Product Description: Newly rewritten by Gaiman for this graphic novel, these two ominous stories from the author's award-winning prose, Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions, feature animals and people not being quite what they seem. In "The Price," a black cat like a small panther arrives at a country home and is soon beset by mysterious and vicious wounds. What is he fighting every night that could do this, and why does he persist? "The Daughter of Owls" recounts an eerie old tale of a foundling girl who was left - with an owl pellet - as a newborn on the steps of the Dymton Church. She was soon cloistered away in a local convent, but by her fourteenth year word of her beauty had spread - and those who would prey upon her faced unforeseen consequences.
Beautiful Artwork, Wonderful, Creepy Stories Among Gaiman's comics that aren't part of a series, such as Sandman and such, the two stories in this volume definitely stand out. They are both very haunting, creepy, and really draw the reader in. There is a mythic quality to them, and yet while reading them my unbelief was temporarily suspended. The twists and turns the plots take are rather unexpected at times, and make for a very enjoyable read.
Requested by my niece... ...so I don't really know anything about the book, but my niece had it on her Wish List and all I know is that she really likes it.
Not as interesing as Gaiman's novels I am a big fan of Gaiman's novels and have never read the Sandman series. This is the first graphic novel I have ever read and was only moderately intrigued. "The Price" was an interesting short story and the graphics helped, however, "The Daughter of Owls" was less impressive and I didn't care for he illustrations. This made me long for another Gaiman novel, the shortness of this was too disappointing. Not a bad thing to pickup at the library but if you are more of a novel person, don't buy it.
A Beautiful Book for Gaiman/Zulli Collectors If you've never read Neil Gaiman before, this is not the place to start. These are illustrated adaptations of two of his stories collected in Smoke and Mirrors. If you're more interested in his comic work, read Sandman: Preludes & Nocturnes. If you like novels, start with American Gods.
If you just read Gaiman but aren't a collector, as I've said, these are in Smoke and Mirrors. On the other hand, if you love the beautiful art of Michael Zulli (whom I've loved since the days of Puma Blues) and want to see him adapt two of Gaiman's stories, you won't be disappointed.
To see more adaptations of Gaiman's stories, check out Murder Mysteries and Harlequin Valentine.
A Beguiling Glimpse Into The Twilight. Able to spin great tales from the endless realms of human dream and natural wonder, Neil Gaiman is among the very finest of writers around today. Touching the bonds between the mundane and the marvelous, with a flair for language and character which can touch gently and brusquely arouse, often at the same time, Gaiman's scope unflinchingly draws our particpation in some of the most illustrious tales ever told. Those who've experienced his gripping work in novels such as AMERICAN GODS, haunting teleplays such as BABYLON 5's "Day Of The Dead", or Sequential landmarks such as THE SANDMAN and the playfully-beckoning 1602, know full well what a Grandmaster of Literature Neil Gaiman is.
Yet, an area which Gaiman is drawing renewed attention is the area of the illustrated narrative. Fresh ground was broken when Gaiman and the superb illustrator Charles Vess redefined Faerie lore with the award-winning STARDUST. Now, with the visual depth and engraver's genius of illustrator Michael Zulli, Gaiman strikes deep with Dark Horse Comics' CREATURES OF THE NIGHT.
The handsome hardcover offers a pair of tantalizing vignettes which unveil elusive tableaus of what we cannot see, or often refuse to face. With word balloons absent from all but two strategially-placed pages, the result is a daring read for the attentive spirit, and curious soul. In "The Price", a black cat's steadfast ordeal is the window into a deeper mystery as old as Time itself. "The Daughter Of Owls" peers vividly into essential places where the wayward and lustful dare not go. Each tale is delivered with a seamless intimacy which belies the looming, often terrifying issues at stake.
An artist whose work spans across entire idioms, Neil Gaiman is a cunning storyteller with much to tell. Those who think Gaiman's gifts are fit only for any one title, or should be limited to any one field, do the author -and themselves- a grave injustice.
Enter evening, reading slowly, mindful of all paths......
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