Smoke and Mirrors - Hardcover
The distinctive storytelling genius of Neil Gaiman has been acclaimed by writers as diverse as Norman Mailer and Stephen King. Now in this new collection of stories--several of which have never before appeared in print and more than half that have never been collected--that will dazzle the senses and haunt the imagination. Miraculous inventions and unforgettable characters inhabit these pages: an elderly widow who finds the Holy Grail in a second-hand store...a frightened little boy who bargains for his life with a troll living under a bridge by teh railroad tracks...a stray cat who battles nightly against a recurring evil that threatens his unsusupecting adoptive family. In these stories, Gaiman displays the power, wit, insight and outrageous originality that has made him one of the most unique literary artists of our day.
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Review:
This anthology of short stories, and the occasional story poem, is vintage Neil Gaiman: quirky, sometimes very funny, often dark and disturbing. Most have been published before, but are hard to find elsewhere and cover all of Gaiman's writing life. As Gaiman says in his introduction, "most of the stories in this book are about love in some form or another," but not requited love. The stories in Smoke and Mirrors touch on all of Gaiman's themes: sex, death, dreams, and the end of the world. From "Chivalry," about the Holy Grail and where it finally ended up, to "Troll Bridge," a very adult version of "The Three Billy Goats Gruff"; from "Bay Wolf," a story poem that melds Beowulf and Baywatch, with interesting results, to "Murder Mysteries," which is about a murder, but also about angels, God's will, and Evil, these stories leave lasting impressions. Fans of Ray Bradbury's short stories and of Gaiman's other works will enjoy this collection. --Nona Vero
From the Back Cover:
In the deft hands of Neil Gaiman, magic is no mere illusion... and anything is possible. In this, Gaiman's first book of short stories, his imagination and supreme artistry transform a mundane world into a place of terrible wonders -- a place where an old woman can purchase the Holy Grail at a thrift store, where assassins advertise their services in the Yellow Pages under "Pest Control," and where a frightened young boy must barter for his life with a mean-spirited troll living beneath a bridge by the railroad tracks. Explore a new reality -- obscured by smoke and darkness, yet brilliantly tangible -- in this extraordinary collection of short works by a master prestidigitator. It will dazzle your senses, touch your heart, and haunt your dreams.
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- PublisherFeature
- Publication date1999
- ISBN 10 074727424X
- ISBN 13 9780747274247
- BindingHardcover
- Number of pages374
- Rating
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Book Description Condition: Good. Book is in Used-Good condition. Pages and cover are clean and intact. Used items may not include supplementary materials such as CDs or access codes. May show signs of minor shelf wear and contain limited notes and highlighting. 1.55. Seller Inventory # 074727424X-2-4
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Smoke and Mirrors
Published by
Feature, London
(1999)
ISBN 10: 074727424X
ISBN 13: 9780747274247
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Hardcover
First Edition
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Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. Headline Feature, London, 1999, Hardcover First U.K Edition, First Thus Printing, Full number line. 'Short Fictions And Illusions' - a brilliant read by Neil Gaiman, and a brilliant copy: other than a neat small printed previous owner's name on the ffep. and a very faint and small shadow on the top text block, the Book is new, in a like unclipped dustjacket - quite scarce in this edition. Dust jacket comes in a removable Brodart Archival mylar sleeve. Seller Inventory # 000264
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