The Sandman Library, Volume 3: Dream Country

Neil Gaiman

ISBN 10: 156389016X / ISBN 13: 9781563890161

Published by Vertigo, 1991

Item in very good condition! Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00092857834

Synopsis:

Presents four Sandman stories, including "A Midsummer Night's Dream," in which Shakespeare's company, at the instigation of the Lord of Dreams, gives an open-air performance of the play to an audience of fairies.

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

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Sandman Library, Volume 3: Dream Country
Publisher: Vertigo
Publication Date: 1991
Binding: Soft cover
Illustrator: Kelley Jones; Charles Vess; Colleen Doran; Malcolm Jones III
Condition: Very Good