HomeGroupsTalkMoreZeitgeist
Search Site
This site uses cookies to deliver our services, improve performance, for analytics, and (if not signed in) for advertising. By using LibraryThing you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your use of the site and services is subject to these policies and terms.

Results from Google Books

Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.

Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and…
Loading...

Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions (original 1998; edition 2001)

by Neil Gaiman

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingConversations / Mentions
10,245126699 (3.99)1 / 205
A collection of fantasy stories and poems. In Chivalry, a woman discovers the Holy Grail in a secondhand shop, in Murder Mysteries, an angel visiting Los Angeles provides the inside story on Lucifer's revolt against God, and there are revisionist stories on Snow White and Santa Claus.
Member:earbox
Title:Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions
Authors:Neil Gaiman
Info:Harper Perennial (2001), Paperback, 352 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:
Tags:None

Work Information

Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions by Neil Gaiman (1998)

Loading...

Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.

» See also 205 mentions

English (123)  French (2)  Norwegian (1)  All languages (126)
Showing 1-5 of 123 (next | show all)
Again, great collection! Loved all the stories. ( )
  ZL10 | Feb 29, 2024 |
I like that we get to see the inspiration for each of the short stories, we really get to see a bit of insight into the writing process and how it becomes an end product. ( )
  madsnichs | Nov 19, 2023 |
This collection of short pieces from Gaiman's work in the late 90s showcases his often dark imagination. Not every selection here is to my taste, but when he's cookin', no one can touch him.

This edition includes copious notes regarding each story, helping to place them in time and occasionally to explain where they came from. Standouts in the collection include 'Chivalry', a clever fantasy with a light touch, and a quietly frightening piece called 'The Sweeper of Dreams', whose lyrical opening paragraph is just about as perfect a lead-in as I've ever seen:
After all the dreaming is over, after you wake, and leave the world of madness and glory for the mundane day-lit daily grind, through the wreckage of your abandoned fancies walks the sweeper of dreams.
( )
  LyndaInOregon | Jul 22, 2023 |
Coming in the mail today. ( )
  Kiramke | Jun 27, 2023 |
A collection of short stories (which I expected) and some poems (which I did not). Gaiman's poems are lovely and creepy, like his fiction. Some pieces were interesting (like the one about an author trying to negotiate with Hollywood people wanting to make his book into a movie and the H.P. Lovecraft-inspired pieces about the coming of Cthulhu and a werewolf) and some were too disturbing or confusing for me. I'd give it an average of 3.5 out of 5 stars. ( )
  Mialro | Dec 15, 2022 |
Showing 1-5 of 123 (next | show all)
no reviews | add a review

» Add other authors (34 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Neil Gaimanprimary authorall editionscalculated
Halperin, AmyCover designersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Potter, J.K.Cover photographsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.
For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.
Canonical title
Original title
Alternative titles
Original publication date
People/Characters
Important places
Important events
Related movies
Epigraph
But where there's a monster there's a miracle.

Dragons Are Too Seldom

Ogden Nash
Dedication
For Ellen Datlow and Steve Jones
First words
They'll call it chance, or luck, or call it Fate -- The cards and stars that tumble as they will. (introduction, actual first words of book).
Mrs. Whitaker found the Holy Grail; it was under a fur coat. (Chivalry, first line of out first story in book)
Quotations
Information from the Dutch Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.
Maar waar een monster is, is ook een wonder - Ogden Nash - Dragons are too seldom
'Ik bedoel' zei ze, 'dat een mens het niet kan helpen dat ie groter wordt.' - 'Eén mens niet, misschien,'' zei Wiggel Waggel, 'maar twee wel. Met de benodigde hulp had je het bij 7 kunnen houden.' - Lewis Carroll - Achter de spiegel
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Disambiguation notice
Publisher's editors
Blurbers
Original language
Canonical DDC/MDS
Canonical LCC

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (1)

A collection of fantasy stories and poems. In Chivalry, a woman discovers the Holy Grail in a secondhand shop, in Murder Mysteries, an angel visiting Los Angeles provides the inside story on Lucifer's revolt against God, and there are revisionist stories on Snow White and Santa Claus.

No library descriptions found.

Book description
Collects these stories:
"Chivalry"
"Nicholas Was ..."
"The Price"
"Troll Bridge"
"Don't Ask Jack"
"The Goldfish Pool and Other Stories"
"The White Road"
"Queen of Knives"
"Changes"
"The Daughter of Owls"
"Shoggoth's Old Peculiar"
"Virus"
"Looking for the Girl"
"Only the End of the World Again"
"Bay Wolf"
"We Can Get Them for You Wholesale"
"One Life, Furnished in Early Moorcock"
"Cold Colors"
"The Sweeper of Dreams"
"Foreign Parts"
"Vampire Sestina"
"Mouse"
"The Sea Change"
"When We Went to See the End of the World by Dawnie Morningside, Age 11 1/4"
"Desert Wind"
"Tastings"
"Babycakes"
"Murder Mysteries"
"Snow, Glass, Apples"

AR 5.7; 15 Pts
Haiku summary

Current Discussions

None

Popular covers

Quick Links

Rating

Average: (3.99)
0.5 1
1 7
1.5 7
2 73
2.5 20
3 460
3.5 120
4 943
4.5 82
5 664

Is this you?

Become a LibraryThing Author.

 

About | Contact | Privacy/Terms | Help/FAQs | Blog | Store | APIs | TinyCat | Legacy Libraries | Early Reviewers | Common Knowledge | 203,287,460 books! | Top bar: Always visible