Smoke and Mirrors by Neil GaimanMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This collection of short stories by one of the most talented writers of today is surprising and haunting, and will leave you thinking "What if this were real?"
I really enjoyed the different types of stories in this collection, as some were about vampires, some about odd happenings, some were straight-up fantasy or science fiction, and one was about an angel who no longer has wings.
The component I liked the most about the book was the introduction by Neil Gaiman himself. In it, he explains the ideas behind each of the stories, or where the stories started out, or where they ended up. The book is also interspersed with poems that tell quick, creepy and intriguing tales.
There were a few stories I didn't enjoy, and most of them are definitely adult (one is practically porn but I didn't mind it), so don't let your pre-teens get hold of it. But if you like a dose of weird and creep, and a dash of Cthulu, or even if you've just never experienced the mind of Gaiman, this is a must-read.
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This is definitely one I want to read! I find some of Gaiman's imagery absolutely haunting and the way he can take bits of mythology and folk stories and make them feel both real and contemporary is extraordinary.
ReplyDeleteHe definitely does that in this book! I think you'd enjoy it. A few of the legend ones left me a bit confused (the Cthulu-type story, for one) but I think when it's image-centric as a lot of his work is, you don't need to know exactly what happened, just get caught up in the dream of it all.
DeleteOh, and my FAVORITE story out of the entire collection was the retelling of Snow White, "Snow, Glass, Apples." I believe it was the very last tale, but I'm so glad he saved it for last. It was the perfect ending to the collection and a fantastic version I would love to see expanded on!
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