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Fragile Things

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Fragile Things

By: Neil Gaiman
Narrated by: Neil Gaiman
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A mysterious circus terrifies an audience for one extraordinary performance before disappearing into the night, taking one of the spectators along with it.

In a novella set two years after the events of American Gods, Shadow pays a visit to an ancient Scottish mansion, and finds himself trapped in a game of murder and monsters.

In a Hugo Award-winning short story set in a strangely altered Victorian England, the great detective Sherlock Holmes must solve a most unsettling royal murder.

Two teenage boys crash a party and meet the girls of their dreams and nightmares.

In a Locus Award-winning tale, the members of an excusive epicurean club lament that they've eaten everything that can be eaten, with the exception of a legendary, rare, and exceedingly dangerous Egyptian bird.

Such marvelous creations and more, including a short story set in the world of The Matrix and others set in the worlds of gothic fiction and children's fiction, can be found in this extraordinary collection, which showcases Gaiman's storytelling brilliance as well as his entertaining (and dark) sense of humor. By turns delightful, disturbing, and diverting, Fragile Things is a gift of literary enchantment from one of the most unique writers of our time.

©2006 Neil Gaiman (P)2006 HarperCollins Publishers Anthologies & Short Stories Classics Fantasy Fiction Science Fiction Witty Short Story Scary

Critic reviews

  • Locus Award, Best Collection, 2007
  • Audie Award Finalist, Short Stories, Collections, 2007

Featured Article: The Best Short Story Audiobooks to Immerse Yourself In Now


Short stories have had a huge impact on the canon of great literature. In fact, some of history's most revered novelists—Ernest Hemingway, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Louisa May Alcott among them—wrote short stories, which make excellent introductions to their work. Plus, these bite-size listens are the perfect way to get a big dose of literary inspiration even when you’re short on time. To get you started, we’ve compiled a list of listens.

Featured Article The Best Short Story Audiobooks to Immerse Yourself In Now

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Good group of stories by Gaiman. A very fun novella that picks up at the end of American Gods. To be fair, there were a few stories that I found myself getting rather bored with and easily distracted while listening to them. All told, if you like Gaiman you'll enjoy this book.

Fun

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I really wanted to hear Neil read "The Monarch of the Glen" - its been a few years since I first read American Gods and I JUST found out this short story existed. It was nice to see things from Shadow again!

As for the rest of the short stories, some are slow, some don't seem too special. The "How to Talk to Girls at Parties" was nowhere near the star of the book, but I'm sure others disagree!

Standouts for me were "Study in Emerald" "The Problem of Susan" "Feeders and Eaters" and "Goliath".

Anything read by Neil Gaiman is an instant get for me - He is a classic storyteller.

Came for more Shadow Moon, loved the rest too

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I am a fan, so I had a positive bias going into this book. I was not disappointed. The mixture of stories, snippets and poems was eclectic and entertaining. They all shone with Mr. Gaimans rich descriptions, and were easy to visualize. The only retraction is the authors tendency to drop into a 'singsong' cadence occasionally.

Small treasures

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Neil Gaiman is a master at story telling. I have this book and am excited to be able to listen to it on the road. Love the Novela of American Gods due to the Beuwolf aspects.

Amazing.

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I just love the author I can't wait till I can get the sandman 3 I've read all the other ones they're really good all your stories are really good I enjoy them very much.

excellent author and narrator

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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.

great collection

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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.

Typical Gaiman

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Good stories from the mind of Neil that always comes through.I have read or listened to everything that Neil writes and I love the way his mind thinks and surprises.

Love Neil Gaiman stories

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A marvelous collection of stories, all well-told. Some are short, others basically novelettes. All are splendid.

Very good

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again, I'm in the empty, emotional vacuum that always follows the completion of a Neil Gaiman book. it's a place where, as the glitter and dust settle back down and slowly dissolve in the soil beneath your shoes, you realize just how painfully ordinary life is, once more.

I want to live inside of Fragile Things. these stories burrow into your bones; wriggling and moaning only to come out in your dreams in blues and grays that frighten and enlighten you. to have the privilege to hear them read by the master himself...well...it's a gift. his stories and his narration are a gift. please have a listen.

admitting to a mild obsession with Neil Gaiman

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