Preludes and Nocturnes

Sandman, Book 1

No cover

Preludes and Nocturnes (1991, Grand Central Publishing)

English language

Published Nov. 1, 1991 by Grand Central Publishing.

ISBN:
978-0-446-39363-8
Copied ISBN!
OCLC Number:
78776006

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4 stars (2 reviews)

Preludes and Nocturnes collects the first eight issues of The Sandman comic by Neil Gaiman published by DC Vertigo. The series centers on Morpheus (Dream of the Endless). Dream is imprisoned for decades by an occultist seeking immortality. Upon escaping, he must reclaim his objects of power while still in a weakened state, confronting an addict to his dream powder, the legions of Hell, and an all-powerful madman (Doctor Destiny) in the process.

11 editions

“Some things are too big to be seen; some emotions too huge to be felt.”

3 stars

Morpheus, one of the Endless, is kidnapped and upon escaping discovers the world has changed. The first volume is about him trying to regain his power. The book introduces characters, places, and plots.

There is something I need to confess. Neil Gaiman’s books have never really appealed to me. I am completely baffled by them. When he tells a story, I never know where it will go.

In this volume, there is an overwhelming amount of happening. Some characters (both new and recycled) ended up being flat and boring because there were too many. Although I didn’t find the main character to be bad, he became flat and boring as the story progressed. Among them, only John Constantine really appealed to me.

There was also a lot of confusion and overwhelming in the plot. The author presented many ideas, some of which were overlooked and left you wishing for more …

The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes

4 stars

Went back and re-read this after watching the Netflix series. I think I enjoyed it more this time as watching the show helps to clarify a few things in the story. An excellent read, particularly when you factor in that this may be the weakest book of the series. I say that also as someone who very rarely reads graphic novels.