Reviews (8)

Simply Stunning
Sandman is such an obvious choice for reprinting in the Absolute format, I'm surprised DC took this long to think of it. Previous reviewers have hit all the right points: the full leather binding, the extra heftiness of the volume, the glorious new look to the color. Nothing seems held back. I'm already salivating over the future volumes. Here are some questions DC should consider answering: Will the final volume include the two Death series? Will any volume include the 7-page story that appeared in a DC Sampler, and was later reprinted in the Fables and Reflections HC?
Well worth your hard-earned cash!
Frankly, I've thought that most of the "Absolute" editions were overpriced and a little too self-aggrandizing. Sometimes a good comic book is just a good comic book. I think that's enough. It doesn't have to be a seminal moment in the history of Western literature.
Awesome!
I got mine in the mail yesterday and it was my first exposure to "Sandman".I loved it and will get the other volumes as well.
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Subjects:  1. Comics & Graphic Novels    2. Fantasy    3. Graphic Novels    4. Graphic Novels - Fantasy    5. Graphic Novels - Superheroes   

Editorial Review

"Wake up, sir. We're here." It's a simple enough opening line--althoughnot many would have guessed back in 1991 thatthis would lead to one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comics of the second half of the century. Read more

Reviews (101)

Hour 5: The Flies Get Restless
Intermittently, between the films that I watch and the video games I shamelessly play, I do enjoy reading a good graphic novel here and there.Why not taste all the facets of pop culture when I have the opportunity?Neil Gaiman is the author that re-introduced me to the world of graphic novel.Through his fantastic novel (meaning a story that you could read more than one time) entitled "American Gods", I found this fantastical writer's ability to draw upon the strength of other pop culture ideas as well as nearly blend fantasy and fiction together with the greatest of ease.It was right after my reading of "American Gods" that I decided to pick up the first in his ever-popular "Sandman" series entitled Preludes & Nocturnes.From the opening frames of a miscalculated capture, through the inevitable adventures to recover lost/stolen items, to the hauntingly original final scenes where our main character, Sandman, introduces us to his family and builds a stronger, more poetic beginning to the next chapter, The Doll's House.
You know all about this
Any comic fan, avid or casual, knows the list of essential comic reading that proves that comics aren't just for kids.Of course there's Watchmen, Dark Knight Returns, Maus, Preacher, and more, and of course also on that list is Neil Gaiman's celebrated Sandman series.Preludes and Nocturnes is the beginning of one of the most revered adult series in comics history, as Gaiman weaves a tale in which Dream of the Endless seeks to reclaim the realm he lost when he was imprisoned some seventy years before.He sets forth on a mission to regain the tools of his that were lost and seek revenge on those responsible, and on the way he comes across many of DC/Vertigo's icons, including John Constantine and the Martian Manhunter, and travels to the depths of Hell to face down Lucifer Morningstar himself.Frequently chilling and startlingly poignant, this first volume in the Sandman saga is essential reading, and believe it or not, it only gets better with each passing volume.

It Is What It Is
This is, for all intents and purposes, Neil Gaiman's first real piece of work.Granted, he'd been a journalist, and he'd written a couple of other graphic novels, but nothing on this scale, nothing with this distribution, and nothing as significant.
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Subjects:  1. Anthologies    2. Comics & Graphic Novels    3. Fantasy    4. Fiction    5. Fiction - Fantasy    6. Graphic Novels    7. Graphic Novels - Fantasy    8. Horror    9. Science Fiction And Fantasy    10. Fiction / Graphic Novels   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (510)

Something from a very deep sleep.
What a strange, dark, pretty thing. Before I was buried under The Bible and other such required college reading this year, I took a couple of days to loose myself in this book. It's a rare and wonderful thing for one to find part of his or her own subconscious tucked into someone else's pages. A book for those of us reared on Grimm's fairy tales and English ballads. I don't know how to recommend things, but perhaps if you loved Steppenwolf and Sandman, fairy stories and The Mystery of Harris Burdick, you may love this as well. It is the kind of story one would expect their cat to relate after a late night out.

Neil GAHman: Flat characters, dull plot, poor prose
I'd heard so much hype about Gaiman that I finally decided to check out his supposed masterpieces of dark fantasy.
I am lost in this new world and dont want to be found!
I found this book accidently and did not expect to like it.I loved it and want more, more, more.Neil Gaiman's mind scares me a little but the creativity and feeling that the characters in this world generate are wonderful and so much like the "real" world only under eschewed circumstances to say the least.I loved all of the characters.The nasties found in this book were so unbelievably nasty and the good folks were good even if in a somewhat flawed way as most of us are.
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Subjects:  1. Fantasy - Contemporary    2. Fantasy - General    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - Fantasy    5. Horror - General    6. Fiction / Fantasy / General    7. Modern fiction    8. Reading Group Guide   

Editorial Review

Open Mike Friday is everyone's favorite day in Mr. Ward's English class.On Fridays, his 18 high-school students dare to relax long enough to let slipthe poets, painters, readers, and dreamers that exist within each of them. RaulRamirez, the self-described "next Diego Rivera," longs "to show the beauty ofour people, that we are not all Read more

Reviews (65)

Bronx Masquerade
Bronx Masquerade
Bronx Masquerade
Bronx Masquerade
Bronx Masquerade
Bronx Masquerade
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Subjects:  1. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    2. Children: Grades 2-3    3. Ethnicity    4. Fiction    5. Identity    6. Juvenile Fiction    7. Lifestyles - City & Town Life    8. Poetry    9. Social Issues - Adolescence    10. Social Issues - General    11. Juvenile Fiction / Ethnic / African American   

Reviews (115)

Brilliant
I was first introduced to Neil Gaiman in the book "Good Omens" which he co-wrote with Terry Pratchett.I loved the book and was immediately intrigued by this author.However, though I loved the story of the second Gaiman novel I read, "American Gods," I was slightly turned off by the mean-spirited nature of the book.
Delightful and ultimately touching
Having found "American Gods" disjointed and too dark, I'd avoided "Anansi Boys" until recently hearing that it is more in the vein of "Neverwhere."Indeed, although the book includes a murder, ghosts, deadly supernatural foes, and the most ominous flocking of birds this side of Hitchcock, it's great fun.The mingling of the macabre and the funny isn't quite up to the level of "Neverwhere," but that deficit is counterbalanced by the themes of family and self-discovery in "Anansi Boys."

Comedic, Engrossing, and Well-Written
Since there are already many reviews about the actual storyline and characters, I'll focus this on what I thought about the writing and style of the novel. In short, I really, really liked it. Although I had been a big bookworm as a child, I have not read very much fiction as an adult because I did not find many books I really enjoyed. This book has sparked my interest again. I bought it on a Friday afternoon and kept reading until I finished it around midnight of the next day. This will probably stand out as one of my favorite books.
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Subjects:  1. Anansi (Legendary character)    2. Brothers    3. English Science Fiction And Fantasy    4. Fantasy    5. Fantasy - General    6. Fathers and sons    7. Fiction    8. Fiction - General    9. General    10. Fiction / General   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (219)

Pure Story
The great thing about reading Gaiman's work has always been his commitment to story telling.Whilst there undoubtably enough themes and issues in Stardust for even the most pompous literary critic to sink their teeth in to.The main strength of this book (and indeed of most of Gaiman's work - excluding his literary collaboraitons) is its ability to fire you imagination.
Shooting stars and melted hearts
Neil Gaiman's "Stardust" takes place in a mystical version of England.The town of Wall is a tiny, safe and quiet village that is a bastion of safety from the outside world.Residents of the aptly-named Wall never venture outside of the village barriers and nobody from outside is allowed in, so as to keep Wall safe.Villagers, in pairs, are assigned shift duties in protecting the Gap that separates Wall from the outside world.
not his best, but pretty darn good.
This is definitely, as alot of people say, a fairy-tale for adults. It is only such, however, because there is a sex scene. I don't recall there being alot of complicated or harsh language. So it's basically a children's fairy-tale with some adult content. If you like children's fairy tales, you will love Stardust. It is very well done, and the imagery is fantastic. Although they're probably not the best books for comparision, I'd say that if you're an adult yet you still enjoy reading books like Ella Enchanted and the Neverending Story, you'll like this one.
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Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure    2. Adventure stories    3. England    4. Fantasy - Historical    5. Fantasy fiction    6. Fiction    7. Fiction - Fantasy    8. Romance - General    9. Young men    10. Fiction / General   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (569)

Great Story, but Sometimes Shallow Writing
There are already many reviews that cover the story and characters, so I'm not going to waste our time with that. Instead I'll give my opinions on the actual writing and style of the story. Overall, I thought it to be good, with a lot of potential, but could have been much better. There were three things I didn't like, and which kept me from rating it as a 4 or even 5 out of 5 stars.
A wallowing, depressing and ugly book with no redeeming value whatsoever
This is the worst, most depressing piece of fiction I have ever read.There is no real protoganist and not one singular character worthy of admiration--and after a while, their actions just become inexplicable.The author's soul must truly be an ugly one to have devoted so much time and energy to using his mind to generate so many casual acts of evil throughout the book.It starts out promising but by the time you get to about halfway through the book or so you get a nagging sense that your very own soul might be sucked out of you and permanently stolen by the heart of Neil Gaiman's darkness or one of his minions.Additionally, the characters' motivations change like the shifting sands, nothing they do makes any real sense except some inexplicable movement towards doing greater and more evil en masse like some sort of coagulating bacteria or disease.What is so creepy about this book is the casualness of it all.Unlike some of Stephen King's work (ie: The Stand), there is absolutely no redeeming thread here--no rallying or marshalling the troops to combat the emerging evil.It's evil in evil vs. evil surrounded by evil.All I can say is that this book is ugly, ugly, ugly.At least writers like Joyce Carol Oats and Joseph Conrad's intentions when writing about such things is to effectively demonstrate the ill effects of such darkness, but to make heroes of characters one should avoid is unconscionable.The choices the supposed protoganist makes make no sense--and you do root forhim in the very beginning but you find he is just like one of them after all.I suspended my doubt and disbelief as long as I could but finally became so incensed by the audacity of both the literary critics and the author to pass this off as excellence, I literally stopped mid-sentence and chose to never read this author's work again.It's a shame too because he has allied himself in other incarnations with a truly gifted artist, Dave McKean, who maybe hasn't completely gone over to the dark side like Neil has.His association with Dave McKean is the only reason I even opened-up the book--and maybe a little because the title intrigued me.But it's unfortunate that the industry rewards "clever" works such as Mr. Gaiman's with undue praise.I've never so strongly disliked a book.Have you ever found yourself getting angry because you felt robbed or duped by a book?Well, don't believe the hype, this is the one to throw in the trash or disintegrate with X-men eyeball laserbeams before all your humanity is sucked out of you.

Another Gaiman Success
If you are looking for a novel filled with action, this is not it.The only complaint I have is that at times, the book was slow and had me asking "Well?Isn't there anything else?"
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Subjects:  1. Bodyguards    2. Ex-convicts    3. Fantasy - Contemporary    4. Fiction    5. Fiction - Fantasy    6. National characteristics, Amer    7. National characteristics, American    8. Spiritual warfare    9. Fiction / General    10. Modern fiction    11. Horror    12. Reading Group Guide   

Editorial Review

Pratchett (of Discworld fame) and Gaiman (of Sandman fame) may seem an unlikely combination, but the topic (Armageddon) of this fast-paced novel is old hat to both. Pratchett's wackiness collaborates with Gaiman's morbid humor; the result is a humanist delight to be savored and reread again and again.You see, there was a bit of a mixup when the Antichrist was born, due in part to the machinations of Crowley, who did not so much fall as saunterdownwards, and in part to the mysterious ways as manifested in the form of a part-time rare book dealer, an angel named Aziraphale.Like top agents everywhere, they've long had more in common with each other than the sides they represent, or the conflict they are nominally engaged in.The only personwho knows how it will all end is Agnes Nutter, a witch whoseprophecies all come true, if one can only manage to decipher them. The minor characters along the way (Famine makes an appearance as diet crazes, no-calorie food and anorexia epidemics) are as much fun as the story as a whole, which adds up to one of those rare books which is enormous fun to readthe first time, and the second time, and the third time... ... Read more

Reviews (446)

From Beginning to End.
Crowley is a demon and Aziraphale is an angel.Despite their differences, for example Crowley likes to drive fancy race-cars while blaring rock music (that somehow always turns into a "Best of Queen" album) and Aziraphale prefers more classic vehicles and music, and being on opposing sides of an universal war, Aziraphale and Crowley have remained friends.They've actually been friends since almost the beginning of creation when Crowley took the form of a serpent to tempt the first humans and Aziraphale lost the flaming sword that he was supposed to use in defense of the Garden of Eden.More than each other, they have both become accustomed to the human universe in which they live.
Not particularly engaging or funny
Put me in the camp of people who were not that impressed with the book. The idea was original, and the book has its moments of cleverness, I certainly agree. Even though I enjoy British humor and "got" many of the gags (hey, I was a Queen fan and a Monty Python fan back in the day), I didn't find many of them funny enough to laugh, or even chuckle. Too many struck me as just side comments or little moments not in the normal flow of a story.
FUNNIEST.BOOK.EVER.
This is the book you lend out and never see again, and have to continually replace, because every so often, you have to read it again yourself, and laugh yourself silly over it!
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Subjects:  1. American Science Fiction And Fantasy    2. End of the world    3. Fantasy    4. Fantasy - General    5. Fiction    6. Fiction - Fantasy    7. Humorous    8. Witches    9. Fiction / General   

Reviews (19)

An exceptional presentation results.
This isn't just a written survey of key poems: over ninety poems are also presented on a cd of 52 performances by the poets and close friends, pairing written word with an imaginative spoken survey. Poems covered include Casey at the Bat, Robert Frost's Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, and more: narrators range from Carl Sandburg and James Berry to J.R.R. Tolkien. An exceptional presentation results.

Poetry Speaks to Children
Great variety of poetry, nice to have on CD as well as the book

Great for many ages, my kids love it!
I bought this book for my two kids, age 10 and 7.Both constantly ask for this cd when we are riding in the car.We also have a Shel Silverstein cd but I wanted to expand their exposure to poetry beyond humorous rhymes.Since then I have purchased this book for many kids, from a bright 4 year old up through a 12 year old.All the feedback I have gotten has been very positive.It makes an excellent gift and is enjoyable for both adults and children. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American poetry    2. Anthologies (multiple authors)    3. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    4. Children's poetry, American    5. Children's poetry, English    6. Children: Grades 1-2    7. Collections    8. Juvenile Nonfiction    9. Juvenile Poetry    10. Literary Criticism & Collections    11. Poetry    12. Poetry - General    13. Poetry - Nursery Rhymes    14. English literature: poetry texts & anthologies    15. Juvenile Nonfiction / Poetry / General   

Editorial Review

The immense popularity of Neil Gaiman's Sandman series is due in largepart to the development of his characters. In Read more

Reviews (42)

...nothing like a doll at all...
What I particularly enjoy about Neil Gaiman is his ability to build a story from the foundation going forward.So many times, we have authors or illustrators that take the campy way out by using flashbacks, amateurish jumps, or just plain forgetfulness as they attempt to keep the reader's attention by quickly arriving to the climax or resolution (or better yet the gasp of a twist ending).Gaiman does no such thing with his "Sandman" stories.While this second collection of his graphic novels doesn't quite match to the standard of "Preludes & Nocturnes", it is because it is a building block for future stories.What I especially love about Gaiman's writing and choice of stories is that he is not afraid to take us away from our comfortable characters and begin planting the seed for more interesting events going forward.It is like the television series "Lost", events happen for a reason, and Gaiman is very willing to dedicate just as much time to those smaller stories as he does our overall story because he knows the value of amazing (and concise) storytelling.I love this series, but this collection "A Doll's House" is a sampling of smaller stories that will obviously be used as bigger events in the future.
Finding His Place
Following a decent beginning Neil Gaiman truly shines in this second volume of his acclaimed series, The Sandman. Taking the second incarnation of the Sandman (who he completely reformed for the series), Gaiman spins a story seamlessly around his first volume and introduces elements that will affect the title the remainder of it's 75 issues. Even bringing in William Shakespeare in one issue, Gaiman uses elements of fact and fairy tale along with some of our worst fears to write an extraordinary story.

Something unique
Sandman even after being written 10+ years ago is still as clever and dark as it was then. Showcasing Neil Gaiman's fantastic writing and complex plot threads, scary and wonderous at the same time Vol. 2 is the first time we actually start to see what Gaiman is truly capable of. I highly recommend to anyone who loves horror and fantasy. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Comics & Graphic Novels    2. Fantasy - General    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - Fantasy    5. Graphic Novels    6. Graphic Novels - Fantasy    7. Graphic Novels - General    8. Fiction / Graphic Novels   

Editorial Review

Coraline lives with her preoccupied parents in part of a huge oldhouse--a house so huge that other people live in it, too... round, old formeractresses Miss Spink and Miss Forcible and their aging Highland terriers ("Wetrod the boards, luvvy") and the mustachioed old man under the roof ("'Thereason you cannot see the mouse circus,' said the man upstairs, 'is that themice are not yet ready and rehearsed.'") Coraline contents herself for weekswith exploring the vast garden and grounds. But with a little rain she becomesbored--so bored that she begins to count everything blue (153), the windows(21), and the doors (14). And it is the 14th door that--sometimes blocked with awall of bricks--opens up for Coraline into an entirely alternate universe. Now,if you're thinking fondly of Read more

Reviews (277)

A Children's Book?! Hardly....
Ah, the English. Known for Toffee, the Beatles, and one of the rare modern-day monarchys, they are also known for another thing:Scaring the bejeeze out of small children.
The Adventures of Coraline
Coraline finds an alternate reality and discovers she has an 'Other Mother' who stole her parents and 3 other childrens souls. Coraline's mission is to save those children's souls and resue her parents, but theres a catch. Coraline figures out that her 'Other Mother' wont keep her promise and realizes she has to find a way to somehow over power her, and escape the slowly deteriorating alternate reality, before shes trapped tere forever.
The Adventures of Coraline
Coraline finds an alternate reality and discovers she has an 'Other Mother' who stole her parents and 3 other childrens souls. Coraline's mission is to save those children's souls and resue her parents, but theres a catch. Coraline figures out that her 'Other Mother' wont keep her promise and realizes she has to find a way to somehow over power her, and escape the slowly deteriorating alternate reality, before shes trapped tere forever.
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Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12 - Fiction - Horror    2. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    3. Children: Grades 4-6    4. Children: Grades 4-6    5. Fiction    6. Horror & Ghost Stories    7. Horror stories    8. Juvenile Fiction    9. Juvenile Horror / Ghost Stories    10. Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic    11. Supernatural    12. Juvenile Fiction / General    13. Reading Group Guide   

Editorial Review

Don't let the magisterial title of this large volume, part of the Garden Club of America's ongoing series, put you off. The authors have provided a marvelous compendium of alternatives to the hardy perennials of American garden shrubs: rhododendrons, forsythias, and yews. Here are hundreds of lesser-known shrubs (along with the common varieties, of course), each presented with a photograph and a brief, authoritative text. Arranged alphabetically, the book includes a set of appendices categorizing all the cultivars by pest and disease resistance, soil preference, shade tolerance, and several other factors. This is a book that no comprehensive gardening library can be without. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Impressive, lots of useful info not found in other books
I am very impressed with this unique book of over 900 shrubs that will add interest to any garden. The book starts with a glossary of botanical termswith b/w illustrations of the anatomy of leaves, flowers, fruits &conifers.Read more

Subjects:  1. Arboriculture    2. Gardening    3. Gardening / Horticulture    4. Gardening/Plants    5. Landscape gardening    6. Landscape plants    7. Pictorial works    8. Plants, Ornamental    9. Shrubs    10. Trees    11. Reference works    12. Shrubs & trees   

Editorial Review

You may have heard somewhere that Neil Gaiman's Sandman series consistedof cool, hip, edgy, smart comic books. And you may have thought, "What the helldoes that mean?" Enter Read more

Reviews (33)

I like it a lot, but I'm not sure I get it
I did like this book.I really have enjoyed all the Sandman books so far.But as much as it galls me to admit it, I'm not sure I understand quite what the big deal is.I keep hearing about and reading about how fabulous they are.And yeah, they're interesting.It's an interesting world that Gaiman has created and I think the character of the Sandman is intriguing/fascinating.And the Sandman is good-looking in some of the panels.But I don't understand what about these novels/comics draws people in so much.I don't understand why the Midsummer Night's Dream one won that prestigious award which ticked the other authors off so they had to change the rules to specifically exclude a graphic novel from being entered ever again.I don't understand why this series is supposed to grab women readers in a way that other comic/graphic novel offerings haven't.It's a bit like David Bowie music, to me.I like it a lot.But partly, that's because I Want to like it.I think it (the music, or the graphic novel) is really weird and I don't understand why everybody else, with no inner urging, likes it so much.And then I read the preface to this book and the guy talks about all these layers and all this depth that I guess I'm really just not getting at all.Which also bugs me because I like to think that I'm smart.But, granted, I've only read it one time and that kind of stuff does usually become more apparent with multiple readings.

One of the best installments of an amazing series!
This installment of The Sandman series was probably one of my favorite filled with many psychological implications as well as beautiful artwork which will dazzle your brain! The stories found within this book are some of the greatest in the series as well, especially the one featuring Thessaly and the "princess." The source for many Sandman quotations, this installment is one of the best!

A Little Different Than the Rest (But No Worse For It)
Of the Sandman collection that I've read, this is the least like any of the others thus far. Instead of being vignettes (either independent or loosely tied) that revolve around Morpheus, lord of dreams, this is a start-to-finish story of a group of women trying to rescue their friend who is trapped in her dreamworld, and threatened by a malevolent force.
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Subjects:  1. Comics & Graphic Novels    2. Fantasy    3. Fantasy - General    4. Fiction    5. Fiction - Horror    6. Graphic Novels    7. Graphic Novels - General    8. Graphic Novels - Horror    9. Fiction / Graphic Novels   

Reviews (4)

The Fairies Are On Their Way Home!
If you haven't read The Good Fairies of New York, and especially if you are a New Yorker, or a New Yorker at heart, stop reading this right now, and immediately put your name on the Amazon.com pre-order list ... The Good Fairies have found their way back home to Amazon.com and to NYC, and everyone around the world is overly excited by the news!
hello party people
I heard of Martin Millar from Neil Gaiman's blog.Neil Gaiman praised Martin Millar's wisdom, wit and solid writing in "The Good Fairies of New York" -- and mentioned it a few more times.I loved the premise of punk rock fairies and wanted to check it out, but couldn't afford it.