Reviews

The Sandman: Book of Dreams, by Edward E. Kramer, Neil Gaiman

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duncan_mcguire's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

thoroughlyme's review against another edition

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4.0

The long and short of it is that, like any collection of short stories, some of these stories are excellent, some of them are forgettable, and some of them are just fine. While there’s a lot of fun to be had in seeing how all of these various authors approach the world of Gaiman’s Sandman series, a part of me can’t help wishing that Gaiman had contributed a story to this collection too. For as close as some of these stories come, none of them quite capture exactly the same magic as the original series. Though, for what it’s worth, “Stronger Than Desire,” “Each Damp Thing,” “An Extra Smidgen of Eternity,” “The Mender of Broken Dreams,” and “Stopp’t-Clock Yard” are all excellent stories and well worth the price of entry.

valjeanval's review against another edition

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3.0

I've been in a very Sandman mood lately, and this collection did a decent job of satisfying that feeling. My favorite story in the collection was "Chain Home, Low," which barely features the Endless except in tone, but in that style is more powerful than ones where Death just sort of drops in as she does. Maybe it's because I'm so used to the comic format, but it is harder to accept the Endless milling about among mortals in prose than it is to literally see them in the background. A lot of the pieces are pretty forgettable, but a Sandman aficionado will definitely find something to entertain (lots of Wanda!).

lila10's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

alba_marie's review against another edition

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3.0

This may have been edited by Neil Gaiman... But its claer it wasn't written by him! Variations in quality but ultimately so so.

Maybe I would have liked it better if I'd read it after reading thr while Sandman stories instead of just the first few volumes. "Splatter" by Will Shetterley was my favourite. I also liked the super short Hungarian fairy/folk tale "Valoslag and Elet" by Steven Brust. Susanna Clarke's "Stopp'd Yard Clock" was well written but didn't appreciate it as much as I was flagging my the end. "The Mender of Broken Dreams" (Nancy Collins) and "Extra Smidgen of Eternity" (Robert Rodi) were decent too.

Did not like or finish "The Writers Child". Rest of them I don't really remember. Overall, the collection was okay but nothing to write home about.