Line #111 Creator/NeilGaiman


1	[[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/NeilGaiman-755833_1356.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:280:Neil "Scary Trousers" Gaiman, master of modern horror.[[note]]Nickname bestowed by Creator/AlanMoore[[/note]]]]
3
4	->''"The world always seems brighter when you've just made something that wasn't there before."''
5
6	Neil Richard Mackinnon Gaiman (born 10 November 1960) is a contemporary British writer of stories known for his recurring work in the UrbanFantasy genre and extensive use of mythological references and symbolism, often times in "modern" settings. Creator/StephenKing thinks he may well be the greatest storyteller alive today.
7
8	Some of Gaiman's most famous works include the renowned ''ComicBook/TheSandman1989'' comic series for Creator/DCComics under their [[Creator/VertigoComics Vertigo]] imprint, which was the only work in its medium to win a MediaNotes/WorldFantasyAward for Best Short Story.[[note]]To prevent it happening again, [[ObviousRulePatch they changed the rules]] so that comic books had to be relegated to their own special category, and couldn't be judged alongside prose works.[[/note]] His novels ''Literature/{{Stardust}}'' and ''Literature/{{Coraline}}'' have been made into movies, and ''Literature/{{American Gods}}'' and ''Literature/{{Good Omens}}'' have been made into streaming miniseries. He's also written scripts for other projects, such as ''Film/MirrorMask'' by Creator/DaveMcKean and the ''Series/{{Neverwhere}}'' TV series. In addition, he worked on the translated script of ''Anime/PrincessMononoke''. His young adult work ''Literature/TheGraveyardBook'' became the first book to win both the MediaNotes/NewberyMedal and the MediaNotes/CarnegieMedal. He also wrote two episodes for ''Series/DoctorWho'', "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS32E4TheDoctorsWife The Doctor's Wife]]" in Series 6 and "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS33E12NightmareInSilver Nightmare in Silver]]" in Series 7.
9
10	Gaiman married Music/AmandaPalmer of The Dresden Dolls in 2011; they have one son together. The couple [[https://journal.neilgaiman.com/2022/11/a-joint-statement-from-amanda-and-me.html announced their divorce]] in November 2022. He has three grown kids from an earlier marriage who, he says, were the inspiration for works like ''Literature/{{Coraline}}'' and his picture books.
11
12	He has a [[http://twitter.com/#!/neilhimself Twitter account]] and a [[http://neil-gaiman.tumblr.com/ Tumblr blog]], as well as a [[http://journal.neilgaiman.com/ more traditional blog]] (it was originally created to document his promotion tour for ''Literature/AmericanGods'' back in 2001, and it took off from there). He's also been known to dispense writing advice to fans (often via Website/{{Tumblr}}). He is also a part-time professor at Bard College.
13
14	During the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic, when Creator/LeVarBurton was looking for material to read during his live-stream, Neil granted [[https://twitter.com/neilhimself/status/1242631908598611968 "blanket permission"]] for him and anyone else to use his stories for their shows.
15
16	!!His works include:
17
18	[[foldercontrol]]
19	[[index]]
20	[[folder:Comic Books]]
21	* ''ComicBook/BlackOrchid'': His premiere work for Creator/DCComics, with art by Creator/DaveMcKean. Legend has it that when Gaiman floated the idea, he had to explain to DC's representatives who the character ''was''.
22	* ''ComicBook/TheSandman1989'': His BreakthroughHit, and arguably the reason DC was able to launch its [[Creator/VertigoComics Vertigo wing]] at all. Featured -- by design -- an ever-rotating cast of interior artists, but almost always with covers by [=Dave McKean=]. Spin-offs were innumerable, but the ones Gaiman directly wrote include:
23	** ''ComicBook/DeathTheHighCostOfLiving''
24	** ''ComicBook/DeathTheTimeOfYourLife''
25	** ''Literature/TheSandmanTheDreamHunters'' (a prose novella illustrated by Creator/YoshitakaAmano)
26	** ''ComicBook/TheSandmanEndlessNights''
27	** ''ComicBook/TheSandmanOverture''
28	* ''ComicBook/TheBooksOfMagic'': The original four-issue volume only. Basically an encyclopedia of all of DC's magic-based characters, with painted art by John Bolton, Scott Hampton, Charles Vess, and Paul Johnson.
29	* A handful of ''ComicBook/SwampThing'' stories (the Creator/AlanMoore run on ''Swamp Thing'' being a premier influence on his love of comics) and one issue of [[/index]][[index]]''ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}}''. All collected in the volume ''Midnight Days''.
30	* A handful of ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'' stories -- most famously the MindScrew Riddler origin "When is a Door" and [[/index]][[index]]''ComicBook/WhateverHappenedToTheCapedCrusader'' -- which can all be found in just about any collection of the latter.
31	* ''ComicBook/{{Miracleman}}'': Picked up right where Creator/AlanMoore left off... and [[LeftHanging promptly dropped off after eight issues]] on account of Eclipse going bankrupt. After many thrilling legal adventures, the rights are now with Creator/MarvelComics, who have reprinted the first arc and are completing the second one.
32	** ''ComicBook/MiraclemanTheGoldenAge'': Originally published by Eclipse, later republished by Marvel.
33	** ''ComicBook/MiraclemanTheSilverAge'': Two issues were published by Eclipse. Marvel repubished them in 2022 and then continued on to new material. However, the Marvel editions are not simply reprints - artist Mark Buckingham chose to completely redraw the art for the Marvel series.
34	* A handful of ''ComicBook/{{Spawn}}'' stories, as a show of creator's-rights solidarity with Creator/ToddMcFarlane and Creator/ImageComics. Ironically produced the first big legal kerfuffle of his career, as he and [=McFarlane=] constantly butted heads over who had the rights to BreakoutCharacter Angela.
35	* ''ComicBook/ViolentCases''
36	* ''[[ComicBook/MrPunchTheTragicalComedyOrTheComicalTragedy Mr. Punch: The Tragical Comedy or the Comical Tragedy]]''
37	* ''ComicBook/TheLastTemptation'': A collaboration with Music/AliceCooper. Initially published through Creator/MarvelComics' short-lived Marvel Music imprint, but not considered a Marvel comic ''per se''.
38	* ''ComicBook/Marvel1602'': For all intents and purposes, his Creator/MarvelComics premiere -- a Franchise/MarvelUniverse {{Elseworld}}, transposing many familiar characters to the year 1602.
39	* ''ComicBook/Eternals2006'': A {{Retool}} of the Creator/JackKirby [[ComicBook/TheEternals characters]] and their ''Franchise/MarvelUniverse'' mythology.
40	* ''Creatures of the Night''
41	* ''Harlequin Valentine'': Began as a short story.
42	* ''Literature/MurderMysteries'': Began as a short story.
43	* ''[[ComicBook/SignalToNoise Signal to Noise]]''
44	* ''The Case in the Departure of Miss Finch'': Began as a short story.
45	* ''[[ComicBook/{{Metamorpho}} Metamorpho The Element Man]]'' in ''ComicBook/WednesdayComics''
46	* Gaiman also came up with the concept that Tekno Comix eventually turned into a small line of inter-linked titles. The original pitch differed from the end result in a number of respects, to Gaiman's displeasure.[[/index]]
47	* Wrote the story "Wordsworth" for the ''Creator/CliveBarker's Franchise/{{Hellraiser}}'' comic series; it was republished in the short stories collection ''Hellbound Hearts''.
48	* ''Goliath'', a ''[[Film/TheMatrix Matrix]]'' comic.[[index]]
49	* ''ComicBook/{{The Childrens Crusade\|Vertigo}}'', Vertigo's first, and only, attempt at a crossover.
50	* ''With Great Responsibility'', a story in ''Amazing Fantasy #1000'', a MilestoneCelebration of ComicBook/SpiderMan.[[/index]]
51	[[/folder]]
52
53	[[folder:Novels]]
54	* ''Literature/GoodOmens'', in collaboration with Creator/TerryPratchett. (1990)
55	* ''Literature/{{Neverwhere}}'' (1996)
56	* ''Literature/{{Stardust}}'' (1999)
57	* ''Literature/AmericanGods'' (2000)
58	* ''Literature/{{Coraline}}'' (2002)
59	* ''Literature/AnansiBoys'' (2005)
60	* The ''Literature/{{Interworld}}'' series, in collaboration with Michael Reaves (and later, Mallory Reaves).
61	** ''Interworld'' (2007)
62	** ''The Silver Dream'' (2013) - essentially written by Mallory Reaves, with Neil getting co-story credit
63	** ''Eternity's Wheel'' (2015) - essentially written by Mallory Reaves, with Neil getting co-story credit
64	* ''Literature/TheGraveyardBook'' (2008)
65	* ''Literature/OddAndTheFrostGiants''
66	* ''Film/MirrorMask'' - The novelization
67	* ''Literature/TheOceanAtTheEndOfTheLane'' (2013)
68	[[/folder]]
69
70	[[folder:Short stories & anthologies]]
71	* ''Literature/ICthulhu'' (1987): A humorous memoir of the life of Franchise/{{Cthulhu\|Mythos}}. One of his earliest stories, and [[https://www.neilgaiman.com/Cool_Stuff/Short_Stories/I_Cthulhu available for free on his website]].[[/index]]
72	* ''Angels & Visitations'' (1993): His first solo anthology. Contains such fan favorites as:
73	** "Literature/{{Chivalry}}"
74	** "Literature/TheGoldfishPoolAndOtherStories"
75	** "Literature/TheWeddingPresent"
76	** "Literature/MurderMysteries"
77	** "Literature/WeCanGetThemForYouWholesale"[[/index]]
78	* ''Smoke & Mirrors'' (1998): Reprints ten works from ''Angels & Visitations'' and a whole lot of new ones, most notably the FracturedFairyTale[[index]] ''Literature/SnowGlassApples''.
79	* "Literature/ForbiddenBridesOfTheFacelessSlaves in the Secret House of the Night of Dread Desire", printed in ''Gothic!'' from 2004.
80	* ''Fragile Things'' (2006): First collection for the new millennium, containing first publishings of stories such as:
81	** "Literature/AStudyInEmerald"
82	** "Literature/BitterGrounds"
83	** "Literature/OctoberInTheChair"
84	** "Literature/TheProblemOfSusan"
85	** "Literature/HowToTalkToGirlsAtParties"[[/index]]
86	* ''M is for Magic'' (2007): Collection of G-rated ([[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids more or less]]) works. Mostly reprints from the earlier anthologies, with one previously-uncollected story and a preview chapter for ''Literature/TheGraveyardBook''.
87	* ''Stories'' (2010): Co-edited with Al Sarrantonio.
88	* "Nothing O'Clock", ''Literature/DoctorWho11Doctors11Stories'' (2013)[[index]]
89	* ''Literature/HowTheMarquisGotHisCoatBack'': Follow-up to ''Literature/{{Neverwhere}}'', originally published in Creator/GeorgeRRMartin's 2014 anthology ''Rogues''. Later printed as a standalone novella in 2015.[[/index]]
90	* ''Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances'' (2015): First collection for TheNewTens, featuring - among others:[[index]]
91	** "Literature/{{Down to a Sunless Sea\|2013}}"
92	** "Literature/TheTruthIsACaveInTheBlackMountains"
93	** "Literature/TheCaseOfDeathAndHoney"
94	** "Literature/TheThingAboutCassandra"
95	** "Literature/NothingOClock"
96	** "Literature/TheManWhoForgotRayBradbury"
97	** "Literature/FeminineEndings"
98	** "Literature/TheSleeperAndTheSpindle"[[/index]]
99	* ''Norse Mythology'' (2017): A retelling of Myth/NorseMythology.[[index]]
100	[[/folder]]
101
102	[[folder:Picture books]]
103	* ''The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish'', illustrated by Creator/DaveMcKean. (1997)
104	* ''The Wolves in the Walls'', illustrated by [=Dave McKean=]. (2003)
105	* ''The Dangerous Alphabet'', illustrated by Gris Grimley. (2008)
106	* ''Blueberry Girl'', illustrated by Charles Vess. (2009)
107	* ''Crazy Hair'', illustrated by [=Dave McKean=]. (2009)
108	* ''Instructions'', illustrated by Charles Vess. (2010)
109	* ''Chu's Day'', illustrated by Adam Rex. (2013)[[index]]
110	* ''Literature/FortunatelyTheMilk'', illustrated by Skottie Young (US edition) or Chris Riddell (UK edition). (2013)
111	* ''Literature/TheSleeperAndTheSpindle'', illustrated by Chris Riddell. (2014)
112	[[/folder]]
113
114	[[folder:Films]]
115	* ''Anime/PrincessMononoke'' (he wrote the [[{{Woolseyism}} Woolseyist]] script)
116	* ''Film/{{Stardust}}''
117	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Beowulf\|2007}}'' (the 2007 film, written with friend/cult director Creator/RogerAvary)
118	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Coraline}}''
119	* ''Film/MirrorMask''[[/index]]
120	* ''Death: The High Cost of Living'' (in "DevelopmentHell")[[index]]
121	* ''Literature/AnansiBoys'' (upcoming, no due date, but he has at least finished and handed in a rough draft of the script.)
122	* ''Literature/HowToTalkToGirlsAtParties''
123	[[/folder]]
124
125	[[folder:Live Action TV]][[/index]]
126	* Wrote the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episodes[[index]] "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS32E4TheDoctorsWife The Doctor's Wife]]"[[/index]] and [[index]]"[[Recap/DoctorWhoS33E12NightmareInSilver Nightmare In Silver]]". He’s disowned the final version of the latter, which went through ExecutiveMeddling that left some plot holes and left him feeling the soul of what he wrote was gone. In 2020, he wrote a Doctor Who minisode featuring Rory Williams, with Arthur Darvill reprising his role.[[/index]]
127	* Wrote an episode for ''Series/BabylonFive'':[[index]] "[[Recap/BabylonFiveS05E08DayOfTheDead Day of the Dead]]". Especially notable as the ''only'' episode of the show not written by Creator/JMichaelStraczynski after season two. The Gaim, one of the alien races in ''Babylon 5'', is named for him. And just to hammer the homage further, they all strongly resemble [[ComicBook/TheSandman1989 Dream Of The Endless]].
128	* ''Series/{{Neverwhere}}''
129	* ''Series/{{American Gods\|2017}}'': Airing in 2017 on Starz and created by Creator/BryanFuller.
130	* ''Series/GoodOmens2019'': Full-on showrunner and appointed guardian of Creator/TerryPratchett's legacy, a role which swallowed up most of his time (and stamina) from 2017 to early 2019.[[/index]]
131	* Had a brief CreatorCameo as the voice of God in the last episode of Season 3 of ''Series/{{Lucifer\|2016}}'', a loose adaptation of [[ComicBook/{{Lucifer}} Lucifer Morningstar]], which he co-created along with Creator/MikeCarey.[[index]]
132	* ''Series/{{The Sandman\|2022}}''
133	[[/folder]]
134	[[/index]]
135	[[folder:Other]]
136	* ''Ghastly Beyond Belief -- The Science Fiction and Fantasy Book of Quotations'' (1985, with Creator/KimNewman) -- a {{troperiffic}} collection of movie and written fiction quotes with plenty of snarky asides from the compilers.
137	[[/folder]]
138	----
139	!!Tropes in his work:
140	* AllMythsAreTrue: This is the basic premise of ''American Gods'', but it's common in other works.
141	* AnimalMotifs: Used most prominently in ''Anansi Boys'', but ubiquitous throughout his work.
142	* ApocalypseCult: ''Shoggoths Old Peculiar'' has an (initially) UnfazedEveryman American tourist who visits the picturesque English town of Innsmouth and converses in a pub with the friendly Cthulhu-worshippers who live there. He ends up with a bad hangover and a "feeling of nameless dread" (TM).
143	* AsHimself: In the second ''Literature/ShadowPolice'' novel, ''The Severed Streets'', Neil--with his involvement and permission--appears as a supporting character [[ExpositionFairy who has some information regarding the magic of London]] that the protagonists find useful. [[spoiler: He also aids a villain in murdering one of the protagonists.]] He also appears in "The Original Dr Shade", a short story by Creator/KimNewman.
144	** Also his guest appearance on ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' in 2011 where he claims he NeverLearnedToRead despite being a famous author. Ditto his appearance in ''WebVideo/TheGuild''.
145	** Gaiman has a small role (and song!) in the 1980s Star Trek tie-in novel ''How Much For Just The Planet?'' Especially fun as he was little known at the time.
146	** Small references in ''The Case in the Departure of Miss Finch'' show you that the protagonist of the story is Gaiman himself. Notably, because it's the sort of story he writes for a living, they cannot tell what happened to the police or the press.
147	** [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in the Audible short story "The Neil Gaiman At The End of the Universe": It turns out that the man known as Neil Gaiman, who is voiced by Neil, is not actually him. [[spoiler: He's a psychologist who was acting his own test subject in an experiment to help astronauts combat the mental effects of isolation.]]
148	** Gaiman also made a guest appearance as himself in ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'' episode "[[Recap/TheBigBangTheoryS11E21TheCometPolarization The Comet Polarization]]".
149	** Gaiman appears as himself in one episode of the comedy series ''Series/{{Staged}}'', which stars his ''Series/GoodOmens2019'' leads Creator/DavidTennant and Creator/MichaelSheen as fictionalised versions of themselves.
150	* AuthorAppeal:
151	** AllMythsAreTrue, but the one Gaiman finds the most interesting is Myth/NorseMythology. Loki and Odin are major characters in both ''American Gods'' and ''The Sandman''. ''Odd and the Frost Giants'' is based on Norse myths and he even wrote an entire novel acting as a retelling, aptly named ''Norse Mythology''.
152	** Tied with the above, GeniusLoci and {{Eldritch Abomination}}s, particularly of the [[HumanoidAbomination humanoid kind]] also frequently pop on his works.
153	* BanteringBaddieBuddies: Many of his works have a pair of bad guys with little characterization outside of being an inseparable antagonistic pair. Examples include Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar; Hastur and Ligur; and Mr. Wood and Mr. Stone.
154	* BasedOnATrueStory: He confirmed in the collection ''Smoke and Mirrors'' that "Queen of Knives" was based on real events, namely his grandmother disappearing. In the case of the poem, the grandmother disappears [[spoiler:during a magic trick and the magician refuses to say where she went or what happened to her when the grandfather confronts him]]. Apparently, the details were so close to the truth that Neil received concerned messages from people who knew the real story.
155	* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Due to the frequent use of EldritchAbomination in his works, they usually have their own morality.
156	* CommediaDellArte: Especially in ''Mr. Punch'' and "Harlequin Valentine".
157	* ContinuityPorn: He can reach ''Creator/DonRosa'' levels of this, especially when he's writing for DC. ''The Books of Magic'' ties together almost ''every'' magic-based character in the DCU circa 1991[[note]]A notable exception being ComicBook/WonderWoman, who was undergoing a rather messy CrisisCrossover at the time[[/note]], with the last Book even cameoing sci-fi characters like Tommy Tomorrow, the ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes, and Franchise/TheFlash villain Abra Kadabra.
158	* CreatorThumbprint: His novel protagonists follow a specific pattern: young-ish males who are pretty much completely unfamiliar with the fantasy realm in which they find themselves, who survive and triumph by a combination of luck, compassion, and a lot of help from a more knowledgeable, often female character.
159	* DarkFic:
160	** Literature/TheProblemOfSusan is a harsh account of what happened to Susan after the Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia books took place.
161	** ''[[https://thedreaming.moteofdust.com/1999/10/10/snow-glass-apples/ Snow, Glass, Apples]],'' is a retelling of Snow White, with Snow White as a [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampiric]] HumanoidAbomination.
162	** Literature/AStudyInEmerald takes Franchise/SherlockHolmes and crosses it over with Franchise/CthulhuMythos.
163	** [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] with ''Literature/GoodOmens'', which an AffectionateParody of the [[Literature/TheBible Book of Revelation]] (and to a lesser extent, ''Film/TheOmen'').
164	* DidWeJustHaveTeaWithCthulhu: It's entirely possible for main characters to meet with a HumanoidAbomination and have a perfectly pleasant time, not even realizing exactly what they were dealing with.
165	* TheEveryman: The hero of his works is often this. Notably, the AntiAntiChrist in ''Good Omens'' winds up being [[spoiler: described as "human incarnate" rather than "demon incarnate" as expected.]]
166	* EyeScream: A recurrent theme.
167	* FracturedFairyTale: Several of his stories and novels play with fairy tales and tropes and fracture them to pieces. "Snow, Glass, Apples" is a dark take on Snow White in which Snow White is a vampire. Meanwhile "The Case of the Four and Twenty Blackbirds" mashes up several nursery rhymes into a PrivateEyeMonologue as HardboiledDetective Jack Horner tries to solve the murder of Humpty Dumpty. "Literature/TheSleeperAndTheSpindle" features Queen Snow White investigating the familiar curse of ''Sleeping Beauty'', only to discover that [[spoiler: the old woman looking after the girl was the ''princess'', who was cursed to stay ''awake'', and the evil sorceress was the one asleep, restoring her youth and power.]]
168	* FutureSelfReveal: In the short story "Other People", [[spoiler:the demon in {{Hell}} who tortures and interrogates the damned protagonist turns out to be [[DemonOfHumanOrigin the man himself]], mutilated beyond recognition. Whether or not that means an [[EpiphanicPrison eventual release]] for him is left ambiguous.]]
169	* HighClassCannibal: In his short story "Sunbird", when Crusty reveals that a past incarnation of the Epicurean Club had tried human flesh, which was apparently legal at the time it had happened, provided it came from someone sentenced to death in the electric chair, and that it was nothing special and prompted no one to pursue cannibalism regularly, save for one member who was already prone that way.
170	* HumongousHeadedHammer: ''Literature/NorseMythology2017'' is a retelling of classic Norse myth in contemporary language. Thor's hammer, depicted on the cover, is an iron brick with intricate gold inlay, and Thor uses it to do many a OneHitKill, particularly on Frost Giants, aka Jotun, and on one occasion an entire wedding party of ogres.
171	* InWhichATropeIsDescribed: Used in the novels ''Stardust'' and ''Anansi Boys'', the ''Sandman'' story arcs ''Season of Mists'' and ''Brief Lives''. even [[https://mobile.twitter.com/neilhimself/status/605802715722084352?lang=en the occasional Tweet]].
172	* IWasYoungAndNeededTheMoney: The reason for his first published book: a biography of Music/DuranDuran. Worse yet, the publisher folded and he didn't even get the money. He says the experience taught him that selling out isn't worth it.
173	* JokersLoveJunkFood: His retelling of ''Myth/NorseMythology'' paints Thor as a lover of junk in "Freya's Strange Wedding", as Thor, [[DraggedIntoDrag disguised as Freya]], eats an entire tray of pastries and "fancies" at a wedding party, to the consternation of the other women there. Loki, by comparison, takes a dainty bite of a single offering. In Gaiman's retelling, Thor is characterized as DumbMuscle, though no less strong or dangerous for that.
174	* LightIsNotGood: Several works have villainous angels, and other similar subverted tropes.
175	* OldShame: Invoked in promotions for the ''[[http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2015/09/do-you-want-save-thousands-of-dollars.html Humble Bundle]]'', a collection of rare stories and books rereleased to raise funds for charity. These include his infamous debut book — a biography of Music/DuranDuran — and a short story, “Manuscript Found in a Milk Bottle", which Gaiman claims "is so bad I've never let it be reprinted. Not even to give young writers hope that if I was that awful once, there is hope for all of them."
176	* PoliticalOvercorrectness:
177	** Somehow, he manages to deconstruct the idea itself. In a [[http://neil-gaiman.tumblr.com/post/43087620460/i-was-reading-a-book-about-interjections-oddly blog post]], he proposed replacing the term "Politically Correct"[[note]]Which was coined by the kind of person who'd speak the trope name to unfavourably compare people criticising something to certain communist regimes[[/note]] with the phrase "Treating Other People With Respect", to highlight the implications of rubbishing someone else's feelings.
178	** At the same time, he's firmly against MoralGuardians trying to forbid content on the basis of obscenity, as discussed [[http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2008/12/why-defend-freedom-of-icky-speech.html here]]
179	* ReferenceOverdosed: For more information click [[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Neil_Gaiman&oldid=621010575#Literary_allusions here]].
180	* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism: His work usually differentiates about where it lands closer to. However, there are elements of both in all his stories.
181	* SharedFateUltimatum: the short story "The Monarch of the Glen". After Shadow helps save her son, Grendel's mother tells Smith and Mr. Alice that if anything happens to Shadow and she suspects their hand in it, they will meet with quick deaths themselves.
182	* SurrealHorror: This can't be stressed enough. The guy made ''buttons'' scary, for crying out loud. And, that's among the ''least'' of the [[MindScrew screwy]], nightmare, weirdly juxtapositioned tomfoolery he pulls on you. It's almost a relief when you get to see it upfront and in-your-face in such places as Delirium's realm, rather than sneaking up to randomly grab you from "normal" environments... like say, in ''Literature/{{Neverwhere}}''. Or ''Literature/AmericanGods''. Or anything else.

Context Creator / NeilGaiman