Reviews

Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders by Neil Gaiman

mugwumpun's review against another edition

5.0

Neil Gaiman's writing is always dark, whimsical, and imaginative. My favorite story was "A Study in Emerald".

cranberry__sauce's review against another edition

3.0

3.5 stars rounded down

"A Study in Emerald"
rating: 3.5/5

"The Fairy Reel"
rating: 3/5

"October in the Chair"
rating: 4/5

"The Hidden Chamber"
rating: 3/5

"Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Secret House of the Night of Dread Desire"
rating: 3.5/5

"The Flints of Memory Lane"
rating: 3/5

"Closing Time"
rating: 4.5/5

"Going Wodwo"
rating: 3.5/5

"Bitter Grounds"
rating: 3/5

"Other People"
rating: 4.5/5

"Keepsakes and Treasures"
rating: 4/5

"Good Boys Deserve Favors"
rating: 2.5/5

"The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch"
rating: 2.5/5

"Strange Little Girls"
rating: 2/5

"Harlequin Valentine"
rating: 4/5

"Locks"
rating: 3.5/5

"The Problem of Susan"
rating: 3/5

"Instructions"
rating: 4/5

"How Do You Think It Feels?"
rating: 3.5/5

"My Life"
rating: 2.5/5

"Fifteen Painted Cards from a Vampire Tarot"
rating: 2.5/5

"Feeders and Eaters"
rating: 4.5/5

"Diseasemaker's Croup"
rating: 3/5

"In the End"
rating: 3/5

"Goliath"
rating: 5/5

"Pages from a Journal Found in a Shoebox Left in a Greyhound Bus Somewhere Between Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Louisville, Kentucky"
rating: 3.5/5

"How to Talk to Girls at Parties"
rating: 4/5

"The Day the Saucers Came"
rating: 3/5

"Sunbird"
rating: 5/5

"Inventing Aladdin"
rating: 3.5/5

The Monarch of the Glen
a sequel novella to American Gods
rating: 5/5

Overall
Overall, Neil Gaiman's collection of short stories and poems contains many hits but just as many—if not more—duds. I disliked many of the pieces in Fragile Things; many I thought were underbaked and not ready to be published. However, I did have a few that I liked. My personal favorite pieces in the collection were "Goliath", a story set in the universe of The Matrix film; "Sunbird", a story about a food club who have eaten everything except the mysterious Sunbird; and The Monarch of the Glen, a sequel novella to Gaiman's novel American Gods.

shafikma's review against another edition

dark mysterious

4.5

absolutely's review

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

narcissia's review against another edition

4.0

3.5
Loved some, liked some, some were okay, a couple were meh.
:)

isabellevictoria's review against another edition

4.75

Amazing short stories! Some overlap with the Neil Gaiman reader but that's to be expected. Always love a Shadow story

xeyra1's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

2.5

I prefer Neil Gaiman's novels and Sandman comics to his short stories, it seems, or at least this collection did not really work for me. Probably why it took me this long to finish. I liked 2-3 short stories, including the American Gods novella, but others were just too disjointed or not particularly grabbing. A specific one was also disturbing in ways I didn't particularly enjoy.

flo_e's review against another edition

adventurous dark lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

3.75

rovertje20's review

dark funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

artbookshelfodyssey's review against another edition

1.0

I wasn't in the mood for this, but I've grown as a reader so I want to give it another try someday.