Smoke and Mirrors: Finished
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Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions by Neil Gaiman finished August 4, 2008 at 7:45 p.m.
Final lines:
I shall think no more on this.
I shall think instead of the snowflake on her cheek.
I think of her hair as black as coal, her lips, redder than blood, her skin, snow-white.
Closing thoughts: While definitely not as good as Fragile Things, that last story, “Snow, Glass, Apples,” almost makes up for most of my disappointment. Almost.
Also, hot diggity-dog! Two books in one day? I’m on a roll.
Review coming soon.
6 Comments so far
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Leave a comment
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I’ve never read Gaiman, though he seems to be the darling of the blogs. If I’m going to start somewhere in his work, do you have a recommendation?
Comment by gentle reader August 5, 2008 @ 3:50 pmSo far, I’ve only read this one and “Fragile Things.” Since I liked “Fragile Things” more I’d probably recommend that one.
Though I haven’t read any of his novels yet (“Stardust” is waiting on the sidelines), I’d say that “Fragile Things” is a good introduction to Gaiman because it gives you an idea of Gaiman’s fantastic writing – and by that I mean his style and his subject matter. 
Comment by J.S. Peyton August 5, 2008 @ 4:11 pmThat’s totally one of my favourite stories from the book! I like Smoke and Mirrors more than Fragile Things, though-isn’t that funny?
Comment by Eva August 6, 2008 @ 1:09 pmHmmm, I’ve been looking for a good follow up to Breaking Dawn, and I think this one might fit the bill. I’ve dipped into it a few times and was enchanted by several of the stories.
Comment by Andi August 6, 2008 @ 1:35 pmEva: That is funny! I think “Smoke and Mirrors” didn’t work for me because the genres in which the stories were written seemed all over the place – much more so than “Fragile Things.” Most of the stories in FG were fantasy or horror, but many of the stories in S&M (ha, ha) seemed more conventional. They were well-written, but too many times I picked up S&M hoping for something to excite my imagination, and got something else instead.
Comment by J.S. Peyton August 7, 2008 @ 10:27 amAndi: Let me know what you think of it! I think my expectations got a little ahead of the book on this one.
Comment by J.S. Peyton August 7, 2008 @ 10:28 am