…Brains by Ryan Mecum

- Locke and Key #3 by Joe Hill also – Joe Hill’s novel Horns, which is not out yet, but I guess no one’s perfect.

- The Rookie by Scott Sigler and his novel EarthCore and his other novel Ancestor, which isn’t out yet . Apparently no one coordinated their book releases with my birthday.

- Personal Effects: Dark Art by J.C. Hutchins

- Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett

- Odd and the Frost Giants, The Facts In The Case Of The Departure Of Miss Finch and The Sandman Vol. 2: The Doll’s House by Neil Gaiman

Keep in mind, I haven’t read these books so I’m not reviewing them. I’m just letting you know what I would get me if I were… me.

Anyway, I’m in Portland right now.  So, I’m logging off to have some serious birthday fun.  Thanks for checking out my blog!  You readers o’ mine are the best present I can imagine getting this and every year!  But, if you feel a need to help me out – buy stuff from Amazon by clicking a link from my site. That way I get paid if you buy something! W00t!

Fantasy
For those friends and family members who would be more at home digging around in a dragon’s cave, these are my recommended reads:

- Hogfather or any other books by Terry Pratchett
I reviewed the Hogfather in a previous post.  This is a perfect book for Christmas, since it sort of pokes fun at Santa Claus and hints at the possibility that the jolly old elf may be have come from rather sinister beginnings.   Also, it has the character Death from the Discworld series in it, who is always a good read.  Honestly, I’m fond of anything by Terry Pratchett, so getting any book that strikes your fancy for your friends or family (or even yourself – it’s okay to get a gift for yourself) by Sir Terry is an excellent idea.

- Hood (The King Raven Trilogy, Book 1) by Stephen Lawhead
I only recently finished this book. If you have a fantasy fan who enjoys historical fiction or the Robin Hood tales, Hood is a great book for them. It’s a pretty slow moving, but enjoyable book about the beginnings of Robin Hood.

- Stardust or Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite authors. His books (in my humble opinion) are a MUST in any fantasy fan’s bookshelf. He has published many books and been involved in a few films, so he really has an abundance of material for your fantasy fan library. The reason I picked Fragile Things and Stardust is:  Fragile Things is a book of short stories with an introduction for each story, which is kind of fun.  Stardust is one of the few books I’ve encountered that everyone I know who has read it, liked it.

- The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King
Stephen Kingis not only the master of horror, but the master of fantasy as well. Seriously. Check out the Darktower series or The Eyes of the Dragon.

- Dead Until Dark (The Sookie Stackhouse Series) by Charlaine Harris
These are the books behind HBO’s True Blood Series. If you have a friend who like vampire love stories, but is not into glittery vampires, and likes the real, burn in the sunlight kind, this series is for them. I’ve reviewed Dead Until Dark – the first in the Sookie Stackhouse series.

- Playing For Keeps by Mur Lafferty
I reviewed Playing for Keeps in a previous post. It’s an over-all fun, action packed, superhero story that really gets you rooting for the underdog.

- Watership Down by Richard Adams
Amazing classic story. Most people may not believe that a story about talking rabbits can be serious and intense, but Watership Down is just that. If you or your friend/family member hasn’t read it, definitely do so.

- Podcastle CDs
Pod Castle is a fantastic fantasy podcast that your friend/family member should be subscribed to (it’s free). But, if they are not subscribed, buy the CDs from Poddisc.com and get them hooked. (I am not sponsored by anyone in the Pod Castle/Pseudopod/Escape Pod network, I just happen to really like them.)

I hope these books/book-like items cover all bases on your friends and family who are fantasy fans!

If you have any suggestions of books I should read or recommend, let me know!

Also, remember that if you shop at Amazonfrom the links I provide, I get a little commission if you buy something, so help a sister out!

Anyway, good luck winning The Graveyard Book. 

Just for fun: check out this interview with Neil Gaiman, where he talks about the Clarion workshop he taught along with his new book.

Week 1 – New Books: October 1st – 11th
- Infected: A Novel by Scott Sigler
- Devil Bones by Kathy Reichs
- Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris (not a new book – but a new HBO tv show: TrueBlood is based upon this book.
- In the Woods by Tana French

Week 2 – Classics: October 12th – 18th
This is not a book review week, but a discussion of classic horror writers
- Ray Bradbury
- H.G. Wells
- Bram Stoker
- Edgar Allen Poe
- H.P. Lovecraft

Week 3 – Odds & Ends: October 19th – 25th
- The Darkest Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz
- Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
- Acceptable Risk by Robin Cook

Week 4 – Supernatural/Very Creepy: October 26th – 31st
- Duma Key by Stephen King
- Strange Candy by Laurell K. Hamilton
- World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks*
- Deadly Night by Heather Graham (as yet unreleased)

*Just so you know how far I’m going for you, you must know that zombies terrify me. The rest of these novels will give me a little zing – a bit of suspense, maybe a sick feeling in my stomach, World War Z will most likely make me paranoid all month.

**Another “just so you know”, I will put links to the posts in this post as I go, so if someone stumbles upon this mid horror month, they can track.

9/24/08: Revision to book list: I changed from The Shack: Special Edition by William P. Young to Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris. This is because as I read The Shack, I find that it’s more theological than anything else.  Sorry about the mix up.

10/31/08: I ran out of time in reading Deadly Night by Heather Graham, so I read and reviewed The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.

Authors: Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Genre: Fantasy

Julia Rating: 10

Comments:  This is the book that got me into Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett – both of whom I am slightly obsessed with now. 

“Well,” you say, “she must have read that book a long time ago, why review it now?”

Because I’ve reread it, that’s why.

Anyway, Good Omens is a hilarious book about the Apocalypse.  That’s right.  It’s really funny – but it’s also about the Apocalypse.  The basic premise is that two otherworldly beings – an angel and a demon – have been working on the same planet since it began.  Because they’ve worked together for so long, they’ve struck up a sort of a friendship and understanding.  The main basis of that understanding is that earth is a funny ol’ world, and much more interesting than Heaven and Hell.  When the anti-christ is given to the demon to deliver, he alerts his angelic friend at once.  They like earth, no fire and brimstone here, and they don’t want it to end. 

Unbeknownst to them, a series of occurences have affected the child’s delivery to the proper parents.  Who would have predicted such a series of calamities besides Agnes Nutter – a witch from hundreds of years ago?  Agnes’ only living descendant has the book that predicts it all – The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter Witch. 

Will an angel and a demon be able to work together and stop the end of the world?  Will Agnes’ descendant learn what to do to prevent the Apocalypse before it’s too late?  Will Dog – the Anti Christ’s satanic hell hound turned mutt get the hang of frightening cats?  Read the book and find out.

Author: Neil Gaiman

Genre: Fantasy

Julia Rating: 10

Comments: The Minneapolis Star Tribune says, “A dark contemporary ‘Alice in Wonderland’… imaginative, well-crafted (and) highly visual.”

I have to agree with the above quote, except that I think that Neverwhere is half Alice in Wonderland and half Wizard of Oz. The story is about a young man named Richard Mayhew, who has moved to London from Scotland. He is a nice young man with an overbearing fiance and a successful banking career. One day he runs across a bleeding girl on the street and helps her, thus flipping his whole life upside down. By helping this young girl, he becomes inducted into the second London – London Below. London Below is filled with thousands of people that live in the forgotten places, the time that had nowhere else to go, dead end sewers, phantom trains in the Underground and so on. It’s a place filled with magic, adventure and – most of all – danger. With two insane (and highly skilled) assassins on his tail, Richard traverses London Below. In the process he makes friends and learns a lot about himself.

This book is fantastic. It has just enough imagery to be fun, but still allows the imagination to run wild. One thing I enjoy about Neil Gaiman is his dark sense of humor. He makes a story come alive, makes terrible things occur, but still manages to draw a smile out of his reader. I think this book is good for anyone who likes fantasy and/or England.