As he flips through the pages, he is immersed in a dark and surreal world. “Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Secret House of the Night of Dread Desire” is a sensationalistic gothic horror story about a publisher who is offered a book featuring illustrations of murdered women. In the store, he is confronted with a strange evening that reveals the power of magic in his own life and in the lives of the people around him. In “Closing Time,” a tender father-son story, a harried father visits a department store in search of a doll for his son. As they attempt to impress two young women, they soon find that the girls have an unusual secret. The creepy and thrilling “How to Talk to Girls at Parties” follows two teenage boys as they attend a party in London. The woman embarks on a surreal journey as she meets various characters and is taught painful lessons that ultimately force her to confront her own limitations and take control of her life. In “The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch,” a dull suburban office worker discovers that the fantastical world she has only dreamt of is real. When the chair drives her to a place filled with wonders and unusual characters, the woman must find a way to confront her fears and embrace her newfound freedom as a member of this strange community. Gaiman’s “October in the Chair” is a whimsical tale of a young woman whose life has been turned upside down by the power of a curious chair. In this story, a detective, investigating a murder and corruption, discovers that all is not what it seems and must battle the forces of evil to survive. The first story, “A Study in Emerald,” is a supernatural detective story set in a version of nineteenth-century London that exists in a universe of Sherlock Holmes and Cthulhu. Readers, who find themselves in an alternate reality that is similar to their own, become acquainted with unexpected occurrences and the lessons they can teach. Its centering theme is often the concept of what is considered possible versus what is considered impossible. Fragile Things, a collection of short stories written by Neil Gaiman, is a masterful compilation of darkly imaginative and otherworldly tales.

Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman