Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders (vuoden 2010 painos)

There are 4 memorable stories

A Study in Emerald
Closing Time
Other People
Sunbird

( )

Hard to rate this collection as some of it I really enjoyed, some: not so much. Certainly some really varied styles of writing. ( )

Neil Gaiman continues to amaze me with his stories. Overall, I very much enjoyed this collection of "fragile things." I particularly enjoyed "A Study in Emerald," "October in the Chair" (notwithstanding my birthmonth), "Forbidden Brides of the Faceless," "Pages from a Journal Found in a Shoebox" (reminded me in a way of Stephen King's "All That You Love Will Be Carried Away"), "Sunbird" and "The Monarch of the Glen" (a sequel to [b:American Gods|4407|American Gods|Neil Gaiman|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1258417001s/4407.jpg|1970226]).

I would've rated it a five based on those stories alone, but there were a few other stories that didn't quite work for me. "The Problem of Susan" is, well, problematic, not in the idea (which I think is a worthy one) but the execution. There was an awkwardness to the grit of "Keepsakes and Treasures." Some of the poems, like "The Day the Saucers Came," seemed a bit throwaway.

But overall, a good collection. Anyone who already enjoys Gaiman should find a lot in this book to sustain their opinion. And those who aren't that familiar with his work will probably find a few pleasant nuggets as well. ( )

I tend to prefer my supernatural fiction "vintage", by which I understand that it should be written before 1950 and/or in the style of the classic ghost, gothic or horror story. Nevertheless, I do enjoy the occasional foray into the "New Weird". In December 2014 I had read and enjoyed China Mieville's [b:Looking for Jake and Other Stories|10755520|Looking for Jake and Other Stories|China Miéville|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327942096s/10755520.jpg|895195] and, more recently, his other short story collection [b:Three Moments of an Explosion|24044142|Three Moments of an Explosion|China Miéville|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1426654001s/24044142.jpg|43365539]. Over Christmas 2015 I had opted for another anthology of short fiction: Neil Gaiman's Fragile Things. I am revisiting my review, now that the collection has been reprinted in the wake of the movie "How to talk to girls at parties"

I can't say I know Miéville and Gaiman well enough to compare them but, if forced to do so, I'd say Mieville strikes me as grittier and more politically committed, his style owing as much to noir and thriller genres as to the tradition of supernatural fiction. On the other hand, Gaiman seems more fascinated by the world of faerie, folk tale and myth; by the sometimes subtle, sometimes shocking intrusion of the weird into everyday life. Another recurrent inspiration in this collection appears to be the act of "writing" and "creating" itself. Not only is the anthology preceded by an introduction in which Gaiman explains the genesis of each of the pieces, but some of the stories themselves are either *about* writing, writers and storytellers, or else reinterpret known literary works. For instance, in the opening story - "A Study in Emerald" - the worlds of Conan Doyle and Lovecraft combine as Sherlock Holmes is placed in an alternative 19th Century ruled by "Old One" Queen Victoria. It's the sort of divertissement which shouldn't work but ultimately does. "The Problem of Susan" presents a more disturbing and abstruse reinterpretation of characters from the Chronicles of Narnia. "Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Secret House of the Night of Dread Desire" veers between parody and pastiche and features an author living in a typical candle-lit Gothic world of crumbling castles and stormy nights who is suffering from a particularly acute case of writer's block. A critic described this tale as "facetious nonsense" (which it probably is), but it is hilarious - after all, parody has always been an element of the Gothic tradition.

A highlight of the collection is "October in the Chair", in which, at a story-telling reunion between the months of the year, October relates the tale of a bullied boy who befriends a ghost. A prototype for [b:The Graveyard Book|2213661|The Graveyard Book|Neil Gaiman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1303859949s/2213661.jpg|2219449] , it is touching and unsettling at the same time.

In other tales we meet child zombies, haunted playrooms, beautiful aliens and magical instruments. There is a return of "Shadow" from [b:American Gods|4407|American Gods (American Gods, #1)|Neil Gaiman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1258417001s/4407.jpg|1970226] in the novella "Monarch of the Glen", where the protagonist finds himself pitted against a Grendel-like monster of old. In this story there is also a cameo appearance by the repulsive "Mr Smith and Mr Alice", who also get their own story - "Keepsakes and Treasures" is violent, quite revolting but strangely fascinating.

With such a varied anthology there will be entries which do not work for you. In my case, I didn't particularly like the poetry and there were stories which lost me because they seemed to lack an internal logic. Gaiman points out that supernatural tales are rarely "story-shaped", so others may actually relish the feeling of being "bewildered" by a seemingly illogical tale. I don't.

If Goodreads would allow me, I'd give this collection 3.5 stars. Instead, I'll opt for 4. I'll also make a mental note to venture into "New Weird" more often - possibly starting with some of Gaiman's and Mieville's full-length novels. ( )

I listened to this while driving to Las Vegas and partway back. So I was able to hear the stories without much interruption.

It seems like Gaiman likes to let his imagination loose, indulge in a lot of "what if" stories. Many of the stories are tales within tales, like those where one person tells of meeting another and hearing the other's story. Some are first-person stories, with the other person being himself at another time or in another place.

Because it is an audiobook, I am unable to sort out which stories do what. There is one where the world is really topsy-turvy, in a way like a child's version of a fantasy: "and then the helicopters turned into fairies..." (no, that particular incident did not happen). I generally find such stories tiresome because there is no underlying theme, but not so in this case. The stories hold together and they do have themes, although at times I'd be pressed to state what they are.

I did not warm to the characters. It seemed there was always a distance, even in the case when one of them was facing death imminently and knew it. Although in that case....never mind. So I didn't love them. I don't know if I would have a different reaction if I had read them in a printed book. He's got a particular point of view and while I could appreciate some of his observations I didn't really love any of them. ( )