 "Not a Previously Read Copy" | 2009-08-31 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1V4MUNGJ38RGY |
I personally know it's hard to get a copy of something that a person hasn't read through first. Not the case from this user.
Thank you for advertising "new" and giving out something "new." I would buy from this user again. |
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| "My favorite story out of a fantastic comic series" | 2009-08-27 |
| - Reviewed By jstrawn168 |
"A Game of You" is my favorite of the storylines in the Sandman series, a tall order in a series that contains many of my favorite comic book stories of all time.
This story is the best blend of the high fantasy and grounded character work that made Neil Gaiman's epic series so famous and acclaimed during its ~60 issue run. The story alternates between the apoclayptic battle for the fate of a fantasy world and the troubles of a group of appartment tennents who are worried for their friend, and quite possible facing off against forces far more powerful than they suspect. The collection of artists who worked with Gaiman on these issues bring different styles, but keep the characters and settings consistent and striking throughout.
Weaving these parallel stories together completly seamlessly, Gaiman makes a New York apartment the setting for arcane rituals and the enchanted forests of a dream world the location of poignant discussions of duty and love. The transvestite in New York is just a compelling as the talking rat, and both have important story arcs that are affecting and honest.
The point that I came away with in the story is that life, be it the life of a New York apartment dweller or the life of a constructed dream world, is not always fair. It does not always end the way that you would prefer. But it can have moments of great beauty between the moments of great fear. It is a wonderous, dangerous and powerful thing to live, and the only way to live at peace with yourself is to embrace the life you find yourself in as fully as possible. Sometimes the world, as in the case of the magic that cares not for the tranvestite's gender choices, is harsh and unforgiving. And sometimes your life will provide a Dream lord offering the boon of your choice. It never plays out the way you might have thought, and all people are not what they seem, but all life is precious and beautiful. Like this book. |
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| "What if the dreams of your youth affected the rest of your life?" | 2009-05-26 |
| - Reviewed By karissa35 |
I love the Sandman series so far and this book was no exception. Gaiman has a way of telling dark stories that are very creative and really expand your mind and make you think.
Barbie's best friends are a drag queen named Wanda and two lesbians that live in her apartment building. Barbie seems to be dragging a bit because she never dreams. She remembers dreaming as a child; wonderful vivid dreams, but those times are long past. When a creature from her dreams dies in front of her on the street and gives her a treasure, Barbie lapses in to a permanent dream state that leads her back to her childhood dream-land where she is a princess and must save the dream land from the Cuckoo. Barbie's friends walk the path of the moon in a effort to save her. In the end nothing is quite as it seems and Barbie's friends' efforts may have put the real world at risk.
The artwork in these books is great. The story is amazing. You really feel for all of the characters and relate with them. The plot pulls you through as you wonder what the next page will bring. Full of creative ideas, intriguing thoughts, creative worlds, and of course the God of Dreams; this was another amazing installment to the Sandman series. I love these stories; they always open your mind to new possibilities and wonders. Not to mention that in general the stories are just well told with a deep mythos behind them.
I look forward to reading the next Sandman Volume. |
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| "Now I See" | 2008-10-02 |
| - Reviewed By User: ARMVAHWQQ9S8A |
| The last three volumes of The Sandman have completely outdone what came before. I thought there were glimmers of a good story in the first two volumes, but the storytelling itself was so clunky and unfocused that it was hard to find what really made me keep reading. Well, I'm glad I did, because the fifth volume, "A Game of You," is easily the best written installment so far.br /br /While the Sandman himself hardly appears in this volume, I didn't find that frustrating at all. By this point, Gaiman has begun to write from character, and that really helps the story move forward in unpredictable and fantastic ways. It's about a girl who dreams herself into a fantasy realm that is endangered by the Cuckoo, who sends agents into the real world to have her and her friends killed. The story alternates between New York and The Land, and it's so innovative and just so well done that you won't even wonder where Morpheus is.br /br /Not only is this the best story so far, it also functions in tying the previous volumes together in a way I didn't predict. The main character is Barbie, who was part of the preppy couple Barbie and Ken in Vol. 2: The Doll's House. Also, Foxglove is actually the lover of the lesbian woman at the diner from Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes. It's all a very tight story, and in some ways is a (much better) sequel to "The Doll's House."br /br /Now I see what people were talking about when they gushed about this series.br /br /9/10 |
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 "Another solid addition to the Sandman mythos" | 2008-09-07 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1CQGAPQMN41LV |
The fifth Sandman collection sees Gaiman tackle the traditional fantasy/fairy tale 'quest' story. This is an interesting tale, one of the most traditionally-structured in the series, and once again makes use of the history already established in the series whilst setting up elements for use in future stories.
Barbie, the young woman who was one of Rose Walker's housemates in The Doll's House, has relocated to New York City and now lives in an apartment block. Other residents of the block include a transsexual named Wanda, a lesbian couple named Hazel and Foxglove, a bookish young woman named Thessaly and a surly man named George. Since the events of The Doll's House Barbie has been unable to dream and in her absence the dream-kingdom she used to inhabit, the Land, has been overrun by an evil force known as 'the Cuckoo'. Only a few of Barbie's imaginary friends have survived, and using powerful magic one of these, a giant dog named Martin Tenbones, crosses over into the real world to enlist her aid in saving them.
A Game of You is, by some reports, the least popular of the Sandman tales. I'm not sure why that is the case, although Dream spending much more time off-page than normal (only really active at the beginning and end) may have something to do with it. The mix of high fantasy with harsh reality may have something more to do with it, and the somewhat bemused-rather-than-scared-into-catatonia reactions of the other residents of the apartment block to one of their number cutting off someone's face and pinning it to the wall strains credulity somewhat. But Gaiman again gives us an interesting, intricately-crafted story featuring some very well-realised characters and some fascinating fantasy concepts. A lengthy essay by Samual R. Delaney opens this collection in which he discusses some of the ideas and themes presented, and is an interesting read. A Game of You is, at its heart, a story about identity, about what people want to be versus the sometimes harsh reality of who they actually are, and about the role that fantasy plays in people's lives.
A Game of You (****) is another solid addition to the Sandman mythos, with a strong storyline and some interesting thematic elements making up for a slightly unsatisfying ending and a distinct lack of appearances by the Sandman. It is available from Titan in the UK and Vertigo in the USA, and is part of The Absolute Sandman, Volume II, available from Vertigo in the UK and USA. |
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| "Graphic SF Reader" | 2007-09-03 |
| - Reviewed By bluetyson |
A messed up girl named Barbie has created a dream world with some serious problems. After blocking this out of a mind for her time, and not dreaming, eventually her dream world gets to her.
This drags in her friends and neighbours, who happen to include an immortal witch, and an agent of her dream foe.
Through a drawing down the moon ritual, the women involved enter the dream world to try and rectify things and find Barbie.
Needless to say, Morpheus is not at all amused, when he finally has to act.
This part really has little to do with the Endless.
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