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Title: Preludes and Nocturnes (Sandman, Book 1) by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth, Michael Dringenberg, Malcolm Jones III ISBN: 1-56389-011-9 Publisher: DC Comics Pub. Date: 07 December, 1993 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.26 (70 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: The Beginning of a Dream
Comment: Gaiman's incredible Sandman series starts with this collection. While trying to capture the personification of Death (a tried and true fantasy convention) a magician captures instead the King of Dreams, who remains his prisoner for seven decades until he (Dream) is finally given an opportunity to escape. Comic book conventions come into play at the beginning with guest appearances by John Constantine and Etrigan as Dream pursues his lost tools of office. But when Dream finally confronts the man,(a minor DC villain,Dr. Destiny)who possesses the last of these tools the series enters a different realm far from the typical comic book. Taking his lead from Alan Moore's work on Swamp Thing, Gaiman creates an atmosphere of real horror as Dr. Destiny warps the lives of a few unlucky diner patrons, driving them to madness before he is finally stopped by Dream. It is in the scenes at the diner Gamain's talent really comes to the forefront and you realize that this is no typical comic book experience. By showing the gradual destruction of these characters Gaiman give the reader a peak at what becomes the theme of the entire series; the power of dreams in our lives.
Rating: 5
Summary: An Introduction to a Legacy
Comment: To start - Neil Gaiman is an immaculate genre writer, who blends in sophistication with the bizarre in almost all of his projects. The Sandman Series is certainly one of his best works and , of course, keeps getting better. I must admit, I'm currently on the Seventh Chapter, but the first book: "Preludes and Nocturnes" deserves a lot of recognition.
I had been warned that the first collection of his comics was one of the weaker installments. But so far, I must disagree. "Preludes and Nocturnes" is a fantastic introduction to the character of Dream. For those who have not yet read started this series, the book opens with a underground society of necromantic cultists, in England, the early 1900's. In an attempt to capture the divine personification of Death - they accidently capture her brother, Dream. Though, this doesn't ensure immortality to the cultists anymore, they keep him bound in hopes of bargaining his freedom for power. After imprisonment for almost a century, Dream finally escapes and takes his revenge on his captors. The rest of the book, finds Dream severly weakened and missing his three artifacts, and sources of his power: his bag of sand, helmet and amulet. Because of his absence, the items have fallen into the hands of others and his kingdom and responsibilities, having been neglected during his imprisonment, have all crumbled. He spends the rest of the book reclaiming his lost possessions and reestablishing his authority as the Lord of Dreams.
For a writer who really didn't know where his story was going, Gaiman has given us an intriguing world to visit. He intergrates the modern world and ordinary mortal characters with elements of the supernatural and mythology. One cannot help but be fascinated by such scenes as Dream challenging a deamon to a duel of spoken words and image, while in a 1930's style bar in Hell. The book contains a variety of colorful characters and an original storyline that really sets the stage for the rest of the series. Also, being a graphic novel really adds to its presentation. The images are sometimes beyond literary comprehension and now I just couldn't imagine just reading this story. Gaiman has a way of creating images to vivid for words, so it seems quite appropriate these stories are told in a comic book style.
In addition, the book closes on a scene between Dream and Death, who is pictured as a flamboyant happy-go-lucky Goth girl. He accompanies her as she collects the souls of the dying and brings an interesting sense of closure to Dream's experience. The world has changed in his absence and there is much more for him to learn and to explore.
This is an essential book in the Neil Gaiman universe. If anything, it acts as a much needed foreward to the rest of the Sandman graphic novels and sets the stage for our expectations. But it stands on its own, the story rivaling the works of H.P. Lovecraft and Terry Pratchett.
Happy Reading!
Rating: 3
Summary: Not a good indicator of what the series would become
Comment: Don't get me wrong. I love the Sandman. I started on it by the last volume (the Wake), which wasn't the smartest thing to do, but heck I didn't know. Afterwards, puzzled, I proceeded to read the whole series more or less in order (depending on the stocks in my local comic store, mainly). If I hadn't had an idea of what the later story arcs would evolve into, I would have closed the first volume almost as soon as I opened it. Why? Because the wake was clearly fantasy. Whereas this is horror a la Clive Barker (and I can't stand horror).
The story, briefly: a group of magicians attempt to capture Death, and snare her younger brother, Dream, instead. After many years in captivity, Dream manages to get free, and spends the rest of the book trying to rebuild his kingdom, which grew pretty ruined in the years he wasn't there.
This is not for the faint-hearted. It is worth remembering that Mr Gaiman was writing a horror comic, rather than the fantasy, mythology-ladden stories the series would later evolve into. There are some fairly gruesome moments, with the necessary drawings. I would advise you to skip it altogether (with the possible exception of 'The Sound of Her Wings' which introduces the brilliant character of Death), except that you won't understand the later volumes if you do. So maybe flick through it, and through the next one, the Doll's House, which is somewhat messy and equally gruesome (except, again, for one particular section involving Hob Gadling, a man who strikes an odd bargain with Death). Don't let the gory bits deter you from Gaiman. Start the in-depth reading with volume three and read all of them to the Wake. Trust me, it's worth it.
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Title: The Doll's House (Sandman, Book 2) by Neil Gaiman, Malcolm Jones III, Mike Dringenberg, Michael Zulli, Clive Barker ISBN: 0930289595 Publisher: DC Comics Pub. Date: 01 September, 1991 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Dream Country (Sandman, Book 3) by Neil Gaiman, Malcolm Jones III, Colleen Doran, Kelley Jones, Charles Vess, Steve Erickson ISBN: 156389016X Publisher: DC Comics Pub. Date: 24 September, 1991 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: Season of Mists (Sandman, Book 4) by Neil Gaiman, Kelley Jones, Harlan Ellison, Mike Dringenberg ISBN: 1563890410 Publisher: DC Comics Pub. Date: 04 January, 1994 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: A Game of You (Sandman, Book 5) by Neil Gaiman, Samuel R. Delany, Shawn MacManus, Colleen Doran, Bryan Talbot, George Pratt, Stan Woch, Dick Giordano ISBN: 1563890895 Publisher: DC Comics Pub. Date: 03 September, 1993 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Brief Lives (Sandman, Book 7) by Neil Gaiman, Jill Thompson, Vince Locke, Peter Straub ISBN: 1563891387 Publisher: DC Comics Pub. Date: 01 January, 1995 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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