Menomenah... doot doo de do do!
August 17, 2005 8:43 AM Subscribe
In Neil Gaiman's "American
Gods", the central character spends quite a bit of time in a fictional
small town called Lakewood, WI.
Lakewood closely resembles Gaiman's
hometown of Menomonie,
WI. It's all there: The
Buck saloon, the
manmade lake, even "the klunker". When Shadow goes for a walk in the area, the
rivers, streams, and trails he uses are thinly disguised names for similar
attractions around Menomonie. Is Lakewood Gaiman's love letter to his new home-town,
or just an author following the rule of "write what you know?"
Well, I guess thats what I get for asking rhetorical questions. Maybe a better tagline would have been "How cool is that?"
posted by cosmicbandito at 8:54 AM on August 17, 2005
posted by cosmicbandito at 8:54 AM on August 17, 2005
That's cool, I live in Eau Claire, I never knew Gaiman was from Menomonie.
posted by substrate at 9:05 AM on August 17, 2005
posted by substrate at 9:05 AM on August 17, 2005
I hope for my own sake that "Neverwhere" implied complete and utter fiction. I'd certainly choose death over having to live in a place etched out by Gaiman's bland, clichéd writing.
(I'll make exception for anything done with a co-author, like Good Omens, and for American Gods, too, but Neverwhere was the worst piece of tripe I've ever sampled)
posted by dreamsign at 9:06 AM on August 17, 2005
(I'll make exception for anything done with a co-author, like Good Omens, and for American Gods, too, but Neverwhere was the worst piece of tripe I've ever sampled)
posted by dreamsign at 9:06 AM on August 17, 2005
substrate, me too. I'm a fan of Gaiman's and was a surprised as you to find out he lives a few miles away. I got a huge kick out of reading American Gods and picking out the landmarks I could recognise.
posted by cosmicbandito at 9:07 AM on August 17, 2005
posted by cosmicbandito at 9:07 AM on August 17, 2005
So wait, Neil Gaiman wrote "Good Omens" with Terry Pratchett, and his new book has much the same premise as Pratchett's "Small Gods"? Should be a good read.
posted by cyphill at 9:08 AM on August 17, 2005
posted by cyphill at 9:08 AM on August 17, 2005
I could be wrong about this, but I believe he moved there post "American Gods."
posted by drezdn at 9:09 AM on August 17, 2005
posted by drezdn at 9:09 AM on August 17, 2005
It's my impression, from talking to his lawyers a couple of years back, that he doesn't want people knowing where he lives. A bit afraid of fanboys showing up and hanging around his house, so I was told. His lawyers preferred that it be said he lives in the "Minneapolis area." Maybe he's changed his mind about that, though.
posted by schmedeman at 9:20 AM on August 17, 2005
posted by schmedeman at 9:20 AM on August 17, 2005
Menomonie's an interesting place... I know an unusually high percentage of very smart, very cool people who were born there. The town also features a bar called Bada Bing (not sure if Tony Soprano and Paulie Walnuts hang out there) and this weird cement company with a billboard that splits its time between being pro-cement and anti-abortion.
posted by COBRA! at 9:22 AM on August 17, 2005
posted by COBRA! at 9:22 AM on August 17, 2005
Oh, and adding what schmedeman said, my wife used to work for the MN Humanities Commission, which runs the Minnesota Book Awards. They had a hell of a time figuring out whether Neil Gaiman actually had a residence anywhere in Minnesota (singce he said "Minneapolis area"), and the Gaiman camp was very uninterested in helping them.
posted by COBRA! at 9:24 AM on August 17, 2005
posted by COBRA! at 9:24 AM on August 17, 2005
schmedeman, I've heard he's fairly secretive too. He's not listed in any directories or anything, and I doubt there's anybody selling "maps to the stars" on the streets of Menomonie. I think the Minneapolis thing is because people are so gepgraphicaly impaired you have to mention the nearset major metro area in order to give them a general grasp of what you're talking about.
posted by cosmicbandito at 9:31 AM on August 17, 2005
posted by cosmicbandito at 9:31 AM on August 17, 2005
I wonder if Menomonie might be the location of his "writing cabin". I read his web journal and there are signs that he really is inside the Twin Cities. He has hinted that his drive to DreamHaven Books in Minneapolis is a short one.
posted by Ber at 9:35 AM on August 17, 2005
posted by Ber at 9:35 AM on August 17, 2005
cosmicbandito, sorry for a style quibble, but please don't insert carriage returns after your post on the homepage...
posted by jonson at 9:35 AM on August 17, 2005
posted by jonson at 9:35 AM on August 17, 2005
Though a US Today story pretty much came out and said it last year.
posted by drezdn at 9:40 AM on August 17, 2005
posted by drezdn at 9:40 AM on August 17, 2005
Well, considering Gaiman has written stories set in places like Hell, I doubt it's strictly a case of "write what you know."
Then again...
posted by samh23 at 9:41 AM on August 17, 2005
Then again...
posted by samh23 at 9:41 AM on August 17, 2005
Excellent post, great digging! Too bad American Gods pretty much fell apart by the end, it had a great premise and some fun characters. The plot was just too obvious and overblown.
posted by gurple at 9:45 AM on August 17, 2005
posted by gurple at 9:45 AM on August 17, 2005
"Or"? Why not both?
Technically, as an inclusive disjunction, "or" can mean "both". /nitpick
posted by jbrjake at 9:49 AM on August 17, 2005
Technically, as an inclusive disjunction, "or" can mean "both". /nitpick
posted by jbrjake at 9:49 AM on August 17, 2005
Small Gods was great.
Just saying. Better ending than American Gods, too.
posted by linux at 9:58 AM on August 17, 2005
Just saying. Better ending than American Gods, too.
posted by linux at 9:58 AM on August 17, 2005
I just hope there isn't a kid in the trunk
posted by leotrotsky at 10:15 AM on August 17, 2005
posted by leotrotsky at 10:15 AM on August 17, 2005
Small Gods (Pratchett) and American Gods (Gaiman) have a lot in common. If you liked one you'll probably like the other. American Gods was just OK in my opinion. I liked Small Gods more because Terry Pratchett can do no wrong.
posted by selfmedicating at 10:26 AM on August 17, 2005
posted by selfmedicating at 10:26 AM on August 17, 2005
Bada Bing was a silly place. They have a drink called the Terminator... I think if you drink five of them (100% well liquor in a pint glass), you get a t-shirt (and probably a mighty hangover).
That's nothing though, compared to 'All-you-can-spill' Icehouse/ Bud Lite/Lenies Lite on Thursday.
And the Buck has probably the best deep fried cheese curds out there.
The things I learned in college...
posted by chibikeandy at 10:29 AM on August 17, 2005
That's nothing though, compared to 'All-you-can-spill' Icehouse/ Bud Lite/Lenies Lite on Thursday.
And the Buck has probably the best deep fried cheese curds out there.
The things I learned in college...
posted by chibikeandy at 10:29 AM on August 17, 2005
He certainly seems to live in the Twin Cities... Greg, the man who runs Dreamhaven, seems to maintain pretty close ties with Gaiman. I thik he said that Dreamhaven originally helped Gaiman get published.
Gaiman occasionally drops in on our con, from what I've heard.
Of course, it seems like most of western Wisconsin is just an extended suburb of the Twin Cities these days. Along with both the Dakotas and a small part of northern Iowa.
posted by jiawen at 10:40 AM on August 17, 2005
Gaiman occasionally drops in on our con, from what I've heard.
Of course, it seems like most of western Wisconsin is just an extended suburb of the Twin Cities these days. Along with both the Dakotas and a small part of northern Iowa.
posted by jiawen at 10:40 AM on August 17, 2005
It never ceases to amaze me how there are Gaiman fans, and there are Pratchett fans, and very rarely the twain shall meet. That is, it's the rare person I know who likes them both equally, or doesn't just flatout dislike one of them.
I love Gaiman, Pratchett annoys me. C'est la vie!
posted by Medieval Maven at 10:52 AM on August 17, 2005
I love Gaiman, Pratchett annoys me. C'est la vie!
posted by Medieval Maven at 10:52 AM on August 17, 2005
I just read American Gods the other day and loved it. I was wondering if Lakewood was real or not, but was too lazy to Google it. I've always found it amusing that someone like Gaiman, who seems very worldly in his views, would hole up in the midwest.
posted by handshake at 10:56 AM on August 17, 2005
posted by handshake at 10:56 AM on August 17, 2005
I've always found it amusing that someone like Gaiman, who seems very worldly in his views, would hole up in the midwest.
Well, he demonstrably has a very rich fantasy life to get him by.
posted by gurple at 10:59 AM on August 17, 2005
Well, he demonstrably has a very rich fantasy life to get him by.
posted by gurple at 10:59 AM on August 17, 2005
As someone who's "holed up in the midwest", I'd like to remind people that being "worldly" doesn't mean you can't live in backwater places. It's more of a state of mind. We're not all inbred cowherds here in WI.
posted by cosmicbandito at 11:07 AM on August 17, 2005
posted by cosmicbandito at 11:07 AM on August 17, 2005
It never ceases to amaze me how there are Gaiman fans, and there are Pratchett fans, and very rarely the twain shall meet. That is, it's the rare person I know who likes them both equally, or doesn't just flatout dislike one of them.
I love them both.
<glances at bookshelves filled with Gaiman and Pratchett>
FWIW, there is also an actual town of Lakewood, WI.
posted by kayjay at 11:08 AM on August 17, 2005
(Not that I think that Lakewood is Gaiman's Lakewood. Pretty area, though.)
posted by kayjay at 11:11 AM on August 17, 2005
posted by kayjay at 11:11 AM on August 17, 2005
I've always found it amusing that someone like Gaiman, who seems very worldly in his views, would hole up in the midwest.
You know, the Midwest is no less worldly than any other place in the country, including New York, where the majority of the citizens never leave the metropolitan area. So why not? Especially if it gives him the privacy to write.
/rant
Not to criticize cosmicbandito, but American Gods is more than two years old. Is it enjoying a resurgence in popularity or something?
posted by me3dia at 11:18 AM on August 17, 2005
You know, the Midwest is no less worldly than any other place in the country, including New York, where the majority of the citizens never leave the metropolitan area. So why not? Especially if it gives him the privacy to write.
/rant
Not to criticize cosmicbandito, but American Gods is more than two years old. Is it enjoying a resurgence in popularity or something?
posted by me3dia at 11:18 AM on August 17, 2005
Yes, I like Gaimen and Pratchett, though to be honest, I like them together (Good Omens) best of all. Been reading mostly Pratchett lately, because it's lighter and I'm usually tired, but Gaimen is probably more personally influential.
American Gods did have some plotting problems towards the end; Stardust is simple, but wonderful.
If you like Clive Barker's fantasy novels (Weaveworld, Great and Secret Show, Everville), you should like American Gods. It is much more like those is tone and theme than Pratchett.
But when is someone going to write Canadian Gods?
posted by jb at 11:25 AM on August 17, 2005
American Gods did have some plotting problems towards the end; Stardust is simple, but wonderful.
If you like Clive Barker's fantasy novels (Weaveworld, Great and Secret Show, Everville), you should like American Gods. It is much more like those is tone and theme than Pratchett.
But when is someone going to write Canadian Gods?
posted by jb at 11:25 AM on August 17, 2005
Not to criticize cosmicbandito, but American Gods is more than two years old. Is it enjoying a resurgence in popularity or something?
The pseudo-sequel to AG is coming out in September: Anansi Boys.
posted by grabbingsand at 11:25 AM on August 17, 2005
The pseudo-sequel to AG is coming out in September: Anansi Boys.
posted by grabbingsand at 11:25 AM on August 17, 2005
Anansi Boys is coming out in September. Mr. Nancy from AG is apparently part of/a catalyst for the story in Anansi Boys.
posted by Medieval Maven at 11:26 AM on August 17, 2005
posted by Medieval Maven at 11:26 AM on August 17, 2005
Technically, as an inclusive disjunction...
Thpbbbbbpt!
posted by alumshubby at 11:26 AM on August 17, 2005
Thpbbbbbpt!
posted by alumshubby at 11:26 AM on August 17, 2005
But when is someone going to write Canadian Gods?
I thought they already did a movie on that...
posted by InfidelZombie at 11:38 AM on August 17, 2005
I thought they already did a movie on that...
posted by InfidelZombie at 11:38 AM on August 17, 2005
When I was in 6th grade outdoors week, I was in the Menomonie tribe.
posted by mrgrimm at 12:04 PM on August 17, 2005
posted by mrgrimm at 12:04 PM on August 17, 2005
I've always found it amusing that someone like Gaiman, who seems very worldly in his views, would hole up in the midwest.
I've always found it amusing that folks unfamiliar with the midwest should presume so much, even while wearing their own parochialism on their sleeves.
This midwestern boy thoroughly enjoyed American Gods... the juxtaposition of reading about American roadside attractions while dangling my toes in the azure waters of Lake Atitlan (that would be out *there*... in the *world*) was a bit of a trip.
P.S. I've recently left the midwest for Vermont. Where's that place me on the worldly continuum now?
posted by deCadmus at 12:16 PM on August 17, 2005
I've always found it amusing that folks unfamiliar with the midwest should presume so much, even while wearing their own parochialism on their sleeves.
This midwestern boy thoroughly enjoyed American Gods... the juxtaposition of reading about American roadside attractions while dangling my toes in the azure waters of Lake Atitlan (that would be out *there*... in the *world*) was a bit of a trip.
P.S. I've recently left the midwest for Vermont. Where's that place me on the worldly continuum now?
posted by deCadmus at 12:16 PM on August 17, 2005
It never ceases to amaze me how there are Gaiman fans, and there are Pratchett fans, and very rarely the twain shall meet.
I do. I have Gaiman Books, even Neverwhere and Stardust, and Pratchett.. well, he's far more prolific and my bookshelf shows it.
posted by linux at 12:19 PM on August 17, 2005
I do. I have Gaiman Books, even Neverwhere and Stardust, and Pratchett.. well, he's far more prolific and my bookshelf shows it.
posted by linux at 12:19 PM on August 17, 2005
Oh man, Infidel Zombie. I almost laughed to loudly in my cube after checking out what movie you could be refering to.
posted by Like the Reef at 1:44 PM on August 17, 2005
posted by Like the Reef at 1:44 PM on August 17, 2005
I'll happily read either one. I think Gaiman's the more literarily ambitious, and consequently has the both the higher failure rate and the greater literary success (as opposed to financial success, which I don't know about). On the other hand, he has a blog generally worth reading. If his tales of globetrotting booksignings are accurate, I'd live in the middle of nowhere the rest of the time too.
posted by Sparx at 2:42 PM on August 17, 2005
posted by Sparx at 2:42 PM on August 17, 2005
Gaiman was from Menomonie.
...doo doo dee doo doo
Menomenie! Doo doo dee doo!
Menomenie! Doo doo dee doo doo, dee doo doo, dee doo doo, dee doo doo, doodle deedle deedle dee!
Surely I wasn't the only one humming this...
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 2:59 PM on August 17, 2005
...doo doo dee doo doo
Menomenie! Doo doo dee doo!
Menomenie! Doo doo dee doo doo, dee doo doo, dee doo doo, dee doo doo, doodle deedle deedle dee!
Surely I wasn't the only one humming this...
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 2:59 PM on August 17, 2005
I'd strongly suggest that American Gods is neither "cliched" or "obvious" as several readers opined. I'd also suggest that the "midwest" is not an unusal place for a writer to call home, despite what people on the coasts seem to think.
This Minnesota boy is happy to be here, acknowledges that the (admittedly viscious) winters are the reason the riff raff stays out, and really doesn't give a shit about what New York or LA have to say about any of this.
And Neil Gaiman IS an American God.
posted by mooncrow at 3:01 PM on August 17, 2005
This Minnesota boy is happy to be here, acknowledges that the (admittedly viscious) winters are the reason the riff raff stays out, and really doesn't give a shit about what New York or LA have to say about any of this.
And Neil Gaiman IS an American God.
posted by mooncrow at 3:01 PM on August 17, 2005
Gaiman was from Menomonie.
...doo doo dee doo doo
Menomenie! Doo doo dee doo!
Menomenie! Doo doo dee doo doo, dee doo doo, dee doo doo, dee doo doo, doodle deedle deedle dee!
Surely I wasn't the only one humming this...
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 3:03 PM on August 17, 2005
...doo doo dee doo doo
Menomenie! Doo doo dee doo!
Menomenie! Doo doo dee doo doo, dee doo doo, dee doo doo, dee doo doo, doodle deedle deedle dee!
Surely I wasn't the only one humming this...
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 3:03 PM on August 17, 2005
jinx.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 3:03 PM on August 17, 2005
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 3:03 PM on August 17, 2005
From Britain
Like the book said, he came over with the immigrants.
I liked it. Not perfect, but an interesting read.
posted by mecran01 at 3:56 PM on August 17, 2005
Like the book said, he came over with the immigrants.
I liked it. Not perfect, but an interesting read.
posted by mecran01 at 3:56 PM on August 17, 2005
sdrawkcab and ROU, check the page title....I'm way ahead of you.
posted by cosmicbandito at 4:39 PM on August 17, 2005
posted by cosmicbandito at 4:39 PM on August 17, 2005
I am fairly certain he is in the close Minneapolis area. His assistant is in a Twin Cities band, Dreamheaven is close by, I have a friend in the twinkies that has been to his house, he has renewed his Green card in the Twin Cities... etc. And yes he is a British citizen, not an American one.
I suspect whoever said that perhaps his writing cabin is in Menomonie has hit close to the truth.
The midwest is NOT flyover country, plenty of "wordily" people here, hell, I live in Duluth and it is an international SEAport. More people does not automatically = more worldly.
posted by edgeways at 5:17 PM on August 17, 2005
I suspect whoever said that perhaps his writing cabin is in Menomonie has hit close to the truth.
The midwest is NOT flyover country, plenty of "wordily" people here, hell, I live in Duluth and it is an international SEAport. More people does not automatically = more worldly.
posted by edgeways at 5:17 PM on August 17, 2005
But when is someone going to write Canadian Gods?
I thought they already did a movie on that...
posted by InfidelZombie at 11:38 AM PST on August 17 [!]
Actually I was serious. I really liked American Gods, but the whole time I was wondering why it seemed like no gods emmigrated north of the 49th parallel. We just didn't exist in that world.
I would like to see the same kind of epic fantasy take on Canadian identity and culture. (If people know of some, please tell me - I don't get out much, and probably missed all the obvious ones).
posted by jb at 5:25 PM on August 17, 2005
I thought they already did a movie on that...
posted by InfidelZombie at 11:38 AM PST on August 17 [!]
Actually I was serious. I really liked American Gods, but the whole time I was wondering why it seemed like no gods emmigrated north of the 49th parallel. We just didn't exist in that world.
I would like to see the same kind of epic fantasy take on Canadian identity and culture. (If people know of some, please tell me - I don't get out much, and probably missed all the obvious ones).
posted by jb at 5:25 PM on August 17, 2005
Charles de Lint, jb. A great fantasy take, including a world of faerie brought over from Europe, and a lot of stories & books set in Toronto.
posted by mygothlaundry at 7:12 PM on August 17, 2005
posted by mygothlaundry at 7:12 PM on August 17, 2005
I have to add...Wisconsin is fantastic. I miss you, WI, and I am coming back.
posted by Jade5454 at 7:42 PM on August 17, 2005
posted by Jade5454 at 7:42 PM on August 17, 2005
Yes, I should go back to de Lint. I've always been intrigued by his books, but I had a great deal of trouble getting into the one I got from the library. I think with more patience, I might really like him.
posted by jb at 8:05 PM on August 17, 2005
posted by jb at 8:05 PM on August 17, 2005
CdL is great. I like some of Guy Gavriel Kay's stuff, too, but he doesn't tend to the Canadian (read: Toronto) settings that de Lint does.
Of course there's always William Gibson. He never writes about Vancouver, but if I read one more time about Tokyo's "falling mist", I swear...
posted by dreamsign at 8:51 PM on August 17, 2005
Of course there's always William Gibson. He never writes about Vancouver, but if I read one more time about Tokyo's "falling mist", I swear...
posted by dreamsign at 8:51 PM on August 17, 2005
American Gods was too over the top for me. Every five pages some amazing and fantastic supernatural event happened, so that by the end the amazing and fantastic supernatural events ran out of steam and the wonder of it was gone. I want to like Gaiman, but I think fantasy is not really my bag. That's what I like about sci-fi: you can have the worlds and universes and wonders of fantasy, but you often also get an explanation for it.
posted by zardoz at 9:08 PM on August 17, 2005
posted by zardoz at 9:08 PM on August 17, 2005
Edgeways: Thanks, you made me laugh. Duluth is a lovely little city, but, please, lets not get carried away. I spent 6 years watching a Duluth TV station, living in a place where Duluth was the nearest 'big city'.
I liked American Gods. A seller recommended it because I like surreal stories, and morn the passing of Roger Zelazny. I haven't tried any of his others yet, my reading time is mostly occupied with non-fiction these days.
Wisconsin is a lovely place. The midwest has its charms, and Wisconsin delivers those well. It is not remotely difficult for me to understand someone choosing to live there.
posted by Goofyy at 4:32 AM on August 18, 2005
I liked American Gods. A seller recommended it because I like surreal stories, and morn the passing of Roger Zelazny. I haven't tried any of his others yet, my reading time is mostly occupied with non-fiction these days.
Wisconsin is a lovely place. The midwest has its charms, and Wisconsin delivers those well. It is not remotely difficult for me to understand someone choosing to live there.
posted by Goofyy at 4:32 AM on August 18, 2005
mygothlaundry: not TO, Ottawa, actually. It's spooky reading his books, seeing neighbourhoods one lives in.
posted by bonehead at 6:51 AM on August 18, 2005
posted by bonehead at 6:51 AM on August 18, 2005
FWIW, there is also an actual town of Lakewood, WI.
posted by kayjay at 11:08 AM PST on August 17
Yeah, I summer up there nearly every year. It's totally a summer resort area, nothing like the quiet little town that Gaiman describes in the book.
posted by Chris Freiberg at 7:18 AM on August 18, 2005
posted by kayjay at 11:08 AM PST on August 17
Yeah, I summer up there nearly every year. It's totally a summer resort area, nothing like the quiet little town that Gaiman describes in the book.
posted by Chris Freiberg at 7:18 AM on August 18, 2005
Dear people of Minnesota, no offense meant, but I'd be willing to bet fifty cents he lives in Wisconsin.
posted by drezdn at 8:09 AM on August 18, 2005
posted by drezdn at 8:09 AM on August 18, 2005
Aww, come on. Everything west of Eau Claire is pretty much Minnesota anyway.
posted by COBRA! at 8:15 AM on August 18, 2005
posted by COBRA! at 8:15 AM on August 18, 2005
Ummm....I grew up in BFE Wisconsin. It's not as worldly as some of you are claming it is.
posted by freshgroundpepper at 9:32 AM on August 18, 2005
posted by freshgroundpepper at 9:32 AM on August 18, 2005
bonehead: true, he lives here -- he has a book sale every year -- but Ottawa has made it into his books?
posted by dreamsign at 11:05 AM on August 18, 2005
posted by dreamsign at 11:05 AM on August 18, 2005
Yes, I would remember if de Lint wrote books set in Toronto (the best place on earth - yes, I'm homesick). Tanya Huff has a few books set there, but hers are not really that epic, just fun fantasy/mystery novels.
posted by jb at 12:47 PM on August 18, 2005
posted by jb at 12:47 PM on August 18, 2005
dreamsign: de Lint's Newford isn't Ottawa, but there are certain strong resemblances. Centretown, along Bank and Elgin, and lowertown by the Market are some of his favorite locations. Gatineau Park shows up a couple of times, as does the Glebe.
posted by bonehead at 2:05 PM on August 18, 2005
posted by bonehead at 2:05 PM on August 18, 2005
Yeah, once you get east of a certain northern city, Wisconsin really goes downhill. I promise you. Eau Claire is 'the big city' to me. The Twin Cities involve a very long drive and the title "vacation".
posted by sian at 3:22 PM on August 18, 2005
posted by sian at 3:22 PM on August 18, 2005
Too bad I caught this thread so late, but I know for a fact that Gaiman lives in Menomenie. A friend of mine met and dated his daughter here at the Minnesota Rennaissance Festival where she worked in the summer. This was seven or eight years ago when I was still in high school, but I'm willing to bet he hasn't yet relocated.
posted by Demogorgon at 5:40 PM on August 18, 2005
posted by Demogorgon at 5:40 PM on August 18, 2005
To be utterly nerdfilter for a moment -
De Lint's Jack the Giant Killer was set in Ottawa/mirrorworldfaerieOttawa, and at least one of the stories in Gibson's Burning Chrome was set in nearfuture Vancouver.
If you're looking for more Canadian Gods, I'd suggest reading Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson, a (appropriatly, IMHO,) Carribeancentric-instead-of-Eurocentric mystical Toronto story.
(For the record, I'm a "Gaiman rocks, and Pratchett is amusing yet annoyingly glib" kind of person.)
posted by Tomatillo at 9:42 PM on August 18, 2005
De Lint's Jack the Giant Killer was set in Ottawa/mirrorworldfaerieOttawa, and at least one of the stories in Gibson's Burning Chrome was set in nearfuture Vancouver.
If you're looking for more Canadian Gods, I'd suggest reading Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson, a (appropriatly, IMHO,) Carribeancentric-instead-of-Eurocentric mystical Toronto story.
(For the record, I'm a "Gaiman rocks, and Pratchett is amusing yet annoyingly glib" kind of person.)
posted by Tomatillo at 9:42 PM on August 18, 2005
Yeah, I summer up there nearly every year. It's totally a summer resort area, nothing like the quiet little town that Gaiman describes in the book.
Me too. Small world.
I'm a big fan of the Paul Bunyan "muffler giant".
posted by kayjay at 10:34 AM on August 19, 2005
Ooh, thanks, Tomatillo - I saw Brown Girl in the Ring and was really tempted to buy, but hesitated (I often do on new authors, since I don't buy many books). But I will definitely get it next time I see it.
Yes, I remember Jack the Giant Killer - that was one of the best of the Fairy Tale series.
Were there two series like that? I seem to remember a bunch rewritten modern (de Lint's Jack, a college set Tamsin), but then a similarly covered series of novels set in the past (there was a Thomas the Rhymer set in Scotland). Or were they all part of the same series? (There are, of course, many more, including McKinley's great kid's book, Beauty which was totally plagerised in the Disney film - that was independent and predates the series, I believe).
posted by jb at 11:56 AM on August 19, 2005
Yes, I remember Jack the Giant Killer - that was one of the best of the Fairy Tale series.
Were there two series like that? I seem to remember a bunch rewritten modern (de Lint's Jack, a college set Tamsin), but then a similarly covered series of novels set in the past (there was a Thomas the Rhymer set in Scotland). Or were they all part of the same series? (There are, of course, many more, including McKinley's great kid's book, Beauty which was totally plagerised in the Disney film - that was independent and predates the series, I believe).
posted by jb at 11:56 AM on August 19, 2005
Just rereading Pamela Dean's "Tamlin", one of my favourite books from my teens. Thanks for reminding me!
posted by Tomatillo at 12:12 AM on September 1, 2005
posted by Tomatillo at 12:12 AM on September 1, 2005
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posted by alumshubby at 8:44 AM on August 17, 2005