Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders

Love it!

Gorgeously written book filled with wonder and subtle Magic. I forced myself to only read a small part at a time so that would last longer!

Fragile Things is an absolute joy for Gaiman fans. We can see his improvement as an author since Smoke & Mirrors. We're also treated to a extension of American Gods. Any book that opens with a fan fiction cross-over of Sherlock Holmes and Call of Cthulu earns four stars from me.

Fragile Things grabs you by the collar and shakes you around, while challenging your ideas, and building a world where it's all real, especially what we don't talk about, out there in the dark. I had to put this book away, where I couldn't see it. I kept picking it up, rereading it. Not moving on to the next thing. Not good. I got past it, eventually. But it wasn't easy. I kept going back to Fragile Things (like I did Smoke and Mirrors, and other great Gaiman fare like American Gods). Herein you'll find an enlightening look at what Hell is really like, and why, and how. You'll find that Neil is awfully unhappy with the end of the CS Lewis 'Wardrobe' books, has a predilection for sodium-orange illumination, and a knack for poems. While it's true most of these tales have been published in other sources, many of them are difficult to find. One is not disappointed in the variety of supernatural stories that thrum through its pages. Gaiman reaches for the magic in humanity, finding ghosts and gremlins amidst the flotsam and the jetsum of the human soul. I recommend reading the introduction after you've read the other chapters. As you'll see, the intro is an experience unti itself, and I found it highly satisfying, the book equivilant of a magician walking you around backstage just after his impressive show, showing you how a few of the tricks are done. Unlike most authors, in the introduction, Neil enthusiastically throws back the curtain to talk about what inspired these stories, or who, or how where he was might have affected their writing...it's good stuff. Neil knows his fans...many of them are aspiring writers themselves. And there's much here to learn from, or be entertained by, either way. If there's anything negative, it's not much; if you pay attention, you'll notice small story motifs that show up in modest roles in Gaiman's other stories, like The Sandman. You have to look, but they're there. But that's nitpicky. Fragile Things, with its great ecclectic collection of souls and adventure, is worth your hard-earned dough if mo matter if you're a Gaiman junky, or not.

My sweet boyfriend, knowing my penchant for all things Neil Gaiman, bought me Fragile Things almost the moment it came out. The book is a collection of stories, poetry, and whatnot that I have to recommend incredibly highly -- but you have to be ready for things to be not quite what they seem and for the need to actually think as you read. I happen to love how he turns stories on their heads and always has a twist that you're not precisely ready for. Of course, the difficulty for me in reviewing these stories is to show their brilliance so you'll go read them, without giving away any of the fun of reading them. First, I've got to say that I'm entranced by the cover, which is translucent white paper over a white cover with, well, fragile things on it, such as a butterfly, a snowflake, and a human heart. Notice how that last one sneaks up on you? What a perfect warning (or appetite whetting) for how Gaiman's stories sneak up on you. As a fan of his earlier work, American Gods, I started with the novella "Monarch of the Glen," which picks back up with Shadow, the main character of that novel. Shadow's been doing some travel and has ended up in middle-of-nowhere Scotland. As you might imagine if you've read American Gods, someone improbable asks Shadow to take a job as a, well, let's call it security enforcer. Except of course that the castle in which he's supposed to perform this task for a large party of very wealthy people isn't on any of the survey maps. Add to that a woman named Jennie who isn't what she seems and doesn't want Shadow to take this job, and we're already on the way to another scrunched up forehead, feverish reading moment. In "Sunbird," we get to meet the members of the Epicurean Club, including Augustus TwoFeathers McCoy (and his daughter Hollyberry NoFeathers McCoy), who ate and drank enough for many men; Professor Mandalay, who one was never quite sure was really there; Jackie Newhouse, a descendant of Casanova; Virginia Boote, a now-ruined beauty; and, of course, Zebediah T. Crawcrustle, the poorest member of the club, who'd been around since, well, nobody's quite sure. At the moment when the club is sure they've tried every food there is to try, from vulture, to beetle (although not quite every kind of beetle), to panda and mammoth, Crawcrustle suggests that grilled Sunbird hasn't been done in a long time, and they would definitely enjoy it. So, they make preparations to go catch and eat the Sunbird (one has to go to Cairo to do so, you know), but Crawcrustle may have left out one or two small details in how the whole process works. Don't miss Gaiman's take on the legend of Bluebeard in "The Hidden Chamber." One of my favorite types of book or story to read is one that takes a myth, legend, or tale that we all know, in one version, and goes farther or deeper with it. I think part of what I like is knowing some background - I like feeling intelligent after all -- but not reading exactly the same story over again. Gaiman

You could probably spend hours hunting down these various stories online. Why do that when this book collects some of Neil Gaiman's best work in one easy-to-find source? Filled with award-winning shorts this book is awesome to say the least. It is worth it solely for the American God's story involving Shadow, but this book contains many more enchanting, enticing and otherwise delicious stories ready to be devoured. If you haven't read Neil's work - you should. I have yet to find an author who matches his prose style and dreamy quality of writing (no pun intended). Terribly unique as an author, Neil Gaiman continues to delight in this book. You won't be disappointed with Fragile Things.