Fragile Things
Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders is compilation of previously published short stories written by Neil Gaiman. The book itself was published on 2006-09-26.
Personal
After becoming a fan of Gaimen's work from reading most of his earlier books, I found this one at Barnes & Noble and read one of the short stories. I enjoyed it enough to buy it in 2007. I started taking it with me to dinner, but I only read a couple other stories out of it before shelving it. I'm currently reading it.
Status
I own a first edition US hardcover, but have only read some of the stories.
Stories
Title | Notes |
---|---|
"A Study in Emerald" | A pastiche of Sherlock Holmes and Cthulhu Mythos. I enjoyed this one and wanted it to go on longer. |
"The Fairy Reel" | A short poem. I forgot it immediately after reading it. |
"October in the Chair" | An early idea for The Graveyard Book. The seasons meet to tell stories and October tells a sad tale of a runaway boy meeting a ghostly playmate. Inspired by Ray Bradbury. This one was pretty good. |
"The Hidden Chamber" | Gothic poem about Bluebeard for the anthology Outsiders. |
"Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Secret House of the Night of Dread Desire" | A hilarious Gothic story where the ridiculous tropes of pulp Gothic fiction are real, and normal life is escapist fantasy. Published in the anthology Gothic! |
"The Flints of Memory Lane" | A very short story about the only ghostly memory Gaimen has. |
"Closing Time" | A creepy ghost story involving children inspired by M. R. James and Robert Aickman. |
"Going Wodwo" | A poem about a wild man. Published in the The Green Man. |
"Bitter Grounds" | A story about the zombies of Haiti. I liked most of the story, but I didn't really understand how it got to the ending. Published in Mojo: Conjure Stories. |
"Other People" | Originally titled "Afterlife." A short about being tortured in hell. |
"The Mapmaker" | Exists in the introduction. Meant to be in American Gods, but never found a good spot for it. About a Chinese emperor who dumped all the empire's money into a highly accurate model of her empire. A bit dull. |
"Keepsakes and Treasures: A Love Story" | About a boy who murders the people who wronged his mother then becomes a bodyguard of a eccentric billionaire. Began as a comic for It's Dark in London. Contains characters from "The Monarch of the Glen." |
"Good Boys Deserve Favors" | Inspired by a statue by Lisa Snellings-Clark of a man holding a double bass. A boy who can't play well plays a great song when it counts, then never again. Kind of dull. |
"The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch" | Friends take an annoying woman to a Vaudevillian show, and her wish ends up being fulfilled. Inspired by a painting by Frank Frazetta of a savage woman flanked by tigers. I didn't care for the ending. |
"Strange Little Girls" | Twelve very short stories to accompany the Tori Amos CD Strange Little Girls. Each story is based on a song from the album. Some began to evoke a feeling in me, but they were too short to do much. |
"Harlequin Valentine" | A morbid tale based on art made by Lisa Snellings-Clark using the traditional Harlequinade as a model. First published in Strange Attraction in 1999. I love this one. It has been adapted to a graphic novel. |
"Locks" | A poem about Goldilocks and the Three Bears. As told from father to child. Didn't care for it. |
"The Problem of Susan" | Published in Flights. Written about the character Susan in the Chronicles of Narnia. I like the issue it brings up, but I don't like how it's handled. The Mary Poppins part is great though. |
"Instructions" | A poem giving instructions about what to do when you find yourself in a fairy tale. Later republished as a picture book. I enjoyed this one. |
"How Do You Think It Feels?" | A story inspired by gargoyles, in this case, protecting the heart. It's sexy, romantic, and bleak. I like it, but it makes me sad. |
"My Life" | A monologue written to accompany a picture of a sock monkey in Arne Svenson's book, Sock Monkeys. A barfly describes his literally unbelievable life. Worth a chuckle. |
"Fifteen Painted Cards from a Vampire Tarot" | Fifteen very short vampire stories, each based on a card from a Tarot deck. Some are interesting, but they're too short to have depth. |
"Feeders and Eaters" | Based on a nightmare. It first took the form of a comic and later the outline for a pornographic horror film that never materialized. A little creepy, but not great. |
"Diseasemaker's Croup" | Published in The Thackery T. Lambshead Pocket Guide to Eccentric and Discredited Diseases. Written in an old-timey style, it describes the disease of becoming too interested in the study of diseases. I like the idea, but didn't care for the prose. |
"In the End" | Written as though it were the last book of the Bible. The events of the Garden of Eden happen in reverse. Clever, but too short. |
"Goliath" | Set in the Matrix universe and published on the film's web site before the movie was release and later in The Matrix Comics Vol. 1. Sci-fi, with a hint of romance. |
"Pages from a Journal Found in a Shoebox Left in a Greyhound Bus Somewhere Between Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Louisville, Kentucky" | Written for the Tori Amos album, Scarlet's Walk. A collection of brief journal entries. It's interesting, but I don't know the album, so it doesn't make much sense to me. |
"How to Talk to Girls at Parties" | Meant to be included in The Starry Rift, but it Neil didn't think it fit. About teen boys accidentally attending a party of space aliens that happen to look like attractive teen girls. Quite enjoyable. |
"The Day the Saucers Came" | Short narrative poem about the ridiculous end of the world. Starts silly, but has a dumb ending. |
"Sunbird" | Written in the style of R. A. Lafferty as a birthday present for Gaiman's daughter. An Epicurean group feels like they've eaten every animal, but their oddest member suggests tracking down and eating the elusive (and probably mythical) sunbird. I enjoyed this one. |
"Inventing Aladdin" | A poem describing what Scheherazade was thinking when coming up with the tales of Arabian Nights. Not a fan. |
"The Monarch of the Glen" | A novella-length sequel to American Gods inspired by Beowulf and set in remote areas of Scotland. |
Review
— This section contains spoilers! —
Good
- Gaiman is fantastic with creepy stories and dark humor, and this book has plenty of stories with both.
Bad
- I'm not much of a fan of poetry, so, most of the poetry I read in here didn't do anything for me.
- At least half of the books didn't do much for me.
Ugly
- Nothing.
Media
- Fragile Things - Short Fictions and Wonders - Hardcover - UK - 1st Edition.jpg
Hardcover - UK - 1st edition. The cover art shows the veins of a leaf, which I don't really feel represents "fragility."
- Fragile Things - Short Fictions and Wonders - Hardcover - USA - 1st Edition.jpg
Hardcover - USA - 1st edition. The graphic art is literally fragile things. Even the jacket is made of weaker translucent paper which fits perfectly. I prefer this cover.