What do you think?
Rate this book
Warning: Contains Language
DISC I: THE SHORT CUTS
1. The Song of the Audience
2. Nicholas Was ...
3. Babycakes
4. Cold Colours
5. The White Road
6. Banshee
Hidden Track: 6a. Being An Experiment Upon Strictly Scientific Lines Assisted By Unwins LTD, Wine Merchants (Uckfield)
DISC II: THE LONG HAUL
1. Chivalry
2. Troll Bridge
1. The Song of the Audience
2. Nicholas Was ...
3. Babycakes
4. Cold Colours
5. The White Road
6. Banshee
Hidden Track: 6a. Being An Experiment Upon Strictly Scientific Lines Assisted By Unwins LTD, Wine Merchants (Uckfield)
DISC II: THE LONG HAUL
1. Chivalry
2. Troll Bridge
2 pages, Audio CD
First published July 1, 1995
2 people are currently reading
468 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
December 16, 2015
Really, you would think that I would stop this by now. I've read more than enough of Neil's work to know that his stories aren't just for kids. But still... And even despite the effing TITLE OF THIS COLLECTION.. I uttered a little gasp when Neil said "fuck".
And I'll admit. It was a little sexy, too.
What?
OK... fine. A lot sexy.
Anyway, I don't know why I have this thing in my head regarding Neil... Most of the books I've read of his have been for adults. I mean, I like his kids stories, yes, but it's not like I think he should stick to writing for younger audiences. I LOVE his adult themed stuff. I don't know why this surprise on my part persists and I keep finding myself surprised when he says words like "penis" and terms like "getting laid" and such. It's actually kinda annoying, really. Stupid brain, having like... thoughts of its own. BAH!
Errr... so... Moving on. If you haven't guessed by now, this collection is definitely for adults. There's a good bit of humor, but a majority of these stories are quite dark. "Nicholas Was...", "Babycakes", "Cold Colours", "The White Road" and "Troll Bridge" were all very dark. I like. :D
"Babycakes" was actually very, very disturbing, and I think that makes it my favorite of the bunch, despite it's short length. It's one of those stories that just makes you go "What the FUCK?!" I listened to it twice, back to back. So disturbing and scary in its plausibility.
"Nicholas Was..." was also very short and dark, and I found myself wanting more of this story. Especially since it seemed kind of tied into the "American Gods" world. "Cold Colours" seemed like this as well, actually.
All in all, I really enjoyed these stories, and the mythological flair that Neil brings wherever he goes. His reading was fantastic as always. I would highly recommend these stories... Just don't be shocked when Neil drops the F-bomb like I was. ;)
And I'll admit. It was a little sexy, too.
What?
OK... fine. A lot sexy.
Anyway, I don't know why I have this thing in my head regarding Neil... Most of the books I've read of his have been for adults. I mean, I like his kids stories, yes, but it's not like I think he should stick to writing for younger audiences. I LOVE his adult themed stuff. I don't know why this surprise on my part persists and I keep finding myself surprised when he says words like "penis" and terms like "getting laid" and such. It's actually kinda annoying, really. Stupid brain, having like... thoughts of its own. BAH!
Errr... so... Moving on. If you haven't guessed by now, this collection is definitely for adults. There's a good bit of humor, but a majority of these stories are quite dark. "Nicholas Was...", "Babycakes", "Cold Colours", "The White Road" and "Troll Bridge" were all very dark. I like. :D
"Babycakes" was actually very, very disturbing, and I think that makes it my favorite of the bunch, despite it's short length. It's one of those stories that just makes you go "What the FUCK?!" I listened to it twice, back to back. So disturbing and scary in its plausibility.
"Nicholas Was..." was also very short and dark, and I found myself wanting more of this story. Especially since it seemed kind of tied into the "American Gods" world. "Cold Colours" seemed like this as well, actually.
All in all, I really enjoyed these stories, and the mythological flair that Neil brings wherever he goes. His reading was fantastic as always. I would highly recommend these stories... Just don't be shocked when Neil drops the F-bomb like I was. ;)
December 20, 2011
Here is another small audio collection of short works by Gaiman. These are early selections from his career.
There is mostly poetry in the first section. Now, I'm not big on poetry. I don't "get" it, really. But I will say that Gaiman's reading plus the haunting music he has accompanying it gives it a great spooky feel. I still don't understand it all, but it sounds wicked.
The lead-off selection is actually a piece of stand-up that Gaiman does, called "Being an Experiment..." I highlight this because it's pretty damn hilarious, especially the part about the ants. The experiment is what happens to a writer as he consumes alcohol. The results are great.
Of the poems, I most liked "Babycakes". That one is pretty weird and haunting and chilling. Love it.
There are also two longer works, short stories from Smoke and Mirrors: "Chivalry", and "Troll Bridge". They're two of the better stories from that set and are even cooler with Gaiman reading.
Finally, we finish with a song, "Banshee". It's not available anywhere else, so the best I can gather from it is that this was a poem put to music/song by The Flash Girls.
Overall, another enjoyable set of short audio works from Gaiman. I might have to see about finding a longer work that he narrates.
There is mostly poetry in the first section. Now, I'm not big on poetry. I don't "get" it, really. But I will say that Gaiman's reading plus the haunting music he has accompanying it gives it a great spooky feel. I still don't understand it all, but it sounds wicked.
The lead-off selection is actually a piece of stand-up that Gaiman does, called "Being an Experiment..." I highlight this because it's pretty damn hilarious, especially the part about the ants. The experiment is what happens to a writer as he consumes alcohol. The results are great.
Of the poems, I most liked "Babycakes". That one is pretty weird and haunting and chilling. Love it.
There are also two longer works, short stories from Smoke and Mirrors: "Chivalry", and "Troll Bridge". They're two of the better stories from that set and are even cooler with Gaiman reading.
Finally, we finish with a song, "Banshee". It's not available anywhere else, so the best I can gather from it is that this was a poem put to music/song by The Flash Girls.
Overall, another enjoyable set of short audio works from Gaiman. I might have to see about finding a longer work that he narrates.
May 28, 2017
When Neil Gaiman reads his own work, it is some kind of magical!
Baby Cakes, Banshee and Chivalry were my favorites, having already read Troll Bridge
As always, Mr Gaiman:
February 6, 2017
My favorites of the short stories were the last 3, Banshee , Chivalry and Troll Bridge.
May 3, 2022
Swedish/English
Jag gillar berättelserna på den andra skivan. Dom båda längre berättelserna "Chivalry" och "Troll Bridge". Det är dessa som genererar ett generöst betyg, utan dessa så hade det blivit ett mycket lägre. Allt som återfinns på den första skivan är ett hopkok utan dess like. Poesi som inte ger mig ett smack (till Neils försvar så begriper jag mig inte på poesi rent allmänt), ljud och musik i tid och otid och som inte heller säger mig något. Väldigt korta berättelser som inte leder någon vart. Det är helt klart en mörkare och mer vuxen Gaiman i dessa berättelser men ack så tramsigt. Vill man läsa något av Gaiman som är mer vuxet och mörkt och dessutom utomordentligt bra så läs hela hans The Sandman-svit. Det finns inget värre än när någon försöker vara lite edgy bara för att. Plus i kanten för att Neil är ett bra val av uppläsare av sina egna alster. Men jag lär inte återvända till den här någon mer gång.
-
Not my cup of tea. I like the two longer stories on disc 2, "Chivalry" and "Troll Bridge". None of the content on disc 1 isn't to my liking. If I want to read something by Gaiman that's a bit darker and more adult oriented I'll read his The Sandman epos any day of the week and not something like the mishmash that can be found on disc 1 of this collection.
Jag gillar berättelserna på den andra skivan. Dom båda längre berättelserna "Chivalry" och "Troll Bridge". Det är dessa som genererar ett generöst betyg, utan dessa så hade det blivit ett mycket lägre. Allt som återfinns på den första skivan är ett hopkok utan dess like. Poesi som inte ger mig ett smack (till Neils försvar så begriper jag mig inte på poesi rent allmänt), ljud och musik i tid och otid och som inte heller säger mig något. Väldigt korta berättelser som inte leder någon vart. Det är helt klart en mörkare och mer vuxen Gaiman i dessa berättelser men ack så tramsigt. Vill man läsa något av Gaiman som är mer vuxet och mörkt och dessutom utomordentligt bra så läs hela hans The Sandman-svit. Det finns inget värre än när någon försöker vara lite edgy bara för att. Plus i kanten för att Neil är ett bra val av uppläsare av sina egna alster. Men jag lär inte återvända till den här någon mer gång.
-
Not my cup of tea. I like the two longer stories on disc 2, "Chivalry" and "Troll Bridge". None of the content on disc 1 isn't to my liking. If I want to read something by Gaiman that's a bit darker and more adult oriented I'll read his The Sandman epos any day of the week and not something like the mishmash that can be found on disc 1 of this collection.
October 3, 2016
Heck yeah. Still liking Gaiman.
May 10, 2025
Another Gaiman listen I've been meaning to get to for ages.
The Song of the Audience, short and I liked it.
Nicholas Was..., I thought was a fun mix of clever and creepy.
Babycakes I had already read and rated 3 stars, I still feel the same way about it now
Cold Colours, it seems I listened to this about 6 years ago and wasn't too crazy about it. This time around, nothing's changed.
The White Road, I love stories about foxes and crafty wives
Banshee: The Flash Girls, I love the song, then there's an odd gap, and then Neil does a story about writing and drinking, drinking and writing and I loved it as well, 5 stars
Chivalry, a story that I have enjoyed at least twice before
Troll Bridge another I've heard before but like
In Telling Tales I didn't care for the drums, this collection does a great job of having little musical intros or other sounds that add satisfying ambiance.
The Song of the Audience, short and I liked it.
Nicholas Was..., I thought was a fun mix of clever and creepy.
Babycakes I had already read and rated 3 stars, I still feel the same way about it now
Cold Colours, it seems I listened to this about 6 years ago and wasn't too crazy about it. This time around, nothing's changed.
The White Road, I love stories about foxes and crafty wives
Banshee: The Flash Girls, I love the song, then there's an odd gap, and then Neil does a story about writing and drinking, drinking and writing and I loved it as well, 5 stars
Chivalry, a story that I have enjoyed at least twice before
Troll Bridge another I've heard before but like
In Telling Tales I didn't care for the drums, this collection does a great job of having little musical intros or other sounds that add satisfying ambiance.
December 11, 2019
I got this one as part of the Neil Gaiman Rarities Humble Bundle.
I am still not sure how I feel about audio books. I was listening to this while driving, and I understand that there are times when there is no better way to consume your literature, but for me, this is a poor excuse. I have my own imagination to hear what Mrs Whitaker sounds like, and Gaiman does an excellent work writing her accent and way of speaking. Do I really need his voice as well?
The collection does include what may be the best short story ever written by a human being, "Chivalry", which never gets old. "Troll Bridge" and "Babycakes" are also favourites of mine. But with only one of the stories being new to me, and the stories being more enjoyable in other formats, I can't give this more than three stars out of five.
I am still not sure how I feel about audio books. I was listening to this while driving, and I understand that there are times when there is no better way to consume your literature, but for me, this is a poor excuse. I have my own imagination to hear what Mrs Whitaker sounds like, and Gaiman does an excellent work writing her accent and way of speaking. Do I really need his voice as well?
The collection does include what may be the best short story ever written by a human being, "Chivalry", which never gets old. "Troll Bridge" and "Babycakes" are also favourites of mine. But with only one of the stories being new to me, and the stories being more enjoyable in other formats, I can't give this more than three stars out of five.
October 20, 2020
I was horrified and disgusted. I didn't finish the book, but what I got through went between trash to horrific, I think one star is generous. The poems and stories wandered between barely comprehensive drivel to sadistic evil half formed ideas. It's hard to believe Neil Gaiman wrote it, would never have believed it, completely different than any novel of his I've read.
December 4, 2020
What an interesting listen. Neil Gaiman, as usual, reads his stories with his wonderful voice, and the music and singing added in here and there really set the mood. I found myself stopping at times to share parts of the audio with my husband, simply because it was too funny or odd to keep to myself.
January 12, 2018
Most of them were interesting, entertaining and original stories that are taken to the next level by Gaiman's fantastic narration (or probably I just love his English accent, so don't take my word for it).
November 12, 2017
Mixed bag of short stories - some good and some not. "the holy grail" was my favorite.
April 30, 2019
A bunch of early short stories from Neil. Great as always.
February 25, 2020
Cold Colours broke my mind and I've no idea what to do about it :D
Perfect as always though. Nicholas Was is literally one of my fav shorts by Gaiman.
Perfect as always though. Nicholas Was is literally one of my fav shorts by Gaiman.
October 16, 2020
Horror story is good and so is Chivalry.
Short reads.
Short reads.
September 4, 2023
The Song of the Audience 3.5/5
Nicholas Was… 4.5/5
Babycakes 5/5
Cold Colours 3.75/5
The White Road 4/5
Banshee: The Flash Girls 3/5
Nicholas Was… 4.5/5
Babycakes 5/5
Cold Colours 3.75/5
The White Road 4/5
Banshee: The Flash Girls 3/5
January 1, 2024
I got this from an old Humble Bundle. Honestly, a lot of the stuff in this collection isn't really my thing. I do really like "Chivalry" though, and there are a few other good bits.
September 6, 2023
Highlight for me was definitely the song "Banshee." It also had a couple good short stories on disc 2 that were later reprinted in Smoke and Mirrors.
I didn't realize it at first, but at about 17 minutes into disc 1, track 6 (Banshee), there's a hidden short story. It starts after about 13 minutes of silence.
I didn't realize it at first, but at about 17 minutes into disc 1, track 6 (Banshee), there's a hidden short story. It starts after about 13 minutes of silence.
June 17, 2011
Some writers should NEVER read for their own audiobooks. Neil Gaiman is NOT one of those, thankfully. While a couple of these stories aren't what I would call Neil's usual quality, the fact that he reads them makes them worthwhile to listen to.
Some of the music detracts rather then enhances the stories. One track however is music with a gem of a story at the end. I'll leave you to discover which one on your own.
If you love Gaiman I strongly recommend this for two of the short stories alone. Troll Bridge and the White Road are two short stories that will or have been in adult fairy tale anthologies. Listening to him read them, to me, was a bonus.
Some of the music detracts rather then enhances the stories. One track however is music with a gem of a story at the end. I'll leave you to discover which one on your own.
If you love Gaiman I strongly recommend this for two of the short stories alone. Troll Bridge and the White Road are two short stories that will or have been in adult fairy tale anthologies. Listening to him read them, to me, was a bonus.
April 27, 2014
I listened to this before I really knew and liked Gaiman's work, and some of these were good, and some were okay, and Babycakes made an immediate scar (in a good way?) ... but Gaiman was good. A very very good reader of his own work (as I realized again later listening to him read The Graveyard Book), it makes me wonder if I should go back and get some of his other stuff read my him that I just liked normally.
February 1, 2017
An audiobook read by Neil Gaiman. This time it's two discs long, with the stories taken from the short story collection "Angels & Visitations." As always, in my opinion, it's the best when stories are read by the author. And Neil does a very good job. This also was a good collection because it contains some of Neil's darker works, which I like, and are good. It was fun to revisit these stories (as I've read the collection before), but this time by having them read to me by Neil. Easily recommended.
August 20, 2015
I enjoy very much these collections. I like listening to them on Audible most. Probably because I can listen to Neil Gaiman, while he reads to me. His voice is very soothing...
December 31, 2016
Typical Gaiman short stories. I found them an enjoyable read. I could have lived without the music
February 5, 2015
Nice little collection of things
April 22, 2017
Como já li Angels and Visitations: A Miscellany, já conhecia todos os contos, mas escutá-los com a narração do próprio Neil Gaiman, com música do incrível Dave McKean, foi maravilhoso. E além disso, o conto Banshee foi cantado pelas Flash Girls! Muito legal.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews