Douglas Adams Continuum (DAC)

I've only read his blog and want to pick up some of his books. Where should I start? What are your favorites? Are there any duds I should avoid? Help me, please.

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"Friendship is like peeing on yourself: everyone can see it, but only you get the warm feeling that it brings."

OMG Emily, "Good Omens."

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vagabond
birds, any birds, anywhere, any time

Yeah, I've seen you guys talking about that one here. I'll pick up a copy. Thanks!

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"Friendship is like peeing on yourself: everyone can see it, but only you get the warm feeling that it brings."

Yeah, that's a good place to start. It's a fun book to read because you can see both authors styles shine through in different sections and chapters. You can definitely spot a Pterry joke when it jumps up at you, and also tell when Neils sort of gloomy way of narration is in the lead.

I like that book a lot.

Then after that, of course, you simply must get on with American Gods.

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Before long now, I'll reach the age where farting will be an essential part of propulsion.
(...don't piss us off)

i´m not a big fan of neil gaiman the novel author, but a HUGE fan of gaiman the comic book author - so i´d always recommend "sandman". start at the beginning, absolutely ("preludes and nocturnes"). it will blow you away.

"good omens", of course, is a must-read. one of the best.

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"The human gene pool needs more lifeguards!
Either that or stronger chlorination...." (Pitbull)

Neil Gaiman's best book is, of course, Don't Panic: The Official Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Companion. I do like American Gods as well.

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(... don't piss us off)

"Good Omens" was my first PTerry book as well as my first NGaiman book. As I was unfamiliar with the authors, I found it a bit hard to get into. But I'd love to read it again now that I am familiar with both.

I'd recommend "Neverwhere." While I liked American Gods, it felt like a Clive Barker story to me. But with "Neverwhere," I got immediately sucked in and fell in love with the story. I'm playing Neil Gaiman catchup now, but that still stands as my favorite with a close second by his reading of "The Graveyard Book." Which I watched here.

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It's terrible, but I guess songs are just interesting things to do with the air.
-Tom Waits

I am quite fond of Neverwhere.

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Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin to slit throats.

-H.L. Mencken


[url]http://www.madmanoz.blogspot.com[/url]

I loved Good Omens, but I was already familiar with both authors. I'm currently involved in the Discworld of Terry's right now.

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My son dresses me funny and takes pictures.

Is Good Omens something I wouldn't get if I wasn't familiar with their other work?

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"Friendship is like peeing on yourself: everyone can see it, but only you get the warm feeling that it brings."

I think you would still enjoy it, just more so if you were familiar.

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My son dresses me funny and takes pictures.

I'll second or third Neverwhere. Also, his latest, The Graveyard Book, is very good, excellent even. It might also be a decent place to start, and don't be put off by the kid-lit tag. Neil's kid-lit has an edge. I don't know: I started with Don't Panic, so I can't speak to the experience of reading the newer stuff before the older. Neil doesn't write series (unless you count Anansi Boys and a short story or two as indirect sequels) so you can't really be spoiled.

Nell's right about Sandman. It really is his best work, but I'm not sure it's the right place to start for a non-comics reader.

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Ira

"No, I am not paranoid, 'cause I can say without a trace of irony 'You're all out to get me!'" -- Dave Nelson, NewsRadio

i´m sure you would, it´s a one-shot. in fact, i have read it before i knew his other work and had read very little of pterry.
go for it. it´s a fantastic romp. can´t beat crowley´s way of caring for house plants.

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"The human gene pool needs more lifeguards!
Either that or stronger chlorination...." (Pitbull)

Well, "can´t beat crowley´s way of caring for house plants" is just about the best endorsement I've read for a book in my life. Good Omens it is. I'll work my way through the rest after.

Thanks for all the input and recommendations, everybody. I really appreciate it.

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"Friendship is like peeing on yourself: everyone can see it, but only you get the warm feeling that it brings."

I do want to state that I have not read Sandman yet. I am ashamed. I hope to remedy that very soon.

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It's terrible, but I guess songs are just interesting things to do with the air.
-Tom Waits

you do that. when i read it the first time, i was completely blown away. and it has kept its weird and dark magic until today.

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"The human gene pool needs more lifeguards!
Either that or stronger chlorination...." (Pitbull)

Agreed on Good Omens. My favorite Gaiman book so far is American Gods, but then again, i havent read many of his works yet. I bought Sandman but it was a book, apparently, it's not as good as the graphic novels

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WWJD... for a Klondike bar?

My favorite Neil Gaiman work (and I've read most but not all) is a short story c called 'Chivalry' in which a little old lady discovers the Holy Grail in a junk shop and buys it for a dollar.

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"Sir, please restrain your grandmother or I'll be forced to dump expensive champagne on her head and charge you for it."

"You're the rudest waiter I've EVER MET!"

"Thank you! Would you putting that in writing? I'm trying to win the Maitre D Society's Annual Prize."

http://www.donteatanybugs.com

I'm not a huge short story fan, but Neil has written some pretty fucking great ones. Chivalry is magnificent. I'm also very fond of We Can Get Them For You Wholesale. Both of those are collected in Smoke and Mirrors.

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Ira

"No, I am not paranoid, 'cause I can say without a trace of irony 'You're all out to get me!'" -- Dave Nelson, NewsRadio

OOh, I'll have to search out that other one for you. My Chivalry copy is from 'M is for Magic' -- Neil Gaiman is always real hit and miss for me, there always seems to be something not quite right about his books. I've read American Gods (which was wholly different, but somehow seemed to be a bit to borrowy of the concepts of Long Dark Teatime) Stardust, 1602, Good Omens, Coraline, and... something else, let me think. I dunno.

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"Sir, please restrain your grandmother or I'll be forced to dump expensive champagne on her head and charge you for it."

"You're the rudest waiter I've EVER MET!"

"Thank you! Would you putting that in writing? I'm trying to win the Maitre D Society's Annual Prize."

http://www.donteatanybugs.com

Those are two of my favorites! I also particularly love "A Study in Emerald" and "Harlequin Valentine" from Fragile Things.

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You know what you are? You're a beard with an idiot hanging off it.

I really like his collections of short stories; they're quite lovely

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Carpe aleae