<p><p>a Mysterious Circus Terrifies An Audience For One Extraordinary Performance Before Disappearing Into The Night, Taking One Of The Spectators Along With It . . . In A Novella Set Two Years After The Events Of <i>american Gods</i>, Shadow Pays A Visit To An Ancient Scottish Mansion, And Finds Himself Trapped In A Game Of Murder And Monsters . . . In A Hugo Award-winning Short Story Set In A Strangely Altered Victorian England, The Great Detective Sherlock Holmes Must Solve A Most Unsettling Royal Murder . . . Two Teenage Boys Crash A Party And Meet The Girls Of Their Dreams—and Nightmares . . . In A Locus Award-winning Tale, The Members Of An Exclusive Epicurean Club Lament That They've Eaten Everything That Can Be Eaten, With The Exception Of A Legendary, Rare, And Exceedingly Dangerous Egyptian Bird . . . Such Marvelous Creations And More—including A Short Story Set In The World Of <i>the Matrix</i>, And Others Set In The Worlds Of Gothic Fiction And Children's...</p><h3>the Washington Post - Graham Joyce</h3><p>[gaiman's] New Collection, <i>fragile Things</i>, Is A Delightful Compendium Rather Than A Straightforward Story Collection, But It's A Fine Sample Of The Author's Versatility. Gaiman Writes In Different Registers: Comedy, Satire, Pastiche, Deadpan, Lyrical Or Whimsical, But Almost Invariably Dark. It All Depends On Whichever Sooty, Fantastic Spirit Drops Down The Chimney Of His Minneapolis Writing Room On Any Given Day.</p>