File this in the “kick-ass” department: Neil Gaiman’s son is coming to work at Google. Apple, you may have the sexy iPhone, but we’ve got Neil Gaiman’s son.

And if you don’t know who Neil Gaiman is, then I feel sorry for you. But also happy, because you get to read Neil Gaiman for the first time:
- Start with the Sandman series of graphic novels.
- Then get dark and eerie with Neverwhere if you want to know the real secrets of London. Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar are two of the most delightful villains I’ve had the pleasure of meeting.
- Lighten up with the hilarious Good Omens, which Gaiman wrote with Terry Pratchett.
- Round it out with Stardust, which wins my award for “Best use of the word ‘fuck‘ in small print, exactly once, in a book.” You’ll have to read it to understand.

If you see him in person, you quickly notice that Gaiman gives off this “I’m mellow enough to be game for anything” vibe. At a book signing, I asked him to sign a book “Ach Crivens” (which anyone will tell you is a Terry Pratchett-ism). He tilted his head at me for a second, maybe trying to figure out if I was right in the head, then smiled and let ‘er rip:

So Gaiman is a good egg in my book. By the way, if you’re looking for a good non-search-engine blog, Neil’s is delightful. His posts are insightfully funny and self-effacing, and the way he responds to readers could be a case study in creating passionate fans.