M Is for Magic

The fact that the cover was missing from the hardback should have been mentioned

The Price is a story that has affected me ever since I read it as a grown woman. In fact, I would caution cat lovers about this story. It will rip out your soul and break your heart. I read it with tears streaming down my face, my pulse pounding. It's an incredible piece of...fiction? It reads like reality, fantastic reality.

I have read Coraline and The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman and so became interested in his shorter fiction. I find Mr. Gaiman's writing a delight with unconventional stories cleverly conceived and nicely written. His writing can appeal equally to children and adults. M is for Magic is a perfect example of his fertile creativity. The stories have some bizarre plots: * the months of the year personified as humans engaged in telling stories over a roaring bonfire * a detective is hired to discover who killed Humpty Dumpty * a child discovers a remote bridge haunted by a troll * children find an old sinister toy that carries a curse * a mysterious man relates a story of an impossible deception * an old woman finds the Holy Grail in a second hand store * a black cat save a family from great evil * two young boys end up at the wrong party * a motley group of epicures search out a rare bird for their dinner The final selection is a short story version of a chapter in The Graveyard Book concerning a witch buried with no headstone. As more than one reviewer pointed out, the collection is probably not suitable for younger readers, despite the publishers suggestion that the book is for readers "10 and up". I would put the age at around 12 and up due to some phrases used by characters and the party story would probably be unsuitable for younger readers. Parents should read the book before offering to their children. For young adults and adults the book is humorous and quite creepy in turns. The stories can be quite strange and take one to unimagined places and situations. I found them a delight because they are unpredictable and very original.

Any story collection of the incomparable Neil Gaiman that contains the short story "Chivalry" ought to be given 5 stars! Every time I read words that Gaiman has written I am in awe and overcome with jealousy that I never thought of this or that incredible idea! As a child, my favorite stories were the legends of King Arthur, and the story "Chivalry" was not yet around for my enjoyment! How I would have loved to have this collection - as well as his recent Newbery winner, "The Graveyard Book" as a young, avid reader, who obsessively read Ray Bradbury and Edgar Allan Poe over and over again and couldn't find anything on the same level of quality and bone-chilling enjoyment. Even though many of these are being republished here, it is a great introduction for young adults to the crazy, chilling, creative, vivid world of Neil Gaiman. I find these stories to be perfectly acceptable - and amazing - stories for the young, precocious reader. Neil is perfection.

This collection, like Smoke and Mirrors before it, is both a wonderful introduction to Neil Gaiman and a delightful treat for those who already know him. The short stories collected here are not all brand new (Chivalry, Troll Bridge), but there's some 2006 and 2007 short stories you may not have read before. Regardless, the tone and style provides a great example of this master writer's skill and range. If you've been wondering why people make a fuss over Gaiman, start here.

Oh, please, give the G-man a break. This collection isn't meant for hardcore fans; it's for elementary school and junior high kids who have never read any of his stuff before. (Let's face it; many of the stories in "Fragile Things" and "Smoke And Mirrors" aren't exactly kid friendly.) And I think it's a great idea. Now that "Coraline" and "Stardust" movies are coming out, there will be a lot of parents (and aunts and uncles, and grandparents...) who will be glad to give their kids an introduction to stories like "Sunbird", "Chivalry" and "The Case of The Four And Twenty Blackbirds", without worrying about the munchkins stumbling on anything too adult or upsetting. For the grown-ups, there's "Interworld" and "The Eternals" already out, so let the curtain climbers enjoy this curtain raiser.