Dedicated Neil Gaiman Section

Welcome to the Neil Gaiman column. I think its quite plan to see that I am a big fan of his. Below you will find information on all (I try anyways :]) of his past, present and future works. I hope you enjoyed reading about his works as much as I did putting it up!

One of the most famous of Gaiman's Work is his Sandman Series. It is an absolutely fantastic library of short stories and of the on going Dream King Story. What I like about this book is that you can just pick up any volume and read it and would still be able to make a sane and delightful comprehension of it. I will be reviewing his 11 Volumes here.

WORLD'S END

I will be randomly jumping about the volumes and they follow no particular order. The first GN that I am reviewing is World's End.

This books is a wonderful collection of short stories ala Canterbury's Tales. It is easily one of my top 3 favourite books in this series. It is a rather short one, with just 7 chapters but each of those chapters are, in their own right, a trove full of treasures. I shall not spoil the fun by giving away too much but several characters and stories stand out. Not like a sore thumb stand out but like a rich diamond kind of stand out. Basically, travelers of different dimensions, time and space got caught in a storm and were gather in this little inn. Here, they share their stories and pass their time as they hope the storm would.

The first tale, "A Tale of 2 Two Cities" by one Mister Gaheris. It is a story about a man who lived in the city and had lived in the city all his life. He goes about his routine daily work life and is quite the loner. The spends his lunch time and after work hours touring his city. Admiring and absorbing the sights and sounds of this marvel of a city. You can almost feel for him. He ends up inside the dream of city and meets many brilliant characters along the way. How he struggles to get out and how the city should never wake...

This story is superb because you can draw many parallels from the story and your own life. You can see a little of yourself in him and its the way that these bits appear, so sublime and well craft that you can really appreciate the genius that is Gaiman.

The other tale that I would like bring up is "Hob's Leviathan". The story is told by the young "boy" who was in that story itself. His sea-lust and dream of sailing was spawned from his early years. You build up feelings for the characters very quickly even though their appearance is rather brief. Old character reappear in the form of one certain Mr. Galdings. He makes more then a cameo here. The people they meet, the thing they saw and how he dealt with it. Of course what is a good ending without a few surprises?

More then anything, the interactions and on-goings in the inn itself between the colorful characters is an interesting tale to watch and behold. The ending ends with a BANG and it is only a prelude to bigger events to come.

An accolade I might add by UK Online:

"World's End Demonstrates that there is much more to the modern comic than costumed superheroes. In these pages you will find real emotion, stunning artwork...and most Important of all, spellbinding stories...it's one of the most richly rewarding experiences the graphic novel has to offer"  

I would have definitely go on rambling more if not for his other reviews. Go get it from your local bookstore, through my Amazon links or something. It really makes up a enriching read.

To sum it up, I quote what Stephen King's wrote in his pretty little introduction for World's End :

"It is a classic format,, but in several of them there are stories within stories, like eggs within eggs, or more properly, nested chinese boxes."
 

The Doll's House

I always like to include nice words from other people. The San Francisco Examiner:

"A singularly literate comic rife with subtext, humor, run-away archetypes and a healthy does of perversity."

First of I would like to say, in this 2nd installment of the series, the artwork is not as beautiful as the others. But its the stories that really count in this book. It is in this book that the character Hob Galding is born in "Men of Good Fortune". He goes on to make several appearances in other books. I enjoyed this particular entry a great deal as it slowly unfolds and tells the story of the man who cant die. It also sets in place a century old pact with the Dream King - To meet every 100 years. It also shows the more human and soft side of Lord Morpheus (as he is also known) I am afraid I am giving away too much now.

The first chapter "Tales In The Sand" makes a very good start to a exceptional book. Somewhere in a desert land, a man and an elder one are walking around. And a tale is told. This one has the classic story within a story format (like in World's End). I shall not go into detail on what the tale was about but it is a tale the man must carry on and tell it to his generation like it was told to the elder. There are different versions of the tale, in which the talk amongst themselves But then, it is the women's tale and it is never told to men. I must say this few words alone will not do that chapter any justice. It simply absorbs you and bring you to that dimension and place and setting - And then it totally enchants you.

The other parts of the stories deals plenty with the main story of Morpheus, his family and his domain. For those reading this as a stand alone, some parts might be pretty confusing and weird. But then again, what is a fantasy novel without a little weirdness? Many important characters are introduced here. One of them is Rose Walker. She enters into a fantasy kind of world, from long lost relatives to a serial killer convention.

To end off this review, a word from Clive Barker in his intro :

"Forget what is written in the title page. Hero and author are here synonymous. Mr. Gaiman is the Sandman...he just brought you a dream."
 

Season of Mists

Has to be one of the best among the library.( although that would present some debate) Not that is was easy to choose from so many outstanding works. They are all masterpieces in their own right.

Ten thousand years ago, the Dream King banished his lover into the abyss of hell. Now, his siblings are convinced that this was a travesty and would do will to persuade him to correct this injustice. He must go through the fiery gates of hell to rescue his condemned lover. Several major obstacles stand in the way, most notably Lucifer who has sworn to devastate and destroy Morpheus. Inside the calm and cool mind of Morpheus, a daring, cunning and brilliant plan is hatched.

Morpheus would receive a key to hell. Chaos and fun ensued when various underlings and

 mongers try to wrest, cajole and put forward their argument as to why they should be the owner of hell. Their reasons for wanting it and plans for it, were as varied and entertaining as they are. As always, the characters drawn up leaves a lasting impression. I really do dream of them sometimes. It seems the Dream King does visit. :)

 

Characteristically, there are the usual short stories. These little gems managed to be weaved into the main story without appearing obtrusive. In fact, they complement to the overall mood and feel of the main theme. The artwork is good and adds even more life to the characters in the 'movie'. With the ending of each chapter, comes an innate urge to quickly read the next one. It is an excelling compelling read. Oh and the conclusion to a marvelous volume was fantastic. You would have to find it out yourself. Borrow from a friend lf you really have to. You will not regret.
 

"To absent friends, lost loves, old gods, and the season of mists; and may each and every one of us always give the devil his due." --Jim Pascoe (From the 2nd chapter of Seasons of Mist)
 

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