Fragile Things

Neil Gaiman is probably my favorite author to listen to in audio format out there. I have listened to nearly everything he's ever written that's been recorded and consider "The Graveyard Book" the closest thing to a perfect audio book ever produced. So I had looked forward with anticipation to "sinking my ears into it" when I downloaded this book. It unfortunately fell a bit short of my expectations.

So what's wrong with this one? Well... a number of little things that add up to enough to make me unable to give it more than 3 stars. The stories are generally good, though some certainly better than others, and Neil reading them is always a bonus, as he reads his work so well. But, perhaps (and probably) because it is in an audio format, one does not really have the time to digest the individual pieces. There is mere seconds of transition time between the various stories/poems/commentary. If you listen to your books while doing tasky things, as I often do, it is not feasible to stop between pieces, digest the tale, think about the work, etc. Some of the pieces are short enough and esoteric enough that it is not automatically clear that one story's ended and another begun. I think it likely that, had I read this book in paper format, I might have had a different experience.

That said, in the end the book is redeemed by the novella taking up with the character Shadow from "American Gods". It is epic enough, long enough and in keeping enough with the original tale that it made muddling through the rest of the book worth it. I have no regrets for having added this title to my Gaiman library, but it falls rather to the bottom of the list.

Not all of the pieces in this selection work (some things are just not meant to be read aloud) but for the most part, Fragile Things is a wondrous collection. There's something for everyone here, from dark gothic stories and spot-on human insight to wry humor and brilliant fantasy. If you liked American Gods and Anansi Boys you will love this collection. (And if you haven't read those two, I recommend them even more highly!)

Neil Gaiman is also one of the rare writers who read his own work and do it justice.

Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite authors, and he didn't disappoint with this audiobook. It's a real treat to hear him read his own work, and as a collection of short stories (collected from anthologies, primarily), Fragile Things is an excellent introduction to the breadth of Gaiman's talent. His stories range from epic (as in Sunbird) to mundane with a twist (How to Talk to Girls at Parities).

I'm thrilled that Audible offered this book, and I hpe they continue to add science fiction and fantasy to their libraries.

I've been a fan of Neil Gaiman since "American Gods" and bought this book pretty much only for the Shadow novella (which was great). Sometimes I find Gaiman's short stories hard to enjoy because they're SO short. There's not enough time to get really involved. That's not to say I didn't like this book, because I did. I just got a little frustrated at times.
By far the best part of this purchase was Gaiman's narration. His voice is hypnotizing.

not for the faint of heart, neil gaiman has collected some amazing short stories and poems in this volume. a few of the works would be for "adult" ears only. this should not, however, take enjoyment away from the discerning bibliophile. gaiman creates vividly painted worlds for the reader to explore. his descriptive prose is beyond compare.

Neil Gaiman is a master of short fiction! This is a fine collection of stories that range from the terrifying to the comic, sometimes masterfully blending both. I think the introductory material, in which he discusses the genesis of the stories, runs on a bit, but the stories are worth the wait and the price.

This fractured anthology of fantasy tales is indeed fragile. The author tries out ideas in a non-linear manner; he hypnotizes and bemuses the reader with a syncopated beat making you wonder, "what the heck?" and, "is that all?", and "why did we stop here?" I became infatuated with Gaiman's sheer creative phalanx of ideas in this work especially the character of Shadow and have ordered the "American Gods" title to hear more.

Neil is an excellent writer. American Gods is probably one of my favorite books. These short stories have the same wit that made American Gods so good...

Excellent, out of left-field thoughts connected to traditional folk stories wound up with whimsy and a chill of creepiness...so cool and engaging.
Modern-day Poe with a more laid-back attitude.

Brilliant work! I have listened several times and hear something new each time. Not just scraps of dialog I missed, or a scene in a story, though there are those things that are new. I develop an ever more complex understanding of the story, as if getting the frame set up in the first listen. Then with each subsequent hearing, adding color and texture to the story.

There are too many characters to choose...

I enjoy listening to him describe what he as a writer experienced during the creation of a particular story

No and Yes. I had to listen to the whole audio a couple times--the introduction, where the author explains where a story came from was longer than I wanted to listen to, so I skipped the 2nd half of it and went to the first story. All well and good...but...I don't know I was disenchanted and listened to some other audio for a few days. I came back to where I'd left off in Fragile Things and was captivated and wanted to know where he'd gotten the idea for this story and didn't it bother his wife the way he wrote that story...I went back to the beginning of the introduction and started all over.