I read this together with a friend in an attempt to create a small (2 person) book circle. We read a couple of novels, then called each other on the phone and talked for an hour (repeat every two or three weeks until read).
It worked great! Not only did we manage to see dimensions of the stories otherwise lost; we also expanded our respective literary universes through free associations to other authors and books, as well as movies, music, real life experiences and so on.
Oh, yes, the stories, you ask. How did I like them? Some were good, others not so great. One or two were really funny and interesting. And I will carry certain triggers and disturbances with me for a long time.
Neil Gaiman is thrilling as always - but this collection of largely already published works did not thrill me as much as I have come to expect from such a master storyteller. There are a number of superb stories, and I enjoyed the poetry, but I feel like having already read a number of the pieces in other places detracted from my enjoyment somewhat. This was especially true for pieces that have appeared as collaborations with other artists (e.g. "The Sleeper and the Spindle" with Chris Riddell and "The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains" with Eddie Campbell), where I feel like those stories (although Gaiman's words do not lose their power) do not feel as vibrant and alive without their illustrations.
Overall I feel this book is still worth buying for the pieces that are less easily found elsewhere, but I think I would have preferred a …
Neil Gaiman is thrilling as always - but this collection of largely already published works did not thrill me as much as I have come to expect from such a master storyteller. There are a number of superb stories, and I enjoyed the poetry, but I feel like having already read a number of the pieces in other places detracted from my enjoyment somewhat. This was especially true for pieces that have appeared as collaborations with other artists (e.g. "The Sleeper and the Spindle" with Chris Riddell and "The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains" with Eddie Campbell), where I feel like those stories (although Gaiman's words do not lose their power) do not feel as vibrant and alive without their illustrations.
Overall I feel this book is still worth buying for the pieces that are less easily found elsewhere, but I think I would have preferred a slimmer, more selective, and more focused collection of stories and poetry.
Review of 'Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
A collection of short stories, some nice, some weird. But overall nothing that holds my attention like past Gaiman works. It took me a while to get through this book.
I told my daughter I almost put the book down before stumbling across the delightful Dr. Who short in it. That prompted me to go back and read the entire book and I'm glad I did. Another cornucopia of offering from Neil and a strong addition to his anthologies.
Review of 'Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
A "trigger warning" is like an allergy alert, in that it's meant to alert folks who have strong and uncontrolled reactions to certain topics that what they're about to see or hear might 'trigger' those reactions. Like the early days of anaphylactic reactions, early adopters of trigger warnings were folks who'd had to learn the hard way what might set them off; that is, they were traumatized by some horrible event, and thematically similar sights, sounds, and words, might cause additional emotional trauma. In his Foreword, Neil Gaiman mentions that he knows such a person, and had recently heard the term, and thought it appropriate for his collection. 'Nuff said.
There are 24 'stories' in this collection, if you count the poems as stories, which I do. They are:
Making a Chair A Lunar Labyrinth The Thing About Cassandra Down to a Sunless Sea "The Truth Is a Cave in …
A "trigger warning" is like an allergy alert, in that it's meant to alert folks who have strong and uncontrolled reactions to certain topics that what they're about to see or hear might 'trigger' those reactions. Like the early days of anaphylactic reactions, early adopters of trigger warnings were folks who'd had to learn the hard way what might set them off; that is, they were traumatized by some horrible event, and thematically similar sights, sounds, and words, might cause additional emotional trauma. In his Foreword, Neil Gaiman mentions that he knows such a person, and had recently heard the term, and thought it appropriate for his collection. 'Nuff said.
There are 24 'stories' in this collection, if you count the poems as stories, which I do. They are:
Making a Chair A Lunar Labyrinth The Thing About Cassandra Down to a Sunless Sea "The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains..." My Last Landlady Adventure Story Orange A Calendar of Tales The Case of Death and Honey The Man Who Forgot Ray Bradbury Jerusalem Click-Clack the Rattlebag An Invocation of Incuriosity "And Weep, Like Alexander" Nothing O'Clock Diamonds and Pearls: A Fairy Tale The Return of the Thin White Duke Feminine Endings Observing the Formalities The Sleeper and the Spindle Witch Work In Relig Odhrain Black Dog
There's a bonus story of sorts in the Foreword, "Shadder", which might bring the count to 25, but it's not listed in the TOC, so I dunno.
I'm not inclined to critique each story (though I will if asked), so I'll just say that this is feels, to me, like atypical Gaiman fare. Still just as tasty, but a few different spices than what I'd been led to expect from him. I rather like the surprises.
My favorites in this collection were "Down to a Sunless Sea", "And Weep, Like Alexander", "Feminine Endings", "In Relig Odhrain", and "Black Dog", in no particular order. :)
Review of 'Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
There are definitely some great stories in this collection. The Sherlock Holmes story is probably my favorite of the bunch, with Sleeper & Spindle a close second and the Doctor Who tie-in following close behind. That said, I've lost patience with the stock Gaiman story where he appears, thinly veiled and nameless, and narrates yet another elliptical tale about weird goings-on. Those stories just felt self-indulgent this time around, even though he's been writing them forever. Maybe it didn't help that I watched a video of him reading "bad Gaiman" parodies and some of the stories here didn't seem too far off from that - tossed off and overly familiar.
Review of 'Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Another wonderful collection of short stories out of Neil Gaiman's feather - especially exciting are the new stories about Shadow from American Gods, Doctor Who (alas, my least favorite Doctor, but still) and even Sherlock Holmes. But I don't want to indicate that those are the only good stories. Some of the original ones are also quite mind-boggling/charming/wonderful/fantastic. Just what you'd expect from Neil Gaiman.
However, ironically my attention span doesn't agree with short stories so much. Some of the stories just didn't catch my attention, so I ended up just skipping ahead to the next story. I much prefer Neil Gaiman's full-length novels, and I hope there are many to come in the future.
