Smoke and Mirrors - Neil Gaiman

In short, I have mixed feelings about this book. This was one I brought having read other books by Neil Gaiman and generally liking what I read, but I found Smoke and Mirrors quite difficult and uncomfortable in places. If Gaiman was trying to make me squirm...he succeeded! However, on a more positive note, this book did provide the usual bizarre element that is so common to Gaiman's work; amongst the stories and poems are an old woman who finds the holy grail in a charity shop, a rather insistent 'life-eating' troll, and a very brave cat. Also included are a very unusual retelling of Snow White (worded by a very different sort of step mother) and ...  Read the complete review

Gaiman is a strange and diverse creator of fiction. He is perhaps best known for his work on the Sandman graphic novel series, but also has some more conventional fiction to his name. Well, for suitable values of 'more conventional'. 'Smoke and Mirrors' is a collection of short pieces, mostly stories, some poetry. Most appear to have been initially written for something else, and the book does contain information about this, for the seriously dedicated. There's no putting a genre title on this - some of it is fantastical, some horrific, some erotic, some just weird. If you're Gainman fan, that will come as no surprise, but the previously ...  Read the complete review

This book I got off Bookcrossing.com where the site's ideal plan is to turn the whole world into a library. I asked to be put into this bookring for this book, and I'm very glad I asked. The author is Neil Gaiman. Who is quite famous for a number of books, such as: Stardust and Neverwhere. I have currently read a few books by Neil Gaiman and I have fully enjoyed them, and now I have a few more coming to me thanks to bookcrossing.com There is quite a lot of stories in this little book, and therefore I decided to get a note pad while reading each of the stories, so that when I finished each of those stories, I could write a short review of each of ...  Read the complete review

Neil Gaiman's book "Smoke and Mirrors" is a good read. Having just finished it, I have to say that in some ways it reminds me of his "Sandman" comics. In this paperback we are presented with a collection of stories and poems. All fall into the categories of fantastic and fantasy, some horror, some science fiction, some erotic if not pornographic and a few that almost have an autobiographical feel to them. Another area of interest about this book is its introduction where Gaiman talks about the various stories. It gives, I feel, some insight into the way writers come up with their ideas. The stories and poems themselves are a ...  Read the complete review