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A review by lilith_knight
Coraline and Other Stories by Neil Gaiman
3.0
3.5*
I love anthologies. Sometimes, I even prefer them to actual full-length novels. Combine that, with Neil Gaiman (for whom I have an inextinguishable love) and it seems to be the perfect match.
Unfortunately, this was not as an exciting read for me, as I initially expected. Even though I liked most of the stories (I mean, it's Gaiman, alright), I didn't love them. To give credit where credit is due though, all of them were particularly unique and peculiar, in true Gaiman fashion.
But let's take a look in each story separately, shall we?
Coraline (3*): this is perhaps Gaiman's most notorious short story, partly due to the (excellent in my opinion) stop-motion movie, that is very Tim Burton-esque. Young C-o-raline (not C-a-roline) moves to a new home and discovers a secret door to an other dimension where there is an other mother and an other father that do their best to please her (more than her actual parents do). What seems like a paradise though, soon enough turns into a horrible nightmare.
I must admit, I read that story years ago when I first bought the book, so I didn't bother to re-read it again (yeah, I know I cheated), but I clearly remember that I wasn't that impressed overall and I kind of prefer the movie adaptation tbh (which is very close to the book).
The Case of the Four and Twenty Blackbirds (3.5*): this is a noir retelling of popular nursery rhymes. Yes, you read that right. Little Jack Horner is a midget private eye, hired by a mysterious femme fatale, to investigate the murder of her brother, Humpty Dumpty, in the corrupt Nurseyland.
That one was really fun, but since I'm not familiar with nursery rhymes in general, I had to look them all up to actually understand the references (gods bless Wikipedia!). The ending though felt a little bit rushed, hence the lower rating.
Troll Bridge (2*): here the title is self-explanatory. A young boy encounters a troll under a bridge that wants to eat his life and makes a deal with him.
This one is one of the shortest stories in the collection and one of my least favourite ones. I just didn't care much about the story and there was nothing particularly interesting about it.
Don't Ask Jack (3*): a Jack-in-the-box that might or might not be evil/cursed.
Certainly creepy, but too short of a story to hold much substance. The shortest in the collection. Also I came to realize that Neil Gaiman looooves the name Jack (appearing also in The Witch's Headstone).
How to Sell the Ponti Bridge (3.5*): the members of a private rogue's club in a fantasy land discuss the perfect con.
This was interesting enough and quite the fun! Not much to say about it, can't complain.
October in the Chair (4*): the months of the year tell stories around a bonfire. Dedicated to Ray Bradbury.
I really enjoyed this one, even though it was quite sad. Interestingly enough, I almost instantly forgot about it. Good story though.
Chivalry (5*): an old lady finds the Holy Grail in a thrift shop and an Arthurian knight tries to retrieve it.
This one was pure perfection! I loved it to bits and felt the urge to re-read it again and again! It was so funny and light-hearted, it really made me feel warm and mushy on the inside! Kind but bossy old ladies give me life! <3
The Price (4*): a black cat protects a family from something malicious hidden deep in the woods.
I really liked this one too. It had the right amount of creepiness in it, but it was also quite sad (being a cat lover and all).
How to Talk to Girls at Parties (4*): two teenage boys end up in a party full of strange, otherworldly girls.
This story was recently been made into a movie, and a comic (which was, not so symptomatically, my first read of the year). The writing was beautiful in this, and the story was peculiar and lots of fun.
Sunbird (2*): a gastronomy club sets out on a mission to Egypt in order to hunt and then cook the mythical Sunbird.
This story was too long in my opinion, to the point where I got seriously bored and just wanted it to end already. The idea was interesting enough, along with the big plot twist, but I just didn't care from a point and on. Definitely, my least favourite of the collection.
The Witch's Headstone (4*): this story is Chapter 3 of The Graveyard Book (my favourite Neil Gaiman book so far -gotta read them all!). Young Bod goes to a perilous mission to buy a gravestone for his witchy friend.
If you haven't read The Graveyard Book yet, you should definitely do that! It's an amazing heart-warming short book, about a boy raised by ghosts, and this story is no different.
Instructions (4.5*): just a poem about the beauty and the magic of fairytales that put a smile on my face.
To conclude this review, Coraline and Other Stories was an interesting anthology. It didn't blow my mind, but it certainly was an entertaining read!
Recommended.
I love anthologies. Sometimes, I even prefer them to actual full-length novels. Combine that, with Neil Gaiman (for whom I have an inextinguishable love) and it seems to be the perfect match.
Unfortunately, this was not as an exciting read for me, as I initially expected. Even though I liked most of the stories (I mean, it's Gaiman, alright), I didn't love them. To give credit where credit is due though, all of them were particularly unique and peculiar, in true Gaiman fashion.
But let's take a look in each story separately, shall we?
Coraline (3*): this is perhaps Gaiman's most notorious short story, partly due to the (excellent in my opinion) stop-motion movie, that is very Tim Burton-esque. Young C-o-raline (not C-a-roline) moves to a new home and discovers a secret door to an other dimension where there is an other mother and an other father that do their best to please her (more than her actual parents do). What seems like a paradise though, soon enough turns into a horrible nightmare.
I must admit, I read that story years ago when I first bought the book, so I didn't bother to re-read it again (yeah, I know I cheated), but I clearly remember that I wasn't that impressed overall and I kind of prefer the movie adaptation tbh (which is very close to the book).
The Case of the Four and Twenty Blackbirds (3.5*): this is a noir retelling of popular nursery rhymes. Yes, you read that right. Little Jack Horner is a midget private eye, hired by a mysterious femme fatale, to investigate the murder of her brother, Humpty Dumpty, in the corrupt Nurseyland.
That one was really fun, but since I'm not familiar with nursery rhymes in general, I had to look them all up to actually understand the references (gods bless Wikipedia!). The ending though felt a little bit rushed, hence the lower rating.
Troll Bridge (2*): here the title is self-explanatory. A young boy encounters a troll under a bridge that wants to eat his life and makes a deal with him.
This one is one of the shortest stories in the collection and one of my least favourite ones. I just didn't care much about the story and there was nothing particularly interesting about it.
Don't Ask Jack (3*): a Jack-in-the-box that might or might not be evil/cursed.
Certainly creepy, but too short of a story to hold much substance. The shortest in the collection. Also I came to realize that Neil Gaiman looooves the name Jack (appearing also in The Witch's Headstone).
How to Sell the Ponti Bridge (3.5*): the members of a private rogue's club in a fantasy land discuss the perfect con.
This was interesting enough and quite the fun! Not much to say about it, can't complain.
October in the Chair (4*): the months of the year tell stories around a bonfire. Dedicated to Ray Bradbury.
I really enjoyed this one, even though it was quite sad. Interestingly enough, I almost instantly forgot about it. Good story though.
Chivalry (5*): an old lady finds the Holy Grail in a thrift shop and an Arthurian knight tries to retrieve it.
This one was pure perfection! I loved it to bits and felt the urge to re-read it again and again! It was so funny and light-hearted, it really made me feel warm and mushy on the inside! Kind but bossy old ladies give me life! <3
The Price (4*): a black cat protects a family from something malicious hidden deep in the woods.
I really liked this one too. It had the right amount of creepiness in it, but it was also quite sad (being a cat lover and all).
How to Talk to Girls at Parties (4*): two teenage boys end up in a party full of strange, otherworldly girls.
This story was recently been made into a movie, and a comic (which was, not so symptomatically, my first read of the year). The writing was beautiful in this, and the story was peculiar and lots of fun.
Sunbird (2*): a gastronomy club sets out on a mission to Egypt in order to hunt and then cook the mythical Sunbird.
This story was too long in my opinion, to the point where I got seriously bored and just wanted it to end already. The idea was interesting enough, along with the big plot twist, but I just didn't care from a point and on. Definitely, my least favourite of the collection.
The Witch's Headstone (4*): this story is Chapter 3 of The Graveyard Book (my favourite Neil Gaiman book so far -gotta read them all!). Young Bod goes to a perilous mission to buy a gravestone for his witchy friend.
If you haven't read The Graveyard Book yet, you should definitely do that! It's an amazing heart-warming short book, about a boy raised by ghosts, and this story is no different.
Instructions (4.5*): just a poem about the beauty and the magic of fairytales that put a smile on my face.
To conclude this review, Coraline and Other Stories was an interesting anthology. It didn't blow my mind, but it certainly was an entertaining read!
Recommended.