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 Reviewed by: Ian M. 3rd Mar 2001 
 


Smoke and Mirrors

Neil Gaiman
Purchase this title at B&N

This collection of Gaiman's short fiction covers subject matter as diverse as trolls, the Holy Grail, angels, the Tarot, contract kills... oh, you get the idea. On the upside, Gaiman's prose is lucidly clear; the stories are beautifully put together and slip over as smoothly as a glass of Shoggoth's Old Peculiar (one of the pieces). Likewise, the range of his imagination and styles is remarkable. The downside is that, as with most collections, the standard is variable. On the one hand there is 'Babycakes', only two pages long, but surely in the running for one of the greatest short stories of all time, one which hits you with all the subtlety of a kick in the stomach; on the other there are… well, no names, but why is it that the least interesting stories (to me anyway) always seem to be the longest?

If you're a Gaiman fan you'll want to read this, ditto if short stories are your thing. If you don't belong to either category, well, it's a fine collection of largely interesting and often thought-provoking tales.



See also
American Gods by Neil Gaiman reviewed by The Rev
Coraline by Neil Gaiman reviewed by The Rev
Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders by Neil Gaiman reviewed by The Rev
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett reviewed by The Rev
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman reviewed by The Rev
Sandman: A Season of Mists by Neil Gaiman reviewed by The Rev
Sandman: Dream Country by Neil Gaiman reviewed by The Rev
Sandman: Fables and Reflections by Neil Gaiman reviewed by The Rev
Sandman: The Doll's House by Neil Gaiman reviewed by The Rev
Sandman: The Dream Hunters by Neil Gaiman reviewed by The Rev
Sandman: The Wake by Neil Gaiman reviewed by The Rev
Sandman: Worlds' End by Neil Gaiman reviewed by The Rev