- Hardcover: 48 pages
- Publisher: Titan Books Ltd (26 Nov 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1840239115
- ISBN-13: 978-1840239119
- Product Dimensions: 26.2 x 17 x 1 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,059,899 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Review
www needcoffee.com 1 Feb 2005: " Just about every page looks good enough to frame."; www thealienonline.net 19 January 2005: " ..beautiful volume of short stories from Gaiman, gorgeously illustrated by Zulli."; www thefourthrail.com January 2005: "...Gaiman and Zulli craft such beautiful and enduring stories that its hard to resist.9/10."
needmorecoffee.com 11 February 2005
"Just about every page looks good enough to frame. Highly recommended."
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is another one of those books that sets Neil Gaiman's prose stories in a comic book format. Two of the pieces from Smoke and Mirrors have been received the treatment.
The Daughter of Owls comes first - if you cannot remember it from Neil's book (which I would recommed you get) then the story is based around a girl who is found outside a village. She is parentless and as the basket she is in is filled with owl pellets the superstitous villages think that she is the Daughter of Owls from legend. They take her off to be looked after by an old nun who provides the minimum of care for her. Eventually the nun dies and the child is left on her own - she cannot talk and has no way of communicating with the villagers. She grows into a beautiful woman and the men folk decide to pay her a visit one evening...they never return.
In The Price we get the story of a black cat that adobts a family. Over time the family notice that he is getting more and more battered and getting into fights and losing badly - this story shows how the cat is keeping Satan at bay from the family and blocking evil from happening to them...and what would happen if the cat dies?
Micheal Zulli provides the art work and it is exactly what you expect from him. Well drawn and coloured it evokes and complements the stories well. If you didn't know that they were originally pieces of prose fiction you would think that they had been planned this way.
I do recommend these to you, and whilst they are not Gaiman's strongest work they will while away an hour or two.
Format:Hardcover
"Creatures of the NIght" takes two short stories Gaiman wrote for his collection "Smoke and Mirrors" and reconstitutes them into comic book form by artist Michael Zulli. "The Price" is about a black cat that protects a family from the Devil night after night without the family realising and "The Daughter of Owls" is about a beautiful girl locked away who defends herself one night against possible rapists, using magic means.
I've read "Smoke and Mirrors" and, though I remember them, they weren't the strongest ones in the collection and so they make average comic book stories. Illustrated nicely by Zulli using canvas and oils, it's an alright read but seems more of a cashcow for Gaiman, double dipping old stories into new books.
I've read "Smoke and Mirrors" and, though I remember them, they weren't the strongest ones in the collection and so they make average comic book stories. Illustrated nicely by Zulli using canvas and oils, it's an alright read but seems more of a cashcow for Gaiman, double dipping old stories into new books.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
8 reviews
21 of 23 people found the following review helpful
A Beautiful Book for Gaiman/Zulli Collectors
28 Sep 2005
Format:Hardcover
If you've never read Neil Gaiman before, this is not the place to start. These are illustrated adaptations of two of his stories collected in Smoke and Mirrors. If you're more interested in his comic work, read Sandman: Preludes & Nocturnes. If you like novels, start with American Gods.
If you just read Gaiman but aren't a collector, as I've said, these are in Smoke and Mirrors. On the other hand, if you love the beautiful art of Michael Zulli (whom I've loved since the days of Puma Blues) and want to see him adapt two of Gaiman's stories, you won't be disappointed.
To see more adaptations of Gaiman's stories, check out Murder Mysteries and Harlequin Valentine.
If you just read Gaiman but aren't a collector, as I've said, these are in Smoke and Mirrors. On the other hand, if you love the beautiful art of Michael Zulli (whom I've loved since the days of Puma Blues) and want to see him adapt two of Gaiman's stories, you won't be disappointed.
To see more adaptations of Gaiman's stories, check out Murder Mysteries and Harlequin Valentine.
8 of 11 people found the following review helpful
A Beguiling Glimpse Into The Twilight.
19 May 2005
Format:Hardcover
Able to spin great tales from the endless realms of
human dream and natural wonder, Neil Gaiman is among
the very finest of writers around today. Touching
the bonds between the mundane and the marvelous, with
a flair for language and character which can touch
gently and brusquely arouse, often at the same time,
Gaiman's scope unflinchingly draws our particpation
in some of the most illustrious tales ever told.
Those who've experienced his gripping work in novels
such as AMERICAN GODS, haunting teleplays such as
BABYLON 5's "Day Of The Dead", or Sequential landmarks
such as THE SANDMAN and the playfully-beckoning 1602,
know full well what a Grandmaster of Literature Neil
Gaiman is.
Yet, an area which Gaiman is drawing renewed attention
is the area of the illustrated narrative. Fresh ground
was broken when Gaiman and the superb illustrator Charles
Vess redefined Faerie lore with the award-winning STARDUST.
Now, with the visual depth and engraver's genius of
illustrator Michael Zulli, Gaiman strikes deep with Dark
Horse Comics' CREATURES OF THE NIGHT.
The handsome hardcover offers a pair of tantalizing
vignettes which unveil elusive tableaus of what we cannot
see, or often refuse to face. With word balloons absent
from all but two strategially-placed pages, the result
is a daring read for the attentive spirit, and curious soul.
In "The Price", a black cat's steadfast ordeal is the
window into a deeper mystery as old as Time itself. "The
Daughter Of Owls" peers vividly into essential places
where the wayward and lustful dare not go. Each tale
is delivered with a seamless intimacy which belies
the looming, often terrifying issues at stake.
An artist whose work spans across entire idioms, Neil
Gaiman is a cunning storyteller with much to tell. Those
who think Gaiman's gifts are fit only for any one title,
or should be limited to any one field, do the author -and
themselves- a grave injustice.
Enter evening, reading slowly, mindful of all paths......
human dream and natural wonder, Neil Gaiman is among
the very finest of writers around today. Touching
the bonds between the mundane and the marvelous, with
a flair for language and character which can touch
gently and brusquely arouse, often at the same time,
Gaiman's scope unflinchingly draws our particpation
in some of the most illustrious tales ever told.
Those who've experienced his gripping work in novels
such as AMERICAN GODS, haunting teleplays such as
BABYLON 5's "Day Of The Dead", or Sequential landmarks
such as THE SANDMAN and the playfully-beckoning 1602,
know full well what a Grandmaster of Literature Neil
Gaiman is.
Yet, an area which Gaiman is drawing renewed attention
is the area of the illustrated narrative. Fresh ground
was broken when Gaiman and the superb illustrator Charles
Vess redefined Faerie lore with the award-winning STARDUST.
Now, with the visual depth and engraver's genius of
illustrator Michael Zulli, Gaiman strikes deep with Dark
Horse Comics' CREATURES OF THE NIGHT.
The handsome hardcover offers a pair of tantalizing
vignettes which unveil elusive tableaus of what we cannot
see, or often refuse to face. With word balloons absent
from all but two strategially-placed pages, the result
is a daring read for the attentive spirit, and curious soul.
In "The Price", a black cat's steadfast ordeal is the
window into a deeper mystery as old as Time itself. "The
Daughter Of Owls" peers vividly into essential places
where the wayward and lustful dare not go. Each tale
is delivered with a seamless intimacy which belies
the looming, often terrifying issues at stake.
An artist whose work spans across entire idioms, Neil
Gaiman is a cunning storyteller with much to tell. Those
who think Gaiman's gifts are fit only for any one title,
or should be limited to any one field, do the author -and
themselves- a grave injustice.
Enter evening, reading slowly, mindful of all paths......
12 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Must have for your Gaiman library...
10 Jan 2005
Format:Hardcover
Granted this book is short (note: 48 pages) and consists only of two stories. But they are new and they are good stories. Gaiman does what he does so well- weaves a tale so well that you're captivated until the end (no matter how long or short the story is).
If you're an avid reader of his online journal, you may recognize the black cat in the first story- which has a shocker near the end. I had a, "Whoaaa... No way, man" moment. And the second reads a lot like an old Grimm fairy tale- the kind that doesn't necessarily end "happily ever after" for everyone. And Zulli's artwork is wonderful in both stories.
I collect all of Gaiman's work, so this was a no brainer purchase for me. If you're new to his work, maybe try Murder Mysteries or Stardust or definitely the Sandman series first. You'll get hooked, I promise. I gave this 4 out of 5 stars strictly because it was so short. I wouldn't have minded waiting for a hardcover with at least five stories of the same length as these two. Because then the book would have lasted longer than half an hour!
If you're an avid reader of his online journal, you may recognize the black cat in the first story- which has a shocker near the end. I had a, "Whoaaa... No way, man" moment. And the second reads a lot like an old Grimm fairy tale- the kind that doesn't necessarily end "happily ever after" for everyone. And Zulli's artwork is wonderful in both stories.
I collect all of Gaiman's work, so this was a no brainer purchase for me. If you're new to his work, maybe try Murder Mysteries or Stardust or definitely the Sandman series first. You'll get hooked, I promise. I gave this 4 out of 5 stars strictly because it was so short. I wouldn't have minded waiting for a hardcover with at least five stories of the same length as these two. Because then the book would have lasted longer than half an hour!
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