TRIGGER WARNING

The third collection of short fiction from a beloved modern mythmaker.

Everything that endears Gaiman (The Ocean at the End of the Lane, 2014, etc.) to his legions of fans is on display in this collection of short stories (and the occasional poem): his gift for reimagining ancient tales, his willingness to get down into the dark places, his humor. Most of these stories have been published elsewhere, except for the new American Gods story “Black Dog” (which does not disappoint), but the collection as a whole does add up to something bigger than it seems (only partly because there’s a TARDIS in it). Even the weakest of these tales have something to recommend them—an image, a turn of phrase, a mood. And the strongest are truly extraordinary. There’s the grim implacability of “The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains…,” walking steadily on to its inevitable yet unexpected ending; there’s the absurd Wodehouse-an charm of “And Weep, Like Alexander”; the haunting power of “The Man Who Forgot Ray Bradbury”; and the skin-crawling, slow-building creepiness of the love letter “Feminine Endings.” Sherlock Holmes is here, explaining the real reason he started keeping bees, and Sleeping Beauty, twice, and our old friend Shadow, and even David Bowie, in a way.

Full of all manner of witches and monsters and things that creep in the night, this collection will thoroughly satisfy faithful fans and win new ones—if there's anyone out there left unconverted.