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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
dark
funny
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Good, but probably the worst time in the history of mankind to be caught reading a Neil Gaiman book. A few of these stories did feel a bit gross in light of his uncovered creepiness
A few good ones but a few not guys, or at least that feel incomplete.
I love Gaiman, but this collection didn't really do it for me.
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood
A book of Neil Gaiman short stories and poems has a little something for everyone. He tells stories from a wide range of sci-fi and fantasy topics, and all of them envelope you and you don't want to get away.
I don't usually like short stories as a format, but I like Neil Gaiman enough to see what he had to offer. This book includes several forms of poems, and short stories of various lengths and levels of detail. It took me a lot longer than I planned to read this - 3 weeks! - but I did enjoy most of it. I particularly enjoy any of the stories in which Gaiman explores the dynamic between good and evil, and the last 2 stories in the collection were my favorites. My favorite thing about this book is that, in the introduction, Gaiman wrote a short discussion of each piece in the collection, talking about his inspiration or why he wrote it. I love that glimpse into the writer's mind!
I wish I could just rate individual stories. Some of them I loved, like the one with the grail and the one with the cat. Some were just OK. And others I just swiped away, page by page, on my Kobo so I could move on and try a new passage. Because of the passages I really enjoyed, and because I wish there were more books of short stories being published in the world, I'm glad I read Smoke and Mirrors. I just wish more of the stories had been as light hearted and unique as the grail one.
As expected, some stories worked better for me than others. But they are all so authentically Gaiman, so of course it was a delight overall, he just never disappoints! Also, I will never get enough of listening to his narration on audio, it's pure perfection.