mimirtells's review against another edition
4.0
4/5 Stars (%83/100)
Since I planned to use the book for my thesis, the most important thing for me was its usefulness. Indeed, I found most of the chapters in the book useful and relevant to my argument, especially regarding American Gods and Anansi Boys. However, this is a very long book compared to other anthologies about Gaiman. This is why I felt lost from time to time and would have preferred if some parts were shorter. Also, there were some chapters that were not useful to me. Overall, I liked the book and would recommend it to people who plan to study or research Gaiman. There are, arguably, better books to be familiar with Gaiman's style and works. This one is not for everyone.
Since I planned to use the book for my thesis, the most important thing for me was its usefulness. Indeed, I found most of the chapters in the book useful and relevant to my argument, especially regarding American Gods and Anansi Boys. However, this is a very long book compared to other anthologies about Gaiman. This is why I felt lost from time to time and would have preferred if some parts were shorter. Also, there were some chapters that were not useful to me. Overall, I liked the book and would recommend it to people who plan to study or research Gaiman. There are, arguably, better books to be familiar with Gaiman's style and works. This one is not for everyone.
cassandrasharp314's review against another edition
4.0
Gaiman is my favorite author so it was interesting to learn more about him and a break down of all his work which has led me to some of his older works that I need to go read
tbr_the_unconquered's review against another edition
3.0
I am a biased reviewer, I admit to it. I dig deep into the writings of most authors and make observations on them. But when it comes to Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, I tend to drool and be led by the nose to wherever they lead me to. There is this zone of comfort which I have built around these two authors and I am rather lost at trying to play critic to what they write. I wanted a detailed look at Gaiman's literary oeuvre and chanced upon this title. The reason I wanted this was that I would not be able to find in India, a majority of the work Gaiman did in the field of Comics. What I wanted was wholesome and detailed view on the writer, his tone & style and a whole canon of literature he influenced. What I found was a book length fanboy work !
To the credit of the writers, they have come up with the details of almost every other piece of material Gaiman has ever created. There are articles and essays he has written, there are interviews with the artists he collaborated with, there is a detailed interview with him which is the best part of the book. I distinctly remember reading Gaiman's works and write glowing reviews about them, then I read all these amazing reviews other readers have come up with. Then I think Damn, how did I miss that part ? It never lessens my liking for his work but these occurences have made me realize that I would not probably be a good person to review his work. There was in me the need for reading a good dissection of his tales and which said what was good and what was bad. Unfortunately, I did not find it here.
If you are fan of the author, try it out. Be warned that there are plot spoilers for almost every single piece of his tales here. This book was created for his serious fan but I do not think I have reached those levels & I never probably will.
One and half stars for the massive amounts of research and detail that have been poured in & one and half stars for the interview with Gaiman. ( I have started explaining the rationale for my rating system !! What's next in line ? )
To the credit of the writers, they have come up with the details of almost every other piece of material Gaiman has ever created. There are articles and essays he has written, there are interviews with the artists he collaborated with, there is a detailed interview with him which is the best part of the book. I distinctly remember reading Gaiman's works and write glowing reviews about them, then I read all these amazing reviews other readers have come up with. Then I think Damn, how did I miss that part ? It never lessens my liking for his work but these occurences have made me realize that I would not probably be a good person to review his work. There was in me the need for reading a good dissection of his tales and which said what was good and what was bad. Unfortunately, I did not find it here.
If you are fan of the author, try it out. Be warned that there are plot spoilers for almost every single piece of his tales here. This book was created for his serious fan but I do not think I have reached those levels & I never probably will.
One and half stars for the massive amounts of research and detail that have been poured in & one and half stars for the interview with Gaiman. ( I have started explaining the rationale for my rating system !! What's next in line ? )
chaos13delirium's review against another edition
3.0
This is for serious Gaiman fans only. There is a ton of detail and lots of spoilers so it could ruin things for the uninitiated. I learned a lot about Gaiman I didn't know and there are some very cool interviews with his collaborators as well as with the man himself so I thought it was well worth the read.
bookshirecat's review against another edition
4.0
Skvělá kniha pro znalce Gaimanova díla. Jinak nemá moc smysl ji číst. Obsahuje děje všech do té doby vydaných knih, seznamy postav, zajímavosti, obrazové materiály, rozhovor s Gaimanem i jeho spolupracovníky a naprosto boží předmluvu Terry Pratchetta.
keikoya's review
3.0
After skimming through this book, I have come to the conclusion that the only people who should buy PRINCE OF STORIES are those who want a fat, pretty, hardcover book with Neil Gaiman's name on it to sit on their bookshelf. After all, people who are not big fans of Gaiman will have no interest in the thin summaries of all of his works (which comprises the majority of this tome), and diehard fans will find that there is almost nothing new to be found here.
The only pearls of enjoyment that I found in this book were some of the interviews and "trivia" sections, although both are rather short. Also, I use the word "pearls" here because only a few of them were interesting, particularly for the trivia bits. Most of the "trivia" were obvious facts or tidbits that can be found elsewhere.
Despite all of my criticisms, though, I can't hate this book because the idea itself is pretty cool. It was nice to see attention given to Gaiman's works that are lesser known, and the photos are neat to look at. (Just don't get too excited about the "rare comic"-- it was never published for a reason.)
The only pearls of enjoyment that I found in this book were some of the interviews and "trivia" sections, although both are rather short. Also, I use the word "pearls" here because only a few of them were interesting, particularly for the trivia bits. Most of the "trivia" were obvious facts or tidbits that can be found elsewhere.
Despite all of my criticisms, though, I can't hate this book because the idea itself is pretty cool. It was nice to see attention given to Gaiman's works that are lesser known, and the photos are neat to look at. (Just don't get too excited about the "rare comic"-- it was never published for a reason.)
erikahelios's review
5.0
This book isn't just a research product by these authors. It's a love letter to the author and his ability to create beautiful enchanting haunting lovely worlds. 😊
expendablemudge's review
2.0
Rating: 2.5* of five
What was I thinking? I don't like the Gaiman books I've read so far, feeling like beating him with long, leathery things studded with flesh-rending hooks, because CHARACTERS HAVE TO CHANGE SOMEHOW as a result of the journey of the novel, and his don't. So far, anyway.
So why read this gushing fanboy spoiler-fest? Why inundate myself with the trivia and ejecta of the man's undeniably interesting career doing things I don't care about, like comics and graphic novels?
To see what all the fuss is about. Still don't know.
I'm just not interested in comics/graphic novels, really, and that's about 250pp of the 500pp book. Gaiman's entire ouevre is spoilerized, which I found handy since I just can't make myself read another book by him. Now I don't have to. But really, now, the mind that can conceive the fascinating, delectably textured premise for American Gods can conceive an ending for it! Having read the plot summaries of his comics work, I know he's done it before. So what was the problem?! Turns out...it was his first novel. The collaboration with Pratchett on Good Omens isn't all his. The novelization of Neverwhere isn't a novel from the ground up. The author himself says it was his first real novel.
But still! No ending! *mutters sulphrously*
Oh, anyway, I gave this book 2-1/2 stars because it's a breathless, giddy, golly-gee convention panel brochure (that Stephen could have written, poor man's on the Gaiman train) that got delusions of grandeur. Don't read it unless you're a) sleepy yet can't fall asleep, b) a Gaiman fanatic AND under 24, or c) *desperate* to know what you're missing that everyone else is getting from this pop-culture phenom. (Nothing, the emperor's nekkid, but keep it quiet 'cause they're fun to watch.)
This review is Stephen's Christmas present. He hates Gaiman as much as I do.
What was I thinking? I don't like the Gaiman books I've read so far, feeling like beating him with long, leathery things studded with flesh-rending hooks, because CHARACTERS HAVE TO CHANGE SOMEHOW as a result of the journey of the novel, and his don't. So far, anyway.
So why read this gushing fanboy spoiler-fest? Why inundate myself with the trivia and ejecta of the man's undeniably interesting career doing things I don't care about, like comics and graphic novels?
To see what all the fuss is about. Still don't know.
I'm just not interested in comics/graphic novels, really, and that's about 250pp of the 500pp book. Gaiman's entire ouevre is spoilerized, which I found handy since I just can't make myself read another book by him. Now I don't have to. But really, now, the mind that can conceive the fascinating, delectably textured premise for American Gods can conceive an ending for it! Having read the plot summaries of his comics work, I know he's done it before. So what was the problem?! Turns out...it was his first novel. The collaboration with Pratchett on Good Omens isn't all his. The novelization of Neverwhere isn't a novel from the ground up. The author himself says it was his first real novel.
But still! No ending! *mutters sulphrously*
Oh, anyway, I gave this book 2-1/2 stars because it's a breathless, giddy, golly-gee convention panel brochure (that Stephen could have written, poor man's on the Gaiman train) that got delusions of grandeur. Don't read it unless you're a) sleepy yet can't fall asleep, b) a Gaiman fanatic AND under 24, or c) *desperate* to know what you're missing that everyone else is getting from this pop-culture phenom. (Nothing, the emperor's nekkid, but keep it quiet 'cause they're fun to watch.)
This review is Stephen's Christmas present. He hates Gaiman as much as I do.
pearwaldorf's review
3.0
Startlingly comprehensive reference of Neil's work, with interviews (incl. one with The Fabulous Lorraine and one with Neil that is v. interesting) and random ephemera galore. Even as a super-hardcore screaming fangirl it was kind of overwhelming. I wouldn't read it all the way through unless you're doing a thesis on Neil's work, but it's a good resource to be aware of.
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