Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions [Paperback]

This anthology of short stories, and the occasional story poem, is vintage Neil Gaiman: quirky, sometimes very funny, often dark and disturbing. Most have been published before, but are hard to find elsewhere and cover all of Gaiman's writing life. As Gaiman says in his introduction, "most of the stories in this book are about love in some form or another," but not requited love. The stories 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 ended up, to "Troll Bridge," a very adult version of "The Three Billy Goats Gruff"; from "Bay Wolf," a story poem that melds Beowulf and Baywatch, with interesting results, to "Murder Mysteries," which is about a murder, but also about angels, God's will, and Evil, these stories leave lasting impressions. Fans of Ray Bradbury's short stories and of Gaiman's other works will enjoy this collection. --Nona Vero --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Imaginative twists on old legends and frightening glimpses into the impossible combine to form this impressive collection of 30 stories and poems by the author of Neverwhere and co-creator of The Sandman graphic novels. Each entry skirts the edges of a puncture in reality through which something dark and mysterious peeks. Then it moves on and the apparition is hidden away again, but not forgotten. The narratives follow a dream logic: The angel Raguel, the Vengeance of the Lord, can bum a cigarette off a youth in L.A. and tell him the truth behind Lucifer's fall ("Murder Mysteries"), and nonchalant assassins can be found in the Yellow Pages under pest control ("We Can Get Them for You Wholesale"). The bizarre and disturbing essence of the stories is highlighted by their background of absolute normalcy. Their prose is simple yet evocative, and Gaiman's characters are textured with well-defined personalities. Because the characters treat the unreal as ordinary, the eeriness of what unfolds has all the more impact. In "Chivalry," a woman finds the Holy Grail in a secondhand shop, and Galahad must trade something for it that will look just as good on her mantle. Demons take over London in "Cold Colors," because the devil has learned how to network and God can't get "saintware" up and running. The intriguing world behind these pages is indeed smoke and mirrors, just a step or a word or a story away from our own.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

In 30 prose and verse narratives, dark fantasist Gaiman proves that he knows how to stick to a story's point until it is thrust home. Poe would love him. He lacks Poe's grandiloquence, though, and also H. P. Lovecraft's, which he derides in "Shuggoth's Old Peculiar," one of three Lovecraftian items; the other two, by the way, feature Lawrence Talbot, the wolf man of 1940s horror movies, as a fang for hire, and "Bay Wolf," the verse one of them, mixes up Beowulf and Bay Watchwhat a howl! Other top-flight entries are the Raymond Carver^-style "Mouse," which is barely touched by fantasy; "Tastings," a highly erotic psychic vampire sketch; and "Snow, Glass, Apples," a ghastly retelling of "Snow White." Best of show is "Murder Mysteries," in which a young man meets an angel who tells him something John Milton didn't know: what provoked Lucifer to rebel against God. A box of bonbons for dark fantasy fans, and a strong successor to Neverwhere. Ray Olson --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

A whopping collection of 30 stories, narrative poems, and unclassifiable briefer pieces from the peerlessly inventive British-born co-editor/creator of The Sandman graphic novel series and last year's terrific fantasy Neverwhere. Gaiman, whos also provided a disarmingly genial introduction, calls these tales ``messages from Looking-Glass Land and pictures in shifting clouds.'' Though they're often derivative of both traditional folk materials and acknowledged favorite writers (such as John Collier, H.P. Lovecraft, and Michael Moorcock), the volume's numerous successes put an engaging spin on even more-than-twice-told tales. ``Nicholas Was,'' for instance, offers in scarcely half a page a hair-raising revisionist look at the benevolent figure of Santa Claus. The poem ``The White Road'' deftly reimagines the English ballad about the innocent virgin fated to be sacrificed to her vulpine fianc (``Mr. Fox''). ``The Daughter of Owls'' is a fiendishly compact revenge tale told in the manner of (``as by'') 17th-century antiquarian John Aubrey. Elsewhere, Gaiman offers amusingly lurid images of ``swinging'' London in the 70s (``Looking for the Girl''), Hollywood's past and present ``wild days'' (``The Goldfish Pool and Other Stories''), and sex in the age of AIDS (the very erotic ``Tastings''). And, at his best, he makes something daringly new out of the stories we think we know best: ``Baywolf'' memorably combines the narrative and pictorial elements of the real Beowulf and of TV's Baywatch; ``Snowglass, Apples'' retells the story of Snow White from the viewpoint of the exasperated ``evil queen''; and two tales (``Shoggoth's Old Peculiar'' and ``Only the End of the World''), set respectively in the Innsmouth of England and of New England, pay hilarious homage to Lovecraft's Ctulhu Mythos and the conventions of the classic horror film. Gaiman miscalculates only in leading off With ``Chivalry,'' the unforgettable tale of a placid widow who discovers the Holy Grail in a secondhand shop. Nothing later on matches it in a volume thats otherwise an exhilarating display of the work of one of our most entertaining storytellers. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

"A box of bonbons for dark fantasy fans." -- --Booklist

"An exhilarating display of the work of one of our most entertaining storytellers." -- --Kirkus Reviews (starred)

"An exhilarating display of the work of one of our most entertaining storytellers." (--Kirkus Reviews (starred)) -- --Kirkus Reviews (starred)

"Poe would love him." -- --Booklist

"Short stories guaranteed to excite the senses and inflame the imagination . . . " -- --Book Alert

"[Gaiman] is, simply put, a treasure house of story, and we are lucky to have him in any medium." -- --Stephen King

In Neil Gaiman's richly imagined fiction, anything is possible. And the proof is in the telling in this extraordinary collection of short stories. Discover within these pages miraculous inventions and curious characters: an elderly widow who finds the Holy Grail tucked beneath an old fur coat in a thrift store, a terrified boy who barters for his life with a mean-spirited troll living beneath a bridge by the railroad tracks, a young couple who receives a wedding gift that gradually reveals a chilling alternative history of their marriage. Smoke and Mirrors will dazzle your senses, touch your heart -- and haunt your dreams.

A professional writer for more than twenty years, Neil Gaiman has been one of the top writers in modern comics, and is now a bestselling novelist.His work has appeared in translation in more than nineteen countries, and nearly all of his novels, graphic and otherwise, have been optioned for films.He is listed in the Dictionary of Literary Biography as one of the top ten living post-modern writers.

Gaiman was the creator/writer of the monthly cult DC Comics series, "Sandman," which won Neil nine Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, including the award for best writer four times, and three Harvey Awards."Sandman #19" took the 1991 World Fantasy Award for best short story, making it the first comic ever to be awarded a literary award.

His six-part fantastical TV series for the BBC, "Neverwhere," was broadcast in 1996.His novel, also called "Neverwhere," and set in the same strange underground world as the television series, was released in 1997; it appeared on a number of bestseller lists, including those of the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, and Locus.

Stardust, an illustrated prose novel in four parts, began to appear from DC Comics in 1997.In 1999 Avon released the all-prose unillustrated version, which appeared on a number of bestseller lists, was selected by Publishers Weekly as one of the best books of the year, and was awarded the prestigious Mythopoeic Award as best novel for adults.

American Gods, a novel for adults, was published in 2001 and appeared on many best-of- the-year lists, was a New York Times bestseller in both hardcover and paperback, and won the Hugo, Nebula, SFX, Bram Stoker, and Locus Awards.

Coraline (2002), his first novel for children, was a New York Times and international bestseller, was nominated forthe Prix Tam Tam, and won the Elizabeth Burr/Worzalla Award, the BSFA Award, the HUgo, the Nebula and the Bram Stoker Award.

2003 saw the publication ofbestseller The Wolves in the Walls, a children's picture book,illustrated by Gaiman's longtime collaborator Dave McKean, which the New York Times named as one of the best illustrated books of the year; and the first Sandman graphic novel in seven years, Endless Nights, the first graphic novel to make the New York Times bestseller list.

In 2004, Gaiman published the a new graphic novel for Marvel called 1602, which was the best-selling comic of 2004, and 2005 saw the Sundance Film Festival premiere of "MirrorMask," a Jim Henson Company Production written by Gaiman and directed by McKean.A lavishly designed book containing the complete script, black and white storyboards, and full-color art from the film will be published by William Morrow in early 2005; a picture book for younger readers, also written by Gaiman and illustrated with art from the movie, will be published by HarperCollins Children's Books at a later date.

Gaiman's official website has 400,000 unique visitors per month in 2004; close to 600,000 per month are expected in 2005. His online journal is syndicated to thousands of blog readers every day.

Born and raised in England, Neil Gaiman now lives near Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he is currently at work on Anansi Boys, the long-awaited follow-up to American Gods.