Smoke & Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions
Where to buy Smoke & Mirrors: Fleeting Fictions and Illusions books online?
Product Description
The distinctive storytelling genius of Neil Gaiman has been acclaimed by writers as diverse as Norman Mailer and Stephen King. Now in this new collection of tales–several of which have never before appeared in print and more than half that have never been collected–that will dazzle the senses and haunt the imagination. Miraculous inventions and unforgettable characters inhabit these pages: an elderly widow who finds the Holy Grail in a second-hand store…a frightened small boy who bargains for his life with a troll living under a bridge by teh railroad tracks…a stray cat who battles nightly against a recurring evil that threatens his unsusupecting adoptive family tree. In these tales, Gaiman displays the power, wit, insight and outrageous inventiveness that has made him one of the most unique literary artists of our day.Amazon.com Review
This anthology of fleeting tales, and the occasional tale poem, is vintage Neil Gaiman: odd, sometimes very amusing, regularly dark and disturbing. Most have been published before, but are hard to find elsewhere and take in all of Gaiman’s writing life. As Gaiman says in his introduction, “most of the tales in this book are about like in some form or another,” but not requited like. The tales in Smoke and Mirrors touch on all of Gaiman’s themes: sex, death, dreams, and the end of the world. From “Chivalry,” about the Holy Grail and where it finally finished up, to “Troll Bridge,” a very adult version of “The Three Billy Goats Gruff”; from “Bay Wolf,” a tale poem that melds Beowulf and Baywatch, with appealing results, to “Murder Mysteries,” which is about a murder, but also about angels, God’s will, and Evil, these tales place lasting impressions. Fans of Ray Bradbury’s fleeting tales and of Gaiman’s additional works will delight in this collection. –Nona Vero
Buy Cheap Smoke & Mirrors: Fleeting Fictions and Illusions Online
Related posts:
- Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders
- Smoke & Spice, Revised: Cooking with Smoke, the Real Way to Barbecue, on Your Charcoal Grill, Water Smoker, or Wood-Burning Pit
- Smoke Bellew
- Serious Barbecue: Smoke, Char, Baste, and Brush Your Way to Great Outdoor Cooking
- A Short History of Nearly Everything
I once thought that Neil Gaiman, the master of tale-telling, could do no incorrect. I have been corrected. This collection of fleeting tales leaves the reader unfullfilled. Gaiman is known for making fantastic characters and places. Gaiman does not seem to be able to erect these characters and places within the few pages of a fleeting tale. The tales in this book range from a werewolf/Baywatch tale to poems about vampires to murder mysteries in the heavens. There were a few rare gems in this book, but overall, I recommend reading ‘Excellent Omens’ or ‘Neverwhere’ to get a excellent taste of Gaiman’s talents. These tales were consistently disappointing.
Reader’s Rating: 1 / 5
I could not find any tale that made me reflect or remember why i should read this book. I reflect i laughed once . Maybe it was the “Three Billy Goats Gruff” rewrite that left my boredom temporarily. Do not read this book if your expecting extreme or fascinating tales.
Reader’s Rating: 1 / 5
Neil Gaiman, legendary for his Sandman comic books and the momentously original and imaginative novel Neverwhere, comes to us with a collection of fleeting tales and poems that he wrote for different publications/compilations over the years. Some of these tales are classic Gaiman (see list not more than); they are dark, amusing and very ironic all at once. Sorry to say, too mamny of the tales in this collection lack the wit and cynicism that makes Gaiman such a unique writer.
As a matter of fact, some of the tales feel a small dry, as if Gaiman wrote them lacking really wanting too. And I establish myself skipping through some of the poems; Gaiman is fantastic at writing prose and he should stick to what he’s excellent at.
Still, this collection offers many fantastic tales. Don’t miss Troll Bridge, Looking for The Girl, We Can Get Them For You Wholesale, Tastings, Murder Mysteries, One Life Furnished in Early Moorcock and especially Snow, Glass, Apples, a fun, twisted vampire tale.
Reader’s Rating: 3 / 5
i don’t know about this one. admittedly, i am honestly new to gaiman’s work. but stardust and neverwhere enchanted me duely, whereas smoke & mirrors has left me unimpressed. a few of the tales had me enthralled until they were through, but most i establish myself reasonably bored with.
Reader’s Rating: 2 / 5
I read this book–bought it in hardcover, in fact–because I loved Neverwhere. I was surprised to find out that more regularly than not, the tales here are pretty annoying. Either they don’t make sense, or they’re just unadorned dull. I just finished Stardust, and it was every bit as excellent as Neverwhere, or even better. Guess you win some and lose some.
Reader’s Rating: 2 / 5