Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions

One of Mr. Gaiman's earlier works, because fans will notice that his writing style is slightly different from what it is now. This is of course a positive comment, not intended to belittle Gaiman's style. I have nothing but admiration for Gaiman's writing style, which only a true fan will dissect enough to actually try and duplicate.

And like in a music album, where the first track is the track that hooks you into listening to the rest, so does the first story of Smoke and Mirrors draw you into the wonderful mind of Mr. Neil Gaiman. Notable also is what one could call the seed (or probably one of the early drafts, we'll never know) of Gaiman's co-written screenplay for the 2007 film Beowulf.

Plus, in the spirit of the holidays, I immensely enjoyed his 100-word story on Santa Claus. Neil Gaiman retains his status as the rock star of the literary world.

Rating: Five stars.