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Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions
 
 
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Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions (Paperback)

by Neil Gaiman (Author) "Mrs. Whitaker found the Holy Grail; it was under a fur coat ..." (more)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (64 customer reviews)

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Product Description

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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 the Hardcover edition.


From Publishers Weekly

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 the Hardcover edition.
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Mrs. Whitaker found the Holy Grail; it was under a fur coat. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews

64 Reviews
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4.2 out of 5 stars (64 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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4.0 out of 5 stars Smoke and Mirros, Aug 26 2009
By Clayton Bye (Kenora, On, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Smoke And Mirrors: Short Fictions And Illusions (Paperback)
Neil Gaiman has been named as one of the top ten living post-modern writers (the Dictionary of Literary Biography). A prolific creator of comics, drama, poetry, prose and song lyrics, he's also been called the new face of horror fiction. You can even find him active in other media such as blogging, film, journalism, radio and television.

His New York Times best-selling novel, American Gods, was awarded the Bram Stoker, Locus, Hugo, Nebula and SFX awards.

Anansi Boys, closely related to American Gods, has elements of comedy, horror, romance, the supernatural and even humour.

His collection of short fiction, Smoke and Mirrors, dark and unique, has been compared to the works of H. P. Lovecraft, Harlan Ellison, Ray Bradbury and Stephen King (who is, himself, a fan of the author).

Better known for his classic work, The Sandman, a collection of modern, adult comics, Gaiman is a forty-something Englishman who now lives in the U.S.

I've read all three of the books mentioned. My 17 year-old son, a fan of The Sandman, bought them and insisted I devote some time to them. He figured if I was a fan of Stephen King, a horror writer who is arguably the finest story teller around, I just had to love Gaiman. He was right.

I can't think of anyone who has created a mythology quite like Gaiman's. His haunting vision of the landscape of modern Gods makes my skin crawl, yet I find myself unable to leave his work alone. His writing is like a drug that hooks you and leaves you an addict who must have more.

If you're new to the horror genre, I'd recommend adding this author to your reading list. More literary than Stephen King and possibly more difficult to read, Neil Gaiman will reward you for your effort.

Copyright © Clayton Clifford Bye 2009
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4.0 out of 5 stars A mixed collection from one of today's best authors, Aug 3 2006
By Hugo Trepanier "elusiveone_96" (Deux-Montagnes, QC, Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This collection of short stories marks the first time I've ever been somewhat bored by a Neil Gaiman tale. That is to say only a few of the stories actually fail to represent the author's habitual genius but most are at least interesting, while many are actually excellent, as should be expected. The stories are presented in asynchronous order and Gaiman offers an introduction about each piece with some interesting background information. Some of the oldest are also some of the best in this set.

Uninitiated readers eager to discover Neil Gaiman should probably start with Stardust or Neverwhere, or any other of his full-length novels for that matter. I think his longer stories generally provide much better characters and storylines, a benefit that comes with spending more time on a single setting and exploring it further than only a few pages allow. Perhaps not so coincidentally, the stories I appreciated the most in Smokes and Mirrors also happened to be the lengthier ones. Those written as poems or in a telegraphic style really lost me for the most part, but the rest is sure to provide the reader with enough chills and thrills. It retains a bit of magic and mystery typical to all of Gaiman's work. Quite a fascinating mind!
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4.0 out of 5 stars 9/10, Jun 28 2004
I give it a nine out of ten.

What I liked about it:
Neil Gaiman is a terrific author. The stories were mostly crisp and kept me interested.
I enjoyed the change of pace between the tales.
The different ideas and possible universes presented were great.

In order to get a ten:
A couple of the stories should have been left out. They were not the same caliber as the others in the book.

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 		 Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Unfortunately is missing Gaiman's most important work
Having of course been born in the twenty-fourth century and then thrust backwards through time after stumbling upon a temporal fissure, I have read this book. Read more
Published on Sep 4 2004 by J. D. Bartlett

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous! This book is going to ROCK!
Wow. I haven't read this book, but that won't stop me from reviewing it: when I read this it is going to be AWESOME.
Published on Aug 30 2004 by Gregory Reed

4.0 out of 5 stars So much better than Neverwhere
In "Neverwhere" Gaiman seriously bit off more than he could chew. But in this book of short stories, Gaiman's intensely creative ideas and fantastic imagination are... Read more
Published on May 28 2004 by Hammiesgirl

5.0 out of 5 stars Stop reading this and go get this book now!
There is so much variety in this book you'd think it wasn't written by the same person, but it is, and how well it was done. Read more
Published on April 20 2004 by R. Nguyen

5.0 out of 5 stars Echos in your mind indefinately
Most of what I would say has already been said in previous reviews. I would simply add my voice to the chorus that praises this collection, and add that Gaiman's skill is such... Read more
Published on April 5 2004

4.0 out of 5 stars There are some real gems in this collection
I ordered this a few months ago and it with out a doubt kept me interested pretty much the entire way through. It's a very nice variety of stories. Read more
Published on Oct 19 2003 by Dana M.

3.0 out of 5 stars Hodgepodge.
Everything in here that could be considered, by a logical and well-read person, to be a short story, is excellent. Read more
Published on Jun 19 2003 by writing_static

5.0 out of 5 stars riveting collection of stories
I have a love-hate relationship with Neil Gaiman. I love his work. His diction is always impeccable, always inspired. Read more
Published on May 5 2003 by Nadyne Mielke

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent story-telling
(but I gave it four stars for the poems, which I could really live without)

The stories, however, are absolutely wonderful, "The Price" in particular (especially if... Read more

Published on April 20 2003 by Tanya Lamnin

4.0 out of 5 stars A fine book of short stories
While not every story in this collection is perfect hit, "The Goldfish Pond" and "Murder Mystery" make up for any flaws. A great book.
Published on Jan 15 2003 by J. Roberts

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