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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I should probably have a think about how I’d rank my favorite authors, and when I do, Neil Gaiman will definitely be in my top 5. The trouble with him, though, is that he has a certain writing style that bounces off a lot of people, and has even bounced off of me in some of his books. Smoke and Mirrors proved to be one of those.
This is a short story collection, and it's a hefty collection at that. There are so many stories and poems in here, the table of contents is three pages long in my mass market paperback edition. I usually look at each story in a short story collection one by one, but that format would be a nightmare for this book.
The other reason I don't wanna do my usual thing for Smoke and Mirrors is that most of these pieces are really short and I can't find much to say about them. Short stories are supposed to be short - Captain Obvious, signing off - but many of the ones in this book are so short that they don't even have real narrative arcs. The ones that have more substance to them are the best, but even they rank as some of the worse examples of Gaiman's work.
I'm still giving it three stars, though, because I know some people will enjoy this for one reason: it's Neil effing Gaiman! He didn't come by his reputation by accident, his prose is magical and engaging in a way that'll make you want to tough it through even the worst of this book's entries. All things considered, though, you should really approach Smoke and Mirrors with caution. Heck, the guy has published so many GOAT tier books, this one should be waaay down the bottom of a Gaiman reader's priority list.
This is a short story collection, and it's a hefty collection at that. There are so many stories and poems in here, the table of contents is three pages long in my mass market paperback edition. I usually look at each story in a short story collection one by one, but that format would be a nightmare for this book.
The other reason I don't wanna do my usual thing for Smoke and Mirrors is that most of these pieces are really short and I can't find much to say about them. Short stories are supposed to be short - Captain Obvious, signing off - but many of the ones in this book are so short that they don't even have real narrative arcs. The ones that have more substance to them are the best, but even they rank as some of the worse examples of Gaiman's work.
I'm still giving it three stars, though, because I know some people will enjoy this for one reason: it's Neil effing Gaiman! He didn't come by his reputation by accident, his prose is magical and engaging in a way that'll make you want to tough it through even the worst of this book's entries. All things considered, though, you should really approach Smoke and Mirrors with caution. Heck, the guy has published so many GOAT tier books, this one should be waaay down the bottom of a Gaiman reader's priority list.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
A collection of short stories by one of my favorite authors. I enjoyed some stories, loved others, and didn't care for some.
This was not my favorite of his works. I feel as though he was terribly depressed when he wrote most of these and it made for very glum reading. The stories themselves were all very good, but lumped together like this was rather depressing.
I really enjoyed this and it helped pick me out of a reading slump!
3.5/5
Highlights for me (in order of appearance)
The wedding present
Chivalry
The goldfish pool (my personal favorite)
Looking for the girl
We can get them for you wholesale (great ending)
Murder mysteries (wish it was a full length story)
Snow, glass, apples
The rest are not without their own charms, but some appeared to be roughly put together or just scribblings, almost as though they were outtakes meant to fill up pages. I would rate the collection higher if it trimmed some of the filler. This was my introduction to Gaiman's work, besides the two doctor who episodes he wrote and the movie stardust. I remain intrigued in reading more of his work, especially to see how he sustains some of his better ideas in a longer form.
Highlights for me (in order of appearance)
The wedding present
Chivalry
The goldfish pool (my personal favorite)
Looking for the girl
We can get them for you wholesale (great ending)
Murder mysteries (wish it was a full length story)
Snow, glass, apples
The rest are not without their own charms, but some appeared to be roughly put together or just scribblings, almost as though they were outtakes meant to fill up pages. I would rate the collection higher if it trimmed some of the filler. This was my introduction to Gaiman's work, besides the two doctor who episodes he wrote and the movie stardust. I remain intrigued in reading more of his work, especially to see how he sustains some of his better ideas in a longer form.
always start collections of short stories hesitantly. I fear that they won't satisfy me as much as a fat juicy novel. And yet, 9/10 I devour and savor these collections with more fervor than most novels I dive into. The story, or poem, ends and gives you a chance to breathe and contemplate. To combine and to compare to your well-worn neuro-pathways, challenging your perception. This is especially true in 'Smoke and Mirrors' and I was tickled pink by so many of these borderline spooky, sometimes heartbreaking, lots of times warm and cozy stories. The foreword has little bits of how each story came to be, and I found myself flipping there to read each story's origin before diving in, and it provided such a beautiful look into Neil Gaiman and his marvelous brain! I have another collection of his in my lineup for this spring and I'm super looking forward to it!
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
I love Gaimans mind. This most tragic thing is that I’ve read practically his entire library.
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
On a whole, I really enjoyed this short story and prose collection by Neil Gaiman. One of my favorite stories was in the introduction, one that he had originally written as a wedding present for friends. I highly recommend reading the introduction, as Gaiman gives a blurb to set up the context for which each story was written.
Other stand outs, were “Chivalry”, “Troll Bridge” and “We Can Get Them for You Wholesale.” I think this collection really made me appreciate Gaiman’s imagination and scope of writing. He really does dabble in a little bit of everything, style and subject, making him even more interesting.
Other stand outs, were “Chivalry”, “Troll Bridge” and “We Can Get Them for You Wholesale.” I think this collection really made me appreciate Gaiman’s imagination and scope of writing. He really does dabble in a little bit of everything, style and subject, making him even more interesting.