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M is for Magic

by Neil Gaiman (Goodreads Author), Teddy Kristiansen (Illustrator)

3.83 of 5 stars 3.83 · rating details · 5,494 ratings · 608 reviews

Stories to delight, enchant, and surprise you.
Bestselling author and master storyteller Neil Gaiman here presents a breathtaking collection of tales that may chill or amuse readers - but always embrace the unexpected. Collection includes:
"The Case of the Four and Twenty Blackbirds,"
"Troll Bridge,"
"Don't Ask Jack,"
"How to Sell the Ponti Bridge,"
"October in the Chair,"
"...more

Hardcover, 260 pages

Published July 1st 2007 by HarperCollins Publishers

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Jan 18, 2011 JG (The Introverted Reader) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 4_stars, author_british, fantasy, fiction, read_in_2011, reviewed, anthology, audio, neil_gaiman

I'm trying out audio (again), this time during my commute to work. My commute isn't bad, about 30 minutes, so a collection of short stories, written and read by Neil Gaiman no less, seemed like a good place to start. I was right!

I'll say first of all that I love Gaiman's voice. I could listen to the man all day. I don't really have any other narrators to compare him to, but just the fact that I actually finished this audio book should be a testament to his greatness!

I've read a lot of these stor...more

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Apr 05, 2009 SomePig rated it 4 of 5 stars

The problem with assigning a star rating to this book is that, like any book of short stories, it is a mixed bag. Especially considering that this particular book of stories is by Neil Gaiman who can pen novles that are original enough that the only resemblance they bear to one another is the name on the front cover.

What I gather from this book (intended for a YA audience) is that Gaiman allows himself to get more experimental with stories than perhaps with his novel. As always, the writing is s...more

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Jul 01, 2011 Federiken Masters rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans del autor.

Recommended to Federiken by: Bucletina al regalármelo.

Me siento amarrete poniéndole sólo tres estrellas a un libro de Gaiman. Pero si tengo que ser sincero, tardé mucho en leérmelo en parte porque la mayoría de los cuentos no lograban engancharme demasiado, pese a estar bien escritos y ser más o menos originales. Quizás me sugestioné con la "advertencia" que hace el autor al principio, donde dice que no es obligatorio que a uno le gusten todos los cuentos del libro para poder disfrutar cada uno de ellos, pero más allá de "Cómo vender el puente de P...more

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Apr 20, 2009 Luann rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009, young-adult, short-stories, fantasy, fairy-tales, mystery, shelf-a-thon1, gr-authors

On the whole these were nice enough stories - some stranger than others. None of them were incredibly memorable, but none of them were incredibly horrible, either.

My favorite short story in this collection was Chivalry, followed by How to Sell the Ponti Bridge. My least favorite was Sunbird - the one with the Epicurean Club.

I was interested that the first three stories each had a character named Jack. I thought the trend might continue throughout the book, but it didn't.

My favorite part of the...more

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Dec 30, 2008 Patricia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: children

Neil Gaiman... short stories... how can this miss? The shorts are a pleasure to read, and each individually memorable. The woman who buys the holy grail at the thrift shop? Charming.

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Nov 23, 2011 Roberta rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008

Crepuscolare

Una raccolta priva di omogeneità ma non di fascino, che include il racconto che dà il titolo al libro e che costituisce l'incipit del prossimo romanzo di Gaiman.

E' un libro autunnale, come più persone hanno fatto notare nei commenti, da leggere in poltrona accanto al fuoco scoppiettante, con un plaid e un gatto sulle gambe, sorbendo una cioccolata calda o un te fumante.

Non tutti i racconti appartengono al filone gotico ma tutti possiedono una vena malinconica piuttosto marcata. Gaima...more

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Jan 29, 2013 P. Aaron Potter rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

R is for Recycled.

Seriously, I thought these stories were good enough, many of them, the first THREE times they were published. Five times, in at least one case, and possibly two. But there is not a single new story in this collection, folks. I almost titled this review "R is for Ripoff."

So, no original work. Maybe that would be okay if there were a good theme tying these together.

The problem is the anthology's premise: somebody got to Neil Gaiman and said "hey, you should publish an anthology o...more

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Oct 21, 2012 Klytia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A differenza dei paesi anglosassoni, in Italia le raccolte di racconti e i racconti brevi in generale non hanno molto successo.
Tuttavia basterebbe aprire questo volume di Gaiman e leggere l’introduzione per scoprire quanto anche i racconti siano piacevoli e possano, al pari di opere letterario con il respiro del romanzo o della saga, diventare preziosi e indimenticabili.

“Da giovane, e davvero non sembra sia passato tutto questo tempo, adoravo i libri di racconti. I racconti li potevi leggere d...more A differenza dei paesi anglosassoni, in Italia le raccolte di racconti e i racconti brevi in generale non hanno molto successo.
Tuttavia basterebbe aprire questo volume di Gaiman e leggere l’introduzione per scoprire quanto anche i racconti siano piacevoli e possano, al pari di opere letterario con il respiro del romanzo o della saga, diventare preziosi e indimenticabili.

“Da giovane, e davvero non sembra sia passato tutto questo tempo, adoravo i libri di racconti. I racconti li potevi leggere dall'inizio alla fine in quelle pause che avevi a disposizione per la lettura: durante l'intervallo al mattino o il sonnellino dopo pranzo, oppure sui treni. Prendevano l'abbrivio, si mettevano in moto e ti trasportavano in un nuovo mondo, per ricondurti sano e salvo a scuola o a casa nel giro di mezz'ora o giù di lì.
Quello che ti resta più attaccato è il racconto horror.
Il fantasy ti entra nelle ossa.
E la fantascienza - anche qui temo ce ne sia poca - ti porta attraverso le stelle fino ad altri tempi e altre menti.
I racconti che leggi quando hai l’età giusta non ti abbandonano mai davvero. Magari ti dimentichi chi li ha scritti o come si intitolava la storia. A volte ne dimentichi la trama, ma se un racconto arriva a toccarti ti resterà accanto, infestando quei luoghi della mente che visiti molto di rado.
I racconti brevi sono minuscole finestre che si affacciano su altri mondo, su altre intelligenze e su altri sogni. Sono viaggi fino all’estremo opposto dell’universo che puoi fare con la certezza di essere di ritorno per l’ora di cena. Un libro di racconti ha un altro lato positivo: non sei tenuto ad apprezzarli tutti. Se ce n’è uno che non ti piace, subito ne troverai un altro che andrà bene.."

Non sono una che legge le spesso le introduzioni, ma quelle di Gaiman sono davvero impareggiabili. Con il suo tono familiare inizia con il raccontare se stesso per poi invogliare e accompagnare amichevolmente il lettore verso le meraviglie dei suoi racconti.
"Ma is for Magic" è una selezione di racconti tratta da "Fragile Things", "Angels and Visitation" e due inediti “How to sell the Ponti Bridge” (Come vendere il Ponte di Ponti) e “The Witch’s Headstone” (Il cimitero senza lapidi ) dedicata a lettori giovani ma, come sempre accade per le opere di Gaiman, piacevolissima da leggere anche se per l’anagrafe non siamo più “teen”.
Dei tre che non avevo letto nelle altre raccolte ho apprezzato "The Case of the Four and Twenty Blackbirds" (Il caso dei ventiquattro merli) un bel racconto giallo ambientato nel mondo delle filastrocche dell’infanzia: chi ha ucciso Humpty Dumpy e Cock Robin? Essendo filastrocche della tradizione inglese ho dovuto cercare su internet il significato di alcune espressioni che, una volta trovatole, mi hanno fatto apprezzare ancora di più il racconto.
Grazioso anche il racconto finale, “The Witch’s Headstone” un’anteprima di quello che sarà il prossimo romanzo di Gaiman “The Graveyard book”: un bambino vivo che viene cresciuto dai fantasmi di un cimitero.

Il titolo "M is for Magic" è un omaggio a Ray Bradbury che scrisse racconti intitolati “R is for Rocket” o “S is for Space”, sfortunatamente nella traduzione italiana si è perso questo omaggio.

Bisognerebbe sempre leggere le introduzioni scritte da Gaiman, anche gli editori dovrebbero farlo e farsi ispirare per pubblicare anche le altre raccolte di racconti: Fragile Things e Smoke and Mirrors.
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Jun 10, 2012 SnowyAngel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 4-stars-genuinely-good, fantasy, fiction-library-reads, short-stories, horror

M Is Definitely for Magic! And this book was magical!
This is Neil Gaiman’s first book that I read and boy, do I want to read more!

“M is for Magic” is a collection of exceptionally well-written tales. Mr. Gaiman has adopted such simplicity in his style of writing that his stories transform into haunting accounts of fantastical situations! Each story has its own charm and every story is extraordinary in its own right. However, I did end up picking a few as my favourites. :)

“The Witch’s Headstone...more M Is Definitely for Magic! And this book was magical!
This is Neil Gaiman’s first book that I read and boy, do I want to read more!

“M is for Magic” is a collection of exceptionally well-written tales. Mr. Gaiman has adopted such simplicity in his style of writing that his stories transform into haunting accounts of fantastical situations! Each story has its own charm and every story is extraordinary in its own right. However, I did end up picking a few as my favourites. :)

“The Witch’s Headstone” for instance is one story I don’t think anyone can easily forget. It is a complex tale with horror, tragedy and paranormal thrown in with such natural skill that I was left breathless. It drew the “Ohs” and “Ahs” from me like no other story has ever done! It deals with so much in so little words that I can’t begin to even describe it!

The story not only questions the notions of right and wrong, life and death, but also involves the reader in the thrill and mystery of it all. A boy raised in the graveyard by the spiritual remains of the dead is a novel idea, but it is his encounter with the real world that raises some true questions. Where the boy’s life seems topsy turvy, as an outsider he discovers that the world of the living is much scarier and more out of order than his can ever be! His parents might be the dead, his friends might be witches who were “drowned and burnt” and his lessons might involve learning how to “fade”, but his life is pure from greed and deception. It is pure from the evil that the living can initiate for money and power. He lives in a graveyard and his parents are dead/undead, yet he is pure!

The second story that truly gripped me was “The Price”. It is basically a story of a cat, which goes out to fight with the devil each night to protect his adopted family. It appears completely mental on the surface, but the bluntness and simplicity in the way the owner describes his account of the cat’s adventures is so fascinating that for a second I wondered if the stray cats outside my house did the same!

This book was a masterpiece! I absolutely loved IT!!! <3
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Feb 20, 2012 Robyn Brown rated it 5 of 5 stars

A friend of mine handed me Neverwhere a few years ago and I was intrigued. I began to read Gaiman's creepy short stories and was usually on the verge of turning away from being creeped out but always stayed. I'm a diehard Gaiman fan with American Gods left to read. This book is a great collection of shorts some which have appeared in other Gaiman collections...and some that haven't. The Price was a heart breaker being a cat owner and understanding their nature, The Instructions should be read by...more

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Nov 05, 2011 Ryan rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Nobody!

Shelves: audio-cd, british-authors, books-i-couldnt-finish, fantasy, young-adult

I was impressed with Neil Gaiman for doing a great job narrating his own stories. He's one of the few authors that can get away with it. Unfortunately I didn't enjoy the material quite as much. While I've never been a fan of twisted nursery rhymes (translation: I hate them; if you can't come up with original material you shouldn't be writing) Gaiman did a reasonably good job of making the Humpty Dumpty parody palatable (but just). When I got to the completely pointless second story about a troll...more

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May 24, 2011 Vicky rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Neil Gaiman is an artist of prose and poetry. In his capable hands, ordinary things become new worlds of magic and mystery:
Favorite nursery rhyme friends become suspects in a film-noir detective’s murder case.
Mystical artifacts turn up on the bargain racks in the local charity donation shops.
Seemingly normal parties are mere covers for inter-galactic research and experimentation.

Readers can nearly always expect the unexpected from Gaiman and “M is for Magic” is no different. The short story form...more

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Dec 30, 2010 Karissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

My husband and I listened to this as an audio book. The audio book was read by Neil Gaiman himself.

As always the stories are wonderfully crafted and Gaiman is able to create worlds that each of the short stories allows you a quick glimpse of. I have always had a bit of a problem with short stories. Mainly my issue is that if the short story is good it usually leaves you wanting more. I am always a bit frustrated with good short stories because they seen to leave me unsatisfied. That being said I...more

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Nov 28, 2010 Tanabrus rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Una raccolta di racconti di Gaiman, autore che adoro. Parlerò brevemente di ognuno dei racconti, ma prima una bacchettata sulle dita di chi ha storpiato il titolo originale M is for Magic in questo Il cimitero senza lapidi e altre storie nere. Che poi di storie nere ce ne sono solo alcune, peraltro.
Un titolo tipo M come Magia faceva proprio schifo?

Il cimitero senza lapidi
Questo racconto poi è diventato The graveyard book, o lo anticipava, o già ne faceva parte… non so bene la cronologia, ma comu...more

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Jun 22, 2010 Angela rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya

M is for Magic is a collection of short stories by Neil Gaiman who is known as the author of Coraline. The first story titled “The Case of Four and Twenty Blackbirds” features familiar nursery rhyme characters such as Humpty Dumpty, Little Jack Horner, and Old Mother Hubbard. It is a clever tale that investigates the death of Humpty Dumpty. My least favorite tale was “Don’t Ask Jack” simply because there wasn’t much to the story; it was only four pages long. “October in the Chair” is a noteworth...more

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Jun 03, 2010 Bookworm1858 rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2009, sffp

Summary: A collection of short stories that are alternately fantastic, scary, and funny, written during various periods of Mr Gaiman's career.

As this is a collection, I would only like to talk about my favorite stories although as I really enjoyed this I definitely recommend all.

[In the order that I read them:]

1. "The Case of the Four and Twenty Blackbirds"-This is sort of a children's noir story with a hardboiled detective Jack Horner searching out the answer to "Who killed Humpty Dumpty?" It s...more

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Oct 18, 2009 Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009, magic-and-fantasy, librarybooks

This was my actual first introduction to Neil's works. I read "How to talk to Girls at Parties" on an online site following SlashDot or Boing Boing. A good friend Always told me how she loved "Sandman". I thought it was about a weird man in a hat putting sand on people to sleep. Hardly worth making into a comic, let alone a beautiful and moving saga. At the time I read very few sci-fi works, only Zelazny really. It was fun and quirky and defiantly thought provoking. Re-reading it I realize how t...more

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Apr 19, 2013 Harold Ogle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, faeries, fantasy, fairy-tales, humor, magic, orphan, short-stories, supernatural, undead, ya

This is a nice book for YA readers, compiling a number of unrelated short stories from Neil Gaiman. Gaiman writes that, at least in part, the book was a response to Ray Bradbury's two short story collections R Is for Rocket and S is for Space. Of course, being Gaiman, there's also a lot of Diana Wynne Jones in here, too. Reading this as I did right after the Hellboy compilation, I particularly enjoyed it in contrast. That's not fair, of course: comics and short fiction are different forms, and w...more This is a nice book for YA readers, compiling a number of unrelated short stories from Neil Gaiman. Gaiman writes that, at least in part, the book was a response to Ray Bradbury's two short story collections R Is for Rocket and S is for Space. Of course, being Gaiman, there's also a lot of Diana Wynne Jones in here, too. Reading this as I did right after the Hellboy compilation, I particularly enjoyed it in contrast. That's not fair, of course: comics and short fiction are different forms, and we experience them differently. Perhaps some aspect of Gaiman's writing still evokes comics for me, though, because the comparison was intense and immediate. There's much more variety here, in subject matter, tone, and quality. The book starts with a rather weak story with what seems like it should be a fun conceit: a hard-boiled detective story in the world of Mother Goose. This was just really flat and felt like a first draft. But the stories definitely get better from there, from the very-comics-like "Troll Bridge" and "October in the Chair" to wonderfully silly riffs like "Chivalry." My favorites were "How to Talk to Girls at Parties" (in which the protagonist and his Don Juan friend crash a party and get luckier than they expected), "Chivalry" (I'm a sucker for the comically absurd), and "Sunbird" (which had wonderful characters). "How to Sell the Ponti Bridge" reads a great deal like late 60s/early 70s science fiction, like Jack Vance without the stellar vocabulary, and as such it is very refreshing to read from Gaiman as a departure from his more customary supernatural milieu. The last story in the book is "The Witch's Headstone," which is the story he expanded into The Graveyard Book a year after this book was published. I liked that book, and I liked this ~~excerpt~~ story, too. The book ends with a poem called "Instructions" which didn't particularly move me; I think it might have done had it come at the beginning.

Instead, the book begins with a foreword from Gaiman about the delight that he takes in a collection of short stories: how they can be consumed in small doses, with a story read at a single sitting, and the potential for variety and so on. He's got it exactly right, and his own book illustrates it marvelously. There's nothing here that's really bad, and quite a lot that is good. I quite enjoyed it.(less)

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Jan 22, 2010 Patrick rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, short-stories

This is like 3 1/2 stars, but I really don't think a lot of it is appropriate for younger readers as Gaiman claims in his foreword. I enjoy reading his books, but I don't think he and I would have much in common if we were to meet.

Anyway, this is an entertaining and extremely creative bunch of stories. If you like Gaiman's non-Graveyard Book stuff, you should like this. Gaiman creates powerful, creepy inferences, leaving a lot of the stories not quite finished, unexplained, but your imagination...more

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Aug 01, 2012 Aries rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantastico, racconti

Ho scritto più volte di quanto sia difficile per un autore di romanzi dare una buona prova di sé anche nella composizione di racconti che siano almeno godibili.
Ovviamente Gaiman dimostra che comunque la sfida è ben superabile se qualcuno ha veramente talento.
"Cimitero senza lapidi e altre storie nere" (titolo che traduce tristemente il molto più evocativo "M is for Magic" orginale) è una bella raccolta di racconti in cui la magia (e non un certo tipo di horror, come sembra evocare il titolo) la...more Ho scritto più volte di quanto sia difficile per un autore di romanzi dare una buona prova di sé anche nella composizione di racconti che siano almeno godibili.
Ovviamente Gaiman dimostra che comunque la sfida è ben superabile se qualcuno ha veramente talento.
"Cimitero senza lapidi e altre storie nere" (titolo che traduce tristemente il molto più evocativo "M is for Magic" orginale) è una bella raccolta di racconti in cui la magia (e non un certo tipo di horror, come sembra evocare il titolo) la fa da padrona e da contorno.
Non un solo tipo di magia, sia chiaro, ma tanti aspetti, più o meno evidenti, che vanno a comporre un quadro di racconti tra i quali è ben difficile trovarne uno meno che gustoso.
Ed è così che facciamo la conoscenza di un ragazzo che vive nel "Cimitero senza lapidi", di un ragazzino che fa una promessa ad un troll nel "Ponte del troll", di un inquietante giocattolo in "Non chiedetelo a Jack", di uno strano club di truffatori in "Come vendere il Ponte di Ponti", di una curiosa riunione tra dodici fratelli molto particolari in "Ottobre sulla sedia", della vera fine del Graal in "Cavalleria", del coraggio di un gatto in "Il prezzo", dell'origine delle donne in "Come parlare con le ragazze alle feste", di un club di strani buongustai in "Avis Soleus", di un investigatore molto noir in "Il caso dei ventiquattro merli" e di un affascinante percorso in "Istruzioni".
Da segnalare in particolare "Il cimitero senza lapidi", che è in realtà un capitolo del nuovo libro di Gaiman che sto fortemente trattenendomi dal comprare in originale ed "Il prezzo", che dimostra quanto l'autore ami ed ammiri i felini.
Ma quel che mi ha colpito particolarmente (e non so di preciso neanche il motivo) è "Istruzioni", un incrocio tra una poesia ed un racconto fantasy che ha toccato alcune corde ben nascoste.
Di quest'ultimo riporto un piccolo cenno, sperando che faccia venire l'acquolina a molti.
"Ricordati il tuo nome.
Non perdere la speranza:
quel che cerchi sarà trovato.
Dai fiducia ai fantasmi.
Confida che quelli che hai
aiutato ti aiutino a loro volta.
Dai fiducia ai sogni.
Dai fiducia al tuo cuore e alla tua storia.
Quando ritorni, percorri la strada da cui sei venuto.
I favori verranno resi, i debiti ripagati.
Non dimenticare le buone maniere.
Non voltari indietro.
Cavalca l'aquila saggia (non cadrai).
Cavalca il pesce argenteo (non affogherai).
Cavalca il lupo grigio (tieniti saldo alla sua pelliccia)."
Da leggere.(less)

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Feb 23, 2010 Autumn Doughton rated it 4 of 5 stars

What did I learn from this collection of short stories? That it is my creed to believe in all things dark and dangerous.
Short stories aren't really my thing, but Neil Gaiman is. In this collection he examines the dark side of fairytales and the magic that permeates through childhood. The book is marketed towards a young audience but it's definitely one that adults can enjoy--probably more so than a preteen. One of my favorite tales was about a troll living under a bridge and a man that crosses...more

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Aug 03, 2012 Riju Ganguly rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ever since the "Sandman" happened, Neil Gaiman has been 'hip' & 'hot'. The symphony of enthusiasm for his works reached a crescendo with the "American Gods", which had propelled me to buy this book. But, this book was quite below-par in terms of the impressions that a reader is bound to have after reading them. There are a few cute stories that you might feel like going through again & again, like "Chivalry" (an old lady and her finding of 'Holy Grail'). There are stories which just make...more

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Nov 11, 2010 Tammy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, fantasy, short-stories, young-adult

It is an interesting set of short stories targeted at young adults. The tone was slightly on the creepy/unsettling side for many of them. I thought the stories got progressively better as the book went on, and my favorite was 'The Price'.

The Case of Four and Twenty Blackbirds (3/5) - A private detective investigates of Humpty Dumpty's alleged fatal accident. It is steeped in nursery rhyme references, which were mildly amusing, but also, distracting for me since apparently, I do not remember my n...more It is an interesting set of short stories targeted at young adults. The tone was slightly on the creepy/unsettling side for many of them. I thought the stories got progressively better as the book went on, and my favorite was 'The Price'.

The Case of Four and Twenty Blackbirds (3/5) - A private detective investigates of Humpty Dumpty's alleged fatal accident. It is steeped in nursery rhyme references, which were mildly amusing, but also, distracting for me since apparently, I do not remember my nursery rhymes all that well. I kept trying to recite them in my head, and then having to stop and look them up.

Troll Bridge (3/5) - A boy bargains with a troll to not get eaten. It was an unsettling, odd story, and it didn't make much of an impression on me.

Don't Ask Jack (3/5) - A very short story about a family and their creepy jack-in-a-box. This one also did not make much of an impression on me.

How To Sell the Ponti Bridge (3/5) - A con man tells of the time he sold the Ponti Bridge (think, the Brooklyn Bridge). The con was amusing, but forgettable.

October in the Chair (3/5) - The 12 months tell stories, and October tells about a boy who runs away from home. The story was foreboding and interesting, but the ending was unsatisfying.

Chivalry (3/5) - A woman buys the holy grail. From others comments, this one seems like a favorite. I liked it better than most of the others up to this point. I thought it was cute, but again, did not like the conclusion.

The Price (4/5) - A stray black cat adopts a family. This story definitely grabbed my attention, and was my favorite of the set. It was creepy and poignant.

How to Talk to Girls at Parties (3/5) - Two teenage boys accidentally crash a party. I thought the story was odd, but interesting. I wish it had been less mysterious though. It straddled the line between intriguing and confusing.

Sunbird (3/5) - An Epicurean Club (only about food though) decides to hunt a sunbird. This story was quite the vocabulary lesson. I liked this story alot. I thought it was clever and amusing. Although I 'saw it coming', I had some wrong guesses too.

The Witch's Headstone (3/5) - A living boy who resides in a graveyard meets the resident witch. I liked this cute story, and assume this is part of or inspired [by] the Graveyard Book.

Instructions (4/5) - A neat poem in the form of instructions. I'm not generally a fan of poetry, but this was cool.(less)

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Jun 22, 2009 Julie H. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: short-stories

Like a magical little gift, I found this on the shelf last night while wandering around looking for something to read. (I'd somehow miraculously managed to make it through the library stack before today's due date.) Got a couple of stories in before nodding off--these are wonderful and it was a hoot that lying next to me is Alan reading The Big Over Easy as the first one is a Raymond Chandleresque story investigating Humpty Dumpty's untimely demise. Ah, the classic Richard Thompson question, "Di...more

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Oct 28, 2007 Lia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: owned

While blushing at what my mother would think of some of the content in this "book for children", I am thoroughly enjoying it (of course - it's Gaiman). I might wait till my kids are a bit older than 8 & 9 before handing it to them... or else I'll have some 'splainin' to do as they read. =)

BTW, loved the intro, where Gaiman talks about Bradbury & stuff. =)

Also, I recommend keeping your mother out of your head at most times, but especially when reading! Haha!

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Feb 10, 2013 Azura rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Io non amo particolarmente i libri di racconti. Mi piace affezzionarmi ai personaggi, e con un racconto non ne ho il tempo.
Ma questi sono racconti veramente fantastici!
Sono storie fantasy,paranormal, ma ognuna in ambiti diversi, scritte con la tipica ironia di Gaiman.Il più appassionante è stato "come parlare alle ragazze alle feste" che ti lascia con una strana sensazione dopo averlo letto,e vorresti saperne ancora di più, perchè di sicuro c'è un mondo terribile e meraviglioso dietro ogni perso...more

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Dec 29, 2011 Mary rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: People who like fantasy, short stories, or Neil Gaiman

Shelves: story-collection, fantasy, a-z-challenge, disappointing, cats, 2011-books, ghosts, witches-or-wizards

3.5 Stars

This book's weak point is also its strong point. With so many different stories, of course you will have some gems and then some that feel lacking.I did like quite a few of the stories though.

I didn't like: Case of the Four and Twenty Blackbirds, How to Talk to Girls at Parties, and How to Sell the Ponti Bridge.
I disliked these for different reasons.
Case of the Four and Twenty Blackbirds seemed like a good idea for a story, but the story itself just bored me.
How to Talk to Girls at P...more

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Aug 24, 2010 Shelley rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: short-stories, ya

Meh, this was a pretty disappointing collection from Neil Gaiman. Maybe I just had ridiculously high standards from reading Coraline and the Graveyard Book. Don't get me wrong there were some really good stories, but the mediocre ones almost canceled those out. Out of the 11 stories (10 stories and one poem), 5 were good.

The Case of the Four and Twenty Blackbirds is a dark look at Humpty Dumpty, Little Jack Horner, and Cock Robin.

Don't Ask Jack is a story about a wicked Jack in the Box toy.

Octo...more

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Aug 27, 2009 Amy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: collection-of-short-stories, adolescent-lit

I couldn’t resist reading more of Neil Gaiman after reading the Graveyard Book. M Is for Magic has a different feel because it is a collection of short stories. Although enjoyable enough, most of the stories had a very strange, eerie and sometimes demented ending. (Gaiman would have made an excellent tv writer for the The Twilight Zone!)

I think I liked the first story, The Case of the Four and Twenty Blackbirds, the most. Gaiman uses the characters from Nursery Rhymes to tell a mature murder mys...more

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Jun 04, 2013 MissAnnThrope rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013, fantasy, fiction, ghosts, library-book, neil-gaiman, shorties, to-read-again, wish-list

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Endicott Mythic F...: M Is for Magic: Stories - Discussion	4	16	May 07, 2012 09:54am
short story: How to Talk to Girls at Parties	1	27	Oct 30, 2008 01:41pm

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“Stories you read when you're the right age never quite leave you. You may forget who wrote them or what the story was called. Sometimes you'll forget precisely what happened, but if a story touches you it will stay with you, haunting the places in your mind that you rarely ever visit.” — 897 people liked it

“I fell for her like a suicide from a bridge.” — 31 people liked it

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