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Title: The Kindly Ones (Sandman, Book 9) by Neil Gaiman, Frank McConnell ISBN: 1-56389-205-7 Publisher: DC Comics Pub. Date: 01 September, 1996 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.85 (33 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: The Best of the Best.
Comment: This book is perhaps the most engrossing book I've ever read, with the possible exception of the Gaiman/McKean MASTERPIECE, Mr. Punch. This was the 2nd Sandman book I read, though I have since completed the series, and trust me, though it's amazing on its own, once you recognize the themes and motifs that have been continued throughout the series (The triple Goddess/Kindly Ones theme has been in every single Sandman collection; look it up if you don't believe me.) as well as the insights into the motivations of all the characters, this is nothing short of a masterpeice. I can't possibly say enough good things about this book, or the entire series. Added bonus: for the first time, the art is ALMOST equal to the story. Don't get me wrong, Jill Thomson, Shaun McManus, Mike Dirginberg, etc, did some great work, but up until now that kind of "comic book-y" style has dominated the series, whereas Mark Hempel's smooth lines and more abstract, angular style compliment Gaiman's writing much better, to my mind. Overall, this is, I'll say it again, an AMAZING book. Buy it. Please. For your own sake.
Rating: 5
Summary: Comic-book format, classic tragedy
Comment: If you think comics are just for kids, this collection will change your mind. The same can be said of the entire Sandman series, but for sheer drama, tightly woven storytelling, and fascinating characterization, "The Kindly Ones" is the best of the lot.
Readers of previous Sandman collections will recognize many plotlines and characters finding closure here, but the story is also fascinating for the new reader. In a previous story arc, the Lord of Dreams killed his own son, Orpheus (yes, *that* Orpheus). The consequences of blood-debt, as any reader of Shakespeare will tell you, are terrible; in "The Kindly Ones," Dream, arguably one of the most powerful entities in all of creation, must face those consequences himself.
In contrast with previous Sandman story arcs, Dream takes a much more active role; instead of being a catalyst, he is a central figure who drives the story. This does not mean that other characters who have taken that role in the past are forgotten, however. They're all here -- Hippolyta, Rose Walker, Queen Titania and her royal court of Faerie, Matthew the Raven, Cain and Abel, Lucifer, even Death herself. And the Corinthian...but I won't spoil that for you.
If there is any justice in this world, Neil Gaiman will be remembered as one of the finest storytellers of our times. Sure, it's a comic book -- or, if you prefer, the more adult term "graphic novel" -- but you shouldn't let that stop you. This isn't Spiderman or Mary Worth. It isn't Tintin or the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Gaiman has taken the medium to a whole different level, a level that demands that you take it seriously to fully appreciate the content. And if nothing else, the covers by Dave McKean are alone worth the price of admission
Rating: 5
Summary: We do what we do because of who we are.
Comment: Simply put, "The Kindly Ones" is a study of Morpheus' collapse, and, as such, follows the conventions of tragedy. And in true tragic fashion, Morpheus' downfall is precipitated from within: in this case, an unerring commitment to his office and the responsibilities contained therein, even when adhering to those principles ensures his inevitable demise. Clever as he is, Gaiman never truly indicates why Dream so resolutely marches towards this fate: is Morpheus punishing himself for the sins of his past; does he believe we all have predestined ends, and his particular position obligates him to make choices consistent with it, consequences be damned; is he simply not as insightful as he appears, and naively making choices that are destroying him? Although, by this point, he has appeared in nine volumes, Dream continues to elude facile generalizations of his character and remains deliciously enigmatic. Even the lot of Morpheus at the end of this volume is uncertain; death and life appearing to be rather fluid and interchangeable concepts, much like the ankh symbol worn by his adorable, and equally paradoxical, older sister, Death.
As Mikal Gilmore notes in this insightful Introduction to "The Wake," the title not only points to those 'kindly' ladies, the Furies, but others whose acts of kindness (Hippolyta, Thessaly, even Morpheus) similarly precipitate Morpheus' fall, either purposely or not. It is remarkable Gaiman has constructed a character whose humanization and kindness eventually destroys him. You certainly won't find this level of psychological sophistication in your average run-of-the-mill comic title or novel.
This volume gets my vote for the pick of the series; not an easy task when you consider the immense quality of its predecessors. But there's a sense of urgency in the unfolding of the plot, a self-awareness that things are coming to an end, leading to the inescapable conclusion that this title is the crescendo of the Sandman library. All the unresolved plotlines in the earlier volumes flourish here and result in the climactic conclusion. We learn that the fate of Morpheus is intertwined with the fate of the series itself, and I for one can't think of a more appropriate ending.
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Title: Fables and Reflections (Sandman, Book 6) by Neil Gaiman ISBN: 1563891050 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: 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: 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: 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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