Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
New York : DC Comics, c1991.
Description
Comic and Graphic Books. Fiction. HTML: NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Neil Gaiman's transcendent series SANDMAN is often hailed as the definitive Vertigo title and one of the finest achievements in graphic storytelling. Gaiman created an unforgettable tale of the forces that exist beyond life and death by weaving ancient mythology, folklore and fairy tales with his own distinct narrative vision. The third book of the Sandman collection, DREAM COUNTRY continues the fantastical mythology of Morpheus, the King of Dreams. In these centuries-spanning tales, the powerful entity known as the Sandman interacts with a diverse assortment of humans, fairies, heroes, and animals as he walks the mortal plane. Including an amazing encounter with William Shakespeare and an interesting take on the origin and first performance of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," this collection depicts the dreaming world of cats, the tragic life of forgotten super-heroes and the folly of imprisoning and torturing a former lover of the King of Dreams. Collects issues #17-20 including "A Midsummer Night's Dream," which won a World Fantasy Award..… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member -Eva-
In which Morpheus, the Dream King, the Sandman, only appears peripherally - quite a bold step, that, to barely include the main character in his own book. The four stories are separate short stories, but they have in common that they are all about the power of mythology and stories - of which Dream
In "Calliope," the mythical muse gives inspiration to the artist to create great fiction; "Dream of a Thousand Cats" describes how reality is shaped, literally, by dreams and stories; "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is about how fiction can create reality and once incorporated into myth, characters will never cease to be ("Tales and dreams are shadow-truths that will endure when mere facts are dust and ashes, and forgot."); and "Facade" about the difference between myth's guise and its reality. It's significant, I think, that the collection starts with "Calliope" since the stories contained within Dream Country are expansions on a smattering of ideas that are tied in, but separate from, the overall Sandman saga - I can imagine the Gaiman brain occasionally acting like Madoc's does once Dream has gotten his claws into it.
If you overlook the less than attractive art (what is up with that hair?!), "Calliope" is an interesting take on the idea of inspiration - to what lengths would the desperate artist go to gain it? A story about writer's block seems quite a brave choice for any writer - something to really tempt the fates with. Interesting about this take on the writer's plight is that whereas Calliope is the muse of epic poetry (believed to be Homer's muse), Madoc's stories aren't heroic, but rather pure horror, presumably because he never wooed her, but took her powers by force.
"Dream of a Thousand Cats" has the advantage of being told in the voice of a non-human - if it hadn't been, the story would have been directly religious, which I doubt was the intent even though the Siamese is clearly a messianic character. Also, she met Dream before his imprisonment, supposedly, and, since the kitten dreams at the end, this story must be told after he is released - that's one long-lived cat. In essence, this is the Gaimanian equivalent of "if you build it, he will come," applied (surprisingly poignantly) to a cat to show that dreams are not only the stuff of the human mind.
"A Midsummer Night's Dream" is the most famous, and the funniest ("'I am that merry wanderer of the night?' I am that giggling-dangerous-totally-bloody-psychotic-menace-to-life-and-limb, more like it."), of the stories in the collection. The overall point is one of fiction creating truth ("History is written by the victors" and all that) since Dream is making the faerie folk stay in our world's conscience by having Shakespeare write about them (the actual Oberon and his people have left already). It is apt, since the faerie are known for their pride, that they are virtually mesmerized by their stage counterparts - especially Puck who even decides to step in. Another interesting part of this story is Dream's ruminations on the price Shakespeare has paid for his talent (i.e. Hamnet), which parallels his own history with Orpheus (see Fables & Reflections). Note that although faeries in our (and in Shakespeare's, time) are tiny creatures, the Aos Sí/Sidhe on which these faeries are based were a tall and slender race, which is why the Auberon of this tale towers over all the humans (the Sidhe are also what Tolkien based his elves on).
"Façade" is more about the deceptive nature of dreams than anything else - when the rest of us dream of being superheroes, superheroes dream of being human. Possibly, this story was spawned by Gaiman's friendship with Alan Moore who is a bit of a master at looking behind the proverbial mask of superheroes. It's not my favorite in this collection, but it is interesting to see how wishing to die can be as strong, if not stronger, than wishing to live. Element Girl may seem an odd pick for a main character, but she had such a small part in the DC universe that Gaiman got permission to kill her off - that might be the very mundane reason she's in it at all.
And, as in the other installments, there are numerous little jokes and quirks hidden throughout, like Fry poisoning himself when he owns a bezoar (the one he traded Calliope for), or like Kemp arguing for an expanded role (which his own role, Bottom, would have done in the play-within-the-play), or Auberon wearing a cuckold's horns. Just a few little quirks to make reading and rereading extra fun.
The script pages included at the end are fairly straight-forward - it's a sample of how Gaiman writes his scripts. I did like that one of his directions to the artist is, "FAIRLY SUBTLY, DOING ALL THE WORK IN THE READER'S HEAD." That's very much Gaiman - messing with our minds.
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is obviously an inherent part. As is true of the entire Sandman saga, the common thread is not only the title character (a point made early by Gaiman and McKean when they decided to not put his face on the covers), but also his powers - the creation of stories, the weaving of myths.In "Calliope," the mythical muse gives inspiration to the artist to create great fiction; "Dream of a Thousand Cats" describes how reality is shaped, literally, by dreams and stories; "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is about how fiction can create reality and once incorporated into myth, characters will never cease to be ("Tales and dreams are shadow-truths that will endure when mere facts are dust and ashes, and forgot."); and "Facade" about the difference between myth's guise and its reality. It's significant, I think, that the collection starts with "Calliope" since the stories contained within Dream Country are expansions on a smattering of ideas that are tied in, but separate from, the overall Sandman saga - I can imagine the Gaiman brain occasionally acting like Madoc's does once Dream has gotten his claws into it.
If you overlook the less than attractive art (what is up with that hair?!), "Calliope" is an interesting take on the idea of inspiration - to what lengths would the desperate artist go to gain it? A story about writer's block seems quite a brave choice for any writer - something to really tempt the fates with. Interesting about this take on the writer's plight is that whereas Calliope is the muse of epic poetry (believed to be Homer's muse), Madoc's stories aren't heroic, but rather pure horror, presumably because he never wooed her, but took her powers by force.
"Dream of a Thousand Cats" has the advantage of being told in the voice of a non-human - if it hadn't been, the story would have been directly religious, which I doubt was the intent even though the Siamese is clearly a messianic character. Also, she met Dream before his imprisonment, supposedly, and, since the kitten dreams at the end, this story must be told after he is released - that's one long-lived cat. In essence, this is the Gaimanian equivalent of "if you build it, he will come," applied (surprisingly poignantly) to a cat to show that dreams are not only the stuff of the human mind.
"A Midsummer Night's Dream" is the most famous, and the funniest ("'I am that merry wanderer of the night?' I am that giggling-dangerous-totally-bloody-psychotic-menace-to-life-and-limb, more like it."), of the stories in the collection. The overall point is one of fiction creating truth ("History is written by the victors" and all that) since Dream is making the faerie folk stay in our world's conscience by having Shakespeare write about them (the actual Oberon and his people have left already). It is apt, since the faerie are known for their pride, that they are virtually mesmerized by their stage counterparts - especially Puck who even decides to step in. Another interesting part of this story is Dream's ruminations on the price Shakespeare has paid for his talent (i.e. Hamnet), which parallels his own history with Orpheus (see Fables & Reflections). Note that although faeries in our (and in Shakespeare's, time) are tiny creatures, the Aos Sí/Sidhe on which these faeries are based were a tall and slender race, which is why the Auberon of this tale towers over all the humans (the Sidhe are also what Tolkien based his elves on).
"Façade" is more about the deceptive nature of dreams than anything else - when the rest of us dream of being superheroes, superheroes dream of being human. Possibly, this story was spawned by Gaiman's friendship with Alan Moore who is a bit of a master at looking behind the proverbial mask of superheroes. It's not my favorite in this collection, but it is interesting to see how wishing to die can be as strong, if not stronger, than wishing to live. Element Girl may seem an odd pick for a main character, but she had such a small part in the DC universe that Gaiman got permission to kill her off - that might be the very mundane reason she's in it at all.
And, as in the other installments, there are numerous little jokes and quirks hidden throughout, like Fry poisoning himself when he owns a bezoar (the one he traded Calliope for), or like Kemp arguing for an expanded role (which his own role, Bottom, would have done in the play-within-the-play), or Auberon wearing a cuckold's horns. Just a few little quirks to make reading and rereading extra fun.
The script pages included at the end are fairly straight-forward - it's a sample of how Gaiman writes his scripts. I did like that one of his directions to the artist is, "FAIRLY SUBTLY, DOING ALL THE WORK IN THE READER'S HEAD." That's very much Gaiman - messing with our minds.
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LibraryThing member GingerbreadMan
This volume collects four short stories, that bridge the gap between two long (and very good) Sandman arcs: Doll’s house and Season of Mists. Included here is the award-winning “A midsummer night’s dream”, about the original performance of Shakespeare’s play. This is not only a central
The other three stories are nowhere near as good. “Calliope” is a good enough tale, but almost too straight, and is spoiled by some really ugly art. The faces here are totally unintelligible, making the whole thing feel distorted. It’s a strange experience reading Gaiman’s script of this and comparing it with the result. Gaiman clearly has a bit of over-confidence in how much you can cram into a panel at times (this is still early in his career), but reading the emotions he wants to put across and then flipping to the finished pages is a bit daunting. “A dream of a thousand cats” is a neat way of rocking the boat, but feels too long for what it has to say. And “Façade” is another not-entirely-successful DC cameo story, with Death as a bit of friendly bonus.
“A midsummer night’s dream” is a real treat, but doesn’t quite suffice to bring this up to par with most of the other Sandman books, unfortunately.
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story in the Sandman saga, depicting the relationship between Morpheus and the fairies, but also a really good one. In merely 24 pages, Gaiman and Vess gives us a glimpse of Elizabethan theatre and Shakespeare’s family life, gives us background on the fairies and sows a handful of disturbing seeds. I love the idea of The long man of Wilmington as a door-opener. I love the conversation between trolls and boggarts in the audience. I love the real, lethal Puck, giving the play’s final speech a new sinister ring. The other three stories are nowhere near as good. “Calliope” is a good enough tale, but almost too straight, and is spoiled by some really ugly art. The faces here are totally unintelligible, making the whole thing feel distorted. It’s a strange experience reading Gaiman’s script of this and comparing it with the result. Gaiman clearly has a bit of over-confidence in how much you can cram into a panel at times (this is still early in his career), but reading the emotions he wants to put across and then flipping to the finished pages is a bit daunting. “A dream of a thousand cats” is a neat way of rocking the boat, but feels too long for what it has to say. And “Façade” is another not-entirely-successful DC cameo story, with Death as a bit of friendly bonus.
“A midsummer night’s dream” is a real treat, but doesn’t quite suffice to bring this up to par with most of the other Sandman books, unfortunately.
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LibraryThing member elenchus
SYNOPSIS | Four stories, unrelated either to one another or to earlier narrative arcs. The first three serve the same role as did interludes in the preceding volumes, expanding on some aspect of Morpheus's character and/or the workings of the Dreaming. The last revisits an old DC character and
IN THIS VOLUME
From the Endless: Dream | Death
From Dreamtime / Supernatural: Calliope & the Camenae (Three-in-One) | Robin Goodfellow (Puck), Auberon, & Titania | Skarrow, Peaseblossom, & a Blue Faerie | Ra (Sun God)
From DC: Element Girl (Urania Blackwell)
//
Revelation? That is the province of Dream.
Gaiman's script for "Caliope" is reproduced as an appendix of sorts. An interesting insight into a the creative act, as such glimpses always are. Here Gaiman includes a reference to Cabell for a fictional book title, but doesn't note that the Madoc name is borrowed from him (and so, maybe it isn't). The theme of "Thousand Cats" bears a striking resemblance to Cabellian Romance, as well.
In a prefatory note to the "Calliope" script, Gaiman observes it was a combination of creative pause between more complex Sandman story arcs, and creative outlet for stories that weren't fitting "Doll's House", that accounts for the stand-alone stories in this volume.
Note the separate story titles each refer back to dream, in some way.
I expect these first 3 volumes are a solid demonstration of what Sandman does over the full series.
//
"Calliope"
(concerning two men who imprison a Muse)
Calliope and the Camenae refer to him as Oneiros, not Morpheus. He and Calliope have a son, yet their personal history does not prepare her for his intervention on her behalf.
Gaiman names his protagonist Madoc, perhaps for the Welsh Prince said to have sailed to the Americas in 12th Century (and treated in Robert Southey's poem), but I thought first of the poet in Cabell's "The Music from Behind the Moon". Gaiman's character doesn't appear to share any particular trait or circumstance of any of these personages, literary or historical.
"A Dream of a Thousand Cats"
(concerning non-human dreamers)
Strong implication the Dreaming is Collective Unconscious for more than humans, and that Morpheus's typical appearance reflects his human audience rather than any definitive form.
"A Midsummer Night's Dream"
(concerning the departure of the Faerie)
Morpheus confirms to Auberon his arrangement with Shakespeare is designed to ensure humans remember the Faerie folk. If Morpheus agreed to inspire two plays, what is the second? Perhaps Hamlet, based upon Shakespeare's son Hamnet, who has a small part in this story.
"Façade"
(concerning the isolation of a superhero)
Ask, and you shall receive.
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features Morpheus's sister, Death; Morpheus himself doesn't appear at all.IN THIS VOLUME
From the Endless: Dream | Death
From Dreamtime / Supernatural: Calliope & the Camenae (Three-in-One) | Robin Goodfellow (Puck), Auberon, & Titania | Skarrow, Peaseblossom, & a Blue Faerie | Ra (Sun God)
From DC: Element Girl (Urania Blackwell)
//
Revelation? That is the province of Dream.
Gaiman's script for "Caliope" is reproduced as an appendix of sorts. An interesting insight into a the creative act, as such glimpses always are. Here Gaiman includes a reference to Cabell for a fictional book title, but doesn't note that the Madoc name is borrowed from him (and so, maybe it isn't). The theme of "Thousand Cats" bears a striking resemblance to Cabellian Romance, as well.
In a prefatory note to the "Calliope" script, Gaiman observes it was a combination of creative pause between more complex Sandman story arcs, and creative outlet for stories that weren't fitting "Doll's House", that accounts for the stand-alone stories in this volume.
Note the separate story titles each refer back to dream, in some way.
I expect these first 3 volumes are a solid demonstration of what Sandman does over the full series.
//
"Calliope"
(concerning two men who imprison a Muse)
Calliope and the Camenae refer to him as Oneiros, not Morpheus. He and Calliope have a son, yet their personal history does not prepare her for his intervention on her behalf.
Gaiman names his protagonist Madoc, perhaps for the Welsh Prince said to have sailed to the Americas in 12th Century (and treated in Robert Southey's poem), but I thought first of the poet in Cabell's "The Music from Behind the Moon". Gaiman's character doesn't appear to share any particular trait or circumstance of any of these personages, literary or historical.
"A Dream of a Thousand Cats"
(concerning non-human dreamers)
Strong implication the Dreaming is Collective Unconscious for more than humans, and that Morpheus's typical appearance reflects his human audience rather than any definitive form.
"A Midsummer Night's Dream"
(concerning the departure of the Faerie)
Morpheus confirms to Auberon his arrangement with Shakespeare is designed to ensure humans remember the Faerie folk. If Morpheus agreed to inspire two plays, what is the second? Perhaps Hamlet, based upon Shakespeare's son Hamnet, who has a small part in this story.
"Façade"
(concerning the isolation of a superhero)
Ask, and you shall receive.
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LibraryThing member stipe168
some of the most excellent, creative, and woahing short stories you'll ever come across.
LibraryThing member gbill
The third installment in the Sandman series is a disappointment, much shorter than the first two volumes, and uninspired. It’s as if Gaiman was experiencing the writer’s block the character in his first story has. That character unblocks himself by acquiring the ageless Calliope, one of the
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Muses, and I was not wild about the casualness with which Gaiman describes him raping her on their first night. The second story goes a long way to use the line at the end about it not being possible to get a thousand cats to agree to anything. The third story has faeries visiting Shakespeare and company and having them put on a performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which is not all that original. The lone highlight was the character ‘Death’ in the last story, who, far from the traditional grim reaper, is a youthful looking woman who does her job in a friendly and reasonable way. Overall not horrible, but this one could have been skipped. Show Less
LibraryThing member ltjennysbooks
Evidently the stress of writing a nice coherent plot in The Doll’s House proved temporarily too much for Neil Gaiman, and he took a break to write some single-issue self-contained stories. And these are some damn good stories. Except I don’t like “Façade”. I remember not liking it so um, I
Anyway, the other three stories are very, very good. I like “Calliope” the best. It’s not that I don’t like the other two – I do – but I just like “Calliope” way the best. “Dream of a Thousand Cats” is a smidge too – I don’t know, I think it takes itself a tiny bit too seriously, considering how whimsical a story it is. And “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is gorgeous and delightful, and no wonder it won a prize, but I am not in love with Sandman’s treatment of Shakespeare. I love Shakespeare. AND HE WAS NOT FRANCIS BACON AND HE DID NOT MAKE A DEAL WITH DREAM AND HE WAS A GENIUS BY HIMSELF OKAY?
Calm down, Jenny.
Anyway, I think “Calliope” is great. I adore the brief one-panel vignettes you see of Richard Madoc – chatting up a girl at a party and telling her he does consider himself a feminist writer – then going home to the woman he’s keeping prisoner so he can be a genius. And as well, this story casts Dream in a better light than we’ve really seen him. His last two encounters with women haven’t been nice: condemning Nada to hell forever and ditching Lyta Hall all pregnant and despairing. I’m always glad to see him being helpful to Calliope and screwing up Madoc’s life permanently – though without the vindictiveness I would have expected. (This is change on his part. Watch how it will remain a theme.)
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sort of skipped it.Anyway, the other three stories are very, very good. I like “Calliope” the best. It’s not that I don’t like the other two – I do – but I just like “Calliope” way the best. “Dream of a Thousand Cats” is a smidge too – I don’t know, I think it takes itself a tiny bit too seriously, considering how whimsical a story it is. And “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is gorgeous and delightful, and no wonder it won a prize, but I am not in love with Sandman’s treatment of Shakespeare. I love Shakespeare. AND HE WAS NOT FRANCIS BACON AND HE DID NOT MAKE A DEAL WITH DREAM AND HE WAS A GENIUS BY HIMSELF OKAY?
Calm down, Jenny.
Anyway, I think “Calliope” is great. I adore the brief one-panel vignettes you see of Richard Madoc – chatting up a girl at a party and telling her he does consider himself a feminist writer – then going home to the woman he’s keeping prisoner so he can be a genius. And as well, this story casts Dream in a better light than we’ve really seen him. His last two encounters with women haven’t been nice: condemning Nada to hell forever and ditching Lyta Hall all pregnant and despairing. I’m always glad to see him being helpful to Calliope and screwing up Madoc’s life permanently – though without the vindictiveness I would have expected. (This is change on his part. Watch how it will remain a theme.)
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LibraryThing member Aitken_ka
A very mixed bag, even more confused and surreal than the first two books in the series. Each 'story' stands alone without creating a complete story arc and they are only vaguely connected by the presence of Dream. Still it's an interesting collection that will certainly reward future re-reading as
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it is far too rich in detail too fully absorb on one read. Show Less
LibraryThing member pokylittlepuppy
3.5 stars for this, what is essentially a short story collection. Extra half star for the general darkitude, which mostly worked well, and general solidness. The "Midsummer Night's Dream" story is apparently one of the famous well-regarded Sandman stories, but it actually was my least favorite.
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First prize goes to the kitty cats. Maybe that's lame, but they were beautiful, and, KITTY CATS.This edition includes a script, for "Calliope," so I read the script too because I like scripts. I've always particularly been intrigued by comic scripts, somewhat because it's the least familiar form, but I think I put my finger on it while reading this one. Occasionally, my favorite part of a play is its stage directions. And in a way, a comic script is 75% "stage" directions. And Gaiman's are helpful, suggestive stage directions. I like reading these, I think, because the directions are a method for sharing the story on a different plane than what is evoked by the final work. I will always like that. Show Less
LibraryThing member cromanelli927
SPOILERS AHEAD!!! SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
I caught a lot of crap this weekend reading my graphic novel around a bunch of veteran comic book readers. Apparently, I am not to read the introductions, and it is absolutely ludicrous that I would read the published script at the end of Volume 3. It was an
Dream Country was unlike the previous two Sandman books because it was really a collection of short stories in which Dream makes an appearance rather than chapters in a story about Dream. The first story, "Calliope" was about a muse that had been captured by one famous author and given to another in order to inspire further best sellers. I enjoyed this story because I aspire to write, and I can certainly sympathize with the frustration the authors feel when they have no ideas. However, the really sad part of the story is the complete lack of respect both authors have for the muse. The one who captured her refers to her as a cow, and the one who obtains possession during the story rapes her and doesn't even feel guilty about it. Dream rescues her by cursing the latter author with a plethora of ideas, which he finds so all encompassing that he has to write them on the walls with his own blood in order to get them out.
Incidentally, this is also the story for which the script is provided in the back of the book. It was really interesting to see how the artist, Kelley Jones, interpreted Gaiman's words. Gaiman's comments were really amusing too. At some point, he randomly apologized for being too tired to finish a certain number of pages in a night. He also makes several wry comments mid explanations. The script was quite long: several pages longer than the actual story. My boyfriend made the comment that perhaps the bloated scripts were one reason The Sandman series has a new artist for every book. I think not, but whatever.
The second story features felines as the main characters, and it left me a little cold. I wanted the cats to change the world with their dream, as the afflicted cat promised their concurrent dreaming would. However, I guess I see the validity in the idea that cats cannot agree on anything and are therefore incapable of community action. Still, I think from the fantasy aspect, the story would be more subversive if the cats actually did manage to change the world. A theme that seems to be running through the books is that though things never happened, they can still be true. And in this case, our imaginations simply have to make the alternate universe true for the cats.
The third story is the one about Shakespeare that seems to have attracted a great deal of critical attention. The writing was actually mostly Shakespeare's, and the twist to the story was that the actual characters were the audience. Once again, Gaiman seems to be playing with the idea of truth. The truth of the actual characters validates the truth of Shakespeare's version of human nature. It was interesting. I like the completely fictional idea that Shakespeare's son Hamnet hangs out with him for a while though. It increases my respect for Shakespeare as a man, even though I know it is completely untrue.
The fourth story featured a character that I knew nothing about, and I really didn't find it that interesting, except that Death showed back up, and I like her. Rainie, or Element Girl (?), longs for death because she can no longer function in society. She goes out to lunch with a friend and loses her fake face she has put on for the occasion. Death leads her in the right direction for suicide, and it was a little touching maybe. But mostly, I was just interested in what her body was made of. I am sure that there is a running theme through traditional comics about the inconveniences and difficulties of being superhuman, but this story really didn't wrench my heart the way it could have.
So, back to introductions (I'm tacking this on at the end--can you tell?) I did not enjoy the introduction to The Sandman: Dream Country as much as I enjoyed the previous intro (The Doll's House), but Steve Erickson did provide a nice anecdote about a dream he had about his father shortly after his death. I liked the previous intro because it was all about fantasy, and that is really my thing. And, so far, Dream Country is my least favorite of The Sandman series because I like Dream, and I missed him. Thank goodness I have another seven to read.
I caught a lot of crap this weekend reading my graphic novel around a bunch of veteran comic book readers. Apparently, I am not to read the introductions, and it is absolutely ludicrous that I would read the published script at the end of Volume 3. It was an
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interesting reading environment; I am a very vocal reader, and when something is funny, I laugh out loud. When something is strange, I read it aloud to make sure it makes sense to me. The guys were quite amused I'm sure. In any case, I digress.Dream Country was unlike the previous two Sandman books because it was really a collection of short stories in which Dream makes an appearance rather than chapters in a story about Dream. The first story, "Calliope" was about a muse that had been captured by one famous author and given to another in order to inspire further best sellers. I enjoyed this story because I aspire to write, and I can certainly sympathize with the frustration the authors feel when they have no ideas. However, the really sad part of the story is the complete lack of respect both authors have for the muse. The one who captured her refers to her as a cow, and the one who obtains possession during the story rapes her and doesn't even feel guilty about it. Dream rescues her by cursing the latter author with a plethora of ideas, which he finds so all encompassing that he has to write them on the walls with his own blood in order to get them out.
Incidentally, this is also the story for which the script is provided in the back of the book. It was really interesting to see how the artist, Kelley Jones, interpreted Gaiman's words. Gaiman's comments were really amusing too. At some point, he randomly apologized for being too tired to finish a certain number of pages in a night. He also makes several wry comments mid explanations. The script was quite long: several pages longer than the actual story. My boyfriend made the comment that perhaps the bloated scripts were one reason The Sandman series has a new artist for every book. I think not, but whatever.
The second story features felines as the main characters, and it left me a little cold. I wanted the cats to change the world with their dream, as the afflicted cat promised their concurrent dreaming would. However, I guess I see the validity in the idea that cats cannot agree on anything and are therefore incapable of community action. Still, I think from the fantasy aspect, the story would be more subversive if the cats actually did manage to change the world. A theme that seems to be running through the books is that though things never happened, they can still be true. And in this case, our imaginations simply have to make the alternate universe true for the cats.
The third story is the one about Shakespeare that seems to have attracted a great deal of critical attention. The writing was actually mostly Shakespeare's, and the twist to the story was that the actual characters were the audience. Once again, Gaiman seems to be playing with the idea of truth. The truth of the actual characters validates the truth of Shakespeare's version of human nature. It was interesting. I like the completely fictional idea that Shakespeare's son Hamnet hangs out with him for a while though. It increases my respect for Shakespeare as a man, even though I know it is completely untrue.
The fourth story featured a character that I knew nothing about, and I really didn't find it that interesting, except that Death showed back up, and I like her. Rainie, or Element Girl (?), longs for death because she can no longer function in society. She goes out to lunch with a friend and loses her fake face she has put on for the occasion. Death leads her in the right direction for suicide, and it was a little touching maybe. But mostly, I was just interested in what her body was made of. I am sure that there is a running theme through traditional comics about the inconveniences and difficulties of being superhuman, but this story really didn't wrench my heart the way it could have.
So, back to introductions (I'm tacking this on at the end--can you tell?) I did not enjoy the introduction to The Sandman: Dream Country as much as I enjoyed the previous intro (The Doll's House), but Steve Erickson did provide a nice anecdote about a dream he had about his father shortly after his death. I liked the previous intro because it was all about fantasy, and that is really my thing. And, so far, Dream Country is my least favorite of The Sandman series because I like Dream, and I missed him. Thank goodness I have another seven to read.
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LibraryThing member nonesuch42
I took a break from flying through Discworld books and read this. The introduction describes it as a bridge between volumes 2 and 4, and it did feel like Dream was off doing important things while we paid attention to some plain old humans. But somehow Gaiman made that interesting and I didn't even
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wonder too much about the Endless. I'm looking forward to volume 4! Show Less
LibraryThing member iftyzaidi
Neil Gaiman has written that upon completing the Doll's House story arc he wanted to do some stand-alone short stories, hence the collection of 4 stories in this third volume of the complete Sandman Collection. One of these stories (A Midsummer Night's Dream) won the World Fantasy Award, but
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personally none of the storys here really stood out for me. Interesting, entertaining, bizarre, but not outstanding. Show Less
LibraryThing member heidilove
jsut as good as the others.
LibraryThing member pru-lennon
this is the first graphic novel i've ever read and i was pretty pleased with it. very dark tones to it but it wouldn't be gaiman if it didn't have that.
LibraryThing member theboylatham
Four out of ten. CBR format.
This volume contains four independent stories. The imprisoned muse Calliope is forced to provide story ideas, a cat seeks to change the world with dreams, Shakespeare puts on a play for an unearthly audience, and a shape-shifting immortal longs for death.
This volume contains four independent stories. The imprisoned muse Calliope is forced to provide story ideas, a cat seeks to change the world with dreams, Shakespeare puts on a play for an unearthly audience, and a shape-shifting immortal longs for death.
LibraryThing member LostFrog
YES, this is perfect. Two of the most memorable Sandman issues are in this collection: A Dream of A Thousand Cats, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. These two are amazing, and you have to actually read them to get how amazing they are.
LibraryThing member deslni01
The third Sandman volume, Dream Country is a collection of short stories following the Doll's House arc. While there is no overarching story arc in the collection, there is of course a sense of relevance as each part develops the Sandman's universe and other characters - especially his sister,
Included with the set is an interest bonus - a copy of the script for one of the parts (Calliope). Neil introduces is as merely an example of one script, for one issue, in one comic series by one author. It is a fun little bonus, and he likens it to the curiosity of a magicians show - while it may ruin the illusion for some, most people have an insatiable, unquenchable thirst to see how it is done.
As always, the artists change from story to story, or at least every few stories, offering different artistic styles that enhance each story and make them even more unique. This works particularly well in a collection such as this, where each story is really its own separate story.
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Death, in the final part.Included with the set is an interest bonus - a copy of the script for one of the parts (Calliope). Neil introduces is as merely an example of one script, for one issue, in one comic series by one author. It is a fun little bonus, and he likens it to the curiosity of a magicians show - while it may ruin the illusion for some, most people have an insatiable, unquenchable thirst to see how it is done.
As always, the artists change from story to story, or at least every few stories, offering different artistic styles that enhance each story and make them even more unique. This works particularly well in a collection such as this, where each story is really its own separate story.
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LibraryThing member MrsLee
My heart is torn on this one between three and four stars. I loved two of the stories and found the other two very interesting and compelling, but the content is such that I couldn't recommend it to most of my friends, and I didn't enjoy that part either. I don't understand why the focus on the
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horrible things people do to each other and the graphic portrayal of it makes it worse for me. I probably won't read more of these, or only selected stories because I really don't care to have those images in my mind and they are hard to get out. It's too bad, because I love the idea of the stories of The Sandman and his sister, Death. Show Less
LibraryThing member Mary_Overton
Four independent stories -- a captured muse, a cat on a mission to change the world, the world premier performance of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, a mutant longing for meaning in her mutilation ...
For those who seek justice, wisdom, and revelation -- words spoken by a dead crow, nothing
"Justice is a delusion you will not find on this or any other sphere. Wisdom is no part of dreams, though dreams are a part of the sum of each life's experiences, which is the only wisdom that matters. But revelation? That is the province of dreams." (47)
For those who seek justice, wisdom, and revelation -- words spoken by a dead crow, nothing
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but bones and feathers:"Justice is a delusion you will not find on this or any other sphere. Wisdom is no part of dreams, though dreams are a part of the sum of each life's experiences, which is the only wisdom that matters. But revelation? That is the province of dreams." (47)
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LibraryThing member xicanti
Four short stories set within the SANDMAN mythos.
This is a pretty solid collection. It's short, but the stories pack a punch. My favourite is, without a doubt, "A Midsummer Night's Dream." I'm a huge fan of the play, and I love what Gaiman and Vess did with it. The pacing is lovely, the humor is
The rest of the stories are also quite good. "Calliope" adds to Dream's backstory even as it spins its frightening tale. "A Dream of a Thousand Cats" plays off the idea that the world can change without our involvement. It's sure to appeal to cat lovers. Finally, "Facade" provides the reader with a welcome reunion with Death.
Dream himself has only a peripheral presence in these tales, but they still do a fair bit to flesh out the story as a whole. Through them, we gain further insight into the world the Endless inhabit. Events that play out here are certain to reverberate down through the rest of the series.
Highly recommended. Despite its position as the third volume in a longer series, it can easily be read as a stand-alone.
This is a pretty solid collection. It's short, but the stories pack a punch. My favourite is, without a doubt, "A Midsummer Night's Dream." I'm a huge fan of the play, and I love what Gaiman and Vess did with it. The pacing is lovely, the humor is
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spot-on and the art is superb. It's a gorgeous production from start to finish, and is certainly worth of the World Fantasy Award it won.The rest of the stories are also quite good. "Calliope" adds to Dream's backstory even as it spins its frightening tale. "A Dream of a Thousand Cats" plays off the idea that the world can change without our involvement. It's sure to appeal to cat lovers. Finally, "Facade" provides the reader with a welcome reunion with Death.
Dream himself has only a peripheral presence in these tales, but they still do a fair bit to flesh out the story as a whole. Through them, we gain further insight into the world the Endless inhabit. Events that play out here are certain to reverberate down through the rest of the series.
Highly recommended. Despite its position as the third volume in a longer series, it can easily be read as a stand-alone.
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LibraryThing member CherieDooryard
This was a nice break from the previous two. By that I mean that I didn't have to look at a lurid illustration of an eyeball getting eaten. Somehow, despite this lack of gruesome, I still felt moved by and invested in the stories. Amazing.
LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
The Sandman Vol 3: Dream Country consists of four stories and the inclusion of the script for the first story, Calliope, which I found both interesting and enlightening. As Gaiman says in the introduction, who doesn’t want to see behind the illusion. And illusion is precisely what Dream Country
Dream Country has a much different feel to it from the other two books as it seems to veer away from Morpheus and his story, and although he is in the book it is more as a sideline character. Of the four original stories, I thought A Midsummer’s Night Dream was outstanding with A Dream of a Thousand Cats being my second favorite. The “Be Careful What You Wish For” story, Calliope gives us the most insight into Morpheus as he and Calliope obviously share a rocky past, and a son as well. The final story was my least favorite, but it did feature Morpheus’s sister, Goth girl, Death with whom I am quite taken with.
Clever, complex and at times slightly creepy, this volume adds to the development of the labyrinth that is the Sandman collection and while I probably preferred The Doll’s House, I think this well imagined work is a worthwhile read and an integral part of the series.
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appears to be about.Dream Country has a much different feel to it from the other two books as it seems to veer away from Morpheus and his story, and although he is in the book it is more as a sideline character. Of the four original stories, I thought A Midsummer’s Night Dream was outstanding with A Dream of a Thousand Cats being my second favorite. The “Be Careful What You Wish For” story, Calliope gives us the most insight into Morpheus as he and Calliope obviously share a rocky past, and a son as well. The final story was my least favorite, but it did feature Morpheus’s sister, Goth girl, Death with whom I am quite taken with.
Clever, complex and at times slightly creepy, this volume adds to the development of the labyrinth that is the Sandman collection and while I probably preferred The Doll’s House, I think this well imagined work is a worthwhile read and an integral part of the series.
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LibraryThing member Anniik
I love Neil Gaiman, and I love these graphic novels.
From this one, I particularly liked "Dream of a Thousand Cats" - love love love. :)
From this one, I particularly liked "Dream of a Thousand Cats" - love love love. :)
LibraryThing member hailelib
Since there are some excellent reviews already I just have some brief comments. First of all, I really liked the cover on my copy of this book . My eyes kept being drawn back to it and I also liked several of the interior illustrations a great deal. Some of the artwork here was a real plus although
As far as the stories go I liked all of them but my favorite was A Dream of a Thousand Cats about equally for the cats, the ideas and the art. The script at the end was interesting for its glimpse into how a comic is created although Gaiman points out that this is just one way of doing it.
For others new to Sandman: keep on reading!
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some could have been improved.As far as the stories go I liked all of them but my favorite was A Dream of a Thousand Cats about equally for the cats, the ideas and the art. The script at the end was interesting for its glimpse into how a comic is created although Gaiman points out that this is just one way of doing it.
For others new to Sandman: keep on reading!
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LibraryThing member clfisha
4 separate stories all flowing into the themes and feeding the rich story world of Sandman. This is third in the series and it’s time for a fabulous intermission. A tale of the power of dreams and the dreams that cats want, a horrible tale of rape and the grasp for ideas and for fame, a amusing
It may be one of the my least favourites, Calliope's brutal tale personally turns me off the whole thing and Facade I feel was clumsy but I admire the dark cuteness of A Dream of a Thousand Cats and enjoy the cleverness and humour in the retelling of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Facade pleases me less, I feel a longer story hidden there, a better character portrayal. Still it’s a short intermission and an interesting one. I am very glad Gaiman wanted to break away and tell other stories, its partly what makes Sandman great.
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and clever tale of Shakespeare, playing a tale of fairies to the Fae and a lost lonely tale of a superhero who has give up hope.It may be one of the my least favourites, Calliope's brutal tale personally turns me off the whole thing and Facade I feel was clumsy but I admire the dark cuteness of A Dream of a Thousand Cats and enjoy the cleverness and humour in the retelling of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Facade pleases me less, I feel a longer story hidden there, a better character portrayal. Still it’s a short intermission and an interesting one. I am very glad Gaiman wanted to break away and tell other stories, its partly what makes Sandman great.
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LibraryThing member poonamsharma
This one is a collection of stories with Sandman at the core of each one. MY favorite story is Caliope about a woman who is captivated by a writer since she helps him fend off writer's block. Another intriguing story is about William Shakespeare (unsurprisingly named as 'A Mid-Summer Night's Dream'
Also, there is a rare prize hidden in this issue - Neil Gaimon's comic script for the story Caliope. I had great fun comparing script with the comic as it panned out and to read his notes and graphic descriptions.
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- I believe it would take a second reading of the story to absorb all the nuances. Also, there is a rare prize hidden in this issue - Neil Gaimon's comic script for the story Caliope. I had great fun comparing script with the comic as it panned out and to read his notes and graphic descriptions.
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Awards
Harvey Award (Winner — 1991)
Language
Original publication date
1991-09-10
Physical description
26 cm
ISBN
156389016X / 9781563890161
Local notes
The first three volumes of Sandman in a slipcase.