Author: Neil Gaiman

Publisher: William Morrow, New York

Once more we return to another work by my favorite living author. This time, it’s Fragile Things, a collection of short stories that have something for everyone, from Sherlock fans to those who love a good Gothic ghost story. And most of them have a delightful twist.

I’ll provide you with a list of what I think are the best ones, but first I’m going to quote the penultimate passage of Gaiman’s introduction to this collection, because as usual he hits the literary nail on its head:

“Stories, like people and butterflies and songbirds’ eggs and human hearts and dreams, are also fragile things, made up of nothing stronger or more lasting than twenty-six letters and a handful of punctuation marks. Or are they words on the air, composed of sounds and ideas–abstract, invisible, gone once they’ve been spoken–and what could be more frail than that? But some stories, small, simple ones about setting out on adventures or people doing wonders, tales of miracles and monsters, have outlasted all the people who told them, and some of them have outlasted the lands in which they were created.”

While he is quick to reassure his readers that he doesn’t think these stories qualify, I must disagree. These stories, really most of Gaiman’s work, should be around for a long, long time to come. What makes his stories so great is that while there are lots of fantastical elements, at the heart of them is most often an ordinary person who finds themselves caught up in extraordinary circumstances. And, along the way, we come to see that this regular individual was extraordinary all along. That’s why I love his work, and hope that we will be gifted with many, many more of his stories.

Now, for a quick recap of some of my favorites from this collection, which I encourage my readers to explore for themselves so that they can make up a list of their own.

“A Study In Emerald”: Sherlock fans will instantly think of “A Study in Scarlet.” This is a similar tale, with a twist that I for one didn’t see coming until it was right upon me. I’ve heard fans call this one fan fiction, and they would be right! Personally, I think this is excellent proof that fan fiction has just as much literary merit as the mainstream stuff.

“Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Secret House of the Night of Dread Desire”: A Gothic tale where the real world is something straight out of Wuthering Heights. It’s also rather funny.

“Keepsakes and Treasures”: Where we are introduced to Smith, charmer and sociopath. And his employer Mr. Alice. They’re both repugnant, but make you want to keep reading.

“Goliath”: A story written when Gaiman read the script for The Matrix. I rather prefer this to Keanu doing whatever it was that he did in those films.

“The Day the Saucers Came”: All I could think was, no matter situation you find yourself in, there is always That Guy. Well, this is what happens to That Guy when the saucers show up.

“Sunbird”: The dangers of eating the wrong thing. Read it. You’ll love it.

“The Monarch of the Glen”: An American Gods novella, where we join up with Shadow for an adventure in Scotland. Smith makes another appearance, and there is a delightful cameo with a singing Wednesday. And there’s some Beowulf stuff.

Next time: Oh hey, it’s more Beowulf stuff! This time, we examine Tolkien’s treatment of the epic.