Helena is about to embark on a most amazing journey.
Raised in a family of circus performers, she’s always dreamed of leading a more ordinary life. But when haunting music draws her into a strange and magical realm, one where anything can happen, her real life is stolen by a runaway from the other side. Helena must rescue the realm from chaos in order to win back her own not-so-ordinary life.
MirrorMask is a breathtaking film written by bestselling author Neil Gaiman and brought to life through the vision of acclaimed artist and director Dave McKean. This original novella is Helena’s tale in her own voice, a stunning and magical journey.
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"Although the narrator does not make the voice changes to indicate characters that some narrators do, the quality of her ability to convey emotion is wonderful. And while there is an excellent film version of this story, I think that this audio production captured the arc of the story much more effectively - a truly moving production."
— Mountaineer (5 out of 5 stars)
" I highly recommend seeing the movie of this book. It was really inventive and absolutely beautiful! "
— Chloe, 2/14/2014" Wonderful dreamlike fantasy. Nice short quick burn. This makes me want to see the movie again. "
— Paul, 2/9/2014" Oh, so pretty. And I have no idea what the fuck was going on through most of it. *snerk* I can see where the directors were going when they called it a thematic sequel to Labyrinth, because it echoes a lot of the threads: inadvertantly sacrificing a loved one, being lost in a treacherous world to an inhuman but ultimately sympathetic villian, rebellious teenager grows up. The heroine getting caught up in her role as daughter freaked me out mostly because I'd read Coraline and dude, in a Gaiman story you KNOW that'll backfire. Good book, too short, made me happy. "
— Nilchance, 2/7/2014" This was such an interesting read and nothing that I expected it to be. Neil Gaiman has such an incredible imagination that never ceases to impress me. This book was such a quick read but with so much imagery. "
— Heather, 2/6/2014" 2.5 stars. This is a Novella based on the movie of the same name. I think in this case, the movie's imagery and wonder didn't translate as well into the written form. Not a bad book (as I don't think Neil Gaiman can write a bad book) but my least favorite of his stories. "
— Stephen, 1/28/2014" Absolutely gorgeous. No surprises there. "
— Jax, 1/26/2014" An odd, but entertaining little book. Reminds me of stream-of-consciousness sort of writing, where the main character, Helena, takes us through her very odd dream. The artwork captures the mood of the story - lovely edition. "
— Thebruce1314, 1/21/2014" We got tickets to see Neil Gaiman in a few weeks and I wanted to read something of his (Gail is a big fan) so I picked this, as it seemed like a good, short introduction. I don't know if it was the books funky layout, or just a general unfinished quality to the story, but I felt outside the piece the entire time. Apparently, this edition is a mish-mash of original artwork and stills from the film, but the prose didn't seem specific enough to carry the weight without the images, and the images felt haphazard. That being said, there were a few really interesting characters and I'm thinking that I should give one of Gaiman's longer novels a chance--he has a wonderful story-telling mind, but this one felt more of a prose sketch. I want to see what he does when there are no images involved. "
— Clark, 1/3/2014" i prefer gaiman when he's being solid and/or nasty rather than whimsical. also i like mckean's assemblage but was put off by his actual drawing in this. liked Wolves in the Walls a lot more. "
— scarlettraces, 1/3/2014" I found this book a bit confusing and difficult to follow. There were some interesting bits of plot, but, overall, I don't think the story held together well. I would like to see the film version and then perhaps reread the story to see if visual and auditory support might clarify the story. "
— Mrs., 1/1/2014" This was just a marvelous piece of stream of consciousness, and how good to finally get a book about mother/daughter friction that doesn't say one side is entirely right and the other entirely wrong. "
— Meltha, 12/30/2013" I was disappointed when I realized the majority of the book would focus on her mirrormask dream. I thought her real life with a circus family was more interesting. "
— Melissa, 12/15/2013" very confusing and odd, but interesting! "
— Grace, 11/29/2013" an excellent short story - suitable for adults and children. "
— Johnsergeant, 10/9/2013" I can only give this 2 stars right now because I listened to it on audio, which I don't recommend - considering that it's an illustrated book. "
— Ruthie, 7/21/2013" BOCD, decent, but I have read better Gaiman. "
— Vickie, 4/22/2013" Watch the movie "
— Edward, 10/2/2012" Mirror worlds, good mother, bad mother the stuff of myth and fantasy. As always, told by a master! "
— Mary, 9/10/2012" Aaah, Gaiman is amazing in an extraordinary way that is so different than other fantasy writers. For some reason, I categorize him with Garth Nix. Weird. But anyways... great book - see the movie too! "
— Daria, 9/8/2012" Typical weird Neil Gaiman nonsense "
— Shitpantsskidmark, 9/6/2012" Good good stuff, short and intriguing "
— Snwleop, 7/27/2012" Not Neil's best; maybe it works better if you've seen the film. Beautiful book design, great layouts and art. A darker Stardust, reminded me a bit of Planescape, for all you D&D fans. "
— Jay, 5/18/2012" Creative, whimsical, & definitely kept in theme with the feeling of the story being the retelling of a dream, but I've liked other books of his better than this one. "
— Carla, 7/25/2011" I was confused by all the dream symbolism. "
— Joeydag, 5/25/2011" Having never seen the movie, I thought I would check out this mish-mash of new art, writing, and movie stills. Fun. Really hard to go wrong with Gaiman. Maybe I'll check out the movie. "
— Ryan, 4/16/2011" I can only give this 2 stars right now because I listened to it on audio, which I don't recommend - considering that it's an illustrated book. "
— Ruthie, 4/11/2011" it's like hitching a ride in someone else's dream. or drug trip. i really liked it, though. "
— J, 3/26/2011" Oh boy. What to say? I share a love-hate relationship with this book. It was amazing, creative, etc. On the other hand, this creeps me out as much as, if not more than, Stephen King's works. This book is just that strange. It left a bad taste in my stomach. <br/>But it was good. Oh so good. "
— Nina, 3/11/2011" Typical weird Neil Gaiman nonsense "
— Shitpantsskidmark, 1/7/2011" A fairy tale novella, with a plot device somewhat like Coraline and other "Through the Looking Glass" adventures. "
— David, 12/2/2010" An odd, but entertaining little book. Reminds me of stream-of-consciousness sort of writing, where the main character, Helena, takes us through her very odd dream. The artwork captures the mood of the story - lovely edition. "
— Thebruce1314, 11/21/2010" More of a 3 1/2 star book but I'll cut the guy who came up with Stardust a lot of slack. Read like a rough draft or outline of a much larger project. Loved the illustrations. "
— Leif, 10/27/2010" Creative, whimsical, & definitely kept in theme with the feeling of the story being the retelling of a dream, but I've liked other books of his better than this one. "
— Carla, 8/23/2010" i loved the randomness and illustrations and detailed characters and hidden morals "
— Erica, 8/21/2010" The most immersive book I've ever read. Unputdownable. "
— Regina, 8/3/2010" I really enjoyed the movie. As always, Neil does great writing and it was wonderful to see McKean's visual concepts in motion on the big screen. <br/> "
— Sarah, 7/26/2010Neil Gaiman is the author of several #1 New York Times bestsellers, including Norse Mythogy, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, and Anansi Boys, and others, as well as the Sandman series of graphic novels. His fiction has received Newbery, Carnegie, Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, and Will Eisner awards. His novel American Gods aired as a TV series in 2017. Originally from England, he lives in the United States, where he is a professor at Bard College.
Neil Gaiman is the author of several #1 New York Times bestsellers, including Norse Mythogy, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, and Anansi Boys, and others, as well as the Sandman series of graphic novels. His fiction has received Newbery, Carnegie, Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, and Will Eisner awards. His novel American Gods aired as a TV series in 2017. Originally from England, he lives in the United States, where he is a professor at Bard College.