Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders

This collection contains exactly the sort of stories that one would expect Neil Gaiman to write -- brilliant, original, imaginative fantasy tales that occasionally make tentative steps across the border into Horror(but never quite cross over). Fantasy, but lyric fantasy, not epic, and grounded in our reality -- there are no hobbits here, and almost all these tales concern fantasy elements that seem to have somehow brushed up against our reality, rather than the reverse.If you like Neil Gaiman's other works, you'll like these stories; if you don't, you probably won't; if you don't know whether you do or not, but you're interested enough to read Amazon reviews, then this collection provides a magnificent place to start.I will focus on the flaws, not because the collection is flawed, or because any of these flaws are significant in comparison with the compelling and powerful strengths of the stories, but because the stories are so good that a list of their virtues would become boring ("this story is the best story about this thing since Neil Gaiman's last story about this thing.")1) Some, most, or perhaps all of these stories have appeared in prior publications; I believe "The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch" and "Fifteen Painted Cards from a Vampire Tarot" were in some editions of Smoke and Mirrors, "A Study in Emerald" was available for a long time (if it isn't still) on Neil Gaiman's website, "Harlequin Valentine" has been available as a small illustrated hardcover for a long time now, etc. If you're enough of a Neil Gaiman fan to have tracked down all those disparate stories, though, in all those disparate places, this single volume will probably be a marked convenience.2) There are stories in here that are unsettling, but none that I would classify as actually *scary* -- the sort of horror, if it can be called horror, that becomes more frightening the more imaginative you are, the way a particularly startling pattern of shadows might terrify a child but have no effect whatsoever on a more rationally-minded adult. Long time readers of Gaiman won't consider this a flaw, but rather a virtue - subtlety is far rarer in fiction these days, and far more difficult to achieve, than simple raw horror - but I mention it as a caveat to the virgin.3) I personally felt that some of the outside references in the stories fell a bit flat, and a few of the stories fell a bit short of Gaiman's best work. The reworking of Beowulf here ("The Monarch of the Glen") was not as effective as his earlier "Bay Wolf", and felt a bit like a pastiche of Gaiman's other characters, plus Grendel. On the other hand, "The Problem of Susan" may be the most effective and disturbing reworking of a children's story since Gaiman's own "Snow, Glass, Apples" in _Smoke and Mirrors_, and "A Study in Emerald" is simultaneously one of the best Lovecraft pastiches and one of the best Sherlock Holmes pastiche I've ever seen.The following stories are contained in this collection:1) An introduction where Gaiman details some background on each of the stories, and includes a short-short story on its own as well (titled "The Mapmaker")2) A Study in Emerald3) The Fairy Reel (poem)4) October in the Chair5) The Hidden Chamber6) Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Secret House of the Night of Dread Desire7) The Flints of Memory Lane8) Closing Time9) Going Wodwo (poem)10) Bitter Grounds11) Other People12) Keepsakes and Treasures13) Good Boys Deserve Favors14) The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch15) Strange Little Girls16) Harlequin Valentine17) Locks18) The Problem of Susan19) Instructions20) How Do You Think It Feels?21) My Life22) Fifteen Painted Cards from a Vampire Tarot23) Feeders and Eaters24) Diseasemaker's Croup25) In the End26) Goliath27) Pages from a Journal Found in a Shoebox Left in a Greyhound Bus Somewhere Between Tulsa, Oklahoma and Louisville, Kentucky28) How to Talk to Girls at Parties29) The Day the Saucers Came30) Sunbird31) Inventing Aladdin32) The Monarch of the Glen

While I love Neil Gaiman's works, I've come to find I'm not particularly a fan of short stories. There are some in this anthology that I really enjoyed, others were so-so, and some I just didn't get. This anthology includes 31 short stories and a lovely introduction by Gaiman which briefly discusses the origins of each story and how they came to be, as well as an interesting story about the Mapmaker. Below is a list of the stories included in the anthology:A Study in EmeraldThe Fairy ReelOctober in the ChairThe Hidden ChamberForbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Secret House of the Night of Dread DesireThe Flints of Memory LaneClosing TimeGoing WodwoBitter GroundsOther PeopleKeepsakes and TreasuresGood Boys Deserve FavorsThe Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss FinchStrange Little GirlsHarlequin ValentineLocksThe Problem of SusanInstructionsHow Do You Think It Feels?My LifeFifteen Painted Cards from a Vampire TarotFeeders and EatersDiseasemaker’s CroupIn the EndGoliathPages from a Journal Found in a Shoebox Left in a Greyhound Bus Somewhere Between Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Louisville, KentuckyHow to Talk to Girls at PartiesThe Day the Saucers CameSunbirdInventing AladdinThe Monarch of the GlenMost of these I listened to from the audio version, narrated by Gaiman himself. I think that endeared me to some of the stories even more than if I’d read them myself. Gaiman is a great voice actor and he really drew me into his stories. I’ll review my favorites below:<b>A Study in Emerald</b> was a nice throwback to a Sherlock Holmes story. Lestrade seems omniscient at times and I enjoyed hearing him tell of how he came to his conclusions.<b>October in the Chair</b> was wondrous to me and lovely. It baffles me how Gaiman comes up with some of the ideas for his stories. Who else would have thought to have the months sitting around talking and sharing stories? It’s really quite beautiful in its elegance. An excerpt from the story: <i>October was in the chair, so it was chilly that evening, and the leaves were red and orange and tumbled from the trees that circled the grove. The twelve of them sat around a campfire…. “Your turn in the chair next time,” said October. “I know,” said November. “I like your stories. Mine are always too dark.” “I don’t think so,” said October. “It’s just that your nights are longer. And you aren’t as warm.”</i><b>Bitter Ground</b> was an interesting story of a wanderer of sorts who has decided to give up his life. He stumbles upon a new life to lead, taking the place of a fellow that seems to have disappeared. He winds up in New Orleans where he meets some strange people.<b>Other People</b> was really odd. I had no real idea where it was going, nor did I really like it, until the very end. Then it seemed brilliant. <i>“Time is fluid here,” said the Demon.</i><b>Keepsakes and Treasures</b> had me intrigued, more for the narrator in the story than anything else. He seems almost amoral, but he drew me in just the same. He’s basically a thug for hire for Mr. Alice, a rich-beyond-belief man with a taste for the extravagant. Mr. Alice, and indeed the narrator, I believe, show up in a couple stories in the anthology, which made me smile.<b>Harlequin Valentine</b> was odd and fun. On Valentine’s Day, Harlequin gives his heart to a woman, literally. It seems he’s normally a trickster, who loves to play pranks on people, but once he’s given his heart away, playing tricks lacks the thrill that it used to hold for him. I love the twist that the story takes when Harlequin’s desire guesses who he is and decides what to do with the heart.<b>The Problem of Susan</b> was a fun story as it is a tangent off the Chronicles of Narnia. We come upon Susan in her later years where she is dreaming of fantastical places.<b>Goliath</b> was a lot of fun. It’s an expansion on the "Matrix" type of world. Interesting how a lifetime can fly by in 20 minutes.I love <b>The Day The Saucers Came</b>. It’s really a short little poem, but very fun, and made even better by the way Gaiman read it (in the audio version).<b>Sunbird</b> was a little odd at first. It’s a story about the Epicurean Club, who’s goal it is to taste everything edible on the planet. They’ve come to the conclusion they’ve tried everything and there’s nothing else to try. Then, it's suggested they try the Suntown Sunbird. The rest of the story follows them traveling to Suntown to track down and eat the Sunbird….and what happens to them when they do.<b>The Monarch of the Glen</b> is an offshoot of the <b>American Gods</b> novel. It was an interesting story and really makes me want to pick up American Gods to learn more.