MirrorMask

by Neil Gaiman, Dave McKean (Illustrator)

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 film written by Neil Gaiman and brought to life through by artist and director Dave McKean. This original novella is Helena's tale in her own voice, written by Neil Gaiman and accompanied by original art by Dave McKean and images from the film.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult, Audiobook, Graphic Novels, Childrens, Comics

80 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Miranda Reads]

Sometimes the books you once read just... hit a bit different when you learn too much.

This one used to be a 2 star read.

My original review - cause some can separate the art and this book had rather good elements... but I'm really struggling here.

Certainly an interesting premise - but I just couldn't get into it.

Helena's life is (quite literally) a circus. Her mother and father are circus performers, her friends are in the circus and all the pets work in the circus as well.

As children often do, Helena says something to her mother that she immediately regrets (but does not apologize for).

As fiction often does, her mother becomes incredibly sick and our heroine becomes wracked with guilt.

As lazy writing often goes, Helena falls asleep and enters into a whole new world. We are left wondering if it was all a dream or magic fueling the adventure.

According to the dream/magic adventure: Helena is whisked away to the Mirrorworld where an evil and spoiled princess uses a magic mirror to try to steal into the human world. She's assisted by Valentine (a juggler) and a flying book as they race against time to stop the princess and get home to her sick mother.

I love fantasy fiction and this book had all the right signs - mystery, intrigue and whimsy. But I just didn't enjoy it. Maybe if it was longer than 80 pages I could've connected to the characters more or became more engrossed into the plot. Maybe.

Audiobook Comments
Apparently the pictures are a big part of the draw to this series. I had only listened to it, so that might be why this one felt so flat to me. Maybe I'll check out the illustrated one someday to see if my opinion changes.

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[Skylar Phelps · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't believe I hadn't read this one till now!

I really enjoyed it. It was imaginative, quick and fun. It did remind me a little bit of Coraline, maybe with a dash of Stardust? (I'm only guessing, sad to say I haven't read it yet, only seen the movie but the feel was similar).

If you haven't read much of Neil Gaiman, you're missing out. Just about everything he publishes is fantastic. He's one of my top 3 favorite authors for sure!

[Laurie (barksbooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars I think I did myself a disservice by listening to this story on audiobook instead of checking out the actual illustrated book. I have a sneaking suspicion the illustrations enhance much of the story, which felt a bit bare bones without them, and that I've missed out on the full experience. Basically MirrorMask tells the story of a young girl, growing up in a travelling circus and starting to rebel and wanting "a real life". The after she has a horrible fight with her mother and says something ugly, her mom falls ill and needs surgery. Helena then has a dream-like (is it real or no?) adventure where she enters another realm and realizes a doppleganger has taken over her life. With the help of a masked-boy named Valentine she sets out to find a mirrormask to set things right. This audio is very short and I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as Gaiman's Coraline. It was beautifully read by the narrator as well as imaginative and full of adventure and riddles but there simply wasn't enough character development for my liking and I didn't understand why Valentine's betrayal is glossed over and forgiven so instantaneously. It weakened Helena in my eyes a bit.

[Stephen · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Ajeje Brazov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Due regole per ritrovare quello che hai perso:
1. Di solito è dove l'hai lasciato.
2. Probabilmente ti sta guardando dritto in faccia.

Tempo fa vidi il film Mirrormask, il risultato era stato molto soddisfacente, un intrecciarsi di sogno surreale e vita quotidiana, arte visiva ed immaginifica. Poi scoprii che ne avevano pubblicato un libro, eccolo qui. Ora che ho finito di leggerlo, posso confermare l'ottima impressione datami dalla visione del film. La storia è quella di crescita interiore, una sorta di graphic novel di formazione.
Una ragazza, Helena la nostra protagonista, a 15 anni capisce, sente il mondo intorno a lei e soprattutto il mondo che le balugina nella mente, mutarsi rispetto agli anni passati. Cosa sarà mai questa sensazione che le viene dall'intimo profondo subconscio? Così prende a disegnare e...
Molto particolare!

[Linda Isakson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an extraordinarily imaginative tale, created by the genius of Neil Gaiman, complete with circus performers, a magic mirror, a spoiled princess and control-freak queen, sentient buildings, books with the advice one needs at the necessary moment, a dying mother and a very sad daughter. Helena was born into the life of a travelling circus performer. Yet, she wishes for normality. After a particularly explosive argument with her mother, she made an irretrievable declaration that she at once regretted. Shortly afterward, her mother becomes very ill. One night, Helena awakes to find herself in the City of Light and doppelganger to a spoiled princess from the Land of Shadow. The princess stole a special mirror from the City of Light which allowed her to take over Helena's life. The loss of this mirror, called the mirrormask, is plunging the City of Light into darkness. The prime minister of the City asks for Helena's help. The only way to stop the princess from ruining the world is to find the mirrormask from the princesses chambers in the Land of Shadows. Helena is aided in her quest by a juggler named Valentine and a flying book of information. Very entertaining, creative and touching. Recommended read.

[Alanna-Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely one of my new favourite books of all time!! Beautifully written and wonderfully illustrated. Neil Gaiman, as always, is a brilliant genius. Plus, as such a small book, it makes an amazing palette-cleanser. I will live in the same place of my heart where Le Petit Prince resides.

[Chinara Ahmadova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oz sehirbazı, Möcüzələr diyarında Alis və Koralina romanlarını qarışdırıb bir az qotikliyini artırsaq, MirrorMask ortaya çıxardı :) Nağıl kimi, bir az qorxulu, bir az kədərli, amma uşaqlara oxumaq üçün gözəl bir roman oldu.

Helen ailəsi ilə birgə sirkdə işləyir və bu həyatdan uzaqlaşmaq istəyir. Ürəyi bu arzu ilə o qədər dolu olur ki, bir gün gecə yarısı həyatının dəyişdiyini, İşıq dünyası və Kölgələr diyarının olduğu başqa bir dünyaya düşdüyünü görür və əsas macəra da bundan sonra başlayır.

Audio kitab kimi 1 saata dinləyib bitirdim və inanılmaz zövq aldım. Neil Gaiman dəsti-xətti hər sətrində aşkar idi. Yaxşı bir dəyişiklik üçün xoş bir kitabdı.

[Steve S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good short story. The graphic novel aspect was a little too artsy for me.

[Emilie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh 🤷🏻‍♀️. Too short to really care about anyone or anything.

[Ashish · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an illustrated version of a short story written by Gaiman which was made into a low-key movie of the same name. He has collaborated with the artist-director-illustrator.
It is a kids-YA fantasy story of a girl whose family runs a travelling circus and are all performers in it. She is going through the motions and the growing pains as she has conflicts within her dysfunctional family of jugglers and acrobats when she is sucked into the world of dreams which are a way to cope and deal with the realities around her. When her mother falls unexpectedly ill and is scheduled for surgery, she enters the dream dimension and embarks on a Carrollesque adventure with wacky characters, evil queens and ghosts and ghouls.

It is similar to Coraline although this is more fantasy than horror. The illustrations are beautiful, they employ a lot of mixed art styles and are drawn in a more abstract way which adds a layer of mystique and surrealism to the story. It is however a rather short story.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my goodness this book gave me some chills. I'm not sure if it was meant to, but the idea of the mirror mask was creepy to me! But anyway, Neil Gaiman can do no wrong, period end of story. I have yet to read something of his that I didn't like.

No I'm not reading short novels to procrastinate reading things I really should be reading, what makes you think that?

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mirrormask is a film scripted by Neil Gaiman that I have not seen. This is a novella told from the main girl's point of view that uses film stills and additional art by his long time collaborator Dave McKean. It is familiar territory for Gaiman, but very good stuff, about the relationship between fantasy and )painful, scary) life, about the uses of "escapism" and meaning. It's not as good as The Ocean at the End of the Lane, but the visual mix with the novel makes for an interesting reading experience.

[Furrawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastical. A girl and her family have a circus. She gets stuck in a dream world with people wearing masks, sharp-toothed cats with rainbow wings, floating giants, and doppelgängers. I can't wait to see the movie. Neil Gaiman is pretty amazing.

[Elle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Non riesco a concedere neanche la seconda stellina, purtroppo. Un po' perché partivo da aspettative altissime create dal film che avevo visto millemila anni fa - stupendo, stupendissimo, te prego cori e vattelo a guarda', chettefrega de Netflix, daje!
Un po' perché le illustrazioni proprio no, ve prego, ma che è sta roba! Ma che davero?
Un po' perché sembra che Gaiman si sia fatto un trip ma gli sia salito malissimo. Perché dovrebbe essere onirico, visionario, coinvolgente, straripante, originale. Pure angosciante, eh, ci sta per certe storie surreali - vedi, a riguardo, La strana biblioteca del giappo del cuore nostro, Murakami - e invece risulta confusionario, inconcludente, caotico, quasi interrotto. Non saprei.

Il film è stupendo e all'interno del volume ci sono anche alcune foto tratte proprio dalle immagini della pellicola. Dave McKean - l'illustratore - è stato anche il regista di quella pellicola (se vi interessa, si intitola "MirrorMask" ed è del 2005, e al momento si trova mi pare su Prime Video.

Non mi è piaciuto, perché le tematiche super interessanti ci sono tutte (vabbé, inutile che ve le dico, la sinossi è scritta meglio di come ve lo sintetizzerei io) ma non vengono raccontate per niente.

Non lo consiglio.

[ReaderofBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 ster

Ik kan me herinneren dat ik de film vroeger echt heel gaaf vond: het bizarre en kunstige (en ben er nu ook achter dat bijna al mijn favoriete films toen verfilmingen waren van Neil Gaiman's verhalen xD ). Dit verhaal heeft dat 'onbehagelijke' dat veel van Gaiman's boeken hebben. Hij gaat ook in kinderverhalen het lichtelijk morbide en vreemde niet uit de weg (ala Alice in Wonderland) en dit is duidelijk een Alice in Wonderland verhaal. Het is zeer duidelijk een droom waarin alles van hak op de tak springt en onbewuste gedachten en gevoelens geconfronteerd worden. Vanwege het hak op de tak springen is het wel moeilijk te volgen en daardoor verlang je soms wel langere beschrijvingen. Toch al om al een origineel verhaal met voor mij een nostalgisch tintje.

[LibraryCin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Helena comes from a circus family and when her mother (not long after they’ve fought) ends up in the hospital, Helena has odd dreams.

This was just odd, I thought. Apparently a movie came first? This has illustrations throughout and it’s short. Since the bulk of the book was a dream, like many dreams it just went from odd happening to odd happening.

[Colleen Houck]

I haven't seen the film yet but now I'm curious to see it. I liked the heroine and her relationship with her mother. It made me reflect on how when we're grieving or going through something traumatic our dreams are shaped by that event. I'll have to check out the movie now.

[Ren H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, that was a weird but enjoyable little book. It was quite short, but I throughly liked the strangeness and surreal qualities of the writing.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mirrormask is a novella (and film) by Nail Gaiman. In it, we meet Helena who lives many a child’s dream of being in the circus. Naturally, Helena would prefer an ordinary life. One day, her mother falls ill and must have an operation. On the night before the surgery, Helena falls asleep and has an adventure in which she must save the world from darkness even as she learns important lessons about real life.

My thoughts on the book, in a handy bulleted list:

• You can’t say Gaiman isn’t creative.

• It takes place in a dream (or does it?) so a lot of the occurrences are just plain weird.

• The illustrations are by Dave McKean, the same fellow that illustrated Coraline. They are creepy. Seriously.

• The lessons about real life aren’t particularly subtle.

• I’ve only read three Gaiman books, but in two of them (this being one of them, Stardust the other), I have issues with how Gaiman develops – or rather doesn’t develop – romantic relationships. In this book, Helena is accompanied on her adventure by Valentine who, midway through the book, completely betrays her. Valentine does eventually return to help Helena, but there is no indication that they are anything but friends…until the end of the book when Helena suddenly says that, “There’s only one thing I’m missing from my life right now,” and of course it’s Valentine. Gaiman doesn’t allow relationships to blossom; he just dumps them on you.

So based on the above, you probably think I didn’t enjoy the book. On the contrary, I thought it was interesting once I began to see where Gaiman was going with the story. But I certainly don’t think it will thrill everyone. I suggest that readers start with Coraline. If that one is just too bizarre and creepy for you, definitely give Mirrormask a pass.

[Sandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This and Coraline are both based on an alternate world. Their other world seems to come into being or becomes more accessible when dissatisfaction arises with a parent in the real world. Here the comparison ends and I find myself enjoying MirrorMask much more then Coraline. I think it's partially that MirrorMask is much darker and I'm liking that side of Neil. He seemed to show it much more while writing the Sandman series. There's nothing wrong with lightheartedness and humour but I find he's at his best when things are a little meatier.

While Coraline wishes for a parent that notices her and cares, Helena simply wants a little more normalcy. Through many her many Wonderland styled adventures in the alternate world she begins to find that maybe her life is closer to normal then she thought. The art work to go along with this “trip” is fantastic.

I think the movie may go on my “To watch” list

[Rick Presley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd seen the movie a long time ago and so I had to do the book. Very short yet still fantastic. One of the few cases where the movie was better than the book, but just because the visuals were so stunning. The only thing that could have improved this was to have Neil read it himself. All in all, still a worthwhile listen.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was searching for something shortish and lightish and decided to try this. It struck me as sort of a mashup of Alice in Wonderland, Coraline and Labyrinth, with a moral of not being nasty to your mother. Which is fine for a younger audience, but I didn't like this as much as some of Gaiman's other work.

[April Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely love this movie. It was a weird mix of OZ, Wonderland, and Howl. The imagination and imagery was breathtaking. Unfortunately it didn't quite translate in this story. Something was lost with all that artistry was taken away.

[Kirsty Cabot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creepy, magical, dreamy, odd! The illustrations are so interesting, with contrasting styles. As ever, very Gaiman!

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh.

[Lindsey Rojem · Rating 4 out of 5]

This reminded me a bit of Coraline, it was a little dark & creepy. Quick read and good overall.

[Jenifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a trippy kind of book. It was like getting high and walking through someone else's thoughts. However, it was interesting enough to keep me engaged through the entire book (a very quick read) but was not one of my favorite Gaiman books. I have never seen the movie and since the graphic novel/book was written after the movie I may have done this in an incorrect order.

However, while reading through this book I did find some parallels to other books I've read and since those books are a bit more current, I'm wondering if some "borrowing" of ideas was used. I'll share the comparisons I found below, but am hiding them as spoilers, not for this book but for the other books in the event people haven't read them.

The first comparison isn't really to a book and I'm not sure where I've heard it before. In chapter/section IV there is the riddle when Helena is trying to get through the gate into the park. The riddle is What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon, and three legs in the evening. The way I've heard this riddle answered is that it is a comparison to man's journey through life. In the beginning of life, you are a baby and you crawl, hence the walking on four legs. In the middle of life you are grown and you walk on two legs. In the end of life you need support to walk and use a cane, hence the three legs. Again, not sure where I've heard this before, but it instantly triggered that thought when I read this line.

On the very next page from the first item is another item that reminded me of a movie, not necessarily a book. When giants are speaking and they are going uber slow in their speech and Valentine is rushing them along and keeps finishing their thoughts, this instantly reminded me of Zootopia and the scene in the DMV office with the sloths.

The final comparison takes place in chapter/section VIII when Helena puts on the mirror mask and how it talks about going into other worlds but not really being a part of that world. This was the basic premise of the book Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. I could see from this section and pretty much most of this book where Crouch would have gotten the idea for going into the box and popping out into different worlds and not being the same person who is already in that world (a different version of yourself)

[Mira · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't think I'll ever not absolutely love a book by Neil Gaiman. It's imaginative, magical and so beautiful it just transports you into the other world of mirrormask. I've never heard of the film before, and I'm extremely curious about it now, so I think I'll give it a go.
The only thing that I had a problem with is how Helena just forgave Valentine his betrayal, without him showing any real remorse. So yeah, that's the only weak point I guess in a beautiful story.
Also, I've listened to audiobook, which I actually rather enjoyed. The narrator did a superb job that even added to the magic of the tale itself. I just wish I'll get my hand on the illustrated version of the book soon-ish, because I'm sure it'll be doubly enjoyable!

[Alli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this! It follows a girl named Helena as she is dealing with anxiety after her mother is suddenly hospitalized. No one will tell Helena what is really going on with her mom. She feels guilty due to a fight she had with her mom and is very upset which leads her to have a very vivid dream that she escapes into. This story is very difficult to explain. It is full of whimsy and odd characters and crazy locations. I feel Gaiman embodied dreaming in such a vivid way. It had Alice in Wonderland atmosphere, and I believe it could be understood as speculation on how children handle grief.