Just finished reading Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman which is a selection of short stories ranging from retold fairy stories to whimsical tales to twisted and dark mystery and speculative science fiction.

I don’t tend to read a lot of short stories or short story collections.  I think in the past the fact that they’re so short leaves me feeling disconnected with the characters as though we don’t have time to form a proper friendship or get to know each others little whims.  That being said it has been a bit of an eye opening experience for me in a number of ways.

I quite like that I can pick up and start a story and finish it in one short sitting.  On the other hand – the fact that I finish the story so quickly leaves me with that slightly bereft feeling that you have at the end of any book – and times this by the number of stories in the book = not the best feeling in the world.

However, I also like the way that the stories make me feel whimsical – it’s a bit like being a child again where stories were read to you at night, and usually the stories were of a size to read in one sitting =  a good feeling – and times that by the number of stories in the book.

Also, I was thinking about it and graphic novels are short stories really (well, some of them are) – and yet I think I probably enjoy them more because they’re illustrated.  Not sure what that says about me really so I’m still thinking about that.

So, the short story (actually no pun was intentional) is that I’m not totally sure yet what side of the fence I’m sitting on with short stories.  I think the main issue I have is that when I’m reading a longer novel it feels like I have this purpose, I constantly go to pick up my book and continue from where I’ve left off and I think that’s the thing I miss with these mini tales. But, what I did to counterbalance this was read another novel at the same time which sort of worked.  Perhaps that’s the trick – to just read the odd short story here and there in between your other book?

Anyway, Smoke and Mirrors.

I’m not going to go through a lengthy description of all the stories.  There’s plenty here to appeal to a range of different tastes.  I think my favourites were definitely the starting and concluding tales: Chivalry and Snow, Glass Apples.  These were followed by Don’t Ask Jack, Shoggoth’s Old Peculiar, The Sweeper of Dreams and When We Went to See the End of the World by Dawnie Morningside age 11 1/2.

Was this my favourite Gaiman.  No.  Did I like it.  Yes.  I didn’t love it but I think that’s due to my own natural tendency to shy away from short stories.  Will I try out more short stories in the future:  Yes, in fact I’m already doing so – Unidentified Funny Objects edited b Alex Shvartsman.