A review by ljunghardy
Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions by Neil Gaiman

1.0

DNF after Foreign Parts (23 of 33 stories). i kept cringing and hoping the stories would improve, and finally realized i didn't have to do that to myself. several stories were enjoyable, with creepy twists and end of the world scenarios, though with less hope and whimsy than i remember in his other works. the amount of objectified, purely self-gratifying sex (even when it was with another person) was dismaying. like no one even enjoyed the sex or masturbating, it was just another gross and depressing part of life. and, except in "Chivalry", there were few fully personified female characters - they were largely a backdrop for male activities or a sexual interest. a very disappointing read overall.