A review by tcgarback
World's End by Neil Gaiman
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Critical Score: B
Personal Score: C-
Reading Experience: 📘📘(2/5)
Well, the Sandman continues its disappointment streak with its most promising story collection, thanks to its delightful frame narrative, but I finished with mostly a sense of relief that I could move on to The Kindly Ones.
This batch of tales is maybe the weirdest, but I still felt myself straining to get through them. The other two collections had higher highs and lower lows. This is the most meh of the three.
Gaiman has been dipping away from his more emotional theme work and instead favoring a very nauseating classic literature state of mind, with references galore and a lack of modern appeal and missing his signature spark—or at least, that spark of his I liked most.
At this point, I’m looking for the next volume to bring redemption, but I don’t want to get my hopes up.
My ranking of the stories:
“World’s End” B. I was so glad to return to the frame narrative, and despite a moment of some weird faux feminism, this is the best part of the volume, though it leaves tons of questions.
“The Golden Boy” B. I loved how weird this one was, though I wanted more from the ending.
“Cluracan's Tale” B-. A mildly entertaining political fantasy.
“Cerements” B-. A creepy world. Dense with embedded narratives.
“Hob’s Leviathan” C. Very meh. Some appealing, but at this point redundant, musings on the nature of stories.
“The Tale of Two Cities” C. The art is dreadful, and the story is almost cool but never quite gets there.
Critical Score: B
Personal Score: C-
Reading Experience: 📘📘(2/5)
Well, the Sandman continues its disappointment streak with its most promising story collection, thanks to its delightful frame narrative, but I finished with mostly a sense of relief that I could move on to The Kindly Ones.
This batch of tales is maybe the weirdest, but I still felt myself straining to get through them. The other two collections had higher highs and lower lows. This is the most meh of the three.
Gaiman has been dipping away from his more emotional theme work and instead favoring a very nauseating classic literature state of mind, with references galore and a lack of modern appeal and missing his signature spark—or at least, that spark of his I liked most.
At this point, I’m looking for the next volume to bring redemption, but I don’t want to get my hopes up.
My ranking of the stories:
“World’s End” B. I was so glad to return to the frame narrative, and despite a moment of some weird faux feminism, this is the best part of the volume, though it leaves tons of questions.
“The Golden Boy” B. I loved how weird this one was, though I wanted more from the ending.
“Cluracan's Tale” B-. A mildly entertaining political fantasy.
“Cerements” B-. A creepy world. Dense with embedded narratives.
“Hob’s Leviathan” C. Very meh. Some appealing, but at this point redundant, musings on the nature of stories.
“The Tale of Two Cities” C. The art is dreadful, and the story is almost cool but never quite gets there.