Smoke and Mirrors

Short Fictions and Illusions

384 pages

English language

Published Aug. 30, 2005 by Avon.

ISBN:
978-0-380-78902-3
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4 stars (80 reviews)

"En las manos maestras de Neil Gaiman, la magia es mucho más que un mero juego de engaños. La destreza y el poder de invención de este gran fabulador transforman el entorno cotidiano en un mundo hechizado por sucesos sombríos y extraños, en el que una anciana puede comprar el Santo Grial en una tienda de segunda mano, unos asesinos se anuncian en los clasificados de un periódico bajo la rúbrica ±CONTROL DE PLAGAS¬, o un muchacho asustado debe negociar con un trol malcarado y mezquino que vive bajo un puente ferroviario. Esta recopilación de treinta relatos, poemas narrativos y piezas breves e inclasificables ofrece múltiples y variadas posibilidades para que el lector explore una realidad transformada, astutamente velada por el humo y las sombras, a la vez que tangible y afilada. Todo parece posible en el universo de Gaiman, el gran maestro prestidigitador que despierta los sentidos, cautiva los …

25 editions

Review of 'Smoke and Mirrors' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

How do you give a rating to a collection of short stories and poems? A single rating obscures that I feel very differently about the different pieces in this book. Of 33 pieces (plus 1 hidden in the introduction, most were ok or pretty good (3-4 stars, maybe?) but there were a handful of standouts that were just stunning (5 stars all the way).

In the introduction, Gaiman gives a quick background to each story -- the origin of the story, some aspect of the writing process, or a note on themes or intent. It's an interesting window into the writing process that readers don't usually have access to. (Also interesting because some of the stories are actually about the writing process.) I have to say I enjoyed this, but it's not something I would want all the time.

My favorite pieces in the collection:

Chivalry. An elderly woman …

Review of 'Smoke and Mirrors' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I'm a fan of Neil Gaiman's novels and decided to give his short stories a try and I wasn't disappointed. They're short enough that I can read one before bed every night. There were only a select few stories / pieces of prose in the collection that I found myself not liking. The last 2 stories ended up being my favorite of a set so I was happy to read the entire collection in order.

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