Name: Worlds' End
Rating: 4.346648301193755 (1089 reviews)
ISBN: 9781563891700

Neil Gaiman

Dave McKean

After being caught in the vortex of a reality storm, a group of travelers find themselves at the Worlds' End inn where they share stories of the places they have visited and the people they have met.

Worlds' End

Nash Grady

Dream Country

The sandman.

Tim Pendry

Volume 3 of the acclaimed 'Sandman' series but stand-alone. This edition also contains the original script for the first of its four stories, 'Calliope', which might be of interest to students of illustration. If we are to be honest, Neil Gaiman is engaged in a project to bring 'Tales from the Crypt' up the literary and artistic food chain. There is no doubt that he succeeds admirably in his task, aided by a series of excellent illustrators, but the stories, with the exception of his re-thinking of the origins of Shakespeare's 'Midsummer Night's Dream', are not complex - poetic and suggestive perhaps but not complex. The first story. the 'Calliope', tells of a writer's abuse of an incarnated muse, an exploitation that has its sexual side and which brilliantly makes a creative reader feel besmirched by his own potential for evil in following his artistic ambition. Gaiman and illustrator Kelley Jones' skill lies in making a captured Greek mythological figure into the type of sex-trafficked woman and the artist into little more than a sleazy punter or pimp - a reversal of romantic views of the artist and her muse that is truly horrific. The second, 'A Dream of a Thousand Cats' is a 'take' on another type of dream, not that of ambition but of dream as magical transformer of reality. This is a theme that we know from 'The Matrix' but here it is expressed as the remaking of reality and their history by humans and cats in turn and intentionally leaves us with a sense of unease. It might also be read as a commentary on the potential power of religious faith, born out of suffering, to change the world although the unease remains just that, unease - there is no real evidence here that faith changes anything but the faithful or that the faithful have anything more to look forward to than homeless wandering and more pain. The award winning Shakespearian tale is magical at two levels. It is English-magical in referring back to the Old Religion and the ancient countryside in a way that should have earned it a place at the recent 'Dark Monarch' Exhibition by the Tate on magic and modernity in English art. But it also revisits the issue of the price paid by the artist in his obsessive disregard for a greater personal creation than his play and his bargain with the Dark Lord of the the dream world for inspiration, a bargain as cruel in its way as that of the writer in 'Calliope'. Gaiman is different from all his contemporaries in questioning here and occasionally elsewhere whether the imagination and magic are sufficient cause to abandon the world. The conclusion appears to be that he and other imaginative people can do no other but that they should be under no illusion that what they do is somehow inevitably better or nobler than the lives of ordinary mortals. This seems to be an attitude very different from that of the bulk of the English School of imaginative and magical writers, of which Alan Moore is exemplar, where the world of faery, alchemy, imagination and magic seem to be presented as an alternate reality truer than our mundane world. It strikes me as no surprise that Gaiman would find himself not only living happily in America but seemingly welcoming its modernity in later works. There is an ambiguity in Gaiman that might just, when history judges him, tip him into the very top rank of authors. The final story,'Facade', as if to confirm this thesis, is, by contrast very modern and very American, with a nod to the 'superhero' tradition that never really embedded itself in Gaiman's homeland. In this case, we may have an Egyptian mythological back story and visual references to the Mummy tradition but the core story is one of mysterious government agencies and advanced bodily transmutation in which science rather than magic is dominant. This is the world of 'Superman' if seen through a very dark lens. Ra's magic is as scientific in its way as the speculations of Stoker's main protagonist against 'The Mummy' in the 'Jewel of the Seven Stars' nearly a hundred years before. Taken together, the four stories are variations on the theme of dreaming a myth - of the incorporation of myth into reality, of the use of myth to change reality, of the creative interplay, with its dangers, of myth and reality and of science as a dream or myth in its own right. The Dark Lord of the dream world appears in two of them - where myth and legend are most obviously in sight. The other two have American settings and owe their style to the American comic book tradition. As in 'American Gods', Gaiman is merging European mythic and American popular cultural traditions with not a little genius. It is probably no accident that Gaiman uses a quotation in a letter from the quintessential English writer of the supernatural, magic and the Old Religion, Arthur Machen, to the American James Branch Cabell in 1918 as one of his two introductory quotations. He also quotes separately that all writers are liars. The two quotations set the mood - an artist-writer hybridising two great traditions of magic and modernity but not believing that anything he creates represents anything bigger than a human imaginative creation. Pragmatic, sceptical, Gaiman uses but is not part of the English mystical-magical tradition. Yet, at the end of the day, while the style is brilliant and the themes intriguing, the attempt to go beyond the comic book shows the weakness of the genre. In general, high quality books are far better than the films that they derive from - we think of Moravia's treatment by no less Directors than Bertolucci and Godard. On the other hand, films made from comic books and second-rate pulp fiction tend to be superior to their sources. There is an intellectual hierarchy here whether we like it or not, albeit with exceptions on all sides. This graphic novel is far greater than most graphic material and it deserves re-reading but you sense that it is a stepping stone to the prize rather than the prize itself and has lost something by trying to do more than graphic novels can do. Still, it has to be in any respectable collection and Gaiman certainly gets the best out of his illustrators. You will not regret owning it.

A Game of You

M. Sosotris

I don’t know if I can forgive Neil Gaiman for what happened to Wanda. I loved her.

This one is outstanding. A bit overly complex, in terms of the mechanics of what creates and ends the main conflict, but the character work is absolutely top notch.

Wanda deserved to thrive and succeed and prove her horrible family wrong. Not cool, Mr. Gaiman.

Mike Dringenberg

Featuring the popular characters from the award-winning Sandman series by Neil Caiman, "The Sandman: Endless Nights" reveals the legend of the Endless, a family of magical and mythical beings. In this highly imaginative book that boasts diverse styles of breathtaking full-color art, seven peculiar and powerful siblings each reveal more about their true beings as they star in their own tales. 1-40120-113-X$17.95 / DC Comics

The Doll's House

Bowie 

Kelley Jones

Charles Vess

A collection of stories, comics, and plays that deal with never ending dreams.

Léa

I missed reading sandman in the library so much, it brings back so many memories and makes my heart so full, i love this universe so much it really means the world to me <3

I didnt pick it up for more than a month bc it’s not thé vibe if i dont read ir at the library and it was closed almost all of July but OMFG ONLY 4 DAYS BEFORE SEEING THAT ON SCREEN I CANNOT WAIT and like being noticed by jenna coleman and mason alexander park my heart and talking about it 24/7 to anyone who wanna hear about it and to m’y friends and to my only friend who’s fan of sandman anyways, this owns my heart <3

The lore in this one was so freaking cool i loved it so much !!! I saw one of the pannels i was shown when i first got introduced to sandman and i now know who tessaly or whatever her name is is so that’s nice as well (and i do not like her btw she’s annoying)

Peter Straub

An attempt to summon and imprison Death, results, instead, in the capture of Morpheus, the Sandman, who must regain the tools of his powers.

Brief Lives

The Sandman

** spoiler alert **
           despite what i’ve been told, i did not in fact fall in love with destruction. and i need to remember about the end monologue apparently so yeah ? 
Really liked delirium x dream interactions AND WHEN SHE WAS DRIVING LMAO 
anyways, once again lots of memories related to it

Fables & Reflections

The  Sandman

I do prefer actual lore but this was really nice as well :))

I liked it a lot but I prefer actual lore much more than these kind of one shots/standalones even if they were really good

Sam Kieth

Danny Vozzo

Todd Klein

A collection of eight comics that introduce the series' lead character, the Sandman, Lord of Dreams.

Preludes and Nocturnes

honestly didnt think that i’d read it this fast lmao but i did and the hyperfixation is there it’s all i can talk about lmao, thankfully i have someone with whom i can talk about it otherwise i would have been like 🧍🏻‍♀️
anyways, reading this in the library in between studying with 2 of my friends next to me (not at all times but they were often there) and listening to my fav artist really is the vibe, i regret saying no to the audiobook but oh well i cant go back and ask him for it i have to much pride for it

A collection of short works offers stories that range in setting from a ghost-ridden cellar to a hotel convention of serial kilers, and includs works by Gene Wolfe, Clive Barker, Tad Williams, and Barbara Hambly.

Season of Mists

watched the premiere of the first episode yesterday, had a wholeeee conversation about it and then We spoke about where i was in the comics and i was told this volume was the best one and indeed it’s my favourite volume so far, it was full of mythology and all and like odin’s crows <3 and seeing the other endless <3 i loved it so so much fr reading this on 4 hours of sleep was a vibe

Chloé

i just love neil gaiman he cant do wrong in my eyes.

Vicky  Nuñez 

All comic lovers have at some point in there lives heard about The Sandman by Neil Gaiman. And even just book lovers have heard about it as well. 

I was instantly enthralled by it. The illustrator's depiction of Dream is so amazing, so unlike what people actually imagine Dream would be like, but it works with the amazing story Neil Gaiman created. 

It was dark and unbelievable, yet so well constructed that it looks rational. 

Also, am I the only one who thinks that Dream looks just like Neil Gaiman himself?! I mean, Dream had to be based on him. 

And lastly, just because I can't help myself: Death is so AWESOME. I totally wasn't expecting Death to be like that. Anyway, the Sandman is just as good as I expected. It definitely deserves to be read.

First read: 08/2011
Reread: 07/2016

read it with the audiobook *chef’s kiss*

this has separate, unrelated stories but i especially enjoyed the cat who dreamt of world domination

Preludes & Nocturnes

Laura Mauler

Graphic novels and comics: I get them now. Before this, their pictures were vaguely interesting but I often didn't even look at them, I was just reading the text and speech bubbles to get the story the fastest way I could. I wanted the story fast (I was a glutton for stories). But when I merely glanced at, or even skipped, the pictures, it felt like I was missing out on something.... because I was. And then this book. This book. When I saw the cover page of "Sleep of the Just" I gasped out loud. The pictures of Morpheus and Alex in the tower, Morpheus riding peoples' dreams, and so many more, they gave as much power to the story as the words. And those words, that story - I am in awe.

Yet another work that showcases the genius of Neil Gaiman. The lore, the plot, the characters are so interesting and complex. This story flew by and I think I might have to buy the graphic novels. Highly recommend!

Katie Allard

The Doll's House 30th Anniversary Edition

The Sandman Vol. 2

Alina

** spoiler alert **
           The King of Dreams, the very embodiment of Dream, Morpheus, is back in business. As of right now, he has all his equipment back and all his resources at his disposal. It’s good that he does, since the palace staff, a terrible nightmare, and Fiddler’s Green have disappeared. Obviously, the Dream Lord cannot let the foursome roam free in the human world, so he makes plans to retrieve them.

Although The Sandman has less screen time this time, I have most enjoyed the intrigue of the main story and the thrilling insights into Morpheus’ past.

This 2nd volume follows Rose Walker’s quest to reunite with her estranged little brother, as well as a relationship with a surprise family member. Remember Felicity Kinkaid, the girl who got pregnant and gave birth while Morpheus was imprisoned for 70 years? It turns out the kid was Rose’s mother!

Neil Gaiman writes short stories about cursed love affairs and millennial dates between unlikely friends.

Beware, because Dream is angry, and this is not for the faint of heart.

Now if only I could adjust to the inconsistent illustration style.

Traci Wilbanks

I found that the art style made it hard to keep track of which characters were which. I was expecting more story, more substance. The last segment of the 234 page novel summarized the plot nicely, and I, like the main character, felt, "...drained. Disappointed. Let down."

Dimitris Papastergiou

As good as I remember it.

This is my 2nd time around so...

Just read it.

Lovely stories that won't let you stop turning pages!

As good as it was the 1st time around!


Go read that shit. ASAP. NOW!

Keeps going strong! 

My only complain is that I personally don't like Barbie as a character at all. Super boring and wouldn't care what she does or says. The story overall was like a fairy tale and it was good, it just wasn't THAT good.

Worlds' End

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