Episode 10: LoveFest (Neil Gaiman)
Summary: Welcome to our first LoveFest! Today, Holly and Devin discuss myriad works from one of their favorite authors, Neil Gaiman. They first discuss books they’ve both read, sharing key themes and impacts the books made. Then, they each share a Gaiman book they’ve read the other hasn’t experienced yet. Overall, Gaiman unites Holly and Devin because of how he approaches humanity in his books - allowing each character to be flawed, to self-discover a new path, and to fight physical manifestations of the metaphorical demons we all battle.
Topics Discussed:
Books in Common (2:28):
Neverwhere: The first Gaiman book both Holly and Devin ever read, this introduction into Gaiman’s style and his techniques of world-building ignited a desire in both hosts to dive in more deeply to other Gaiman works. Protagonist Richard Mayhew finds himself in London Below, and discovers through a series of creepy and challenging events that he is more than just a young boring businessman.
The Graveyard Book: Inspired by The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, this book follows a boy who is raised in a graveyard by ghosts. Even though the novel opens with the murder of three people, even Devin wasn’t deterred because of Gaiman’s wit and care for all his characters and the assurance that good wins in the end.
Good Omens: By far their favorite Gaiman book of all time, this book and the accompanying Amazon Prime show by the same name are staples for Holly and Devin; the dynamic between angel Aziraphale and demon Crowley actually inspired the structure of Hearts & Daggers itself. Co-authored with Terry Pratchett, this book can be summed up well by Aziraphale’s comment to Adam, the Antichrist - “I was scared that you’d be hell incarnate. I hoped you’d be heaven incarnate. But you’re not either of those things; you’re much better. You’re human incarnate.”
Separate Experiences (27:53):
Devin - American Gods: This brick of a book follows Shadow, an ex-convict who is released from prison early when his wife is killed in a car accident alongside his best friend, with whom she had been having an affair. From there, Shadow is contracted as a bodyguard for Mr. Wednesday, a mysterious mafioso who sends Shadow all over America, to run into dozens of modern gods - a leprechaun, Easter, Whiskey jack, Johnny Appleseed, and more. Gaiman, while British, does a fantastic rendering of the expansiveness, the vapidness, and the hunger of American culture and the gods we worship today.
Holly - The Sandman Series: Gaiman worked at DC Comics for some time, where he conceived of a series that tells the tale of the ageless, anthropomorphic personification of Dream, his sister, Death (one of Holly’s personal favorites) and the other five Endless. The series began in 1989 and ran through 1996, but will be coming to Netflix as a series this year! Holly loved the creativity and execution of the artwork and plot in the Sandman series, and recommends it to comics lovers and the uninitiated alike.
Gaiman Overall (39:14): Holly and Devin could have talked about Neil Gaiman for hours. To conclude, though, they have a deep love for Gaiman and would read anything he writes, even a grocery list. While many of his books walk the line between humor and terror, his works are accessible even to folks like Devin who normally shy away from scary stories. Gaiman uses his monsters to teach us all about being brave, facing our fears, and standing for what we believe in despite pressure to do otherwise.
Hot On the Shelf (43:21):
Devin: Greedy by Jen Winston
What’s Making Our Hearts Race (45:42):
Holly: Elizabeth Holmes (journalist)
Devin: Minx on HBO Max
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