• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About
    • Press Kit
  • Subscribe
    • Archive Feeds
  • Submit Your Show
  • Sponsorships & Advertising
  • Support
    • Shop
  • Contact Us

Radio Drama Revival

Showcasing the diversity and vitality of modern audio drama

Delight and Wonder Found in Gaiman’s “Fragile Things”

June 5, 2007 By Fred

Neil Gaiman's Fragile ThingsWhile my penchant is obviously audio drama, I’m really an omnivorous listener and savor a good audiobook like a select single malt when the opportunity allows. Especially a really, really good audiobook, one where the stories enchant, the production shines, and the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Such an Audiobook is Neil Gaiman‘s Fragile Things. Now I come into this not being a huge fan of Gaiman’s work — 50 pages into Good Omens I tired of a “been here before” plot, and even his mighty American Gods left me disinterested in the course of the story barely halfway through. After hearing this startling, diverse, and grimly comic collection, I find myself wondering if I was thwacked on the head too hard while exploring his other works.

The marvelousness of this collection is due in no small part to the quality of Gaiman’s narration. He draws little subtleties out of his writing that eek out winces or smiles which another reader mighty overlook. His diction and pacing are in line with the best, and every story lulls, romps, soars, or collides with a flair that the gifted storyteller brings to the table.

The stories themselves are true gems, with the story of devilish identity-swapping in New Orleans, a Sherlock Holmes adventure gone awry, an inversion of the Narnia themes and countless others littered with sex, death, humor and twists. There are a few sentimental moments, a couple quite delightful ones, and many mind-bending and dark ones, and overall the collection revels in a sense of delight, playfulness, and love of story. All of which are qualities I enjoy.

For a break from straight radio drama, with unconventional stories and a rich teller, I’d heartily recommend Neil Gaiman’s Fragile Things. Now if only someone could do an adaptation of some!

Filed Under: Reviews

Primary Sidebar

Search

About Radio Drama Revival

radio drama revival - modern audio drama podcast

Radio Drama Revival is one of the internet’s longest-running anthology modern audio drama shows (dedicated mostly to programming created after the “Golden Age” of US Radio Drama). We also occasionally dabble in exploring earlier audio works from a cultural/historical perspective.

Broadcasting since 2007, we have over 500 hours of original, contemporary audio fiction here for your listening pleasure.

Dig into the latest show or surf the archives.

Learn more about Radio Drama Revival and its hosts.

Follow Us On Social Media

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram

Copyright © 2023 ·Magazine Pro · Genesis Framework by StudioPress · WordPress · Log in