{"product_id":"9780061450167","title":"Smoke and Mirrors : Short Fictions and Illusions","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eSmoke and Mirrors\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): Neil Gaiman\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe astonishing and impressive first collection of short stories from New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAn elderly widow finds the Holy Grail beneath an old fur coat in a second-hand store . . . \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA stray cat fights and refights a nightly battle to protect his adoptive family from an unimagiable evil . . .\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA young couple receives a wedding gift that will reveal a chilling alternate history of their marriage . . .\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeneath a bridge by the railroad tracks, a frightened little boy bargains for his life with a most persistent troll . . .\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSuch miraculous inventions and more await within Neil Gaiman’s first collection of short fiction, a gift of wonder and delight from one of the most unique literary artists of our day. In his capable hands, magic is no mere illusion, but a powerful means to reveal the nature of our humanity obscured in the smoke of our fears and anxieties . . . and reflected in the funhouse mirrors of our dreams.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e“Readers will find echoes of H.P. Lovecraft, Harlan Ellison, Ray Bradbury and Stephen King, but the voice is all Gaiman . . . highly imaginative.”\u003cbr\u003e“I read [\u003cem\u003eSmoke and Mirrors\u003c\/em\u003e] while adjectives like glorious, magical and weird-but-fascinating leapt through my head, then gave up, outclassed . . . [Gaiman’s] artful ruminations stretch from dreamlike folktales to darkly futuristic science fiction . . . a fine introduction to his varied work.”\u003cbr\u003e“Superb . . . haunting in a disturbing way and often witty and perversely humorous at the same time.”\u003cbr\u003e“An exhilarating display of the work of one of our most entertaining storytellers.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9780061450167\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"William Morrow Paperbacks","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":41029139824846,"sku":"9780061450167","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/9780061450167.jpg?v=1647658579","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9780061450167","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}