Neil Gaiman: Smoke and Mirrors

Hi again

I read this collection of short stories over the last week. A few stories here and there to catch a break from reading something more serious (H.G. Wells and Jane Austen).  

This collection has a total of 388 pages and I ordered it from The Book Depository.
You can find all my Neil Gaiman-reviews here.

“In the deft hands of Neil Gaiman, magic is no mere illusion... and anything is possible. In this, Gaiman's first book of short stories, his imagination and supreme artistry transform a mundane world into a place of terrible wonders -- a place where an old woman can purchase the Holy Grail at a thrift store, where assassins advertise their services in the Yellow Pages under "Pest Control," and where a frightened young boy must barter for his life with a mean-spirited troll living beneath a bridge by the railroad tracks. Explore a new reality -- obscured by smoke and darkness, yet brilliantly tangible -- in this extraordinary collection of short works by a master prestidigitator. It will dazzle your senses, touch your heart, and haunt your dreams.”

I liked how the short stories are preceded by an introduction which has a paragraph about the idea behind each story and the reason for writing it. This helps to put them into context.
I enjoyed quite a few, they are funny, mysterious, ingenious, speculative, dark or pensive.
But most of them, I didn't enjoy at all. Some are too explicit, boring, coarse or seem to have no point or story to them.

Happy reading.
Helena

Sunday!