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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
I loved this book...I'm a fan of Gaiman's writing and this one was no exception. My favorite was the poem at the end "Instructions." I even read it aloud to my husband and he loved it too.
I got this one from the juvenile section of the library, I am constantly looking for stuff for my sons (8 and 6) to read. This is no surprise coming from Neil Gaiman but most of the stories were way too dark for them to handle yet.
I got this one from the juvenile section of the library, I am constantly looking for stuff for my sons (8 and 6) to read. This is no surprise coming from Neil Gaiman but most of the stories were way too dark for them to handle yet.
So I've read a few Neil Gaiman books of all kinds (comics, YA, full length adult novels) and thus far the absolute worst I could say about any of them has been that it was "Okay", so when I saw this one cheap on Kindle I figured why not, surely I couldn't go wrong. Well, except for the fact that I was seeing mixed reviews. Upon further review of the reviews I noticed something. The really bad ones all seemed to center around one theme -- It appears in the 9-12 year old category and there seems to be much debate about if it belongs there. I figured I'd read it and decide for myself if those complaints were warranted.
While I am no prude and do think my nephew (who is about to turn 9 as I write this) is actually mature enough to read this book, I could see why some parents would object. What could parents object to? Well: There is a description of a nude troll, he's male if that tells you anything about what you'll find in this book. No? Okay well we learn that a teenage boy wants to touch breasts. Or that a married man appreciates getting "laid" by women other than his wife. A certain word that rhymes with witch makes an appearance. There's some drinking (including by teens).
These references are brief and are not graphic. In fact what I've just typed here, that's about it for the questionable material I think, and about as graphic as it is in the book (other than my editing of that one word here). I suspect most children have seen, heard, and read worse especially if they've watched any tv or movies. Then again, yes some parents would find it a bit much for the average 9 year old. So while it claims to be a book for reading levels ages 9-12, well yes a 9 year old could probably read this book with no problems but it's up to you to decide if they're mature enough to handle brief mentions of nudity and sex (as I said, not graphic, but still there in passing). I'd probably suggest Coraline or InterWorld instead if you want to introduce your younger child to Neil Gaiman before this one (of the ones I personally know now anyway).
That said, I'll be rating it as an adult reader. Did Humpty Dumpty REALLY have a great fall? What about the troll under the bridge, what's his story? What's the deal with Jack in his box? What happens when the months of the year get together? Is finding the Holy Grail really a good thing? Who or what really scratches up the cat? Things like this are what make up the short stories in M is for Magic. It's a fun fast read. Fans of Neil Gaiman will probably have read much of this before. Me? I'd only read the passage from The Graveyard book so I loved it as it was new to me and yes quite magical.
While I am no prude and do think my nephew (who is about to turn 9 as I write this) is actually mature enough to read this book, I could see why some parents would object. What could parents object to? Well: There is a description of a nude troll, he's male if that tells you anything about what you'll find in this book. No? Okay well we learn that a teenage boy wants to touch breasts. Or that a married man appreciates getting "laid" by women other than his wife. A certain word that rhymes with witch makes an appearance. There's some drinking (including by teens).
These references are brief and are not graphic. In fact what I've just typed here, that's about it for the questionable material I think, and about as graphic as it is in the book (other than my editing of that one word here). I suspect most children have seen, heard, and read worse especially if they've watched any tv or movies. Then again, yes some parents would find it a bit much for the average 9 year old. So while it claims to be a book for reading levels ages 9-12, well yes a 9 year old could probably read this book with no problems but it's up to you to decide if they're mature enough to handle brief mentions of nudity and sex (as I said, not graphic, but still there in passing). I'd probably suggest Coraline or InterWorld instead if you want to introduce your younger child to Neil Gaiman before this one (of the ones I personally know now anyway).
That said, I'll be rating it as an adult reader. Did Humpty Dumpty REALLY have a great fall? What about the troll under the bridge, what's his story? What's the deal with Jack in his box? What happens when the months of the year get together? Is finding the Holy Grail really a good thing? Who or what really scratches up the cat? Things like this are what make up the short stories in M is for Magic. It's a fun fast read. Fans of Neil Gaiman will probably have read much of this before. Me? I'd only read the passage from The Graveyard book so I loved it as it was new to me and yes quite magical.
Edgy, funny and dark short stories. You will recognize some and others are brand new. I enjoyed listening to Neil Gaiman read his stories very much.
I am kind of annoyed. I had hoped for a nice collection of short stories to sink my teeth into. But instead I ended up skipping over a lot of stories I had previously read in this one. So I ended up only taking a few short hours on this one (I think it took me around 2) to finish up. For the really new to me stories I thought some were just okay, and others didn't make a lick of sense and did not appeal to me. The only really one I enjoyed was "The Price" and that featured a black cat.
For those who are still looking to complete your Halloween book bingo, there are some stories in here for you that you may want to take a look at.
"The Case of the Four and Twenty Blackbirds" (1 star). This was painful to read. I was tempted to have this story count towards the "It was a dark and stormy night" but decided to let that go. Told like a pulp detective novel featuring characters from children's nursery rhymes. Reading the word "dame" from Jack Horner (now a detective) made me roll my eyes. A lot.
"Troll Bridge" (3.5 stars). I thought this one counted towards disturbing and sad in the end. A young boy comes across a troll that wants to eat his life. He manages to get away with a promise to come back. And he does come back. I thought one of his trips ended up sealing his fate so to speak (the young boy) because something that was innocent definitely curdled.
"Don't Ask Jack" (3.5 stars). I thought this was a bittersweet story involving a jack in the box. The whole story made me feel lonely and sad. There is a reference to a moonlit night.
"How to Sell the Ponti Bridge" (2 stars). Sorry. Could not get into this one at all. Reading about a special club of men I guess who end up being taken in by someone. I liked the illustration that came with this one. That's all I got.
"October in the Chair" (skipped over, read previously).
"Chivalry" (3 stars). A woman finds the Holy Grail and is visited by Sir Galahad. I think that there is a hint that the woman wants Galahad and that he kind of sucks for running off with someone else, but after reading about Merlin the other week, this book was a downer for me.
"The Price" (5 stars). Featuring a black cat. I loved this one about the owner who starts to realize that a black cat that is now staying with him and his family may be more than what it appears to be. I have to say though I think I read this entire premise about a black cat in a Stephen King collection. Or from someone else. It has bugged me for a day now and maybe I will recall it down the road.
"How to Talk to Girls at Parties" (skipped over, read previously).
"Sunbird" (skipped over, read previously).
"The Witch's Headstone" (skipped over, read this in The Graveyard Book).
"Instructions" (4 stars). I liked this one a lot even though I haven't cared for Gaiman's poems in the past.
The stories ultimately don't seem to have much of a connection between them. I do love the illustrations that came with this book though.
For those who are still looking to complete your Halloween book bingo, there are some stories in here for you that you may want to take a look at.
"The Case of the Four and Twenty Blackbirds" (1 star). This was painful to read. I was tempted to have this story count towards the "It was a dark and stormy night" but decided to let that go. Told like a pulp detective novel featuring characters from children's nursery rhymes. Reading the word "dame" from Jack Horner (now a detective) made me roll my eyes. A lot.
"Troll Bridge" (3.5 stars). I thought this one counted towards disturbing and sad in the end. A young boy comes across a troll that wants to eat his life. He manages to get away with a promise to come back. And he does come back. I thought one of his trips ended up sealing his fate so to speak (the young boy) because something that was innocent definitely curdled.
"Don't Ask Jack" (3.5 stars). I thought this was a bittersweet story involving a jack in the box. The whole story made me feel lonely and sad. There is a reference to a moonlit night.
"How to Sell the Ponti Bridge" (2 stars). Sorry. Could not get into this one at all. Reading about a special club of men I guess who end up being taken in by someone. I liked the illustration that came with this one. That's all I got.
"October in the Chair" (skipped over, read previously).
"Chivalry" (3 stars). A woman finds the Holy Grail and is visited by Sir Galahad. I think that there is a hint that the woman wants Galahad and that he kind of sucks for running off with someone else, but after reading about Merlin the other week, this book was a downer for me.
"The Price" (5 stars). Featuring a black cat. I loved this one about the owner who starts to realize that a black cat that is now staying with him and his family may be more than what it appears to be. I have to say though I think I read this entire premise about a black cat in a Stephen King collection. Or from someone else. It has bugged me for a day now and maybe I will recall it down the road.
"How to Talk to Girls at Parties" (skipped over, read previously).
"Sunbird" (skipped over, read previously).
"The Witch's Headstone" (skipped over, read this in The Graveyard Book).
"Instructions" (4 stars). I liked this one a lot even though I haven't cared for Gaiman's poems in the past.
The stories ultimately don't seem to have much of a connection between them. I do love the illustrations that came with this book though.
dark
emotional
reflective
some stories I have read from other collections but even so they are as perfect and poignant, if not more so, reading them again: troll bridge; the price. the only disappointment was the graveyard book extract which does have a bit to much going on around the edges that relate to the full book to be a true short story and was perhaps included as a plug for that upcoming book, but not disappointing enough to dock one full star.
A book of several short stories. Some I liked. I few a didn't. Of all of them, Sunbird was the one that stuck with me in full detail.
These stories are exactly what I would've wanted to read when I was younger, when I wanted something chilling or spooky but not as heavy as Poe or Lovecraft. The final story, which ended up as a chapter in The Graveyard Book, works better in that context but is still good as a stand-alone. Gaiman has such a gift for tapping into the archetypal without it (almost) ever being tired or trite.
Neil Gaiman, my favorite audiobook narrator. Do I actually like his books or just his voice? I tend to hate short story collection but I will listen to them if Neil Gaiman reads it! I appreciated in his introduction where he said in a short story collection, you don’t need to like everything.