The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break: A Novel

By: Steven Sherrill

Narrated by: Holter Graham

Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

Award-winning author, narrator, and screenwriter Neil Gaiman personally selected this book, and, using the tools of the Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX), cast the narrator and produced this work for his audiobook label, Neil Gaiman Presents.

A few words from Neil on The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break: "When Steve and I talked about the ideal voice for M, he suggested Holter Graham….because 'Holter’s handling of the Minotaur’s grunt was PERFECT. Exactly what I heard in my head.'"

Five thousand years out of the Labyrinth, the Minotaur finds himself in the American South, living in a trailer park and working as a line cook at a steakhouse. No longer a devourer of human flesh, the Minotaur is a socially inept, lonely creature with very human needs. But over a two-week period, as his life dissolves into chaos, this broken and alienated immortal awakens to the possibility for happiness and to the capacity for love. "Sherrill also insinuates other mythological beasts - the Hermaphroditus, the Medusa - into the story, suggesting how the Southern landscape is shadowed by these myths. The plot centers around the Minotaur's feelings for Kelly, a waitress who is prone to epileptic fits. Does she reciprocate his affections? As the reader might expect, the course of interspecies love never does run smooth." (Publishers Weekly) Steven Sherrill created the artwork used for the audiobook edition of The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break.

To hear more from Neil Gaiman on The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break, click here, or listen to the introduction at the beginning of the book itself.

Learn more about Neil Gaiman Presents and Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX).

©2000 Steven Sherrill (P)2011 John F. Blair Publisher

Surprisingly good, awesome acting.

If you could sum up The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break: A Novel in three words, what would they be?

A really interesting new twist on an old theme.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved the integration of old gods and deities into modern society. It was really interesting seeing this modern world with a twist of 'accepting' gods and demigods as the norm.

What about Holter Graham???s performance did you like?

The performance of Holter Graham was amazing. He really gave the Minotaur life. The way he moo'd and sighed and just existed around those who would take him for granted as the main Character was great.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I think the moment that moved me the most was when the Minotaur was watching the bull fight and seeing in that the cruelty of humanity. How terrible the race of man is and yet how he longed to be one of them desired nothing more then to fit in with these heartless savages. That they wanted nothing more then to beat down and kill something stronger then themselves in a cheating manner just so they could appear to their fellows a bit more brave.

Great story and performance

This is the first book I have listened to from Neil Gaiman Productions and it will definitely not be the last. This was a solid story performed excellently by the reader, and although it was quite entertaining the author did a good job using that as a forum to make you reflect on the transitory nature of my life. I found myself thinking of the finality of moving from one phase of life to another, without the story being in the least preachy or to heavy handed about it. This was an excellent selection!

This book is a true gem

The title of this book enticed me, and it was listed as a book recommended by Neil Gaiman, (one of my favorite authors), so I decided to give it a listen. It is an excellent book that I highly recommend. It is funny, and sad, and very refreshing all at the same time. Holter Graham does an excellent job reading the story. Get this book. It should be in everyone's library.

An intriguing idea, but not overly compelling

Would you try another book from Steven Sherrill and/or Holter Graham?

Yes

Would you be willing to try another book from Steven Sherrill? Why or why not?

Yes. I believe this was his first book and found the story had some tedium. More experience might yield a more compelling story.

What does Holter Graham bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The Minotaur conveys significant emotion in each grunt and I'm not sure the written word would have carried that quite as well.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Sure, but I don't think this is a likely candidate for the hollywood treatment. It would need a more driving story.

Any additional comments?

I found my mind wandering aimlessly during this book due to the somewhat mundane and tedious story. I had high hopes for this book going in but would call it decidedly average overall.

Entertaining and refreshing

Would you consider the audio edition of The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break: A Novel to be better than the print version?

I have only listened to the audio, but I like books to be acted out, it puts character to the people.

Has The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break: A Novel turned you off from other books in this genre?

no, I liked the book.

Did Holter Graham do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

He did a great job with the characters, the minotaur was perfect, it made me think of a bull I could picture it perfect.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

I am not sure

Quite a surprise

I really enjoyed this book which was quite a surprise.

Sometimes it is good to try something different. Met my expectations!

Half-Man, Half-Bull, Full-Heart

Steven Sherrill graces us with colorful language and vivid imagery as we take a look at what it may be like for a mythological monster to coexist amongst modern (at the time) humanity in the Deep South. Perhaps the Minotaur should be thanking Theseus for sending him off, as he would’ve never been able to try Bojangles Chicken & Biscuits if he stayed in the Labyrinth.

The Minotaur can discern that the nature of humans hasn’t changed since the Iron Age of Greek Mythology. Instead of wildly massacring everyone in sight, he decides to observe, and it’s through this voyeurism that we can see the limitations of someone who is not seen as normal. The results come in the form of commentary about masculinity, the objectification of women in modern society, the merits of stoicism, the need for love, the feeling of loneliness in an ever alienating world, and the inevitability of conflict when one stands against the grain. And that’s just to name a few philosophies Steven Sherrill so tactfully illustrates.

Each character is so wonderfully flawed, even the Minotaur, whose immortality might as well be a curse. They are written as people, morally grey and not without their own troubles. The Minotaur finds himself holding a piece of each character, and they take away something from him. The world feels real, despite the inconceivable existence of a hybrid monster in North Carolina. For as immovable The Minotaur may seem, the human part of him and his relationships allows him to change in a way that not even he, in his multi-thousand-year life, could have ever imagined.

Holter Graham brings each character to life with exceptional voice work. Each line is delivered with clarity, with each character having their own unique voice, southern drawl and all. The Minotaur would probably sound just like that if he were to exist in real life.

Bat sh*t boring

Any additional comments?

I really had high hopes for this one. The idea is great, the writing is fantastic, and the performance was exceptional. However, every "scene" lead absolutely nowhere. It was the life of an emotionally-challenged recluse who is a fry cook, who fixes cars, who lives in a trailer park.....who would probably have a lot in common with a good number of people on earth if you followed them around and wrote down what they did. Where is the suspense? Tragedy? Action? Mystery? Dramatic transformation?
The author really does have a ton of talent, and I guess there did exist some element of something on some level, somewhere that urged me to see it through to the end. Honestly, though, it felt like he had a great idea for a book, sat down and tried to let the creative energy flow by setting up a beautiful environment for something big to happen...and then, for the most part, nothing happened. I'm not sure why this movie comes to mind, but akin to every fault in Napoleon Dynamite without many of the lovable qualities that made it a work of art.



Three stars overall for excellent style and a great performance, but that really is being generous.

There is such a thing as Literary Fantasy

Like many others who wrote these reviews, I picked up this book because it was part of the Neil Gaiman Presents series. This is NOT for fans of traditional fantasy, and many people who expect traditional fantasy will find it dull or uninspired.

No doubt it is a great concept - the Minotaur lives on and works as a fry cook at a diner in North Carolina. This take on a modern mythical creature is certainly original, but my biggest problem with the Minotaur is that he is a very passive character, which sometimes made it frustrating to listen to. Unlike other current bestsellers of the literary fiction genre, such as Haruki Murakami, there is no grander sense of purpose, and the Minotaur often lets the worst side of life show itself by standing by while the action is happening to someone else. The author is aware of this - his prose is even critical, at times, of those who sit passively and let life happen to other people, but the Minotaur himself is rarely anything but passive.

It's hard to discern the point of this book, or parse the central themes. While other works of literary fiction are also hard to boil down, that is usually because they seem to have a greater sense of scale that moves beyond the prose. Here I didn't get any sense of some larger purpose or idea - the end just left me frustrated.

It's a beautifully written book, and if you're looking for something to read you could certainly do worse. But don't expect any kind of traditional fantasy - high, urban, or other.

An outstanding read

I wasn't sure what to expect when I decided to listen to this but ultimately I couldn't put it down and didn't want it to end. The story is "simple" yet so complex, the Minotaur is quite a character (in all senses of the word). Many books create situations (crisis) and the reader can typically figure out what will happen next, this is not one of those books. This isn't to say the results are outlandish or so far fetched one would never have imagined the outcome, it is a testament to the creativity of the author. I will definitely be be reading other books from the "Neil Gaiman Presents" series and if they are are as intriguing as this one it will be a wonderful journey. If your contemplating picking this up, do yourself a favor and go for it.