Neil Gaiman

[Tonyblack]

Very interesting, and correct too I suspect.

[Bouncy Castle]

I was just contemplating Good Omens for Kindle [ glares at Pip ], and loved the reviews:

'Wickedly funny' (Time Out )

'A superbly funny book. Pratchett and Gaiman are the most hilariously sinister team since Jekyll and Hyde. If this is Armageddon, count me in' (James Herbert )

'Heaven to read, and you'll laugh like hell' (Time Out )

'Not quite as sinister as the authors' photo' (The Times )

'Hilarious Pratchett magic tempered by Neil Gaiman's dark steely style; who could ask for a better combination?' (Fear )


I have to admit, that I read this at least once a year, and never tire of it.

[Tonyblack]

That Times review is actually on the back cover of the book.

I always chuckle at the review printed inside Interesting Times.

'A complete amateur . . . doesn't even write in chapters . . . hasn't a clue'

Tom Paulin, on BBC 2's Late Review

[Bouncy Castle]

Was that tongue in cheek, or for real?

[Tonyblack]

Knowing Tom Paulin, probably serious. I used to watch that programme and what a bunch of self-important twa . . . twits they were. I love the fact that Terry included it as a sort of nose-thumb to Paulin.

[Tonyblack]

Here's another Paulin comment on Terry from an online article:

Appraising one of Pratchett’s novels,Tom Paulin commented on the richness of the vocabulary, saying any novel that used interesting words like ‘drumlin’ could not be all that bad, but after examining it closely he was overwhelmed. “It’s like picking up a stone,” he said, “and seeing millions of insects crawling in all directions – all you can do is put it back and leave them to it.”

This is the type of put-down one might expect from an admirer of William Hazlitt. Paulin requires slowness, focus, density, tonal variation, a layered seriousness of presentation while Pratchett seems to be constantly reiterating, “Isn’t this a topsy-turvy rollicking nuthouse of a universe!”

Full article here.

[Bouncy Castle]

Earnings from Pratchett's books are now enormous but they were not initially spectacular. “With my first novel,” he recalled, “I was given an advance that enabled me to buy a medium-sized greenhouse. The next year my second book came out, and with that I was able to buy another medium-sized greenhouse. By the time my third book was published, I wondered whether I might not ask the publisher to send me a greenhouse direct and not bother about the advance.”

Great article.

[Who's Wee Dug]

That erse Paulin probably is too thick to understand the humour, reminds me of another self gradising arsehole on the beeb Melvyn Bragg when he interviewed Iain Banks and Iain tore him to bits when brag came out with his usual crap, it was fun to watch the tables being turned on him.

[Bouncy Castle]

Ooooh. Look what I've found.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/collections ... nterviews/

[Tonyblack]

Great find Bouncy! I'm listening to Bernard Cornwell on Desert Island Disc at this moment.

Does anyone know if this can be heard overseas?

[Bouncy Castle]

No idea.

[Quatermass]

I recently finished reading the entire series of The Sandman. Gaiman's an excellent writer. I had to admit, Good Omens wasn't one of my favourite works of his (or Pratchett's), but that's the exception rather than the rule. I mean, you have American Gods, you have The Sandman (The Kindly Ones being the best of the actual volumes), you have The Graveyard Book, not to mention Doctor Who: The Doctor's Wife.

[Who's Wee Dug]

Q as you are trying to get published try this.

http://www.britishfantasysociety.co.uk/ ... -now-open/

[Bouncy Castle]

From Twitter:

Doctor Longscarf ‏@DoctorLongscarf

IT''S OFFICIAL!!! A @neilhimself penned epsidode is part of the 2013 line-up. It will be the penultimate episode of the series.

[Bouncy Castle]

From Twitter yesterday night:

Right. Stopping the Doctor Who rewrite for tonight in order to be awake & or make sense on the Today show tomorrow. Goodnight.