尼爾•蓋曼（Neil Gaiman），歐美文壇新一代幻想文學大師，文學魔術界的精靈王子，暢銷小說作傢，無數奬項的獲得者。他集記者、詩人、詞作者、編劇和導演於一身，將想象、趣味與智慧完美結閤，被《文學傳記辭典》譽為十大後現代作傢之一。

他二十七歲開始文學創作，卓越的纔華很快為其贏得瞭許多殊榮。《睡神》係列的《仲夏夜之夢》一舉贏得瞭世界奇幻奬。之後的《美國眾神》可謂幻想類文學的奇葩，先後獲得雨果奬、星雲奬及布拉姆•斯托剋奬，成為瞭蓋曼的代錶作。源源不斷的靈感賦予瞭他更大的創作熱情，此後，《卡羅琳》和《綠字的研究》兩獲雨果奬，前者也再度問鼎布拉姆•斯托剋奬。

如今，尼爾•蓋曼更是好萊塢的寵兒和許多製片人眼中的金童。其作品很多都被搬上瞭銀幕，《蜘蛛男孩》、《鏡麵具》、《烏有鄉》、《星塵》等皆有不俗反響。正是像尼爾•蓋曼這樣的說故事大師，讓原本曇花一現的故事元素有瞭不斷的輪迴，有瞭綿亙的新生。

A mysterious circus terrifies an audience for one extraordinary performance before disappearing into the night, taking one of the spectators along with it . . . </p>

In a novella set two years after the events of American Gods, Shadow pays a visit to an ancient Scottish mansion, and finds himself trapped in a game of murder and monsters . . . </p>

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 . . . </p>

Two teenage boys crash a party and meet the girls of their dreams-;and nightmares . . . </p>

In a Locus Award-winning tale, the members of an excusive epicurean club lament that they've eaten everything that can be eaten, with the exception of a legendary, rare, and exceedingly dangerous Egyptian bird . . . </p>

Such marvelous creations and more-;including a short story set in the world of The Matrix, and others set in the worlds of gothic fiction and children's fiction-;can be found in this extraordinary collection, which showcases Gaiman's storytelling brilliance as well as his terrifyingly entertaining dark sense of humor. By turns delightful, disturbing, and diverting, Fragile Things is a gift of literary enchantment from one of the most unique writers of our time. </p>