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Smoke and Mirrors - Nicholas Was...

#72: Sept. - Oct. 2009 (Fiction)
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Chris OConnor

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Smoke and Mirrors - Nicholas Was...

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Nicholas Was...
WildCityWoman
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Not a whole lot to talk about there - a short (100 words), about Santa Claus and how he considered his job as a punishment of sorts.
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Yes, the description of this story in the prologue was that it was a story written and disseminated in his family Christmas cards. I think this says a lot about the mindset that Gaiman (and his family) has in which a festive occasion can become more interesting with a touch of the macabre and a new perspective.
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I found this story amusing and thought-provoking. How did Nicholas get into this predicament? What keeps him from dying? Why can't he escape?

Why do the dwarves make the toys? Why do they want Nicholas to take them to the children of the world? Why can't they do their own dirty work?

Where did the dwarves come from? Who are they? What is the language they speak?

Where are these Arctic caverns, considering that what covers the North Pole is an ice cap floating on a sea? Are we talking about Discworld, perhaps? No, that has the Hogfather. Some other world, then. What is it like? Is Nicholas a saint, as he is considered to be in this world?

Lots of questions...
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