Saturday, July 16, 2016

Books read in 2016: No. 32 -- The Sandman, Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes

by Neil Gaiman

Started: July 15
Finished: July 16

Notes: I read The Sandman run in DC's Vertigo comics back when it was originally published in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and I've read the collections several times since, though it has been a while. Still, I've never sat down and read all the collections right after one another, which is what I will attempt to do now. I'm a big fan of this series, considering it not only Gaiman's best writing work but some of the best writing of the last 500 years. I really mean that, when considering the collection as a whole. There are portions of The Sandman which didn't work for me as well as other parts, but again, as a whole I believe it is some of the best writing and some of the best fiction to ever be produced by man.

Mini review: Pretty much as I remembered it. The first handful of issues are somewhat rough, but eventually the overall tale moves into a fine mixture of fantasy and horror, eventually ending with an upbeat issue. This is not The Sandman at its best, but there are definitely signs of greatness to come. The last issue in this collection is probably my favorite of this lot, though the horror issue in which Dr. Dee takes over a restaurant comes close. If you've not read these, you need to starting with this book. By the way, I'm intentionally giving away practically nothing concerning the plot on purpose.

1 comment:

Charles Gramlich said...

I just read this a week or so ago. Liked it OK but wasn't terribly impressed. I keep hearing good things about the whole series but that's a lot of money to spend so I don't know that I'll continue. No shortage of stuff to read in the world.