Thoughts on "Midnight Days"

Midnight Days by Neil Gaiman

My Rating:

I've been fascinated by Neil Gaiman's work ever since I was introduced to The Sandman Series in the early 90's. I once saw him referred to as "the most famous author you've never heard of." It may be true that some readers of literature have avoided his graphic novel work and characterize it as mere cartoons. If you are doing this, you are making a very large mistake. This is literature without question.

Having read all of The Sandman Series and almost every book Gaiman has written, I'm always in search of a "fix" of something of his that I haven't read yet. Midnight Days gave me that much needed "new Gaiman read" high. It is a collection of his earlier works from before The Sandman Series when Gaiman had a fixation on plant life. He was doing some Swamp Thing issues and also did the often forgotten Black Orchid graphic novel, a beautiful ethereal book.

Midnight Days demonstrates much of the genius to come later in Sandman. Along with Swamp Thing it contains an old Hellraiser story that I've read before but was well worth the re-read. It's such a moving story of the human need to be touched and how the quest for a simple, willing embrace can spans through the boundaries of life and death. The last story deftly combines the original Sandman with Gaiman's revised version. The illustrations in this one are especially beautiful.

Neil Gaiman's work is not for the faint of heart -- mature readers only. This means that if you don't have the stomach for the grim and sometimes grotesque, his work may not be for you. But for those who can take the occasional walk down Horror Lane you will find that it's worth the trip. I highly recommend this title for new Gaiman readers and fans alike.