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A review by oysterkatcher
Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions by Neil Gaiman
4.0
Be bold, be bold, but not too bold...
I can't come up with a very coherent way to organize my thoughts, so I'm just going to comment a little on the stories that stuck out to me the most (which, admittedly, is at least half of them).
The Wedding Present
This story inspired me to start writing short stories. The first "story" in the book (though only in the Introduction) and I was hooked. Gaiman writes that most of the stories in this collection didn't reach the conclusion he had originally intended, but I think that's what really adds magic to Smoke and Mirrors.
Chivalry
This was positively adorable. It read as if it were being read aloud, which is an extremely difficult feeling to get (easier so in short stories, but still) out of a story and I loved it. It was humorous and sweet and the darkness present in some of the other stories in this collection steers clear of this one. Good on you, Mrs. Whitaker.
Troll Bridge
I feel like I've read a fairy tale similar to this before, not specifically like Gaiman's, but similar. I got an odd deja-vu when I read it, but possibly it was just a feeling of identification. I still can’t explain it, the best word I have to describe it is “strange”.
The Goldfish Pool and Other Stories
This one was incredibly surreal. I felt like I was caught in the situation myself, that something of my creation was taken out of my hands and twisted into something I couldn’t recognize at all. Add that to the impossible June Lincoln, and the carp in the pond, and the words washed over me as if I were reading a memory.
The White Road
This one is my personal favorite. Twisty and clever (just like a fox), and an ending I didn’t quite see coming. The language was enticing, enchanting even, and it caught me from the first line.
Queen of Knives
I have very little to say except that this one /hurts/. Deeply.
And, in the kitchen, all alone,
I saw him stab a knife into a box.
You made me love you.
I didn’t want to do it.
Ouch.
We Can Get Them For You Wholesale
I don’t really have much to say about this one, except that I found it so funny. It read so comedically, I thoroughly enjoyed it and it’s definitely my second favorite.
The Sweeper of Dreams
This was beautiful, simply short, and (if you can excuse me), surreally dream-like. I really don’t have much to say, the length doesn’t provide much for me to expand on. I really enjoyed this one.
The Sea Change
I loved the language of this one. It was dark, it was rough, and it was powerful (much like the sea itself). The structure was well done and it read almost like a song. I felt deja-vu with this one as well, possibly because I’m so connected to the sea? Who knows. Third favorite.
Murder Mysteries
This was the only story in this collection that I just did not like. I don’t know what it was, but I couldn’t get through the story. I wasn’t hooked. It wasn’t gripping, like the others. I was bored. I skimmed through it, if only to make it seem read to myself, and was glad to get over it. I guess there’s always one.
Snow, Glass, Apples
Ah, yes. The final story, and what a finale indeed. I really enjoyed this one, it felt new (which is always a rather odd experience when I read). The phrase “nothing new under the sun” does not apply to this tale (and if it does, I’d love to read more like it). Retellings (if this is what you’d call this) of fairy tales are some of my favorite short stories. Excellent practice for writers (even with such experience as Gaiman).
I can't come up with a very coherent way to organize my thoughts, so I'm just going to comment a little on the stories that stuck out to me the most (which, admittedly, is at least half of them).
The Wedding Present
This story inspired me to start writing short stories. The first "story" in the book (though only in the Introduction) and I was hooked. Gaiman writes that most of the stories in this collection didn't reach the conclusion he had originally intended, but I think that's what really adds magic to Smoke and Mirrors.
Chivalry
This was positively adorable. It read as if it were being read aloud, which is an extremely difficult feeling to get (easier so in short stories, but still) out of a story and I loved it. It was humorous and sweet and the darkness present in some of the other stories in this collection steers clear of this one. Good on you, Mrs. Whitaker.
Troll Bridge
I feel like I've read a fairy tale similar to this before, not specifically like Gaiman's, but similar. I got an odd deja-vu when I read it, but possibly it was just a feeling of identification. I still can’t explain it, the best word I have to describe it is “strange”.
The Goldfish Pool and Other Stories
This one was incredibly surreal. I felt like I was caught in the situation myself, that something of my creation was taken out of my hands and twisted into something I couldn’t recognize at all. Add that to the impossible June Lincoln, and the carp in the pond, and the words washed over me as if I were reading a memory.
The White Road
This one is my personal favorite. Twisty and clever (just like a fox), and an ending I didn’t quite see coming. The language was enticing, enchanting even, and it caught me from the first line.
Queen of Knives
I have very little to say except that this one /hurts/. Deeply.
And, in the kitchen, all alone,
I saw him stab a knife into a box.
You made me love you.
I didn’t want to do it.
Ouch.
We Can Get Them For You Wholesale
I don’t really have much to say about this one, except that I found it so funny. It read so comedically, I thoroughly enjoyed it and it’s definitely my second favorite.
The Sweeper of Dreams
This was beautiful, simply short, and (if you can excuse me), surreally dream-like. I really don’t have much to say, the length doesn’t provide much for me to expand on. I really enjoyed this one.
The Sea Change
I loved the language of this one. It was dark, it was rough, and it was powerful (much like the sea itself). The structure was well done and it read almost like a song. I felt deja-vu with this one as well, possibly because I’m so connected to the sea? Who knows. Third favorite.
Murder Mysteries
This was the only story in this collection that I just did not like. I don’t know what it was, but I couldn’t get through the story. I wasn’t hooked. It wasn’t gripping, like the others. I was bored. I skimmed through it, if only to make it seem read to myself, and was glad to get over it. I guess there’s always one.
Snow, Glass, Apples
Ah, yes. The final story, and what a finale indeed. I really enjoyed this one, it felt new (which is always a rather odd experience when I read). The phrase “nothing new under the sun” does not apply to this tale (and if it does, I’d love to read more like it). Retellings (if this is what you’d call this) of fairy tales are some of my favorite short stories. Excellent practice for writers (even with such experience as Gaiman).