Episode · The Book Review · 2023-05-19
Books mentioned on Essential Neil Gaiman and A.I. Book Freakout
Jude Beersdorfer recommended American Gods by Neil Gaiman, Stardust by Neil Gaiman, and The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman, and discussed Coraline by Neil Gaiman, The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman, Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman and others, Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and others, and Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. Gilbert Cruz discussed Death of an Author by Aidan Marchine and others and MOBY-DICK; or, THE WHALE by Herman Melville.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
-
The Graveyard Book
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman is an imaginative fantasy novel that follows a human boy raised by ghosts in a graveyard after his family is murdered.
Discussed“and then the graveyard book which I believe is on the New York Times best seller list for more than a year”
Where to get it
-
American Gods
American Gods by Neil Gaiman is a fantasy novel published in 2001 that explores the conflict between traditional mythological deities and modern American manifestations of technology and consumerism.
Recommended“I would go with American Gods as I did in the piece and it was written in 2001”
Where to get it
-
Anansi Boys
Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman is an imaginative contemporary fantasy novel that adapts African mythology and Caribbean folk tales by personifying traditional spider gods and supernatural figures into modern narrative contexts.
Discussed“so he's done one that was considered a slight spin-off of American Gods called a Nancy boys which takes these Caribbean folk tales and builds upon them into a story”
Where to get it
-
Norse Mythology
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman is a captivating retelling of classic Scandinavian legends that brings ancient deities like Thor, Odin, and other powerful gods into a vivid, accessible narrative.
Discussed“and then in 2017 he did a book on Norse mythology so so you get all your big Gods there your Sor your Odin the ones you've seen in the Marvel Comics”
Where to get it
-
Good Omens
Good Omens is a humorous fantasy novel about the birth of the Antichrist and the coming apocalypse, co-written by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.
Discussed“I actually Came Upon good omen first which is his first novel but he co-wrote it with Terry pratchet who English mythology fans will know from his discor series”
Where to get it
-
Stardust
Stardust is a whimsical fantasy novel by Neil Gaiman that follows a young man's journey into a magical realm to retrieve a fallen star.
Recommended“I would have to say Stardust which to me brings to mind The Princess Bride that kind of light fairy tale stuff but it's got a little bit of an edge to it”
Where to get it
-
The Ocean at the End of the Lane
Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane is a slim, deeply atmospheric fantasy novel that explores childhood memories, ancient magic, and the shadows of the past.
Recommended“so if you want a really concentrated dose of Neil Gaiman I would go with the ocean at the end of the lane which is a very slim book”
Where to get it
-
Neverwhere
Neverwhere is an urban fantasy novel by Neil Gaiman that explores a secret, magical underworld hidden beneath the streets of London.
Discussed“neverwear which is another one of his books is sort of an urban fantasy”
Where to get it
-
Death of an Author
Discussed“Dwight is here to talk about death of an author a book he recently reviewed that was largely written with the assistance of artificial intelligence which is a weird thing”
Where to get it
-
MOBY-DICK; or, THE WHALE
Moby-Dick by Herman Melville is an epic American novel that chronicles the obsessive, self-destructive quest of Captain Ahab to hunt down the giant white whale that maimed him.
Discussed“what would it look like if artificial intelligence and they called their's baby B GPT was trained to learn language only by reading all of Jane Austin or all of Shakespeare or only the book Moby Dick as opposed to the entire internet”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (1) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“those are my conversations with Jude beers dorfer about the work of Neil Gaiman and Dwight Garner about the new AI written novel death of an author”