Neil Gaiman sneaks up on me. I'm reading along, certain that I don't much care about what's happening, when I suddenly realize that I'm speed reading because I'm so desperate to know where all this is going. It's all about the buildup. Gaiman's narratives gradually gain momentum until the story takes flight.

The trouble is, Gaiman's short fiction is short. (Stating the obvious: a proud tradition). There's not always enough time for the tale to build up the momentum I need to really get into it. It becomes about the overall effect, rather than the buildup. How engaging is the story? How creative is the language? What do I think of the payoff?

In most of these cases, I think it's good. Not fantastic, not breathtaking, just good. Gaiman's short fiction is entertaining, but it rarely moves me. It rarely forces me to reconsider any of my previously held views or inspires me to dig deeper into the story. It's fun, but it's fleeting.

There are a few notable exceptions, though, and one of them just so happens to be in FRAGILE THINGS. "The Problem of Susan" is one of my very favourite stories. I first read it several years ago, shortly after this anthology was released. Narnia was, for many years, my favourite place that never was, and the problem of Susan always bothered me. Gaiman does such a beautiful job of discussing Susan's Afterwards that I just couldn't contain myself. I slammed the book closed and cried my eyes out.

The rest of the book is very good. It's readable. It's fun. It's easy to just whip on through this, fast as anything. Gaiman plays around with some interesting premises and produces many entertaining, elegantly crafted stories and poems that display a true understanding of both modern expectations and traditional storytelling. But as far as I'm concerned, "The Problem of Susan" is the main reason this collection is so worthwhile. It's the only Gaiman story that's ever truly moved me.

As a side note, I highly recommend the audio presentation. Gaiman narrates many of his own audiobooks, including this one, and he's a fantastic reader. He elevates many "just good" stories to "really bloody good." It's worth checking out. ( )

An enjoyable collection of short stories by Gaiman, Fragile Things has some very good works, some rather poor stuff, and a couple of things which seem more like anecdotes or sketches than actual stories. The most inventive are the best, because the most vivid, though I had the same problem with some of them that I do with other works of Gaiman's: there is often not a there, a person, behind his characters. Also, based on what appears here, he should stick with prose: poetry is not his forte. ( )

I was sort of bipolar on this one. The ones I loved, I really loved, and the ones I didn't, I really hated.

I loved 'A Study in Emerald', the one I mentioned above, combining Sherlock Holmes and this sci-fi setting. I think the more often I reread that one, the more I will like it! Very well done.

I also loved 'How to Talk to Girls at Parties', 'The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch', 'Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Secret House of the Night of Dread Desire' - love the title! so funny, and the last one, 'The Monarch of the Glen', which brings back the characters from American Gods briefly.

But I hated the one about Susan from the Chronicles of Narnia. And I really, really hated 'Keepsakes and Treasures' - some disturbing sexual content in there that I didn't appreciate at all. I was going to give this to my daughter to read when I was done, but I know she would be very disturbed by that story, and told her so.

In all, I guess I discovered that I like Gaiman when he tones it down - with his children's books, or his collaboration with others. He can be a little too graphic for me to enjoy on his own. ( )

I liked this book, though not as much as Smoke & Mirrors. It was interesting to read the history of how each story had been conceived (or at least, for what purpose it was written).

The stories were all of good quality, but none really stood out.

Recommended for fans of Neil Gaiman. ( )

A book full of little treasures. Including the poems - actually especially the poems.... you know, the ones that come free with the stories that no-one has to read but I always do because they are amazing.
Full of humour, and little twists and turns into the most unexpected places. ( )