Neil Gaiman is the man behind the fantastical worlds in American Gods, Coraline, and Stardust. Let’s get to know more about him!
Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman is a multifaceted English author. He has penned short fiction, novels, graphic novels, films, comic books, audio theatre, and television shows. He is also an award-winning author, winning numerous awards such as Nebula, Hugo, the Newbery and Carnegie medals, and Bram Stoker awards in his career.
Gaiman is a voracious reader. He started reading at the age of four. He even said at an interview: “I was a reader. I loved reading. Reading things gave me pleasure. I was very good at most subjects in school, not because I had any particular aptitude in them, but because normally on the first day of school they’d hand out schoolbooks, and I’d read them—which would mean that I’d know what was coming up, because I’d read it.” He read the works of Lewis Carroll, C.S. Lewis, Mary Shelley, J. R. R. Tolkien, Ursula K. Le Guin, Rudyard Kipling, Edgar Allan Poe, Alan Moore, Will Eisner, G. K. Chesterton, Harlan Ellison, Michael Moorcock, and Lord Dunsany.
Before going into fantasy writing, he worked as a journalist. He conducted interviews and wrote book reviews to learn about the world, get himself out there, and meet people that can help him get published. He stopped his journalism work in 1987 as he feels that British newspapers often publish untruths as facts. After this, his work as an author started.
Works
As previously mentioned, Neil Gaiman has penned works in different areas of literature, film, and television. So now, let’s focus on his novels. How many words did each of his work have? Let’s find out!
Good Omens
This novel is a collaboration between Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, an award-winning English author. This book is a comedy about the birth of the son of Satan and the coming of the end of the times. It also shows the attempts of the devil Crowley and angel Aziraphale to sabotage this apocalypse as they have gotten used to their lives in England.
This book has 106,936 words and recently made into an online series, with Gaiman as showrunner.
Neverwhere
Neverwhere is the novel adaptation of the television series of the same name, written by Gaiman and Lenny Henry. The book and show delve into the life of Richard Mayhew and his seemingly normal life in London. The book has the same story as the show, but the book allowed Gaiman to expand and elaborate on certain parts of the story and restore the elements that changed in the show that deviated from his original plans.
This novel consists of 99,383 words.
Stardust
Stardust is a fantasy novel often published with illustrations by Charles Vess. It revolves around Tristran Thorn’s adventures in Wall, an English village that borders the magical land of Faerie.
This novel has 63,317 words.
American Gods
American Gods is focused on the taciturn Shadow, who is an ex-convict released from prison early because of his wife’s passing. He is then taken to journey concerning old Norse gods and the modern gods – technology.
This novel consists of 188,623 words and has a series adaptation released in 2017.
Coraline
It is a dark fantasy children’s novella. Coraline, the titular character, discovers another world when she and her parents moved into an old house.
The novella consists of 30,826 words and has movie adaptation released in 2009.
Anansi Boys
The novel revolves around the two brothers, Charlie and Spider, who discover each other’s existence when their father, Mr. Nancy (an incarnation of the Western African god Anansi), died.
Anansi Boys has 107,972 words.
The Graveyard Book
The Graveyard Book is a young adult fantasy novel released in 2008. Its center is Nobody Owens, a mortal kid who was taken care of ghosts in a graveyard after his parents are brutally murdered.
This novel consists of 69,151 words.
The Ocean At The End Of The Lane
A 2013 fantasy novel, The Ocean At The Land Of The Lane revolves around an unnamed man who returns to his hometown to attend a funeral. Through this, the man remembers events that transpired 40 years ago. The novel won the Book of The Year in the British National Book Awards.
This award-winning novel has 53,984 words.
Final Thoughts
Neil Gaiman’s works never fail to take us to other worlds and give us lessons while he’s at it. So what are you waiting for? Go on a reading spree now! If you want to know other novels’ word counts, find them here!