Rating: 
Summary: A must-read for any Gaiman fan...
Review: This book is amazing. I have yet to find anything of Gaiman's writing that I don't like, of course, but this book was no exception. Smoke&Mirrors contains not only short stories but also more than a few poems, which are surprisingly good. This is my first introduction to Gaiman's poetry, and I hope he puts out a book of that at some point! "Vampire Sestina" and "Reading the Entrails: A Rondel" just blew me away, as did some of the short stories, such as "Troll Bridge" and "Snow, Glass, Apples." A truly amazing piece of work, every bit as good as Neverwhere, though very different. Neil Gaiman proves that he can write many different kinds of fantasy and science fiction and horror, all of them equally well.
Rating: 
Summary: The Pocket Gaiman
Review: I may not think that all pieces herein are his best work, but it's a relatively good introduction to Neil Gaiman if you've never heard of him or read his post-SANDMAN work. SMOKE AND MIRRORS is one of the very few books that have a "reserved spot" on my bedside table and travel bag. Need a quick read before hitting the sack, while waiting in the airport, while lying on the beach? Open it up and choose a story, a poem, a sestina. I've lost count of how many times I've re-read SMOKE AND MIRRORS, but remember where I've taken it and what new insight it always gives me. It could be "the black cat" of your literary life....
Rating:
Summary: Unfortunately is missing Gaiman's most important work
Review: Having of course been born in the twenty-fourth century and then thrust backwards through time after stumbling upon a temporal fissure, I have read this book. We had to study one of Gaiman's infamous (as yet unpublished) short stories in school as part of a classical literature course -- Eighty One Things To Do With An Uncooked Lobster And How A Cuckoo Clock Was Involved, which is the sixth piece in this collection.It is a most satisfactory collection, my only fault with it is that Gaiman's most famous piece, The Crimes And Times Of The Marquess Of Starlington And How The Cuckoo Clock Got Its Revenge, which was banned in eighteen countries (including all forty-five states of the US and all twenty-four privatized counties of the United Kingdom -- six of which were then owned by the Starbucks corporation) and the composition of which later lead to Gaiman's arrest and imprisonment in 2026, is not present in this early volume of his work. However, it's good to see Amazon taking the initiative in carrying FuturStock (items taken back through time using Time-Switch technologies), especially during an era when the Time Machine was still under wraps by the CIA and SIS. Truly, Amazon chose their stock wisely, too. The importance of Gaiman's works and their effect on the worlds of literature, metathermodynamical studies and, of course, politics and religion simply cannot be overstated. Gaiman is a God, and was declared such in 2015 (long before this publication's release) by the Gaimanites, who later overthrew the Muslims as having the world's most widely practiced religion. No wonder Gaiman's face alone is such a beaming icon to lovers of True Art And Reasonably Compromised Christianity in the 24th century. Buy this book, you'll be glad you did when it arrives twenty years later.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous! This book is going to ROCK!
Review: Wow. I haven't read this book, but that won't stop me from reviewing it: when I read this it is going to be AWESOME.
Rating:
Summary: A Must for Fans of Dark Fantasy or Contemporary Classics
Review: Neil Gaiman is quickly becoming one of the world's most recognized and revered authors, and with good reason. His stories are fantastical, but not to the point that they are merely escapist enteratinment. When one reads a work by Gaiman, they come back into the real world and look at it differently, through smoke tinted glasses if you will.
Every story in here is good, but some are better than others.
-"Chivalry" is, as Gaiman himself says, a very friendly story. It's very funny and much lighter than his other works.
-"Tastings" is not so much fantasy as it is eroticism, but it's different than what you would expect. There is more to this story than sex.
-"Snow, Glass, Apples" is a very disturbing take on the Snow White mythology. A very chilling read that makes you see the Disney film in new light.
-"Murder Mysteries" is one the best short stories ever written. Not only is it intricately plotted, but it also has a resonating message that anyone could find inspiration in, and if not inspiration then despair.
-"The Price" is my personal favorite along with "Murder Mysteries". It takes a whole new spin on the good vs. evil motif, has a twist that will throw you for a loop, and really makes you appreciate things you might perceive as normal, and in some cases annoying.
-"The Wedding Present", the story Gaiman hides in the introduction, is chilling and thought provoking. My next favorite of the collection.
This is a great book and should be on the shelf of everybody who loves a good read.
Rating:
Summary: 9/10
Review: I give it a nine out of ten. What I liked about it:
Neil Gaiman is a terrific author. The stories were mostly crisp and kept me interested.
I enjoyed the change of pace between the tales.
The different ideas and possible universes presented were great. In order to get a ten:
A couple of the stories should have been left out. They were not the same caliber as the others in the book.
Rating:
Summary: So much better than Neverwhere
Review: In "Neverwhere" Gaiman seriously bit off more than he could chew. But in this book of short stories, Gaiman's intensely creative ideas and fantastic imagination are perfect for the art that is the short story. I like how he puts two entirely unrelated ideas together. Like his opening tale of an old woman who finds the Holy Grail at her local thrift shop and is pursued by a handsome Knight of the Table Round (Yes, somehow he is from the past) who desperately wants the cup so he can complete his quest. You won't believe what he offers her in the way of exchange! These stories are so cool, I highly recommend this book!
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