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The Neil Gaiman Library
The Neil Gaiman Library Volume 2
A deluxe oversized collection of comic stories from celebrated and award-winning writer Neil Gaiman, in conjunction with some of comics' most acclaimed creators.
In these four essential Gaiman tales, a group of friends search for a mysterious circus that is either a dream or nightmare, a string of bizarre occult events befall strangers from all walks of life, a woman is given the gift of a Harlequin's heart, and a young boy is followed by monsters and regrets that last a lifetime.
Collects the full graphic novels The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch , Likely Stories , Harlequin Valentine , and Troll Bridge in a single deluxe hardcover volume with a dust jacket.
In these four essential Gaiman tales, a group of friends search for a mysterious circus that is either a dream or nightmare, a string of bizarre occult events befall strangers from all walks of life, a woman is given the gift of a Harlequin's heart, and a young boy is followed by monsters and regrets that last a lifetime.
Collects the full graphic novels The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch , Likely Stories , Harlequin Valentine , and Troll Bridge in a single deluxe hardcover volume with a dust jacket.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published November 24, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
December 23, 2020
A compilation of a bunch of Neil Gaiman's short stories that have been turned into comics with some outstanding art.
Likely Stories - Art by Mark Buckingham - ★★★
Fours short stories cherry picked from Fragile Things and Smoke and Mirrors illustrated by Mark Buckingham of Fables fame. The book is very dense at 80 pages with tiny panels. It probably could have used double the pages as each panel is filled with text. I can imagine the characters trying to talk to the reader as they are being crowded out by exposition blocks. The stories are connected by a framing sequence set in a bar with the patrons telling the stories. Three of the four stories deal with sex and there is a lot of nudity in the book if that's an issue for you. None of the stories are all that compelling however and is really only worth a read if you're a Gaiman fanatic.
Foreign Parts - ★★
A man who only masturbates catches a venereal disease. This was kind of terrible.
Feeders and Eaters - ★★★
A man meets an acquaintance in a bar who is now wasting away. Could have used some more fleshing out but all in all I dug it.
Looking for the Girl - ★★★★
A story about a man obsessed with a woman he keeps seeing in Penthouse over a 20 year period who never ages. I saw early on where this was headed and that's OK, because it gives you exactly what you want out of a story like this.
Closing Time - ★★★
A story about a boy in the country side making mischief with some older boys when they come across an eerie cottage. Again, there needed to be more to this.
Troll Bridge - Art by Colleen Doran - ★★★★★
A beautiful version of Neil Gaiman's short story about a boy who encounters a troll while walking the countryside. Colleen Doran illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. It's the best work I've seen from her. Just breathtaking.
Harlequin Valentine - Art by John Bolton - ★★
The art is good but there's not much story here. It's a retelling of an old story I'd never heard of.
Meh.
The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch - Art by Michael Zulli - ★★★
Three friends are saddled with an annoying woman during a night out. They attend a circus, The Theatre of Night's Dreaming, in the London Underground. We attend the show along with the foursome as they travel from room to room, up to and through when the title events happen. A solid short story. Like a lot of Gaiman's short stories, there is no resolution.
I'm not the largest Michael Zulli fan. His linework is often too squiggly for me. His water colors over them are quite nice though.
Likely Stories - Art by Mark Buckingham - ★★★
Fours short stories cherry picked from Fragile Things and Smoke and Mirrors illustrated by Mark Buckingham of Fables fame. The book is very dense at 80 pages with tiny panels. It probably could have used double the pages as each panel is filled with text. I can imagine the characters trying to talk to the reader as they are being crowded out by exposition blocks. The stories are connected by a framing sequence set in a bar with the patrons telling the stories. Three of the four stories deal with sex and there is a lot of nudity in the book if that's an issue for you. None of the stories are all that compelling however and is really only worth a read if you're a Gaiman fanatic.
Foreign Parts - ★★
A man who only masturbates catches a venereal disease. This was kind of terrible.
Feeders and Eaters - ★★★
A man meets an acquaintance in a bar who is now wasting away. Could have used some more fleshing out but all in all I dug it.
Looking for the Girl - ★★★★
A story about a man obsessed with a woman he keeps seeing in Penthouse over a 20 year period who never ages. I saw early on where this was headed and that's OK, because it gives you exactly what you want out of a story like this.
Closing Time - ★★★
A story about a boy in the country side making mischief with some older boys when they come across an eerie cottage. Again, there needed to be more to this.
Troll Bridge - Art by Colleen Doran - ★★★★★
A beautiful version of Neil Gaiman's short story about a boy who encounters a troll while walking the countryside. Colleen Doran illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. It's the best work I've seen from her. Just breathtaking.
Harlequin Valentine - Art by John Bolton - ★★
The art is good but there's not much story here. It's a retelling of an old story I'd never heard of.
Meh.
The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch - Art by Michael Zulli - ★★★
Three friends are saddled with an annoying woman during a night out. They attend a circus, The Theatre of Night's Dreaming, in the London Underground. We attend the show along with the foursome as they travel from room to room, up to and through when the title events happen. A solid short story. Like a lot of Gaiman's short stories, there is no resolution.
I'm not the largest Michael Zulli fan. His linework is often too squiggly for me. His water colors over them are quite nice though.
August 26, 2020
This is a graphic novelization of several pieces of Neil Gaiman’s short fiction. The component works are all speculative fiction (i.e. taking place where the fantastical is possible,) and – more specifically – most would be classed urban fantasy -- though there is a touch of horror.
The book contains four parts, and could be thought of as four stories. However, the first chapter, “Likely Stories,” is actually a collection of tales connected by being told in the same private after-hours club. So, the connective tissue is bar patrons trying to one-up each other with more intriguing stories. The pieces included are: “Feeders and Eaters” (the entry most likely to be classified as horror,) “Looking for a Girl,” and “Closing Time.”
The second story is “Troll Bridge,” and it shows a man’s repeated encounters with a troll who exists in the pedestrian tunnel under an abandoned rail line. These meetings begin when the protagonist is a young boy and continue until he’s middle-aged.
The penultimate story is entitled “Harlequin Valentine,” and it’s about an amorous Harlequin who develops an infatuation with a young woman and begins to stalk her. When he gives her his heart, it doesn’t go as expected.
The final story is “The Facts in the Case of the Disappearance of Miss Finch.” When a writer is roped into a double date in which his date is a dowdy and humorless scholar, the night that had been a train of misery ends in a mind-blowing (if disconcerting) fashion.
This was an excellent read. While it’s a second volume, because it’s short fiction, the book is completely self-contained. One doesn’t need to read the first volume beforehand to follow these tales. Each of the stories is satisfying in itself. I’d read at least one of these stories previously (possibly more) but it didn’t feel redundant because the conversion of the textual stories to graphic ones gives each an entirely different feel. The art is clear and the various styles match the tone of the respective stories nicely. If you like Neil Gaiman’s work, you should definitely check this one out. [And if you’re unfamiliar with Gaiman, I’d recommend you get familiar.]
The book contains four parts, and could be thought of as four stories. However, the first chapter, “Likely Stories,” is actually a collection of tales connected by being told in the same private after-hours club. So, the connective tissue is bar patrons trying to one-up each other with more intriguing stories. The pieces included are: “Feeders and Eaters” (the entry most likely to be classified as horror,) “Looking for a Girl,” and “Closing Time.”
The second story is “Troll Bridge,” and it shows a man’s repeated encounters with a troll who exists in the pedestrian tunnel under an abandoned rail line. These meetings begin when the protagonist is a young boy and continue until he’s middle-aged.
The penultimate story is entitled “Harlequin Valentine,” and it’s about an amorous Harlequin who develops an infatuation with a young woman and begins to stalk her. When he gives her his heart, it doesn’t go as expected.
The final story is “The Facts in the Case of the Disappearance of Miss Finch.” When a writer is roped into a double date in which his date is a dowdy and humorless scholar, the night that had been a train of misery ends in a mind-blowing (if disconcerting) fashion.
This was an excellent read. While it’s a second volume, because it’s short fiction, the book is completely self-contained. One doesn’t need to read the first volume beforehand to follow these tales. Each of the stories is satisfying in itself. I’d read at least one of these stories previously (possibly more) but it didn’t feel redundant because the conversion of the textual stories to graphic ones gives each an entirely different feel. The art is clear and the various styles match the tone of the respective stories nicely. If you like Neil Gaiman’s work, you should definitely check this one out. [And if you’re unfamiliar with Gaiman, I’d recommend you get familiar.]
April 21, 2021
It's nice to have these stories all collected in one place, and on oversized pages of high quality paper. But the stories in this volume are not Gaiman's best and are all quite similar at that. Still, recommended for the diehard Gaiman fan.
March 25, 2022
Not as strong as the third volume, but it's Gaiman's short stories, so it's still pretty darn good. The best portion of this collection is probably the six-part"Likely Stories," a kind of Canterbury Tales told in an after-hours London social club. Its "Closing Time" has some of those familiar Gaimanesque elements found in The Ocean at the End of the Lane. And "Looking for the Girl" takes an interesting look at the intersection between inspiration and the libido, something Gaiman explores in Sandman as well.
I'm still looking for the first volume.
I'm still looking for the first volume.
November 12, 2020
This volume collects 4 previously published graphic novels that started as a short story each. The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch is the story of a group of friends that bring along a friend of a friend to see a circus in London that performs underground and then stuff happens that can’t quite be explained. Likely Stories is a set of small loosely connected short stories that are linked around a private drinking club. Harlequin Valentine is set on Valentine’s day with a Harlequin giving his heart to a woman that doesn’t know that he exists and what she does with it. Troll Bridge is the story of a young boy who promises a troll that he will come back to allow himself to be eaten if the troll will let him go now. Great stories and wonderful art in all 4 graphic novels.
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss.
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss.
September 3, 2021
(Zero spoiler review) 3.75/5
Lets just get it all out up front. This is a more consistent collection of stories than volume one. The four stories here (its actually like 6 or 7 really) were of a consistently higher standard than the aforementioned volume, yet the two stories from volume one, 'How to Talk to Girls at Parties and A Study in Emerald easily eclipse anything on offer here, with the additional two stories in that volume dragged it down, leaving an unwelcome, sour taste in the mouth that really shouldn't have been there. This collection feels safer, more middle of the road than the selection in volume one. Gaiman always seems to explore similar themes in his stories. Love, loss, romance, fantasy, so you get more of that here too. But despite its general consistency, I can't help feel a little bit cheated by this. The book looks amazing, with all four of the artists, lead by the stellar Mark Buckingham bring something special to the table, even if all weren't particularly to my taste. Likely Stories comes out swinging, with perhaps the best story in the book. One about STD's no less. The three shorts that follow fail to hit that original high note, and continually decline in quality until we get a fairly hackneyed exploration of a childhood lost that frankly, despite Buckingham's art, really was a dour note that could have been cut. Troll Bridge started out slow but slowly built into something solid, if not spectacular. It was Gaiman by numbers, and it was Ok. Harlequin Valentine, which seemed to tip its hat strongly towards A Clockwork Orange in the art style and prose, if not in theme. The book finished on a bit of a sour note with the somewhat disappointing Miss Finch... story, which was absolutely not what I was expecting, and didn't leave much of an impression after it was all said and done.
I know I stated earlier that the lesser cuts here weren't as bad as volume one. Upon reflection, that is still likely true, although only barely. Volume one absolutely remains the better volume, but again, only from the strength of the two mentioned stories. Still, the format is wonderful and the art is a highlight. Gaiman knows what he is doing. You never get a poorly written story from him, just ones that maybe don't tickle your pickle like some of his others. I'd take big standard Gaiman over most of the modern comic book writers any day. Pretty sad that. 3.75/5
OmniBen.
Lets just get it all out up front. This is a more consistent collection of stories than volume one. The four stories here (its actually like 6 or 7 really) were of a consistently higher standard than the aforementioned volume, yet the two stories from volume one, 'How to Talk to Girls at Parties and A Study in Emerald easily eclipse anything on offer here, with the additional two stories in that volume dragged it down, leaving an unwelcome, sour taste in the mouth that really shouldn't have been there. This collection feels safer, more middle of the road than the selection in volume one. Gaiman always seems to explore similar themes in his stories. Love, loss, romance, fantasy, so you get more of that here too. But despite its general consistency, I can't help feel a little bit cheated by this. The book looks amazing, with all four of the artists, lead by the stellar Mark Buckingham bring something special to the table, even if all weren't particularly to my taste. Likely Stories comes out swinging, with perhaps the best story in the book. One about STD's no less. The three shorts that follow fail to hit that original high note, and continually decline in quality until we get a fairly hackneyed exploration of a childhood lost that frankly, despite Buckingham's art, really was a dour note that could have been cut. Troll Bridge started out slow but slowly built into something solid, if not spectacular. It was Gaiman by numbers, and it was Ok. Harlequin Valentine, which seemed to tip its hat strongly towards A Clockwork Orange in the art style and prose, if not in theme. The book finished on a bit of a sour note with the somewhat disappointing Miss Finch... story, which was absolutely not what I was expecting, and didn't leave much of an impression after it was all said and done.
I know I stated earlier that the lesser cuts here weren't as bad as volume one. Upon reflection, that is still likely true, although only barely. Volume one absolutely remains the better volume, but again, only from the strength of the two mentioned stories. Still, the format is wonderful and the art is a highlight. Gaiman knows what he is doing. You never get a poorly written story from him, just ones that maybe don't tickle your pickle like some of his others. I'd take big standard Gaiman over most of the modern comic book writers any day. Pretty sad that. 3.75/5
OmniBen.
December 16, 2020
I enjoyed this collection of Gaiman graphic novels, filled with spooky fantasy stories. Harlequin Valentine was my favorite, in which the title character nails gives his literal heart to his current love by nailing it to her door, hoping to make her his valentine. She has other ideas, however....
My second favorite was Troll Bridge, which follows a young boy into adulthood after making deal after deal with a troll who wants his life after the boy crosses his bridge. This is a melancholy story, with an autumnal feel to it, and offers a good reminder to pay attention to the path you're following through the woods. Likely Stories centers around a group of men exchanging unusual stories in an after hours club; this was my least favorite- the individual stories were uneven, one involved entirely more wanking than I want in a story lol! The final tale is The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch, in which four people go to see a mysterious circus with acts that seem like dreams and nightmares, and three people come away from it. In the end notes, we get a history of the Harlequin character, a helpful context for those unfamiliar with the trope. A good taste of eerie from Gaiman, with fine art throughout.
My second favorite was Troll Bridge, which follows a young boy into adulthood after making deal after deal with a troll who wants his life after the boy crosses his bridge. This is a melancholy story, with an autumnal feel to it, and offers a good reminder to pay attention to the path you're following through the woods. Likely Stories centers around a group of men exchanging unusual stories in an after hours club; this was my least favorite- the individual stories were uneven, one involved entirely more wanking than I want in a story lol! The final tale is The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch, in which four people go to see a mysterious circus with acts that seem like dreams and nightmares, and three people come away from it. In the end notes, we get a history of the Harlequin character, a helpful context for those unfamiliar with the trope. A good taste of eerie from Gaiman, with fine art throughout.
March 23, 2021
Not quite as good a collection as volume 1, but still plenty enjoyable.
November 21, 2021
Not for the faint of heart and definitely MA. But the at is lovely and the stories intriguing.
October 7, 2025
There are 4 stories in this volume and some I definitely preferred over others.
The first and, in my opinion, the best, is Likely Stories. This is the longest one, taking up about a third of the volume's length. Mark Buckingham is the artist on this and he's very good, although not quite as good as his Fables art. The story is actually 4 shorter stories that are unrelated to each other except for the fact that the same London Club is visited in all of them. I liked all of the stories.
Troll Bridge is also very good. Excellent art from Colleen Doran.
Harlequin Valentine didn't do much for me at all. Didn't really like the story and I didn't much like Bolton's art, despite being a fan of some of his more traditional pen and ink work from the 80's.
I seem to recall having read a prose version of The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch many years ago. It was very familiar. Not familiar with the art of Michael Zulli but I liked it despite being a little rough around the edges. A large portion of this story is probably true due to the way it's written and who is in it, and because of this the main story beat and the complete lack of any resolution left me a little cold.
On the whole this volume was worth a read.
The first and, in my opinion, the best, is Likely Stories. This is the longest one, taking up about a third of the volume's length. Mark Buckingham is the artist on this and he's very good, although not quite as good as his Fables art. The story is actually 4 shorter stories that are unrelated to each other except for the fact that the same London Club is visited in all of them. I liked all of the stories.
Troll Bridge is also very good. Excellent art from Colleen Doran.
Harlequin Valentine didn't do much for me at all. Didn't really like the story and I didn't much like Bolton's art, despite being a fan of some of his more traditional pen and ink work from the 80's.
I seem to recall having read a prose version of The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch many years ago. It was very familiar. Not familiar with the art of Michael Zulli but I liked it despite being a little rough around the edges. A large portion of this story is probably true due to the way it's written and who is in it, and because of this the main story beat and the complete lack of any resolution left me a little cold.
On the whole this volume was worth a read.
September 11, 2021
Another four of Neil Gaiman's stories adapted back into the sequential graphic format from which his career sprang. This stories in this volume - The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch, Likely Stories, Harlequin Valentine, and Troll Bridge - are once again excellent, though one imagines not all of them are likely to be entirely to every reader's taste. And once again, the extra materials in the back are alright, but don't add a lot of value to the stories themselves. But that's alright; there's more than enough high-powered storytelling here to carry the volume, and we are once again reminded of how much fun Gaiman is, even when his stories venture into the darkest of territories.
January 21, 2022
Neil Gaiman delivers some great stories that has you feeling somewhat crept out and intrigued at the same time. However other stories were a bit of a let down. The last one was probably my favorite.
He does have a tendency to create stories that leaves you wondering what really happened or who they really were…
He does have a tendency to create stories that leaves you wondering what really happened or who they really were…
January 3, 2021
The Troll Bridge was a standout, and the illustration was beautiful. I already own and loved Likely Stories. This was all fine, but not the short stories I would have chosen from Gaiman for a volume like this.
April 26, 2024
Aunque las historias mantienen esa rareza normal en las obras de Gaiman, el arte es bastante diferente a lo que uno está acostumbrado, tanto en acabado como en técnicas. Aunque al mismo tiempo esto es algo bastante relacionado con el cómic independiente y eso se entiende.
June 1, 2024
I love how creative and weird Neil Gaiman books are. Unfortunately, did bother me that a lot of these stories were about the objectification of women, but the stories themselves were written and drawn by men, so it fell a little flat.
August 28, 2020
Thanks to Edelweiss for the eARC!
If you love the original short stories, give the graphic novel adaptations a whirl. A must have for the collector.
If you love the original short stories, give the graphic novel adaptations a whirl. A must have for the collector.
December 10, 2020
The tales in this volume of the Neil Gaiman Library seem to almost have a theme of the supernatural. They are alright stories and imagined graphically well.
Want to read
March 31, 2021Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.
May 25, 2021
I'd read a lot of it before in stand alone issues/books. But amazing revisit and some new stuff to shock and have adoration for!
June 22, 2021
More Gaiman adaptations. Keep 'em coming!
August 8, 2022
I don’t think I liked any of the stories in this volume. I had to stop reading partway through the last one.
July 12, 2023
Weirdly disturbing, but as always I can't stop reading what Neil Gaiman writes:)
November 25, 2020
I had already read most of these comics when they were published in single editions, but since they are always beautiful, it was a pleasure to reread them and to have collected them in one book.
Avevo giá letto la maggior parte di questi fumetti quando erano stati pubblicati in edizione singola, ma siccome sono sempre belli, é stato un piacere rileggerli ed averli raccolti in un unico libro.
THANKS EDELWEISS FOR THE PREVIEW!
Avevo giá letto la maggior parte di questi fumetti quando erano stati pubblicati in edizione singola, ma siccome sono sempre belli, é stato un piacere rileggerli ed averli raccolti in un unico libro.
THANKS EDELWEISS FOR THE PREVIEW!
January 5, 2022
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