Product Description: The third book of the Sandman collection is a series of four short comic book stories. What's remarkable here (considering the publisher and the time that this was originally published) is that the main character of the book--the Sandman, King of Dreams--serves only as a minor character in each of these otherwise unrelated stories. (Actually, he's not even in the last story.) This signaled a couple of important things in the development of what is considered one of the great comics of the second half of the century. First, it marked a distinct move away from the horror genre and into a more fantasy-rich, classical mythology-laden environment. And secondly, it solidly cemented Neil Gaiman as a storyteller. One of the stories here, "A Midsummer Night's Dream," took home the World Fantasy Award for best short story--the first time a comic was given that honor. But for my money, another story in Dream Country has it beat hands down. "A Dream of a Thousand Cats" has such hope, beauty, and good old-fashionedchills that rereading it becomes a welcome pleasure. --Jim Pascoe
Amazon.com Review: The third book of the Sandman collection is a series of four short comic book stories. What's remarkable here (considering the publisher and the time that this was originally published) is that the main character of the book--the Sandman, King of Dreams--serves only as a minor character in each of these otherwise unrelated stories. (Actually, he's not even in the last story.) This signaled a couple of important things in the development of what is considered one of the great comics of the second half of the century. First, it marked a distinct move away from the horror genre and into a more fantasy-rich, classical mythology-laden environment. And secondly, it solidly cemented Neil Gaiman as a storyteller. One of the stories here, "A Midsummer Night's Dream," took home the World Fantasy Award for best short story--the first time a comic was given that honor. But for my money, another story in Dream Country has it beat hands down. "A Dream of a Thousand Cats" has such hope, beauty, and good old-fashioned chills that rereading it becomes a welcome pleasure. --Jim Pascoe
REDICULOUS I've gotta admit I didnt think I would like this series, but WOW! I was pleasantly surprised by the first volume and absolutely blown away by the second. Although this is my least favorite volume so far that isnt to say it's not amazing. The main reason it is not as good is because it isnt a part of the over all story arc. It is just a collection of four short stories. But what stories they are. Leave it to Gaimen to actually make me feel for a cat! You should know that this book is not half as epic as the first two but it takes a more laid back, sedate approach. And also this volume is very short and is a quick read. If you arnt totally interested in collecting every Sandman volume this is probably a good one to miss. (You can read it online @ comicoo.com) I recommend getting the first two Sandman's and depending on how much you enjoyed them decide weather or not to purchase this.
Good but not Great "Dream Country" is the third volume of the Sandman collection which is actually just a compilation of four short stories that have no connection to each other.
The first story is "Calliope". This story is fairly intriguing, but in my opinion the artwork was terrible. Dream looked ridiculous. It tells the tale of Dream's first love and mother to his child. There are some cool historical connections. "Calliope" is definitely worth the read.
The second story is "Dream of a Thousand Cats". This is one of the dumbest things I've ever read. It's a shame to see such a shallow story about cats under a Sandman title. This is an unfortunate comic and I don't know how it made its way in this book. Apparently it was supposed to be funny but I just read crap. The ONLY thing that makes this story bearable whatsoever is the artwork. It was drawn very well. This story alone loses this book a star in my review.
The third story is "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Gaiman actually won the World Fantasy Award (as read in the amazon.com review) for best short story. In a previous Sandman story, Dream tells William Shakespear that he has to write two plays for him and Dream will make sure that his words are carried through generation to generation. The actors perform a play for the faeries represented in the play. It's a decent story but I have to disagree with those who said this book is worth it just because of this entry. The artwork was awesome, but it just seemed like something was missing from this story. It was very straightforward and didn't leave an imprint with me like other Sandman stories have.
The fourth story is "Facade". Personally I think this is the best story in the book. Dream does not make an appearance but Death does. The premise is essentially a women who wants to kill herself but can't die. It's a fairly emotional tale and is written/drawn very well. I won't go into any more detail because you need to read "Facade" for yourself. This book is worth the buy solely for this story.
Overall I give this 3 stars. It's disappointing to see crap like "Dream of a Thousand Cats" in this book. I think "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is overrated. "Calliope" is a solid story but with terrible artwork. "Facade" is a simple, powerful story with awesome artwork.
Good Quality and Price The condition was very good for having bought it used and it arrived faster then I had expected. The stories were interesting, dark and somewhat intense. The artwork is unique and it was a very enjoyable read.
A Collection of One-Shots After reading Preludes and Nocturnes and The Doll's House, I began to wonder if the hype behind Neil Gaiman's long-running "The Sandman" series had any substance to it. Both volumes had their fair share amount of good points and bad points, evening out at a 7/10 each. I saw none of the astonishing writing people were talking about, but I did notice one thing. Gaiman is way, way better at writing one-shots than he is at writing story arcs. So I was very pleased that "Dream Country," the third volume, wouldn't just feature one one-shot like the previous two books did... it is entirely composed of four very different one shots.
Calliope: I liked this story a lot. The art is a big sketchy and at times even ugly, but Gaiman's script is able to keep the issue afloat. The tale is tragic and really creepy, delving into the darkest corners of a writers mind and what that writer will do to get recognition. It's a disturbing tale, but also one of my favorites.
Dream of a Thousand Cats: This might be the single most original concept I've ever read about. It's fantastically written and drawn well too, and is easily the best Gaiman story I've ever read. Finally, I'm starting to see what everyone is gushing over.
A Mid-Summer Night's Dream: It's a good concept that Gaiman got a bit carried away with. In this story, Shakespeare performs A Midsummer Night's Dream for Morpheus and the various fair folk that are featured in the play. It's interesting watching the fair folk's reaction to their depiction, but that's about as far as the issue goes. It's tedious and filled with "Alright, I get it" moments. Some praise it is Gaiman's best, but for me it felt like a surprisingly soft spot in an otherwise solid work.
Façade: Like he did in "Preludes and Nocturnes," Gaiman gives a very dark take on a DC superhero here. Element Girl is the star of this comic, and Gaiman utilizes her horrified appearance (think the female version of Metamorpho) to craft a story about self-loathing that really hits a tender note. The end felt a bit fast, as if Gaiman should have cut down on the "woe is me" narration a bit from the beginning so he could really sell the end, but other than that, this is a very solid story.
This edition also includes Gaiman's script to "Calliope" which is, the say the absolutely least, a very... unique way of scripting comics. It's mildly interesting to read, and anyone who really loves Gaiman's writing will be thrilled to get a glimpse (actually, "a long stare" is more appropriate) into his writing process.
Overall, this is the best volume in the Sandman series thus far. If the comics are able to maintain this level of quality, I'll definitely stick around to the end.
8/10
Graphic SF Reader A few stand alone stories are in this volume. William Shakespeare produces the first play that Morpheus has requested, and puts on a live performance in the wild for Titania and Auberon.
A man literally gets his muse from another writer, we see the Dream of Cats, and the final fate of an Element Woman who has had enough.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Trevor
