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4.27 AVERAGE
4.27 AVERAGE
Mainly 5 stars because starting with Three Septembers and a January and ending with Ramadan. Perfect.
Interesting retelling and interpretations of various myths.
9/10
Just reread this series for the first time in many years and it does not disappoint. It's truly the most stunning, imaginative, and enjoyable graphic novel I've ever read.
Just reread this series for the first time in many years and it does not disappoint. It's truly the most stunning, imaginative, and enjoyable graphic novel I've ever read.
Surprisingly trans affirming for being written in the 80s!
I loved this one. The way Gaiman weaves his stories together, how he connects characters and plotlines in ways that you never see coming but still make perfect sense when you see them, is so skillful, and so well done. I can't wait to read the rest of these!
There were some great bits in here, but I think I might have a problem with using real people in fiction. It makes me uncomfortable, especially when said fiction decides to turn real people into, say, sexual predators.
I'm also very much over Gaiman's whole "storyteller" schtick, and boy, is there a lot of that in here. He doesn't outright say "Neil Gaiman is a storytelling genius and therefore one of the most important people ever to live", but he certainly does heavily imply it. I'm sure he'd gladly say that everyone is a storyteller etc, but that's not what he's really interested in saying. He props up storytelling as a kind of magic that creates everything meaningful in the human experience, then proceeds to write vignette after vignette flexing his storytelling muscles by spewing out fanciful and half-baked ideas by the bucketload. It's incredibly self-congratulatory and just makes me roll my eyes.
It's a shame, because when he gets into the weeds and just tells a genuinely good story, I invariably love it. I just wish he got out from between his own buttocks more often.
I'm also very much over Gaiman's whole "storyteller" schtick, and boy, is there a lot of that in here. He doesn't outright say "Neil Gaiman is a storytelling genius and therefore one of the most important people ever to live", but he certainly does heavily imply it. I'm sure he'd gladly say that everyone is a storyteller etc, but that's not what he's really interested in saying. He props up storytelling as a kind of magic that creates everything meaningful in the human experience, then proceeds to write vignette after vignette flexing his storytelling muscles by spewing out fanciful and half-baked ideas by the bucketload. It's incredibly self-congratulatory and just makes me roll my eyes.
It's a shame, because when he gets into the weeds and just tells a genuinely good story, I invariably love it. I just wish he got out from between his own buttocks more often.
The freaky folk tales were pretty good. The Roman marketplace should have been a lot better. I like baby Daniel in the Dreaming. The Baghdad story could have been way less cheesy.
A few of these issues seem out of sequence with other things that already happened in earlier collections, but mostly these are either one-off stories or touching on Gaiman's treatment of the Orpheus myth. I did like that a lot of things came in between the first time we see him -- while he is an unsettling party to a completely different story and almost an afterthought -- and the issues with his story. That felt a little more novelesque, which made the collection a better read.
A few of these issues seem out of sequence with other things that already happened in earlier collections, but mostly these are either one-off stories or touching on Gaiman's treatment of the Orpheus myth. I did like that a lot of things came in between the first time we see him -- while he is an unsettling party to a completely different story and almost an afterthought -- and the issues with his story. That felt a little more novelesque, which made the collection a better read.
There are a few of the longer arcs I really enjoy, but for the most part it's Sandman's standalone issues that stick with me the most. This volume contains several great single stories, and the artwork is the more precise and elaborate style I prefer. The intricate illustrations of Ramadan are my favorite artwork so far in this reread.
The Sandman Series is as thought-provoking as it is creepy. Not that I'm much surprised, since one of Dream's (aka Morpheus aka Sandman) siblings is Death. This collection features Mr. Gaiman's take on the Orpheus Myth and a great take it is. It also features werewolves, Emperor Augustus, The First Emperor of the United States (with a cameo by Mark Twain in that story), and even a story by our old friends Cane and Abel.
As with most volumes, you can read it without having read any of the others. But I recommend to start at the beginning. If you picked it up, you're most likely anticipating reading about The Sandman. But, while he is indeed in every story, sometimes he only makes a brief appearance. If you've read the others, you'll most assuredly enjoy this one.
As with most volumes, you can read it without having read any of the others. But I recommend to start at the beginning. If you picked it up, you're most likely anticipating reading about The Sandman. But, while he is indeed in every story, sometimes he only makes a brief appearance. If you've read the others, you'll most assuredly enjoy this one.