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easternblot's review
4.0
I discovered on my Kindle an unfamiliar Neil Gaiman collection which I seemed to have once downloaded from Humble Bundle. One of the books was this, Adventures in the Dream Trade. It gathers together short pieces of writing that were never meant to be read together - certainly not published together. The first section is a variety of introductions written for other books - mostly books I have never read. It’s a weird feeling to read an introduction to a book, turn the page, and, instead of the book, find another introduction to another book. It feels like a rollercoaster that only ever does the slow, ticking, upwards journey.
Other parts of the book include poetry, song lyrics, and some fiction, but the biggest part of it is a republication of Neil Gaiman’s very first online journal, which he wrote in Spring and Summer of 2001, ahead of and during the publication of the first edition of American Gods.
I have been a long time reader of Neil Gaiman’s online journal (he even answered one of my questions once, through the FAQ system which is mentioned often in the later entries of the American Gods journal - usually in the context of it not being ready yet). I’m pretty sure I read at least some of these journal entries at the time of their original publication. You might think that re-reading them sixteen years later would be boring. After all, some of them are just lists of then-upcoming stops of a massive book tour. But as a fan of early internet communities, I was hit with such a bout of nostalgia that this is easily one of the best things I read all year. (And if the entire book was just this diary, I would have given it five stars here.)
There’s the time when Neil loses a blogger entry because he accidentally kicked the phone cord out of the wall, and the fact that he used blogger - a now archaic blog software, which I also used back in 2001. Blogger crashed every other entry, and Neil never learns to write and save his posts offline. Websites were down, message boards crashed, and at one point the entire site was compromised by malware. At every mention of a typical 2001 internet experience I almost squealed with delight. Remember that? That tedious and uncertain dial-up experience? That was what it was like.
There’s the description of the “chunk” sound made by tape recorders being switched off, and the casual mention of pre-Euro European currencies. Amazon existed, but was a bit unreliable. CompuServe was big, email storage was small, and people owned more palm pilots than Moleskines. Terry Pratchett was still alive, but we learn what Neil was doing when he found out Douglas Adams no longer was.
Then there’s the entry posted at 9:05 on a Tuesday morning, with several apologetic paragraphs about the flimsy cardstock of a Tarot deck edition. Seven minutes later, at 9:12, a new entry: “The phone lines to New York aren’t doing anything, and the cell phone numbers I’ve been dialing are dead.” It was September 11.
The American Gods online journal ends a few entries later, after which it’s converted to its current location at NeilGaiman.com, a website whose slow birth is also documented in the journal entries in this book.
Neil Gaiman still writes an online journal, and I still occasionally read it. I look forward to 2033, when this year’s entries in a future collection of random writings will evoke an equally strong sense of nostalgia about the minutiae of internet and geek life to the backdrop of a world that never seemed to get less strange and scary than it was that Tuesday in September 2001.
Other parts of the book include poetry, song lyrics, and some fiction, but the biggest part of it is a republication of Neil Gaiman’s very first online journal, which he wrote in Spring and Summer of 2001, ahead of and during the publication of the first edition of American Gods.
I have been a long time reader of Neil Gaiman’s online journal (he even answered one of my questions once, through the FAQ system which is mentioned often in the later entries of the American Gods journal - usually in the context of it not being ready yet). I’m pretty sure I read at least some of these journal entries at the time of their original publication. You might think that re-reading them sixteen years later would be boring. After all, some of them are just lists of then-upcoming stops of a massive book tour. But as a fan of early internet communities, I was hit with such a bout of nostalgia that this is easily one of the best things I read all year. (And if the entire book was just this diary, I would have given it five stars here.)
There’s the time when Neil loses a blogger entry because he accidentally kicked the phone cord out of the wall, and the fact that he used blogger - a now archaic blog software, which I also used back in 2001. Blogger crashed every other entry, and Neil never learns to write and save his posts offline. Websites were down, message boards crashed, and at one point the entire site was compromised by malware. At every mention of a typical 2001 internet experience I almost squealed with delight. Remember that? That tedious and uncertain dial-up experience? That was what it was like.
There’s the description of the “chunk” sound made by tape recorders being switched off, and the casual mention of pre-Euro European currencies. Amazon existed, but was a bit unreliable. CompuServe was big, email storage was small, and people owned more palm pilots than Moleskines. Terry Pratchett was still alive, but we learn what Neil was doing when he found out Douglas Adams no longer was.
Then there’s the entry posted at 9:05 on a Tuesday morning, with several apologetic paragraphs about the flimsy cardstock of a Tarot deck edition. Seven minutes later, at 9:12, a new entry: “The phone lines to New York aren’t doing anything, and the cell phone numbers I’ve been dialing are dead.” It was September 11.
The American Gods online journal ends a few entries later, after which it’s converted to its current location at NeilGaiman.com, a website whose slow birth is also documented in the journal entries in this book.
Neil Gaiman still writes an online journal, and I still occasionally read it. I look forward to 2033, when this year’s entries in a future collection of random writings will evoke an equally strong sense of nostalgia about the minutiae of internet and geek life to the backdrop of a world that never seemed to get less strange and scary than it was that Tuesday in September 2001.
luckthelady's review
4.0
A nice little behind-the-scenes book, great for Neil Gaiman fans and especially those who love American Gods. You also get a neat glimpse into the world of author introductions, book tours, reviews both kind and unkind, and fanmail. This last becomes most illuminating around 9/11.
tarugani's review
4.0
I seriously doubt that this should actually have been made into a book. You know that webcomic with Neil Gaiman's shopping list? It was pretty much exactly like that.
*That said*, I read it. I enjoyed it. And there were some gems of information and recommendation and just general fun--and Neil Gaiman's gems are worth quite a bit.
*That said*, I read it. I enjoyed it. And there were some gems of information and recommendation and just general fun--and Neil Gaiman's gems are worth quite a bit.
claritybear's review
4.0
I would never have considered myself the type of person who would read a book of introductions about other works I've never read, a blog from 10 years ago and a few random, not very good poems. But I just did. Cover to cover (with a bit of skimming on the intros, I'll be honest). I really enjoyed some of the essays early on and his thoughts on C.S. Lewis and the Screwtape Letters were something I might never have come across otherwise. It was the second half of the collection that really got me though, all of the blog entries from when American Gods was going through the editing and publishing stages up through his book tours.
This is a great read for anyone whose never read a single Gaiman book or comic but was interested in the reality of a book becoming a BOOK to the public. He really hashes out the details of editing and copy-editing and interviews and what happens to get those blurbs on the back of book jackets. And for anyone who is a Gaiman addict or just simply a fan, well it's a ridiculous pleasure to read his entries, even the shortest of them. His voice is so simply his voice no matter what he's writing and his humor and observations about everything from author's photos to sushi in New York are entertaining and insightful.
It is also an interesting read as it shows Gaiman's transition into the internet world of blogs (he still calls it a "web blog" throughout) and e-books (he thinks their only future will be in being able to read while your bedmate sleeps). Blogger, the site he uses, crashes often or loses his long entries. Occasionally he catches his foot in cord and unplugs the phone line and there goes the internet. As the U.S. book tour gets going he's switching over to his new neilgaiman.com site and again it is interesting (in cultural way at least) to hear about the transition simply in light of the shifts of the past 10 years.
This is a great read for anyone whose never read a single Gaiman book or comic but was interested in the reality of a book becoming a BOOK to the public. He really hashes out the details of editing and copy-editing and interviews and what happens to get those blurbs on the back of book jackets. And for anyone who is a Gaiman addict or just simply a fan, well it's a ridiculous pleasure to read his entries, even the shortest of them. His voice is so simply his voice no matter what he's writing and his humor and observations about everything from author's photos to sushi in New York are entertaining and insightful.
It is also an interesting read as it shows Gaiman's transition into the internet world of blogs (he still calls it a "web blog" throughout) and e-books (he thinks their only future will be in being able to read while your bedmate sleeps). Blogger, the site he uses, crashes often or loses his long entries. Occasionally he catches his foot in cord and unplugs the phone line and there goes the internet. As the U.S. book tour gets going he's switching over to his new neilgaiman.com site and again it is interesting (in cultural way at least) to hear about the transition simply in light of the shifts of the past 10 years.
violetturtledove's review against another edition
informative
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.25
By the nature of this book it's a mixed bag, it's Neil Gaiman so of course it's entertaining but probably one for big fans only.
There are three main categories of content, the largest is the web journal from the American Gods release and signing tour. It's a good insight into the publication and promotion process, and there's quite a few funny anecdotes but it's a bit hard to read much of it in one go.. with the ebook version i have, i feel it might have been more accessible in smaller chapters (maybe by month?) Rather than two of 164 pages each.
There are also a number of introductions which are interesting and well written, but also bad for my wishlist because I want to read everything Mr Gaiman recommends!
The smallest part of the book is poetry/fiction/prose - all very short but very good. If you're not interested in the journal or introductions, it might be worth looking these up separately (I know one or two have been published elsewhere, and some are in cd inlays)
There are three main categories of content, the largest is the web journal from the American Gods release and signing tour. It's a good insight into the publication and promotion process, and there's quite a few funny anecdotes but it's a bit hard to read much of it in one go.. with the ebook version i have, i feel it might have been more accessible in smaller chapters (maybe by month?) Rather than two of 164 pages each.
There are also a number of introductions which are interesting and well written, but also bad for my wishlist because I want to read everything Mr Gaiman recommends!
The smallest part of the book is poetry/fiction/prose - all very short but very good. If you're not interested in the journal or introductions, it might be worth looking these up separately (I know one or two have been published elsewhere, and some are in cd inlays)
molokov's review
4.0
This collection includes mostly introductions and essays, a copy of Neil's American Gods book tour blog (covering most of 2001) and a few very short stories. Some were new to me, some are in A View from the Cheap Seats, and all are good Gaiman. The Blog entries were a nice window to the past but did take a very long time to get through, I think I should have skipped some. But still, nice to get through another Neil Gaiman collection
ambermarshall's review
3.0
I remember a review of this on here saying that if you absolutely must read every word Neil Gaiman has written, go ahead and read this. That's pretty accurate. There are some gems of wisdom and highlight-worthy lines, but unless you really want to read a lot of forewords and his American God's blog (interesting, but not enough for me to finish it) give it a pass.
nmcannon's review against another edition
5.0
This book is a journey. It's a walk backstage to see who Neil Gaiman is and what he does, from writing to touring to marketing. After reading, I feel like I know Gaiman as a person more, which is nice, though it came as a surprise since I thought this would haver more fiction in it. The book actually contains only a few poems and prose, and the bulk of it is intros Gaiman wrote for various publications and the American God's weblog. The weblog was my favorite since it's from a time that the publishing industry was more in between digital and paper, and I would recommend it to any would-be authors wanting to know what the publishing/marketing process is like. All and all, a solid read.
una_10bananas's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0