Fragile Things

[Lucien21]

Has anyone read the new Short story collection "Fragile Things" yet?

Is it worth getting a copy in hardback or should I wait for the paperback?

 

[Adasunshine]

I've not read it yet but I've only heard good things about it.

As for the format, whichever you prefer upon your bookshelves.

xx

 

[Green]

I came across this the other day, and plan to buy it as soon as I have a bit more loot in my chest. It has a short story about Shadow - how can I refuse that? Have to hand it to his publishers marketing department for that.

The brief teasers of each story, combined with my love of Gaiman, make this a must-buy, but alas it will have to wait a while. I have decided to re-read American Gods next because of it

 

[genisis2]

The majority of the stories are very good. If your a fan I highly recommend buying it.Cheers.

 

[severian83]

I've got it... working my way through it and, as with anything by Gaiman, is well worth buying. It's not quite as entertaining or accessable as Smoke and Mirrors, his previous short story collection, but a damn good read nonetheless.

 

[McMurphy]

Being a cheap skate, I recommend waiting for the paperback for everything, but that is beside the point. Fragile Things is an excellent value of collected fantasy literature by the contemporary author Neil Gaiman. In fact, while I found Smoke and Mirrors entertaining, I must differ in opinion with the last poster. Fragile Things, for me, was more welcoming and balanced in the quality of art.


I particularly liked how so many of the stories are connected to other projects that either he or his friends are doing. For example, "Strange Little Girls" is a collection of twelve very short stories he wrote for his long time buddy, Tori Amos, who had an album recently of the same title. If one Tori Amos related piece of literature wasn't enough, Gaiman also included "Pages From a Journal Found in a Shoebox Left in a Greyhound Bus Somewhere Between Tulsa, Olkahoma, and Louisville, Kentucky." That one was written for her Scarlet's Walk album.

Another good example is his The Matrix short story entitled "Goliath." According to Gaiman, he was not only asked to write it, but it was published first on the film's promotional webpage.


For the fans of his award winning novel, American Gods, Fragile Things ends with a novella entitled "The Monarch of the Glen," which takes back the narrative for Shadow two years after the events of the novel. A version of Grendel and his mother also make an appearance, which is nice little addition considering his screenplay for Beowulf.

Also, if one should read through his introduction, which I did (and was pleasantly surprised to find yet another short story hidden within it like done in Smoke and Mirrors) as I read each story/poem, a person will note that many of the works included in the collection have been well received in anthologies and have already received industry awards.

[All facts in this post have been taken from Neil Gaiman's "Introduction" for Fragile Things]

 

[GOLLUM]

I agree, Fragile Things is a much better collection than Smoke and Mirrors.

 

[Nesacat]

Have read it and love each and every story. Got mine in hardback. Do not regret that at all even if the hardbacks are now being remaindered at about a quarter of the original price. Made great Xmas gifts though.

 

[scalem X]

I'm two stories (and one poem) into fragile things so far, but even though I really liked them both, I can not yet see why smoke and mirrors should be of lower quality. I'll let you know if I change my mind as I proceed.

 

[kaneda]

It's a beautiful collection of short stories, I waited for the paperback (as I don't collect hardback), but I think it would be worth it to own the hardback.

Personally though, I wouldn't say that it's a much higher standard than smoke and mirrors, think they're equally good books.