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jennydemonic's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
chaosandbooks's review against another edition
4.0
As with all anthologies, it's full of hits and misses. All of the short stories are on point with Gaiman's voice. For me, the best was the first one as it was inspired by the fall of Humpty Dumpty but with a noir spin. I thought that was extremely creative and loved the tone. It's not something that many authors tackle or pull off well, but Gaiman did it justice while sticking to his fantasy roots.
labunnywtf's review against another edition
5.0
How did I love this, let me count the ways!!
Only one or two of the stories in this compilation I knew already, from Smoke and Mirrors. And hearing them in audio book format heightened my enjoyment of them immensely.
The first story, what kicks off the compilation, I don't recall the title of, but it's the story of Humpty Dumpty's murder, as told my Jack Horner, the private detective.
I giggled so hard while driving I nearly went off the road. And it just kept rolling from there.
I wish Neil Gaimain did audio for every book I want to hear on CD. His readings of the stories are just amazingly fun, and whimsical. And his accent makes me do this 8-D
Wonderful. Just lovely.
Only one or two of the stories in this compilation I knew already, from Smoke and Mirrors. And hearing them in audio book format heightened my enjoyment of them immensely.
The first story, what kicks off the compilation, I don't recall the title of, but it's the story of Humpty Dumpty's murder, as told my Jack Horner, the private detective.
I giggled so hard while driving I nearly went off the road. And it just kept rolling from there.
I wish Neil Gaimain did audio for every book I want to hear on CD. His readings of the stories are just amazingly fun, and whimsical. And his accent makes me do this 8-D
Wonderful. Just lovely.
geekwayne's review against another edition
4.0
A great collection of short stories for younger readers. I was going to pass on a re-read of the story from The Graveyard Game, but got sucked in and reminded why I loved that book so much.
ladyethyme's review against another edition
2.0
Reviews
Eh. All stories from other collections-and, despite the 'Children's Book' title...it's not.
Sorry but describing the size of a troll penis 'hanging from gonk hair between his legs' and how bad the protagonist wants to put his hands between a girl's legs and a troll sniffing between her legs (Neil seems obsessed with 'between legs'.....it's cringey AF and gross. Sorry Neil.)
Oh and then the troll 'lies down on top of him'.
Um. K.
Frankly there doesn't seem to be a purpose to that story other than to describe a awful, nasty person, and to get in as many references to "between someone's legs" as possible.
Story of animal abuse. I can't do that.
'How to sell Pontus Bridge' was just....boring. Like watching/listening to accountants talk.
Kind of weird they deliberately aim this at kids, with the title and 'author of Coraline' splayed across the top.....
It's NOT for kids.
Eh. All stories from other collections-and, despite the 'Children's Book' title...it's not.
Sorry but describing the size of a troll penis 'hanging from gonk hair between his legs' and how bad the protagonist wants to put his hands between a girl's legs and a troll sniffing between her legs (Neil seems obsessed with 'between legs'.....it's cringey AF and gross. Sorry Neil.)
Oh and then the troll 'lies down on top of him'.
Um. K.
Frankly there doesn't seem to be a purpose to that story other than to describe a awful, nasty person, and to get in as many references to "between someone's legs" as possible.
Story of animal abuse. I can't do that.
'How to sell Pontus Bridge' was just....boring. Like watching/listening to accountants talk.
Kind of weird they deliberately aim this at kids, with the title and 'author of Coraline' splayed across the top.....
It's NOT for kids.
authoraugust's review against another edition
2.0
Not at all what I expected from Neil; the stories didn't feel very complete or edited. There were moments that made me smile and a couple of lines I highlighted, so I can't say I disliked this book, but it wasn't great.
charles0's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
3.0
Some stories were better than others but overall I liked it and thought it was a good read.
djvuuu's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
ashpanda88's review against another edition
4.0
I usually don't read or enjoy short stories but I really enjoyed this collection. My biggest gripe about short stories has always been that they never feel finished to me. These stories are left open-ended, however they are fulfilling in a way I haven't experienced with short stories in the past. Will have to pick up another collection from this author.