If you've been following my blog you know I am a huge fan of Gaiman, and this collection of short stories and poems took me one step deeper into that magical world where the mind can truly run free. While all the stories were essentially wild and fantastic, as his tales always are, a weird and dark strain runs through them all, and that was a whole new experience.
Such beauty in so much ugliness in "Keepsakes and Treasures: A Love Story". The fantastic saga of the "Sunbird". The old lady in the attic and that terrifying image of the head of a cat in "Feeders and Eaters". Twelve snapshots of love, of silence, of memories in "Strange Little Girls". The unique exchange of storytelling in "October in the Chair". Every story had something unforgivably dark, something stunningly beautiful.
Some of the more memorable stories for me included "A Study in Emerald", a brilliant fusion of Sherlock Holmes and a Cthulhu murder mystery in a setting that was as unique as its final denouement was surprising; "Other People", a tale of undying grief and everlasting terror in one endless cycle; and "Goliath" (a short story written specially for 'The Matrix') a story of love and loss that is as real as it is fabricated, as momentary as it is eternal.
This collection also showcases Gaiman's poetry (I had no idea!)
“Remember: that giants sleep too soundly; that witches are often betrayed by their appetites; dragons have one soft spot, somewhere, always; hearts can be well-hidden, and you can betray them with your tongue.”
Created as a guide to what one does upon finding oneself in a fairy tale, "Instructions" was my absolute favourite poem in his collection.
No comments:
Post a Comment