Review: Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman


Neil Gaiman's collection of short stories, Smoke and Mirrors is a delicious treat. Occasionally touching, occasionally creepy and occasionally delightful, the author knows how to tell a story and give a few insights in to human nature along the way.

The introduction includes a short story about a marriage, one in which the themes of true love and devotion become clear in the final twist. Early on in the collection is the authors famous short story Chivalry, which has very recently been adapted as a graphic novel illustrated by Colleen Doran and it ends with another famous Gaiman story (which was also developed into graphic novel illustrated by Doran,) Snow, Glass, Apples, which retells Snow White from a very different perspective. Along the way there are stories that cover all kinds of topics from Troll Bridge to Fifteen Cards Painted by a Vampire Tarot to the truly creepy We Can Get Them For You Wholesale.

I read this collection bit by bit over several months so that I could enjoy the stories individually. This proved to be a great way to enjoy the book, and definitely a way I would recommend others to read short story collections. Gaiman is something of a master storyteller and every story is perfectly structured.

Overall, a great read.

Recommended.

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