Smoke and Mirrors

In the deft hands of Neil Gaiman, magic is no mere illusion... and anything is possible. In Smoke and Mirrors, Gaiman's imagination and supreme artistry transform a mundane world into a place of terrible wonders — where an old woman can purchase the Holy Grail at a thrift store, where assassins advertise their services in the Yellow Pages under "Pest Control," and where a frightened young boy must barter for his life with a mean-spirited troll living beneath a bridge by the railroad tracks. Explore a new reality, obscured by smoke and darkness yet brilliantly tangible, in this extraordinary collection of short works by a master prestidigitator. It will dazzle your senses, touch your heart, and haunt your dreams.

Contents

ix • Reading the Entrails: A Rondel • (1997) • poem by Neil Gaiman

1 • An Introduction (Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions) • (1998) • essay by Neil Gaiman

33 • Chivalry • (1992) • short story by Neil Gaiman

48 • Nicholas Was ... • (1990) • short story by Neil Gaiman

49 • The Price • (1997) • short story by Neil Gaiman

57 • Troll Bridge • (1993) • short story by Neil Gaiman (variant of Troll-Bridge)

69 • Don't Ask Jack • (1995) • short story by Neil Gaiman

72 • The Goldfish Pool and Other Stories • (1996) • novelette by Neil Gaiman

108 • The White Road • (1995) • poem by Neil Gaiman

120 • Queen of Knives • (1995) • short story by Neil Gaiman

130 • Changes • (1998) • short story by Neil Gaiman

141 • The Daughter of Owls • (1997) • short story by Neil Gaiman (variant of Daughter of Owls)

144 • Shoggoth's Old Peculiar • (1998) • short story by Neil Gaiman

156 • Virus • (1990) • poem by Neil Gaiman

159 • Looking for the Girl • (1985) • short story by Neil Gaiman

171 • Only the End of the World Again • (1994) • short story by Neil Gaiman

190 • Bay Wolf • (1998) • poem by Neil Gaiman

198 • We Can Get Them for You Wholesale • (1989) • short story by Neil Gaiman

209 • One Life, Furnished in Early Moorcock • (1994) • short story by Neil Gaiman

224 • Cold Colors • (1990) • poem by Neil Gaiman (variant of Cold Colours)

236 • The Sweeper of Dreams • (1996) • poem by Neil Gaiman

238 • Foreign Parts • (1990) • novelette by Neil Gaiman

255 • Vampire Sestina • (1989) • poem by Neil Gaiman

257 • Mouse • (1993) • short story by Neil Gaiman (variant of The Mouse)

267 • The Sea Change • (1995) • poem by Neil Gaiman

271 • When We Went to See the End of the World by Dawnie Morningside, age 11¼ • (1998) • short story by Neil Gaiman

278 • Desert Wind • (1998) • poem by Neil Gaiman

281 • Tastings • (1998) • short story by Neil Gaiman

290 • Babycakes • (1990) • short story by Neil Gaiman

292 • Murder Mysteries • (1992) • novelette by Neil Gaiman

325 • Snow, Glass, Apples • (1995) • short story by Neil Gaiman