• The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break: A Novel

  • By: Steven Sherrill
  • Narrated by: Holter Graham
  • Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins
  • 3.9 out of 5 stars (1,194 ratings)

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The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break: A Novel  By  cover art

The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break: A Novel

By: Steven Sherrill
Narrated by: Holter Graham
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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

What listeners say about The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break: A Novel

Average customer ratings
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  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Want to reccomend but I just can't

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Maybe to a few friends. The reader Holter Graham is excellent, but the story just never seems to go anywhere. I kept listening hoping for some twist or turn to take things in a new or surprising direction but it never happens.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

The Minotaur character doesn't really change, there was a real opportunity to take him in an unexpected direction or to have him grow.

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

He really brings the characters to life and gives them depth.

Any additional comments?

Overall this book was a let down, there was an opportunity to do something different. Because of this it ultimately disappoints the listener. As a warning to potential listeners there is some strong language, strong sexual language, sex situations so this isn't for young listeners or those easily offended.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

So glad Neil Gaiman has teamed with Audible!

What made the experience of listening to The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break: A Novel the most enjoyable?

This was a great, fun listen that probably wouldn't have crossed my radar were it not for the partnership between Gaiman and Audible. The narration was fantastic, and no easy feat when trying to convey the speech of a rambling Minotaur with angst!

What did you like best about this story?

its surreal nature, heart and humor.

If you could rename The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break: A Novel, what would you call it?

The name is PERFECT, as is. To change it would be sinful.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Made me squirm, but with a redemptive ending.

I chose this book because it was on Neil Gaiman's recommended list, and I'm beginning to get the idea his tastes are a little darker than mine. The minotaur and the characters that surround him are flawed, and ultimately very human, but events unfold in a way that made me squirm, always anticipating the next thing that was going to wrong, or the next encounter he was going to have with a character who behaved badly, or the next irrevocable bad decision the minotaur would make. The ending was redemptive, so I'm not sorry I listened, but it made me uncomfortable enough while it played out that I'm not sure I can call the experience enjoyable.

The narrarator was terrific, and did a great job voicing all the characters, especially the one who speaks the least, the minotaur himself.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Moves slowly.

What disappointed you about The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break: A Novel?

It did not grip me as I'd expected it to, given that it was so highly touted by Neil Gaiman.

If you’ve listened to books by Steven Sherrill before, how does this one compare?

N/A

Which character – as performed by Holter Graham – was your favorite?

N/A

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment.

Any additional comments?

Unlike other books, when I listened to this one in the evenings it put me to sleep, which meant I'd have to backtrack to find my place when I next started listening again. Not sure how much was the book and how much was the soporific effect of the reader's voice.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

mmmMMMgh. I loved it.

I think I may have gone to high school with the Minotaur. The voicing of the grunt was priceless and you really get to know this unfortunate character. He reminded me of a Slingblade with horns. Plus, if you've ever worked at a restaurant - particularly in a kitchen, you'll recognize a few of these situations and like me, find a bit of nostalgia in being burned by fryer grease.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Goes Nowhere Slowly....

Don't be seduced by Neil on this one. I was and it was not worth it, this story stumbles about and goes nowhere slowly.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
  • E.
  • 11-22-11

intelligent and refreshing

I've really enjoyed Neil Gaiman's books and so, naturally, was thrilled to see the "Neil Gaiman Presents" list. The right reader is just as important as a quality book. The collaboration of Author and Gaiman to choose the right reader payed off in this performance. The story itself is refreshingly original and intelligent. I enjoyed every minute.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

First try with an audio book

This was the first audio book I've ever listened to and I have to say, I loved the experience. This was a great story and Graham's performance is outstanding, he really brings the character of the Minotaur to life.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Unusual tail (umm, tale) of old, age bull

This is one more of the unusual stories I have listened too lately. The author has a distinct prose that vascilates between the poetic and the bestial, to which the actor produces a fine performance. I found the story itself to be a bit mundane at times, although it was precisely that mundanety that he was probably trying to communicate about a mythological being who has seen better days and is now exhausted by the length of time. Although it was interesting to begin with, I found myself getting bored by it all. I think this is a tale for people with an interest in mythology, but not necissarily everyday fantasy.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Does not engage the listener

The story and the main character just don't do it for me. Totally non-engaging. I couldn't even finish it.

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