By: Neil Gaiman Publisher: Vertigo Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Vertigo Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 160 Publication Date: September 01, 2004 Release Date: September 01, 2004
Product Description: Featuring the popular characters from the award-winning Sandman series, THE SANDMAN: ENDLESS NIGHTS reveals the legend of the Endless, a family of magical and mythical beings who exist and interact in the real world.Born at the beginning of time, Destiny, Death, Dream, Desire, Despair, Delirium and Destruction are seven brothers and sisters who each lord over atheir respective realms.In this highly imaginative book that boasts diverse styles of breathtaking art, these seven peculiar and powerful siblings each reveal more about their true-being as they star int heir own tales of curiosity and wonder.
Excellent Read I am usually wary about buying comics/graphic novels. A friend with very similar tastes as me recommended the Sandman series tome, and I have not regretted purchasing the entire series. Very well written, mature and soulful.
Graphic SF Reader Endless Nights is basically an anthology. Each of the Endless has a story in this trade, and each story is drawn by a different preson. This includes Milo Manara, Glen Fabry and Frank Quitely, so the latter part of the trade has a more realistic type look than a lot of the other Sandman work, which is nice for a change.
Quite a let-down . . . After the 11-volume "Sandman" series had been completed, Gaiman came back and wrote these seven stories, one for each of the "Endless," partly because he wanted the opportunity to work with each of the artists involved. Unfortunately, the result is not entirely successful. Milo Manara, one of my absolute favorite artists of any kind, contributes a very nice rendering of Desire's story (natural), and Glenn Fabry does likewise for Destruction -- though the story here is not nearly as strong -- but Bill Sienkiewicz's work on Delirium is confusing and Barron Storey on Despair is just a postmodernist mess.
The 11th Volume In his introduction Neil Gaiman tells us that writing these stories was like coming home. Well, reading them is also like a homecoming. I've read all ten volumes of the Sandman Library over the years and the quality of the stories and the artwork fits in perfectly. I know because I recaptured that same magical feeling that immersed me when I first read the originals. These are timeless stories that could have been included almost anywhere in the series.
There is one chapter for each of the endless:
1)"Death and Venice", deals with an alchemist's attempt to seal time (and Death) out of his palazzo forever.
2)"What I've Tasted of Desire", is a Celtic tale of the consequences of having obtained your heart's desire- and then having it torn from you.
3)"The Heart of a Star", is a remarkable story of Dream's first love- set several hundred million years before any of the other stories. You also get to meet Delight before she ever became Delirium.
4)"Fifteen Portraits of Despair", is just that, fifteen soul chilling insights into the depths of soul chilling bleakness.
5)"Going Inside", is a remarkable rescue mission conducted by five of Delirium's own to pull their mistress back from deep within her own madness.
6)"On the Peninsula", is told by an archeologist who dreams of the end of the world- until she is invited on a dig where all the artifacts come from an apocalyptic future of Destruction.
7)"Endless Nights" is a portrait of the eldest of the Endless- Destiny, whose book contains all and everything, including these tales.
It is emphasized that the Endless are not Gods. They truly are the Forms of that which their names describe. Dream doesn't "represent" dream- he IS all that is meant by dream. So too with all the others. They do not care whether or not you believe in them, for they will fulfill their functions in all the realms, regardless.
More Sandman Generally Means Happiness This collection of short stories, each one featuring one of the Endless, was worth the attempt. I consider myself a fan of the Sandman (I believe the regular run to be one of the greatest comics, ever, and near the top of all literature). I like anything that will allow for more authentic adventure in this world that Neil Gaiman has created.
I am happy to have it.
That said, the execution of this particular volume is inconsistent. Instead of making them all conventional short stories, Gaiman decided to be daring and make a couple of them rather surreal. I admire his daring, though not everyone will be satisfied with, say, Delirium's tale which is fairly hard to follow.
Personally, I loved the Despair feature (which cannot really be called a story)--small vignettes of people in Despair, or reflections on her nature.
Of the more traditional stories, the book starts strongly with Death and Desire but finishes kind of weakly with Destruction's and Destiny's. Destruction is a wonderful character, and I was hoping to get something that used him to more effect, but he is hardly there in his tale (indeed, Delirium gets more dialogue and time), and Destiny simply doesn't make a very compelling protagonist (and so Gaiman doesn't give him a story, just kind of talks about Destiny).
The show-stealer, as though there could be any doubt, is Dream's tale, which gives us insight into all of the Endless in the long ago (back to a time when Destruction still wore his mantle, Delirium was Delight and Dream and Desire were the best of friends... kind of).
Sandman fans will appreciate this collection, though it is unlikely that every one will like every tale. Still, as much as I love the universe, these characters, and the author behind it all, I am happy that Mr. Gaiman continues to make his particular brand of art.
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