Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
New York : HarperCollins, 2009.
Description
In the deft hands of Neil Gaiman, magic is no mere illusion . . . and anything is possible. In Smoke and Mirrors, Gaiman's imagination and supreme artistry transform a mundane world into a place of terrible wonders-where an old woman can purchase the Holy Grail at a thrift store, where assassins advertise their services in the Yellow Pages under "Pest Control," and where a frightened young boy must barter for his life with a mean-spirited troll living beneath a bridge by the railroad tracks. Explore a new reality, obscured by smoke and darkness yet brilliantly tangible, in this extraordinary collection of short works by a master prestidigitator. It will dazzle your senses, touch your heart, and haunt your dreams.
User reviews
LibraryThing member mephistia
Want to know how good this book is? Well, I bought it because it's a book of short stories. My husband and I were going on a trip to Hawaii, and I figured I'd read it on the plane.
Which I did. I then kept reading it -- in our hotel, in the car, on the way to the beach, at the beach. My husband was
That is how great this book is. I picked it over snorkeling.
Which I did. I then kept reading it -- in our hotel, in the car, on the way to the beach, at the beach. My husband was
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getting so irritated at me because I was spending our vacation on the island of Oahu reading a book.That is how great this book is. I picked it over snorkeling.
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LibraryThing member London_StJ
Smoke and Mirrors was not to my taste. I found a few gems in the book, for for the most part I found the collection to be a bit much to swallow. Many of the stories simply fell flat, and the, er, poetry, was simply painful. As a whole, the collection made me feel like I was back in Freshman
Gaiman is typically hit-or-miss for me, and this volume just happens to be a strong "miss."
And I have to say, I disagree with Miami New Times, which calls Gaiman "Literature's rock star ... Among the most daring of writers around ..." I can't help but think the author of the quote isn't very well read.
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Creative Writing (which, coincidentally, is where I first heard of Neil Gaiman, as so many of my classmates cooed over the brilliance of American Gods). Gaiman is typically hit-or-miss for me, and this volume just happens to be a strong "miss."
And I have to say, I disagree with Miami New Times, which calls Gaiman "Literature's rock star ... Among the most daring of writers around ..." I can't help but think the author of the quote isn't very well read.
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LibraryThing member AHS-Wolfy
This is a collection of short stories, poems and suchlike. The quality is as diverse as the subject with the only thing that each have in common being the darkness of tone that Neil Gaiman often brings to his work. This collection is not meant for the younger end of the age spectrum with many of
Chivalry is a tale about an old lady finding the Grail in a charity shop.
Troll Bridge has a troll under a bridge and there's a boy who doesn't want to be it's next meal.
The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch has the circus coming to town.
Murder Mysteries is a tale of angels and set around the time of Creation.
Snow, Glass, Apples is an alternate take on the story of Snow White. The original will never be looked at in the same light again if you read this.
I've read this collection, like I usually do with short stories, over the period of a few weeks. Never reading more than two or three at a time so I don't get bored of the style and feel this worked well in this instance. There is an introduction, which also contains a story, where the author describes how and why he wrote each of the entries. Also provided is a link to the author's website where you can download The Price, one of the stories, that's read by the author and there's a short interview also included at the back of the book. Overall an enjoyable collection.
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the entries containing scenes of a sexual or horrific nature. There are almost 40 pieces of work in this book so I will not go through them all but just highlight a couple of favourites.Chivalry is a tale about an old lady finding the Grail in a charity shop.
Troll Bridge has a troll under a bridge and there's a boy who doesn't want to be it's next meal.
The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch has the circus coming to town.
Murder Mysteries is a tale of angels and set around the time of Creation.
Snow, Glass, Apples is an alternate take on the story of Snow White. The original will never be looked at in the same light again if you read this.
I've read this collection, like I usually do with short stories, over the period of a few weeks. Never reading more than two or three at a time so I don't get bored of the style and feel this worked well in this instance. There is an introduction, which also contains a story, where the author describes how and why he wrote each of the entries. Also provided is a link to the author's website where you can download The Price, one of the stories, that's read by the author and there's a short interview also included at the back of the book. Overall an enjoyable collection.
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LibraryThing member rastaphrog
A collection of stories that's sure to be enjoyed by any fan of Neil Gaiman. Typical of Gaiman, you won't find anything "light hearted" here, and that's all to the good. These stories may have you rethinking some of the beliefs you have about a few subjects, especially "Murder Mysteries".
The only
The only
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downside to this book for me were the stories told in "poetic" form, but that's a matter of personal taste. Show Less
LibraryThing member ForeverMasterless
While looking back through the various short story collections I've read, I realized I hadn't wrote any sort of review for this one, even though I did write a review for Neil's second collection, Fragile Things. I don't know how I let that slide.
Well, I'm writing the review now. I think this is
To prove it, here are my personal top five from this collection, presented in the order that they appear, using memories that are fast approaching three years of age.
Chivalry
One of the best things about Gaiman is how he uses folklore and myth to tell modern tales with modern sensibilities. This is one of the best examples of that. This is a story about a knight seeking the holy grail, and the old lady who has it on her mantlepiece. A fantastic 'what if' sort of story that shows what it might be like if all the magical objects of power from our myths and legends really existed, and how unimportant they might be if pulled from the realm of myth, despite their powers.
Troll Bridge
A bittersweet story about a boy who runs into a troll and gets away by convincing the troll that he'll be 'tastier' if he leaves and comes back with more life experience, only to eventually give himself up to the troll when his life doesn't work out the way he expected. The best thing about this story is how it makes you really feel the passage of time. It's like how you sometimes dream that you've lived out an entire lifetime, even though you've really only been dreaming for minutes. Gaiman is uniquely gifted in being able to make that come across with the written word, but I think this story is the one that did it best.
Changes
What if you could take a pill to change your sex at will? Do I really need to say anything else to make you want to read this?
Shoggoth's Old Peculiar
A story about the Lovecraft mythos that is oddly compelling, despite the fact that I had never read any of Lovecraft's work before reading this. In fact, this story is what made me buy an omnibus of his work, and while I still haven't read the whole thing I still consider myself a Lovecraft fan, and this story is what turned me into one.
We Can Get Them For You Wholesale
A story about a man who wants to kill his girlfriend because she's been cheating on him. He looks through the phone book to find an assassin, and winds up with a number that he really shouldn't be calling.
Well, I'm writing the review now. I think this is
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one of the most even collections I've read. I don't know that it has the highest concentration of great stories, but it was by far the most consistent, with none of the stories being bad or forgettable. I also thought the poems were generally better than those in Fragile Things, even though that collection has the poem Instructions, which is my favorite of all Neil's poems. To prove it, here are my personal top five from this collection, presented in the order that they appear, using memories that are fast approaching three years of age.
Chivalry
One of the best things about Gaiman is how he uses folklore and myth to tell modern tales with modern sensibilities. This is one of the best examples of that. This is a story about a knight seeking the holy grail, and the old lady who has it on her mantlepiece. A fantastic 'what if' sort of story that shows what it might be like if all the magical objects of power from our myths and legends really existed, and how unimportant they might be if pulled from the realm of myth, despite their powers.
Troll Bridge
A bittersweet story about a boy who runs into a troll and gets away by convincing the troll that he'll be 'tastier' if he leaves and comes back with more life experience, only to eventually give himself up to the troll when his life doesn't work out the way he expected. The best thing about this story is how it makes you really feel the passage of time. It's like how you sometimes dream that you've lived out an entire lifetime, even though you've really only been dreaming for minutes. Gaiman is uniquely gifted in being able to make that come across with the written word, but I think this story is the one that did it best.
Changes
What if you could take a pill to change your sex at will? Do I really need to say anything else to make you want to read this?
Shoggoth's Old Peculiar
A story about the Lovecraft mythos that is oddly compelling, despite the fact that I had never read any of Lovecraft's work before reading this. In fact, this story is what made me buy an omnibus of his work, and while I still haven't read the whole thing I still consider myself a Lovecraft fan, and this story is what turned me into one.
We Can Get Them For You Wholesale
A story about a man who wants to kill his girlfriend because she's been cheating on him. He looks through the phone book to find an assassin, and winds up with a number that he really shouldn't be calling.
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LibraryThing member MrsLee
As with many of Gaiman's works, I found myself loving some of the stories in this collection, feeling "meh" about most, and loathing a couple of them. The few I loved were magical, entertaining, causing me to ask, "What if?" These were:
A Wedding Present
Chivalry
The Price
Shoggoth's Old Peculiar
We Can
Vampire Sestina
Snow, Glass, Apples
A couple of the stories I was in love with until the end, which made either no sense to me, or was a great let down.
When We Went to See the End of the World
Murder Mysteries
The rest of the stories either left me cold or nauseated me because they focused on the grime, the dirt, the sickness of the human condition without any hope or thought of the glory of it. When I read the Sandman series, my daughter edited them for me, knowing my aversion to hopelessness. I should have had her pre-read these as well.
A Wedding Present
Chivalry
The Price
Shoggoth's Old Peculiar
We Can
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Get Them for you WholesaleVampire Sestina
Snow, Glass, Apples
A couple of the stories I was in love with until the end, which made either no sense to me, or was a great let down.
When We Went to See the End of the World
Murder Mysteries
The rest of the stories either left me cold or nauseated me because they focused on the grime, the dirt, the sickness of the human condition without any hope or thought of the glory of it. When I read the Sandman series, my daughter edited them for me, knowing my aversion to hopelessness. I should have had her pre-read these as well.
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LibraryThing member RebeccaAnn
I loved this book! My relationship with Gaiman to this point hasn't been the best. Having only read Stardust and Coraline (and not loving either), I was tentative to dive into an entire collection of his short stories. But I'm glad I did. Smoke and Mirrors allowed me to see a wide variety of
My favorites were "Troll Bridge", "Murder Mysteries" and "Snow, Glass, Apples". "Troll Bridge" is about a boy who accidentally wanders upon a troll and for the remainder of the story, he must continually try to keep his life from being eaten. This was the saddest story in the entire collection. I read it multiple times before I'd even finished the book. "Murder Mysteries" is an interesting take on the biblical creation story. It paints Lucifer in a gentler light (actually, he comes across as the true victim of the story). It's one of the longer stories in the book but it's worth it. "Snow, Glass, Apples" is another look on the faerie tale of Snow White, this time portraying Snow White as the evil one and the evil stepmother as the protagonist. I don't think I'll ever be able to look at the original tale in quite the same way...
I highly, highly recommend this collection. It doesn't take a big commitment to read. The stories are quick and they fly by. You're done before you know it. But each story leaves its own mark that I don't think will be forgotten for quite awhile.
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Gaiman's styles and while there were stories in here I didn't really care for too much, they were the exception, not the rule. Most of the stories were absolutely brilliant!My favorites were "Troll Bridge", "Murder Mysteries" and "Snow, Glass, Apples". "Troll Bridge" is about a boy who accidentally wanders upon a troll and for the remainder of the story, he must continually try to keep his life from being eaten. This was the saddest story in the entire collection. I read it multiple times before I'd even finished the book. "Murder Mysteries" is an interesting take on the biblical creation story. It paints Lucifer in a gentler light (actually, he comes across as the true victim of the story). It's one of the longer stories in the book but it's worth it. "Snow, Glass, Apples" is another look on the faerie tale of Snow White, this time portraying Snow White as the evil one and the evil stepmother as the protagonist. I don't think I'll ever be able to look at the original tale in quite the same way...
I highly, highly recommend this collection. It doesn't take a big commitment to read. The stories are quick and they fly by. You're done before you know it. But each story leaves its own mark that I don't think will be forgotten for quite awhile.
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LibraryThing member myfanwy
Neil Gaiman's writing is, like Roald Dahl's, "quintessentially nasty and wicked" which is precisely the reason I love his stories so. For some reason not entirely explained I enjoy a bit of horror in my novels, the darkness of Wuthering Heights, the dastardliness of the worst Dicken's villain. I've
This is a mixed collection, mixed in terms of style (poetry and prose), chronology, and frankly, quality. But there are definitely a few gems in there. I still love Shoggoth's Old Peculiar, even if it is just a mash-up of Dudley Moore and H.P. Lovecraft. The Troll Bridge is a lovely take on the old classic fairy tale. The Goldfish Pool and Other Stories is a delightful blend of the surreal happenings of real life and the magical moments of story-telling. It is in a sense about writing and how stories change and could almost have been taken straight from his journal. What Neil Gaiman does best is introduce the extraordinary into ordinary life and have people react just as if this were nothing at all strange. He has a way of making the magical seem possible.
While I didn't like absolutely every story, this was a delight to pick up. As an added bonus, I loved his introduction in which he described why and how he came to write each story. For the budding writer it is fascinating to see how little can spark the fecund mind!
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read quite a bit of Neil Gaiman by now (including all of Sandman, Neverwhere, Good Omens, and American Gods) so it was rather obvious that I would like this book, too.This is a mixed collection, mixed in terms of style (poetry and prose), chronology, and frankly, quality. But there are definitely a few gems in there. I still love Shoggoth's Old Peculiar, even if it is just a mash-up of Dudley Moore and H.P. Lovecraft. The Troll Bridge is a lovely take on the old classic fairy tale. The Goldfish Pool and Other Stories is a delightful blend of the surreal happenings of real life and the magical moments of story-telling. It is in a sense about writing and how stories change and could almost have been taken straight from his journal. What Neil Gaiman does best is introduce the extraordinary into ordinary life and have people react just as if this were nothing at all strange. He has a way of making the magical seem possible.
While I didn't like absolutely every story, this was a delight to pick up. As an added bonus, I loved his introduction in which he described why and how he came to write each story. For the budding writer it is fascinating to see how little can spark the fecund mind!
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LibraryThing member kaylaraeintheway
I love Gaiman's short stories more than his novels (well, almost haha)! He is a master storyteller and does such a great job at pulling the reader in. What I love is that his stories don't always tell you everything...you have to guess as to why certain things are happening the way they are.
The great thing about this collection is you can pick it up, flip to a story, then come back again to read more. There's no order you have to read in. You can go back and read them over and over again. But all of the stories stay with you.
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There's a great blend of fantasy, reality, and the unbelieveable, as well as a few dashes of horror. He included longer stories, as well as short poems in this collection (and they're all amazing). My personal favorites are "Chivary", "Murder Mysteries", "Snow, Glass, Apples", "Nicholas Was...", and "Bay Wolf". The great thing about this collection is you can pick it up, flip to a story, then come back again to read more. There's no order you have to read in. You can go back and read them over and over again. But all of the stories stay with you.
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LibraryThing member Edward.Lorn
SMOKE AND MIRRORS Review, or My Final Review For a While I'm a Neil Gaiman fanboy. I've loved all of his novels and a great deal of his short fiction, but this collection was marred with either lackluster outings or poems I couldn't enjoy because I personally don't understand what makes them poems.
The stories that made me want to stick ice picks in my ears were: "Chivalry", "Don't Ask Jack", "The Daughter of Owls", and "One Life, Furnished in Early Moorcock". I didn't simply dislike these stories, I downright loathed them. Even Gaiman's narration seemed dull, as if he were apologizing for their existence by phoning in his performance.
The tales that stood out are as follows: "The Price", "Troll Bridge", "The Goldfish Pool and Other Stories", "Changes", "Shoggoth's Old Peculiar" (which didn't have a purpose either, but was enjoyable nonetheless because of the odd characters), "Only the End of the World Again". "Bay Wolf", "We can Get Them for You Wholesale", and "Mouse". Basically, half the collection was worth my time. Everything else was either meaningless or downright boring. Still, not a single entry in SMOKE AND MIRRORS matched the brilliance of his novels. I was hoping for short stroies on par with CORALINE or THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE or AMERICAN GODS. Sadly, I was disappointed.
All other stories not mentioned above were wholly unmentionable or entirely forgettable. Meaning, I couldn't even be bothered to complain about them.
In summation: If you're looking for a collection packed with amazing short stories, you can do far better than this. SMOKE AND MIRRORS is not the worst short story collection I've read, but it comes close. When Gaiman is on, he's terrific and magical and wonderfully creative, but when he's bad, sweet baby Tom Cruise, he'll make you want to castrate him with a rusty battleaxe then boil the dismembered bits in a vat of acid. Still, this grouping of fiction is well written. Even the worst of these tales are readable, which cannot be said for every short story author. Instead of this, I recommend ANANSI BOYS, THE GRAVEYARD BOOK, AMERICAN GODS, CORALINE (and, no, it's not only a children's book), THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE, or any of Gaiman's other novels. I highly recommend his series of SANDMAN comics, if you can get your hands on them, that is. If you would like a better collection from a different author, try BOOKS OF BLOOD, by Clive Barker (in my opinion, Barker is much better at short fiction than he'll ever be as a novelist), SKELETON CREW, by Stephen King, and any collection by Ray Bradbury.
2.5 out of 5 severely disappointed stars. (If you're reading this on Goodreads, I've rounded up to three.)
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The latter is my own fault, and I do not hold it against the author. The former, on the other hand, is all Gaiman's fault. Many of these stories lack purpose, are nothing more than words compiled into sentences and paragraphs. I can dig tales that have no definitive ending, or open endings, as it were, but when a piece of fiction has no reason whatsoever I fail to understand how or why it made it to print. Gaiman goes into great detail about how each of the stories in this collection came to be, and I can't help but wonder if the editors who requested a number of these stories only paid for them because they'd asked Gaiman for something and he delivered. Then, said editors felt responsible, perhaps thinking, "Well, we did ask for... something, and he did deliver." The biggest culprit here being the first outing, "Chivalry", wherein nothing happens other than a knight decked out in full armor (in modern times, mind you) trying time and time again to procure the holy grail from a stubborn old woman. In the end, Good Knight Galaad gets his grail and the reader's left wondering exactly what the hell was the story's purpose? There's no conflict, no tension, no drama, no twist, and not even a hint of climax. "Chivalry" accomplished nothing aside from making me slam my forehead into my desk in an attempt to knock the banality of the tale from my conscious mind. I think that, had I read SMOKE AND MIRRORS instead of listening to the audio book, I would have disliked far more of these stories than I did. Gaiman brought a certain whimsical panache to lesser tales, making them a great deal more interesting (e.g. "Troll Bridge", "Shoggoth's Old Peculiar" and "We Can Get Them for You Wholesale"). I think this came from knowing how the author felt the dialogue and prose should be read in order to get the most from the verbiage.The stories that made me want to stick ice picks in my ears were: "Chivalry", "Don't Ask Jack", "The Daughter of Owls", and "One Life, Furnished in Early Moorcock". I didn't simply dislike these stories, I downright loathed them. Even Gaiman's narration seemed dull, as if he were apologizing for their existence by phoning in his performance.
The tales that stood out are as follows: "The Price", "Troll Bridge", "The Goldfish Pool and Other Stories", "Changes", "Shoggoth's Old Peculiar" (which didn't have a purpose either, but was enjoyable nonetheless because of the odd characters), "Only the End of the World Again". "Bay Wolf", "We can Get Them for You Wholesale", and "Mouse". Basically, half the collection was worth my time. Everything else was either meaningless or downright boring. Still, not a single entry in SMOKE AND MIRRORS matched the brilliance of his novels. I was hoping for short stroies on par with CORALINE or THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE or AMERICAN GODS. Sadly, I was disappointed.
All other stories not mentioned above were wholly unmentionable or entirely forgettable. Meaning, I couldn't even be bothered to complain about them.
In summation: If you're looking for a collection packed with amazing short stories, you can do far better than this. SMOKE AND MIRRORS is not the worst short story collection I've read, but it comes close. When Gaiman is on, he's terrific and magical and wonderfully creative, but when he's bad, sweet baby Tom Cruise, he'll make you want to castrate him with a rusty battleaxe then boil the dismembered bits in a vat of acid. Still, this grouping of fiction is well written. Even the worst of these tales are readable, which cannot be said for every short story author. Instead of this, I recommend ANANSI BOYS, THE GRAVEYARD BOOK, AMERICAN GODS, CORALINE (and, no, it's not only a children's book), THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE, or any of Gaiman's other novels. I highly recommend his series of SANDMAN comics, if you can get your hands on them, that is. If you would like a better collection from a different author, try BOOKS OF BLOOD, by Clive Barker (in my opinion, Barker is much better at short fiction than he'll ever be as a novelist), SKELETON CREW, by Stephen King, and any collection by Ray Bradbury.
2.5 out of 5 severely disappointed stars. (If you're reading this on Goodreads, I've rounded up to three.)
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LibraryThing member ladypembroke
This collection is one that I never got around to reading when it was first published years ago. I am sorry I took so long to do so, and it reminded me anew that short stories are really in Neil Gaiman's wheelhouse. It amazes me how such short pieces can leave you breathless with fear, sorrow,
More please.
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laughter, shock. But they did. I don't want to pick a favourite because I made sure to read them all one at a time, taking breaks in between, so that they were each savoured for what they were. I can no more claim a favourite story than I can a song -- each had its own meaning and flavour. Each tasted wonderful.More please.
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LibraryThing member wizardsheart
Anyone who has ever read Gaiman has to know that he is nuts and unpredictable. In this book he shows you a whole new range of unexpected twists. This is an anthology of short stories. Highly recommended to anyone who is either a fan of Gaiman or short stories in general. There was quite a bit of
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poetry...that I wasn't as enamored with as I was with the short stories...but was well worth buying new! Show Less
LibraryThing member DanaJean
A nice grouping of short stories and poetry, this was my first adult Neil Gaiman. And yes, he can get very adult. I found some of the themes and ideas so creative and intriguing--he seemed to be experimenting and challenging himself throughout. Definitely something for everyone. At the beginning of
Most of the stories were very smart and polished with beautiful use of the language; but there were a few that seemed young and stumbling. Fledgling writer coming into his own so to speak.
I enjoyed it, but I'm glad I read The Graveyard Book and CORALINE first, as I'm not sure this collection alone would have inspired me to move onto his novels. But, maybe novels is where his real talent lies?
I'll keep reading.
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the book, I liked that he told a little bit about where he was in his journey as a writer when he wrote each of these entries. Those little snippets of insight are always fun and interesting.Most of the stories were very smart and polished with beautiful use of the language; but there were a few that seemed young and stumbling. Fledgling writer coming into his own so to speak.
I enjoyed it, but I'm glad I read The Graveyard Book and CORALINE first, as I'm not sure this collection alone would have inspired me to move onto his novels. But, maybe novels is where his real talent lies?
I'll keep reading.
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LibraryThing member alarra_c
The book that made me an absolute fan, the one that makes me want to be a writer of brilliant short stories.
LibraryThing member crawdadman
It’s quite good. There are a few clunkers, as there are in almost any short story collection—“The Goldfish Pool and Other Stories” seems especially pointless, and “Tastings” and “Changes” also did very little for me—but there’s a lot of essential Gaiman here. “We Can Get Them
The very best stories are clumped at the beginning and end of the book, and they all brilliantly manipulate well-known myths, children’s tales, and campfire stories. “Snow, Glass, Apples” must be the best-ever retelling of that story that it retells. I first heard it and “Murder Mysteries” on Two Plays for Voices, a well-produced audio adaptation that I also highly recommend.
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for You Wholesale” is deliciously nasty and incrementally, shudderingly scary. There are allusions and homages to earlier writers: I hadn’t previously heard of Michael Moorcock or his Elric novels, but “One Life, Furnished in Early Moorcock” made for an intriguing introduction to his work; a couple of stories are set in Innsmouth, H. P. Lovecraft’s fictional town. One story near the end is a morality tale that owes something to John Milton, and a character from one of the Innsmouth stories migrates into a nifty retelling of Beowulf. Gaiman even tries, with mixed results, to write a story in the style of Raymond Carver. Even the stuff that doesn’t really work is fun to read because it shows a writer experimenting with form and genre, poking his head out of his apparent comfort zone to look for new possibilities. Only “Goldfish Pool” is sincerely dull.The very best stories are clumped at the beginning and end of the book, and they all brilliantly manipulate well-known myths, children’s tales, and campfire stories. “Snow, Glass, Apples” must be the best-ever retelling of that story that it retells. I first heard it and “Murder Mysteries” on Two Plays for Voices, a well-produced audio adaptation that I also highly recommend.
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LibraryThing member louiserb
Contemporary humor, pythonist and sufficiently daft enough to make you pick up the book for a story a day - there's plenty of short stories here just waiting for an avantgarde student film producer to make a name for themselves
LibraryThing member israfel13
Wow, what a great collection. I have this habit of marking stories in anthologies that really peak my interest but after finishing half the book and realizing I'd earmarked every story so far I started to understand that Gaiman was on a whole different level. This is an amazing achievement
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definitely worth picking up and rereading a couple of times. Some of my favorites include: "Nicholas Was", "The Price", "Shoggoth's Old Peculiar", "Virus", "We Can Get Them For You Wholesale", and "Snow, Glass, Apples". Show Less
LibraryThing member pratchettfan
A collection of short stories and short poetry spanning over twenty years of Neil Gaiman's career. From the first stories he wrote to more recent endeavors this collection has it all. Some of the stories are truly brilliant, i especially like the retelling of the classic folk tales (The Troll under
A fan of Gaiman's work shouldn't miss this collection if only for the introduction where he recounts the origin of the different stories, however, I am sure you'll find a couple of stories you'll treasure in this book as well.
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the Bridge and Snow White), others are mediocre or just plain strange, but that was to be expected. Even a mastermind like Gaiman has to have better and worse days.A fan of Gaiman's work shouldn't miss this collection if only for the introduction where he recounts the origin of the different stories, however, I am sure you'll find a couple of stories you'll treasure in this book as well.
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LibraryThing member SithCrow
i lost my original copy of this collection in what i jokingly call "the great divorce of 2005". i re-purchased it last year and i don't know why i waited so long. "murder mysteries" -- i read it and every time i finish the last page and sit there and stare into space for a bit.
LibraryThing member riverwillow
An eclectic collection of short stories, poems and other writings which are, as usual with Gaiman's writing, always interesting and thought provoking. My favourite stories are Chivalry, The Price, Troll Bridge, The Facts in the Case of the Disappearance of Miss Finch, The Daughter of Owls,
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Shoggoth's Old Peculiar and Mouse. Show Less
LibraryThing member ben_a
Have been leafing through this over the past month. Inventive, but not terribly good. More humor, less horror is needed. 8.15.07
LibraryThing member bastet
I loved this trip through Gaiman's imagination. Not every short story is the best, but I adored the way he described why each story was written. He's a better novelist, but this collection is a must for Gaiman fans.
LibraryThing member selfcallednowhere
The first Gaiman I've read and a truly fantastic book. Definitely made me want to seek out more from him. Often deliciously creepy, and a mixture of mundaneness and fantastic that seemed difficult to pull off but somehow he did.
LibraryThing member clong
I seem to be in the minority on this collection. I had high hopes for this Smoke and Mirrors, but left it fairly disappointed. Don’t get me wrong . . . Gaiman clearly has a fecund imagination, and a powerful grasp of the use of imagery, and at his best seamlessly blends dark fantasy with the very
There were several strong stories in the collection, including a couple that I rated as 8s (Shoggoth's Old Peculiar, which I found quite funny, and Snow, Glass, Apples, after the reading of which I will never quite think of a famous fairy tale the same again), and several that I rated 7s (Murder Mysteries would have been an 8, were it not marred by the inclusion of a completely gratuitous and overly graphic little sex scene). But others of the stories left me very flat. I could easily have done without Don't Ask Jack, Changes, Looking for the Girl, The Sweeper of Dreams, Foreign Parts, and Tastings. And I would characterize the poetry as strong on imagery, but fairly pedestrian on word-smithing.
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funny. But I found little of this as compelling as American Gods (which I rather liked), for example. There were several strong stories in the collection, including a couple that I rated as 8s (Shoggoth's Old Peculiar, which I found quite funny, and Snow, Glass, Apples, after the reading of which I will never quite think of a famous fairy tale the same again), and several that I rated 7s (Murder Mysteries would have been an 8, were it not marred by the inclusion of a completely gratuitous and overly graphic little sex scene). But others of the stories left me very flat. I could easily have done without Don't Ask Jack, Changes, Looking for the Girl, The Sweeper of Dreams, Foreign Parts, and Tastings. And I would characterize the poetry as strong on imagery, but fairly pedestrian on word-smithing.
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LibraryThing member krisiti
Like Tanith Lee, what I think of as Literary Horror. The style tends to be more creepy than horrifying: literary creepy? Ugh.The story in the introduction was especially disturbing. Some of the semi-pornographic bits bothered me-- like the story about the male with a detatchment to his penis.
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Perhaps just that they were scenes about sex written by a man, from a male point of view, since they were disturbing to me in a way that sex scenes written by women generally aren't. The casual body-function-ness attitude is alien, to someone who first learned about sex from female-written romance novels, anyways. Show Less
Subjects
Awards
Bram Stoker Award (Nominee — Collection — 1998)
Geffen Award (2004)
Language
Original publication date
1998
ISBN
0061795291 / 9780061795299