The Sandman Vol. 1

Preludes & Nocturnes 30th Anniversary Edition

paperback, 240 pages

Published Oct. 30, 2018 by Vertigo.

ISBN:
978-1-4012-8477-0
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4 stars (28 reviews)

Preludes and Nocturnes collects the first eight issues of The Sandman comic by Neil Gaiman published by DC Vertigo. The series centers on Morpheus (Dream of the Endless). Dream is imprisoned for decades by an occultist seeking immortality. Upon escaping, he must reclaim his objects of power while still in a weakened state, confronting an addict to his dream powder, the legions of Hell, and an all-powerful madman (Doctor Destiny) in the process.

10 editions

“Some things are too big to be seen; some emotions too huge to be felt.”

3 stars

Morpheus, one of the Endless, is kidnapped and upon escaping discovers the world has changed. The first volume is about him trying to regain his power. The book introduces characters, places, and plots.

There is something I need to confess. Neil Gaiman’s books have never really appealed to me. I am completely baffled by them. When he tells a story, I never know where it will go.

In this volume, there is an overwhelming amount of happening. Some characters (both new and recycled) ended up being flat and boring because there were too many. Although I didn’t find the main character to be bad, he became flat and boring as the story progressed. Among them, only John Constantine really appealed to me.

There was also a lot of confusion and overwhelming in the plot. The author presented many ideas, some of which were overlooked and left you wishing for more …

Review of 'The Sandman Vol. 1' on 'Storygraph'

3 stars

I've heard a lot about this series over the years, but I never actually read it. I gave it a try, and it didn't really catch me. It's probably too dark for my taste as it clearly has horror elements. I didn't like seeing people suffering because of the cruelty of deities, it's not really my thing. The art is beautiful, though. 

Review of 'Preludes and Nocturnes' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

After re-reading this some 20 years later, I must admit the magic has somewhat faded. As has my general interest in Gaiman's fiction, to be honest. It's not bad in any particular way - it's just... vague.

As a reader, I'm never really invited to share the specific rules that govern the dreamworld. Morpheus' powers seem to vary from God-like to human, providing small possibilities for me to assess the threats posed by humans, madmen or demons.

Agreed, the grapic novel(s) can be seen as a grand tour of hitherto unknown worlds and universes. As such it really is magnificent. But that might be something to bear in mind when reviewing the complete series. As a standalone volume, I cannot help but to give it the standard three stars.

Sorry 'bout that, Neil.

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