The 19 best Neil Gaiman books, according to Goodreads reviewers - from graphic novels to fantastical short story collections

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With over 800,000 ratings, "American Gods" is the most popular Neil Gaiman book amongst Goodreads reviewers. In this fantastical tale woven with ancient and modern legends, Shadow meets a fascinating man named Mr. Wednesday on a flight home after his wife's mysterious death. When Shadow learns that Mr. Wednesday is a reincarnation of Odin, he joins him on a cross-country journey to gather manifestations of Old Gods in the fight against the New American Gods of the internet, media, and technological advancements.

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In Coraline's new home, there are 14 doors and only one of them is locked. When Coraline finally unlocks it, she discovers a passage to a world that initially seems like a better version of her own, until she discovers the lost souls of children trapped behind mirrors, depending on Coraline to save them. 

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Winner of the 2014 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel and the 2013 Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Fantasy Novel, "The Ocean at the End of the Lane" uses magical realism to tell the tale of a middle-aged man who returns to his hometown in England to attend a funeral. As he sits by the pond at the end of the road, he remembers a young girl he once met named Lettie Hempstock, who claimed the pond was an ocean and her home. When a rush of terrible memories comes back to him, the man slowly reveals the darkness he long kept hidden.

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In this young adult fantasy read, Nobody "Bod" Owens is a fairly normal young boy growing up in a graveyard after he wandered away as a toddler from an evil man that murdered his family. Now, Bod's adventures take him to all corners of the graveyard with just one rule: He must not leave the graveyard, as terrible dangers lurk just outside.

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In Neil Gaiman's fantastical "Neverwhere," a city of monsters and saints lies just below London. When businessman Richard Mayhew stops to help a strange girl while on his way to dinner with his fiancée, his life is swiftly turned upside down in this outstanding urban fantasy. 

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Tristran Thorn lives in a small village called Wall, separated from the magical faerie world by a wall after which their town was named. When Tristran falls in love with the beautiful but cold Victoria, he vows to fetch her a star from the faerie land in exchange for a kiss and she agrees, sending Tristran on a magical journey for love.

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Long inspired by the legends of Norse mythology, Neil Gaiman retells the classic legends in this fascinating and carefully researched book. From the story of Thor's hammer to the trickster ways of Loki, these stories stand as a highly readable and exciting retelling of Norse myths.

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"Preludes & Nocturnes" is the first graphic novel collection of the critically acclaimed "Sandman" comic book series. This book collects issues 1-8 and tells the story of Roderick Burgess, a magician who attempts to gain immortality by capturing Death, but instead captures her brother, Dream. When Dream is finally able to escape after Roderick's death, he must collect his lost objects of power in order to return home.

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The sequel to "American Gods," "Anansi Boys" follows Charle Nancy, whose father dies an embarrassing death after having a heart attack while singing to a girl on a karaoke stage. While organizing his father's funeral and will, Charlie discovers not only that his father was actually a West African spider god, but that he has a brother who suddenly steps into his life bringing danger and chaos with him.

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"Dream Country" is the third installation of "Sandman" comics, a collection of issues 17-20 in one graphic novel. This graphic novel is a collection of four mostly unrelated short stories where Dream is only a minor character. In them, readers learn of the mother of Dream's son and Dream's partnership with William Shakespeare in the creation of "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

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"The Doll's House" is the second collection of "Sandman" comics compiled into a graphic novel, covering issues 9-16. In this story, Dream has discovered that some dreams and nightmares have escaped into the real world. As he sets out to collect them, he discovers a woman named Rose Walker has become a dream vortex and Dream must kill her in the hopes of saving the world.

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In this series of comic books collected into graphic novels, "Season of Mists" comprises issues 21-28 of the "Sandman" series. This story begins with an Endless family meeting, where Dream's family confronts him about the injustice of condemning his former lover, Queen Nada, to Hell 10,000 years ago. To set his actions right, Dream must return to Hell to rescue Nada while facing Lucifer in the process.

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In this award-winning second collection of short stories, Neil Gaiman shares a variety of imaginative and provocative stories that delight readers and demonstrate his mastery of storytelling. Though most of these tales were first published elsewhere, they create a brilliant collection featuring ghost stories, poems, and snippets inspired by other artists and authors.

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"Smoke and Mirrors" is Neil Gaiman's first short story collection which transports readers to extraordinary new lands through retellings, reflections, and inspired tales. With a diverse array of subjects and styles, this collection has something to delight any reader.

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"A Game of You" is the fifth collection of the "Sandman" comic books, comprising issues 32-37. This graphic novel follows Barbie, a minor character from "The Doll's House," who has been summoned to a dream world where she is a princess. When the Cuckoo begins to terrorize her friends and escapes into the real world, Barbie and her roommates must defeat the deadly villain.

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"The Sandman: Overture" is a prequel to Neil Gaiman's bestselling comic book series "The Sandman." In this book debuting 17 years after the end of the comic series, Dream senses something is terribly wrong and is summoned to a distant planet to investigate in this dark fantasy graphic novel that delights anyone "Sandman" fan.

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"Brief Lives" is the seventh collection of the "Sandman" comics that spans issues 41-49. This story follows Dream's youngest sister, Delirium, as she searches for their missing brother, Destruction. With only Dream's help, Delirium sets off on a quest to find her brother who abandoned his role in the Endless family 300 years ago. 

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"Fortunately, the Milk" is a 2013 children's fantasy book about a father who goes to the store to get milk and returns with a fantastical tale for his children. In this hilarious story, the dad recounts an time-traveling adventure with aliens, dinosaurs, and pirates. 

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"Trigger Warning" is an anthology of short stories that range all genres from ghost stories and fairytales to horror and poetry. Most notably, this collection contains an "American Gods" story, a "Doctor Who" story written for the series' 50th anniversary, and a Sherlock Holmes spin-off called "The Case of Death and Honey" which was nominated for the 2012 Edgar Award for Best Short Story.