Just finished reading all of Neil Gaiman's Sandman

[Jarlaxl]

(All 10 paper trades, plus Endless Nights)

Holy crap.

The characters were astounding, the story was vivid, the way it all tied together to reward readership was remarkable, the aesthetic was spot-on...

It was, overall, lovely.

I read the first four paper trades a few years back, in my high school days, and I must confess that it didn't make much sense. Going back now, it makes so much more sense.

The only thing I didn't like was

Spoiler

in The Kindly Ones arc, how Lyta is so insanely bound to Daniel. True, that sort of devotion was necessary for the events which follow, and I somehow doubt that Morpheus didn't premeditate all of it, and it makes sense for Lyta to care so much about Daniel since he's kind of all she has left, but I just can never emotionally associate with that sort of zealous defense of one's offspring. Plus, it cheapens Lyta to have her entire world defined - again - by another. Her world was defined by Hector for years in The Doll's House arc, and it's like she just never learned. She just seems to always be this husk of a character, little more than a bundle of responses to stimuli, always bound to and defining her world by others, never being substantive in her own right. The arc tied together quite well, it just never got over that implausibility hurdle for me, especially given how well-crafted every other character was.

Have you read it? What did you think of it all?

 

[Eleuthera]

I read the entire series for the first time about a year and a half ago, and them most of it again last year. there's only really one thing wrong with it: it ends.

Some stories were obviously better then others, but all in all I really loved the series and should probaly re-re-read it sometime.

 

[Taldeer]

Read it two or three years ago, or maybe even more, I don't really remember. It's an amazing series, it turned me on to Neil Gaiman and I've read every one of his books after that. Just splendid. One of those little things I loved is, for example, how he took a very lame character, in my opinion, namely "Doctor Doom" if I remember it correctly, and made him seriously disturbing, gave him an abyss of depth.

 

[AnnaIME]

When I was in college, we had to read some of it for literature class. The teacher handed out thin little magazines from her own private collection and said "This is awesome, read and discuss". I went out and bought the whole set, one collection at a time as soon as I could afford it (and as soon as the collections were realeased).

I love the rich web, where one character is a minor bystander in one arc, and then has an arc of his/her own. I love how the story develops. I love all the little nods and winks to literature and history and philosophy. I love the way the artwork complements the stories.

The only Neil Gaiman book I didn't like so far was Neverwhere.

 

[FalloutJack]

-Much Ado About Dream-

Yes I have and yes it's good. On the subject of your contention...

Spoiler

I understand why you feel that way, and perhaps you are right, but there are things about it which have me figure that Lyta makes sense. You and I both know that Dream's machinations have probably lead to this ever since Destruction left. In the case of 'adapt or die', Dream is very solid about his duties, so he took the third option and adapted BY dying. This act extended so far that it even pushed forward Desire's revenge as effectively one step in the process, so when you're fooling your omnipotent siblings now...it's hard for a human to really get in the way.

The other thing is sort of the way Loki burned that other woman in her car. He explained that her tragedy was that she would never even get to know, to understand what was going on. I believe that Neil well-played the idea that not everyone gets their closure in reality and not everyone has the courage or ability to move on their own. Several people died merely as a consequence of events in The Sandman, never to understand or get their whys. They just died, because people do that. And some people are led by the nose all the time and never break out of that shell. People like Lyta existing in Neil's story made it all the more real.

 

[Eleuthera]

namely "Doctor Doom" if I remember it correctly,

Dr. Destiny actually.

But yeah Gaiman has an ability to make great stories out of "nothing", I just bought his Neverwhere novel and I'm very much looking forward to reading that, the Tv series seemed limited due to budgetary restraints.

 

[necromanzer52]

I didn't like the kindly ones arc very much but everything before that was fantastic.

 

[WolfThomas]

Have you read it? What did you think of it all?

Yup I have read it, you might want to read the Death books, plus the Lucifer spin-off by Mike Carey, it's a bit different but it's great in it's own way.

 

[Taldeer]

namely "Doctor Doom" if I remember it correctly,

Dr. Destiny actually.

But yeah Gaiman has an ability to make great stories out of "nothing", I just bought his Neverwhere novel and I'm very much looking forward to reading that, the Tv series seemed limited due to budgetary restraints.

Oh, thank you, sorry I got those mixed up.

 

[II2]

Respect it, as an accomplished work, but it didn't click with me. In loosely similar series though, I loved Alan Moore's Promethea.

 

[EmpressZombiKitty]

I read them all a couple years back and absolutely loved it. I wouldn't mind re-reading it.

 

[Jamboxdotcom]

Huh... The Kindly Ones was actually my favorite arc, both for the story and the artwork. I never had much trouble understanding Lyta's mindset, as the "rabid mother" is a pretty common trope.

 

[elbrandino]

I haven't read it, but I did read American Gods. Gaiman is fantastic, and so is American Gods. I just might read Sandman now.