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| Sandman |
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Book
Five: A Game of You |
Written by Neil Gaiman
Art by Shawn McManus, Colleen Doran, Bryan Talbot, George Pratt,
Stan Woch, and Dick Giordano
Cover by Dave McKean
Introduction by Samuel R. Delany |
Paperback
DC Comics
ISBN: 1563890895 |
$19.95
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| The line between
reality and fantasy is blurred in this tale of gender identity, childhood,
and magic. Enter the twilight zone between waking and dreaming in Neil
Gaiman's subtle and poignant tale A GAME OF YOU. |
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Amazon.com
You may have heard somewhere
that Neil Gaiman's Sandman series consisted of cool, hip, edgy, smart comic
books. And you may have thought, "What the hell does that mean?" Enter
A Game of You to confound the issue even more, while at the same time standing
as a fine example of such a description. This is not an easy book. The
characters are dense and unique, while their observations are, as always
with Gaiman, refreshingly familiar. Then there's the plot, which grinds
along like a coffee mill, in the process breaking down the two worlds of
this series, that of the dream and that of the dreamer. Gaiman pushes these
worlds to their very extremes--one is a fantasy world with talking animals,
a missing princess, and a mysterious villain called the Cuckoo; the other
is an urban microcosm inhabited by a drag queen, a punk lesbian couple,
and a New York doll named Barbie. In almost every way this book sits at
180 degrees from the earlier four volumes of the Sandman series--although
the less it seems to belong to the series, the more it shows its heart.
--Jim Pascoe
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| Sandman |
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Book
Six:
Fables
and Reflections |
by Neil Gaiman, "the Sandman Artists,"
& Dave McKean,
et al. |
Paperback
Warner Books
ISBN: 1563891050 |
$19.95
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| From the mists
of the past to the nightmares of the present, Neil Gaiman's THE SANDMAN
touches the lives of kings and knaves, explorers, storytellers, monsters
and children. This collection of short tales explores historical figures
from Augustus Caesar to Marco Polo, from The Arabian Nights to Revolutionary
France. |
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| Sandman |
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Book
Seven: Brief Lives |
Written by Neil Gaiman
Art by Jill Thompson and others |
Paperback
DC Comics
ISBN: 1563891387 |
$19.95
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| Delirium, youngest
brother of the Endless, prevails upon her brother, Dream, to help her find
their missing sibling. Their travels take them through the world of the
waking until a final confrontation with the missing member of the Endless
and the resolution of Dream's relationship with his son change the endless
forever. |
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Amazon.com
One might think that the
climax of the 10-volume Sandman series would come in the last book, or
even the second to last. But indeed the heart and soul of Neil Gaiman's
magnum opus lies here in Brief Lives. It could be because one of the most
central mysteries--that of the Sandman's missing brother--is revealed here
(in fact, the plot of this volume is the search for this member of the
Endless). It could be because everything that comes after this volume,
however surprising or unexpected, is inevitable. But it's more because
this is a story about mortality and loss, the difficulty of change, the
purpose of remembering, the purpose of forgetting, and the importance of
humanity. If you have wanted to find out what all the good buzz on this
great comic book series is about and haven't read any Gaiman before, don't
be turned off by this volume's pivotal position in the larger story of
the Sandman series. This book might actually operate better as a stand-alone
story, in that its depth and compassion are more condensed, pure, and brief.
--Jim Pasco
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| The
Sandman |
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Book
Eight: Worlds' End |
by Neil Gaiman, "the Sandman Artists,"
& Dave McKean,
et al. |
Paperback
DC Comics
ISBN: 1563891719 |
$19.95
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| Travelers from
myth, dream, and different areas converge on a mysterious inn to take shelter
from a "reality storm." In this collection of the individual stories of
some visitors at the Worlds' End Inn, we see the impact of the Sandman
on the lives of those around him. We also get hints of what's to come in
the next book, The Kindly Ones. The art is widely diverse and consistently
beautiful, and the stories span genre, time, and space, fitting together
like the pieces of a puzzle. |
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Amazon.com
When Brant and Charlene
wreck their car in a horrible snowstorm in the middle of nowhere, the only
place they can find shelter is a mysterious little inn called World's End.
Here they wait out the storm and listen to stories from the many travelers
also stuck at this tavern. These tales exemplify Neil Gaiman's gift for
storytelling--and his love for the very telling of them. This volume has
almost nothing to do with the larger story of the Sandman, except for a
brief foreshadowing nod. It's a nice companion to the best Sandman short
story collection, Dream Country, (and it's much better than the hodgepodge
Fables and Reflections). World's End works best as a collection--it's a
story about a story about stories--all wrapped up in a structure that's
clever without being cute, and which features an ending nothing short of
spectacular.
--Jim Pascoe
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