By Title: Smoke and Mirrors
Author: Neil Gaiman
Publication Date: 1998
Publishing House: Avon Books
I picked up Smoke and Mirrors at a used book store back in August of 2018 and I actually read a good bit of it in September of that year but stopped before finishing all the stories. Since I have more time on my hands I decide to finish the stories and reread a few of the others.
From Goodreads:
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 enjoyed reading this book but the stories are can be disturbing and sometimes embarrassing to read. Upon rereading some of them I remembered why I had set the book aside the first time.
Favorite Stories:
Chivalry This is a fun take on the wisdom that comes with age mixed with a bit of the stories from the King Arthur stories.
Nicholas Was… I find this to be an excellent piece of flash fiction.
The Price Cats. Cats do care and they protect us from the things in the darkness.
Least Favorite:
Babycakes: It was a bit too A Modest Proposal for me and disturbing to read – which is the point of the story as short as it is. I do have to applaud Gaiman for his writing though, in less than two pages he had me cringing as I read.
Read my other reviews of Neil Gaiman books:
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