Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions
This anthology of short stories, and the occasional  story poem, is vintage Neil Gaiman: quirky, sometimes very funny, often dark and  disturbing.  Most have been published before, but are hard to find elsewhere and cover all of Gaiman's writing life. As Gaiman says in his introduction, "most of the stories in this book are about love in some form or another," but not requited love. The stories inSmoke and Mirrorstouch on all of Gaiman's themes: sex, death, dreams, and the end of the world. From "Chivalry," about the Holy Grail and where it finally ended up, to "Troll Bridge," a very adult version of "The Three Billy Goats Gruff"; from "Bay Wolf," a story poem that meldsBeowulfandBaywatch, with interesting results, to "Murder Mysteries," which is about a murder, but also about angels, God's will, and Evil, these stories leave lasting impressions. Fans ofRay Bradbury's short stories and of Gaiman's other works will enjoy this collection.--Nona Vero--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.