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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
A collection of short stories that vary from wonderful to terrible, and gross to moderately less gross. My favorite was the story about the man who couldn't resist a bargain.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
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
"Stories are, in on way or another, mirrors. We use them to explain ourselves how the world works or how it doesn't work.Like mirrors, stories prepare us for the day to come. They distract us from the things in the darkness. Fantasy-and all fiction is fantasy of one kind or another-is a mirror. A distorting mirror, to be sure, and a concealing mirror, set at 45 degrees to reality, but it's a mirror nonetheless, which we can use to tell ourselves things we might not otherwise see."
As always another wonderful book by Neil Gaiman. A great collection of short stories and poems that are haunting, disturbing, and funny all at the same time in a way that only Neil Gaiman can deliver.
As always another wonderful book by Neil Gaiman. A great collection of short stories and poems that are haunting, disturbing, and funny all at the same time in a way that only Neil Gaiman can deliver.
Obviously I liked some better than others, my favs being tiny vampire Snow White and the old woman casually buying the Holy Grail.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A bunch of short stories, mostly dark, some with the intent to be scary & others more emotional. A few are funny, too. Many of the characters are dealing with loneliness, & most are men. Some are told where the author is the main character. The story settings vary in how much they take place in reality vs fantasy, often combining the two (at least one is set in a fantasy world & many incorporate well known myths, folk/fairytales, and other authors’ fantasy/sci-fi works.) The forward has a short story of its own & small tidbits explaining his thoughts behind each story, so don’t skip it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Chronic illness, Drug use, Gore, Physical abuse, Transphobia, Blood
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Death of parent
Obviously Neil Gaiman is an incredible, compelling writer. Everything I read by him is wonderfully well-written, extremely original (it never feels like a plot I've heard before), and almost disturbingly personal- his writing sucks the reader in and makes us part of the story. I loved the introduction, where Gaiman discusses being a writer. I LOVED "Chivalry" especially. I'd say I enjoyed 72-80% of the stories... some were too disturbing for me (but that's good writing, right?), but overall it was a good read.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced