Time Travel Thursday is hosted by Budget Tales Book Blog. This is where I take a look back at what I was reading this time last year (or the year before or the year before that…) and compare it to what I am reading now.
Books I was Reading on This Day in 2023:
See my review of Your First Novel by clicking here.
Given the fact that there are perhaps 400 billion stars in our Galaxy alone, and perhaps 400 billion galaxies in the Universe, it stands to reason that somewhere out there, in the 14-billion-year-old cosmos, there is or once was a civilization at least as advanced as our own. The sheer enormity of the numbers almost demands that we accept the truth of this hypothesis. Why, then, have we encountered no evidence, no messages, no artifacts of these extraterrestrials?
In this second, significantly revised and expanded edition of his widely popular book, Webb discusses in detail the (for now!) 75 most cogent and intriguing solutions to Fermi’s famous paradox: If the numbers strongly point to the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations, why have we found no evidence of them?
Writing a book is hard. Marketing it can be even harder.
Marketing a book in 2021 can seem like a full-time job, what with the crazy number of things authors seem to be expected to do: social media, blog tours, advertising, price promotions, mailing lists, giveaways, you name it.
But here’s a little secret: you don’t need to do all those things to successfully set your book on the path to success. What you need is a solid plan to find the one or two tactics that will work, and start to drive sales… in a minimum amount of time. And that’s exactly what you’ll find in this book.
Instead of drowning you in information or inundating you with hundreds of different tactics and strategies that eventually prove fruitless, this book will guide you through a step-by-step framework to find the ones that actually work for you and your book, so that you can start marketing more efficiently.
In particular, you’ll learn:
• How to change your mindset and sell more books with less effort.; • How to write books that guarantee a lasting, profitable career; • How to get Amazon’s Kindle Store to market your book for you; • How to get thousands of readers into your mailing list before you even release the book; • How to propel your book to the top of the charts at launch; and • How to automate your marketing so that you can spend less time marketing and more time writing,
After helping over 150,000 authors crack the marketing code through a popular weekly newsletter, Reedsy’s Co-founder Ricardo Fayet is sharing everything he’s learned over the past few years in this beginner-friendly, jargon-free guide to book marketing.
A magnetic novel about two families, strangers to each other, who are forced together on a long weekend gone terribly wrong
Amanda and Clay head to a remote corner of Long Island expecting a a quiet reprieve from life in New York City, quality time with their teenage son and daughter and a taste of the good life in the luxurious home they’ve rented for the week. But with a late-night knock on the door, the spell is broken. Ruth and G. H., an older couple who claim to own the home, have arrived there in a panic. These strangers say that a sudden power outage has swept the city, and – with nowhere else to turn – they have come to the country in search of shelter.
But with the TV and internet down, and no phone service, the facts are unknowable. Should Amanda and Clay trust this couple – and vice versa? What has happened back in New York? Is the holiday home, isolated from civilisation, a truly safe place for their families? And are they safe from one another?
“She took the record out and put it on. As it started to play, she simply didn’t know if good memories would come back. Maybe bad memories would overtake them. Whichever way she felt, she just knew that it was ‘absolutely necessary’ to purely have it play.”
Elsie Ragusin started out in life with everything laid out. She was passionate about God, music, and her family. However, life would soon test her in the most unimaginable ways. She would realize that during the worst atrocities that human history has ever witnessed, she had to rely completely on her Christian faith to get by. Some days, she never ate or felt too weak to work in the concentration camps. Her mental strength in using music and the hope of getting back to her family helped her get through it in 1945. Yet, those haunting memories are what she still has to overcome. Will she use the talents that God has given her to show her present family that one can truly overcome anything? Listen and follow along with Elsie’s Tune.
From an award-winning journalist, this “grippingly suspenseful true-crime tale details the foiling of a wealthy Texan’s plot to have his wife murdered”(Publishers Weekly).
To the world, Linda DeSilva’s marriage to Robert Edelman was perfect. He was her college boyfriend turned wealthy and successful husband, and the father of her children. But what friends and family didn’t know was that the Texas real estate tycoon who set her up with a luxurious life in Dallas was also her abuser. When she asked him for a divorce, the violence against her only escalated, until the shocking moment she learned her husband had hired an assassin to take her life.
From acclaimed journalist and author Jim Schutze, “My Husband’s Trying to Kill Me!” is the riveting true-crime account of how Linda DeSilva worked with the FBI to trap her husband before he could act on his murderous intentions—and how the sting operation nearly got her killed instead. A shocking and sensational story of a wife and mother’s escape from the marriage that went from American dream to every woman’s worst nightmare.
Brief Summary of the Plot From Goodreads: Ten thousand years ago, Morpheus condemned a woman who loved him to Hell. Now the other members of his immortal family, The Endless, have convinced the Dream King that this was an injustice. To make it right, Morpheus must return to Hell to rescue his banished love — and Hell’s ruler, the fallen angel Lucifer, has already sworn to destroy him.
Collects THE SANDMAN #21-28.
My Review: In the prologue, Dream’s sibling Destiny calls a family meeting. During the meeting, the siblings squabble, and they call Dream out for basically being a jerk, and having sentenced his once lover Nada to hell because she rejected him. Morpheus’s reflections on the past, and a push from Death, lead him to realize that he has made mistakes in the past and that he needs to make amends. He decides to embark on a journey to Hell to confront its ruler, Lucifer, and seek a way to free Nada from her eternal damnation.
Dream heads to hell, only to discover that Lucifer has closed Hell, kicking out all the dead humans and demons and gives the keys to Morpheus. As news of Lucifer’s abdication spreads, various supernatural entities, including demons, angels, and gods, flock to Dream to try to persuade him to give them the keys. Morpheus must navigate through the chaos and decide who is worthy of ruling Hell.
This volume was much better than Volume 3. The storyline was full of imaginative and peculiar elements, and it was presented as a cohesive narrative that progressed seamlessly from episode to episode. The volume was structured more like a novel than Volume 3, which featured disjointed, unrelated stories. Additionally, the 30-year anniversary edition included an enjoyable fictional author and illustrator biography at the end of the book that added to my overall enjoyment of the volume.
Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: The third book of the Sandman collection is a series of four short comic book stories. In each of these otherwise unrelated stories, Morpheus serves only as a minor character. Here we meet the mother of Morpheus’s son, find out what cats dream about, and discover the true origin behind Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream. The latter won a World Fantasy Award for best short story, the first time a comic book was given that honor.
Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: New York Times best-selling 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.
During Morpheus’s incarceration, three dreams escaped the Dreaming and are now loose in the waking world. At the same time, a young woman named Rose Walker is searching for her little brother. As their stories converge, a vortex is discovered that could destroy all dreamers, and the world itself.
Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: New York Times best-selling author Neil Gaiman’s transcendent series THE 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.
In PRELUDES & NOCTURNES, an occultist attempting to capture Death to bargain for eternal life traps her younger brother Dream instead. After his 70 year imprisonment and eventual escape, Dream, also known as Morpheus, goes on a quest for his lost objects of power. On his arduous journey Morpheus encounters Lucifer, John Constantine, and an all-powerful madman.
This book also includes the story “The Sound of Her Wings,” which introduces us to the pragmatic and perky goth girl Death.
Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: The third book of the Sandman collection is a series of four short comic book stories. In each of these otherwise unrelated stories, Morpheus serves only as a minor character. Here we meet the mother of Morpheus’s son, find out what cats dream about, and discover the true origin behind Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream. The latter won a World Fantasy Award for best short story, the first time a comic book was given that honor.
My Review:The Sandman Vol. 3: Dream Country is a collection of four standalone stories featuring the character of Dream, also known as Morpheus, who is the lord of dreams and one of the Endless.
The first story, “Calliope,” follows a struggling writer named Richard Madoc who has resorted to kidnapping and imprisoning a muse named Calliope in order to gain inspiration for his writing. Dream intervenes and teaches Madoc a harsh lesson about the consequences of abusing power and creativity.
This story was probably my least favorite in the collection. I was really disturbed by some aspects, especially the scenes of rape and imprisonment.
The second story, “A Dream of a Thousand Cats,” follows a group of cats who dream of a world where cats rule over humans instead of the other way around. As they share their dream with one another, they discover that their collective dreaming has the power to shape reality and create the world they desire.
I’m a big fan of cats, so this was my favorite in the collection. It really made me wonder whether the cats would succeed and become our overlords in reality (by being larger than humans). Even though anyone with cats can tell you that they are more or less our masters anyhow.
The third story, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” takes place in 1590s England and follows Shakespeare as he prepares to perform his play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” for the first time. Dream offers to provide him with the best cast possible, including the King and Queen of Faerie, leading to a performance that is truly magical.
I found this story to be a little boring. It wasn’t as engaging or interesting as other stories in the Sandman series. However, the story’s focus on the theater and the performing arts may appeal more to others than it did to me.
The fourth and final story, “Facade,” is about a woman named Element Girl who was granted immortality by a mysterious benefactor. However, she soon realizes that immortality comes with a terrible price as she is trapped in an ever-changing, grotesque appearance. Dream offers her a way out, but it is not what she expects.
This story was okay, and while the premise that eternity can be a curse (rather than something to strive for / achieve) was interesting, I found the pacing rather slow, and there wasn’t too much action.
Other than the story about the cats, I didn’t care too much for the other stories, and the collection as a whole seemed disjointed. The stories varied in tone and plot and didn’t seem to carry the overall plot of Sandman forward.
I would still recommend reading it though if you intend to read on in the series.
Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: New York Times best-selling 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.
During Morpheus’s incarceration, three dreams escaped the Dreaming and are now loose in the waking world. At the same time, a young woman named Rose Walker is searching for her little brother. As their stories converge, a vortex is discovered that could destroy all dreamers, and the world itself.
Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: New York Times best-selling author Neil Gaiman’s transcendent series THE 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.
In PRELUDES & NOCTURNES, an occultist attempting to capture Death to bargain for eternal life traps her younger brother Dream instead. After his 70 year imprisonment and eventual escape, Dream, also known as Morpheus, goes on a quest for his lost objects of power. On his arduous journey Morpheus encounters Lucifer, John Constantine, and an all-powerful madman.
This book also includes the story “The Sound of Her Wings,” which introduces us to the pragmatic and perky goth girl Death.
Goodreads Monday is hosted by Budget Tales Book Blog. “Goodreads Monday allows you to post about what books are on your “to read” lists, the progress you have made on your current books and reading challenge, and any other Goodreads news!”
When electricity hangs in the air so thick the moon and stars fizzle and drown in a sea of light, the people living within it, breathing it in, can never be “normal.”
From disfigured mutants accidentally murdering god to a man falling madly in love with a blood-thirsty VCR, we promise you’ve never read anything as bizarre as this!
In these six tales, Pauley explores the lives of those living in the darkest corners of the world, those living electric:
Contains the stories:
1) Slime Night! 2) Killing Teddy (previously published under the names Insection 8 and The Third Floor) 3) The Spiders of Honeyville 4) Hypnagogia 5) $5 Electric Suzie 6) Spin Doctors Mixtape
From New York Times bestselling author Patricia Cornwell comes Ripper: The Secret Life of Walter Sickert, a comprehensive and intriguing exposé of one of the world’s most chilling cases of serial murder—and the police force that failed to solve it.
Vain and charismatic Walter Sickert made a name for himself as a painter in Victorian London. But the ghoulish nature of his art—as well as extensive evidence—points to another name, one that’s left its bloody mark on the pages of history: Jack the Ripper. Cornwell has collected never-before-seen archival material—including a rare mortuary photo, personal correspondence and a will with a mysterious autopsy clause—and applied cutting-edge forensic science to open an old crime to new scrutiny.
Incorporating material from Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper—Case Closed, this new edition has been revised and expanded to include eight new chapters, detailed maps and hundreds of images that bring the sinister case to life.
New York Times best-selling author Neil Gaiman’s transcendent series THE 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.
In PRELUDES & NOCTURNES, an occultist attempting to capture Death to bargain for eternal life traps her younger brother Dream instead. After his 70 year imprisonment and eventual escape, Dream, also known as Morpheus, goes on a quest for his lost objects of power. On his arduous journey Morpheus encounters Lucifer, John Constantine, and an all-powerful madman.
This book also includes the story “The Sound of Her Wings,” which introduces us to the pragmatic and perky goth girl Death.
New York Times best-selling 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.
During Morpheus’s incarceration, three dreams escaped the Dreaming and are now loose in the waking world. At the same time, a young woman named Rose Walker is searching for her little brother. As their stories converge, a vortex is discovered that could destroy all dreamers, and the world itself.
Grady Hendrix takes on the haunted house in a thrilling new novel that explores the way your past—and your family—can haunt you like nothing else.
When Louise finds out her parents have died, she dreads going home. She doesn’t want to leave her daughter with her ex and fly to Charleston. She doesn’t want to deal with her family home, stuffed to the rafters with the remnants of her father’s academic career and her mother’s lifelong obsession with puppets and dolls. She doesn’t want to learn how to live without the two people who knew and loved her best in the world.
Most of all, she doesn’t want to deal with her brother, Mark, who never left their hometown, gets fired from one job after another, and resents her success. Unfortunately, she’ll need his help to get the house ready for sale because it’ll take more than some new paint on the walls and clearing out a lifetime of memories to get this place on the market.
But some houses don’t want to be sold, and their home has other plans for both of them…
EVERYONE IN THE WORLD KNOWS HIS NAME. BUT IT’S YOU HE WANTS.
At thirty-nine, Solène Marchand is a devoted mother, a dedicated colleague and a considerate ex-wife.
But it’s a long time since she’s felt like herself.
So when someone comes along who seems to see her – to want her – for who she really is, the attraction is instant. And so begins a jet-setting, earth-shattering secret love affair.
But what if that someone is world-famous sex symbol Hayes Campbell? Captivating frontman of boy band of the moment August Moon – whose face is everywhere. Including Solène’s teenage daughter’s bedroom wall.
Can Solène allow herself to fall for the boy the whole world wants?
Three couples rent a luxury cabin in the woods for a weekend getaway to die for in this chilling locked-room thriller by New York Times bestselling author Lisa Unger.
What could be more restful, more restorative, than a weekend getaway with family and friends? An isolated luxury cabin in the woods, complete with spectacular views, a hot tub and a personal chef. Hannah’s loving and generous tech-mogul brother found the listing online. The reviews are stellar. It’s his birthday gift to Hannah and includes their spouses and another couple. The six friends need this trip with good food, good company and lots of R & R, far from the chatter and pressures of modern life.
But the dreamy weekend is about to turn into a nightmare. A deadly storm is brewing. The rental host seems just a little too present. The personal chef reveals that their beautiful house has a spine-tingling history. And the friends have their own complicated past, with secrets that run blood deep. How well does Hannah know her brother, her own husband? Can she trust her best friend? And who is the new boyfriend, crashing their party? Meanwhile, someone is determined to ruin the weekend, looking to exact a payback for deeds long buried. Who is the stranger among them?
The third book of the Sandman collection is a series of four short comic book stories. In each of these otherwise unrelated stories, Morpheus serves only as a minor character. Here we meet the mother of Morpheus’s son, find out what cats dream about, and discover the true origin behind Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream. The latter won a World Fantasy Award for best short story, the first time a comic book was given that honor.
A soul-stirring novel about what we choose to keep from our past, and what we choose to leave behind.
Olivia McAfee knows what it feels like to start over. Her picture-perfect life—living in Boston, married to a brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon, raising a beautiful son, Asher—was upended when her husband revealed a darker side. She never imagined she would end up back in her sleepy New Hampshire hometown, living in the house she grew up in, and taking over her father’s beekeeping business.
Lily Campanello is familiar with do-overs, too. When she and her mom relocate to Adams, New Hampshire, for her final year of high school, they both hope it will be a fresh start.
And for just a short while, these new beginnings are exactly what Olivia and Lily need. Their paths cross when Asher falls for the new girl in school, and Lily can’t help but fall for him, too. With Ash, she feels happy for the first time. Yet at times, she wonders if she can she trust him completely . . .
Then one day, Olivia receives a phone call: Lily is dead, and Asher is being questioned by the police. Olivia is adamant that her son is innocent. But she would be lying if she didn’t acknowledge the flashes of his father’s temper in him, and as the case against him unfolds, she realizes he’s hidden more than he’s shared with her.
Mad Honey is a riveting novel of suspense, an unforgettable love story, and a moving and powerful exploration of the secrets we keep and the risks we take in order to become ourselves.
Ten thousand years ago, Morpheus condemned a woman who loved him to Hell. Now the other members of his immortal family, The Endless, have convinced the Dream King that this was an injustice. To make it right, Morpheus must return to Hell to rescue his banished love — and Hell’s ruler, the fallen angel Lucifer, has already sworn to destroy him.
On the verge of losing her laboratory, her savings, and all respect for herself, Pandora (Penny) Yee lands her first contract as scientific consult to the police department. And with seventeen murder cases on the go, the surly inspector is happy to leave her to it. Only she’s going to need to get around, and that means her slightly unhinged adopted brother, Matiu, will be doing the driving. But something about the case spooks Matiu, something other than the lack of a body in the congealing pool of blood in the locked room or that odd little bowl.
Matiu doesn’t like anything about this case, from the voices that screamed at him when he touched that bowl, to the way his hateful imaginary friend Makere has come back to torment him, to the fact that the victim seems to be tied up with a man from Matiu’s past, a man who takes pleasure in watching dogs tear each other to pieces for profit and entertainment.
Hounds of the Underworld blends mystery, near-future noir and horror. Set in New Zealand it’s the product of a collaboration by two Kiwi authors, one with Chinese heritage and the other Māori. This debut book in The Path of Ra series offers compelling new voices and an exotic perspective on the detective drama.
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, comes a breath taking novel about modern marriage, the depth of family ties, and the year that one remarkable heroine spends exploring both. When Lauren and Ryan’s marriage reaches the breaking point, they come up with an unconventional plan. They decide to take a year off in the hopes of finding a way to fall in love again. One year apart, and only one they cannot contact each other. Aside from that, anything goes. Lauren embarks on a journey of self-discovery, quickly finding that her friends and family have their own ideas about the meaning of marriage. These influences, as well as her own healing process and the challenges of living apart from Ryan, begin to change Lauren’s ideas about monogamy and marriage. She starts to When you can have romance without loyalty and commitment without marriage, when love and lust are no longer tied together, what do you value? What are you willing to fight for? This is a love story about what happens when the love fades. It’s about staying in love, seizing love, forsaking love, and committing to love with everything you’ve got. And above all, After I Do is the story of a couple caught up in an old game-and searching for a new road to happily ever after. Don’t miss the new novel from Taylor Jenkins Reid, Carrie Soto is Back, out now
In this revised and expanded edition of Your First Novel, novelist Laura Whitcomb, seasoned literary agent Ann Rittenberg, and her knowledgeable assistant, Camille Goldin, team up to provide you with the essential skills needed to craft the best novel you can–and the savvy business know-how to get it published. Complete with updated references, analysis of new best-selling novels, and the same detailed instruction, Whitcomb will show you how to:
– Practice the craft of writing, using both your right- and left-brain – Develop a flexible card system for organizing and outlining plot – Create dynamic characters that readers love–and love to hate – Study classic novels and story structure to adapt with your ideas Featuring two new chapters on choosing your path as an author and understanding the world of self-publishing, Rittenberg and Goldin dive into the business side of publishing, including:
– What agents can–and should–do for your future – Who you should target as an agent for your burgeoning career – How the mysterious auction for novels actually goes down – Why you should learn to work with your agent through thick and thin Guiding your first novel from early words to a spot on the bookshelf can be an exciting and terrifying journey, but you’re not alone. Alongside the advice of industry veterans, Your First Novel Revised and Expanded also includes plenty of firsthand accounts from published authors on their journeys, including Dennis Lehane, C.J. Box, Kathleen McCleary, David Kazzie, and more.
Progress: Kindle book 72% (March 6th: 44%, March 13th 57%)
Before Owen Michaels disappears, he manages to smuggle a note to his beloved wife of one year: Protect her. Despite her confusion and fear, Hannah Hall knows exactly to whom the note refers: Owen’s sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey. Bailey, who lost her mother tragically as a child. Bailey, who wants absolutely nothing to do with her new stepmother.
As Hannah’s increasingly desperate calls to Owen go unanswered; as the FBI arrests Owen’s boss; as a US Marshal and FBI agents arrive at her Sausalito home unannounced, Hannah quickly realizes her husband isn’t who he said he was. And that Bailey just may hold the key to figuring out Owen’s true identity—and why he really disappeared.
Hannah and Bailey set out to discover the truth, together. But as they start putting together the pieces of Owen’s past, they soon realize they are also building a new future. One neither Hannah nor Bailey could have anticipated.
When a brilliant scientist seeking to solve the problem of world hunger tries to create giant mushrooms through genetic manipulation, what could possibly go wrong?
The mutated spores escape the lab and spread across all of England. Toadstools grow to twenty feet tall, and a case of athlete’s foot can mean a grisly and horrible death.
But those who die quickly are the lucky ones. Those who survive infection by the fungus will be transformed into something unthinkably monstrous … With a perfect mix of nightmarish horror and black humor, Harry Adam Knight’s cult classic The Fungus (1985) will grow on you. This edition features a foreword by the author.
Progress: Page 72 of 191
Next Up:
Title: Cleopatra and Frankenstein
Author: Coco Mellors
Book Length: 384 pages
Goodreads Summary: New York is slipping from Cleo’s grasp. Sure, she’s at a different party every other night, but she barely knows anyone. Her student visa is running out, and she doesn’t even have money for cigarettes. But then she meets Frank. Twenty years older, Frank’s life is full of all the success and excess that Cleo’s lacks. He offers her the chance to be happy, the freedom to paint, and the opportunity to apply for a green card. She offers him a life imbued with beauty and art―and, hopefully, a reason to cut back on his drinking. He is everything she needs right now.
Cleo and Frank run head-first into a romance that neither of them can quite keep up with. It reshapes their lives and the lives of those around them, whether that’s Cleo’s best friend struggling to embrace his gender identity in the wake of her marriage, or Frank’s financially dependent sister arranging sugar daddy dates after being cut off. Ultimately, this chance meeting between two strangers outside of a New Year’s Eve party changes everything, for better or worse.
Cleopatra and Frankenstein is an astounding and painfully relatable debut novel about the spontaneous decisions that shape our entire lives and those imperfect relationships born of unexpectedly perfect evenings.
Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: New York Times best-selling 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.
During Morpheus’s incarceration, three dreams escaped the Dreaming and are now loose in the waking world. At the same time, a young woman named Rose Walker is searching for her little brother. As their stories converge, a vortex is discovered that could destroy all dreamers, and the world itself.
My Review:The Sandman Vol. 2: The Doll’s House is the second installment in Neil Gaiman’s groundbreaking Sandman comic book series. The story follows the continuing adventures of Dream, the lord of dreams, as he navigates the strange and dangerous world of the Dreaming.
The Doll’s House begins with Dream discovering that a number of his subjects have gone missing from the Dreaming. He sets out to find them, unaware that his search will lead him to a group of escaped nightmares and a young woman named Rose Walker, who possesses a mysterious and powerful ability.
As Dream and Rose’s paths converge, they find themselves caught up in a web of danger and intrigue. They are pursued by a trio of terrifying “Furies,” who seek to punish Dream for past transgressions. Meanwhile, Rose discovers that her family is far from ordinary, and that her destiny is intertwined with the fate of the Dreaming itself.
One of the strengths of The Doll’s House is undoubtedly its art. Dringenberg and Jones III create a stunning visual landscape that perfectly captures the dreamlike quality of the Sandman universe. The use of color and shadow is particularly effective, creating a sense of atmosphere that draws the reader in. The character designs are also impressive, with each figure rendered in intricate detail that makes them feel like living, breathing beings.
The writing, as expected from Gaiman, is also engaging and thoughtful. The Sandman universe is rich with mythology and symbolism, and Gaiman deftly weaves these elements into the story.
One aspect of The Doll’s House that may be off-putting for some readers (and is the reason why I am only giving it 3 stars) is the level of violence and gore present in certain scenes. While violence is not a new element in the Sandman series, The Doll’s House takes it to a new level with some particularly gruesome depictions.
For example, the scenes featuring the serial killers known as the “Cuckoo” and the “Thessalian” are especially unsettling. The graphic nature of their crimes and the graphic depiction of the aftermath was too much, and it detracted from my enjoyment of the story. Similarly, the Corinthian’s character, while intriguing, is also deeply disturbing, with his penchant for murder and his unsettling appearance.
The Corinthian is a living nightmare created by Dream, who is one of the missing dream entities that Dream is trying to find. As he took human form, he became a serial killer who likes removing his victim’s eyes. While I am a fan of horror and true crime books, these books often do not have graphic pictures associated with them and therefore when reading a regular book, I am free to imagine the crime, or not. With graphic novels, it’s in your face, like it or not.
I think my favorite story line of Volume 2 was Rose Walker, who discovers that she is a dream vortex, i.e., an entity capable of bringing everyone into the same dream. She is linked to the first volume via several different characters, which I did not realize until later in Volume 2.
While I didn’t like Volume 2 as much as Volume 1, it is definitely worth the read and I will be moving on to Volume 3.
Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: New York Times best-selling author Neil Gaiman’s transcendent series THE 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.
In PRELUDES & NOCTURNES, an occultist attempting to capture Death to bargain for eternal life traps her younger brother Dream instead. After his 70 year imprisonment and eventual escape, Dream, also known as Morpheus, goes on a quest for his lost objects of power. On his arduous journey Morpheus encounters Lucifer, John Constantine, and an all-powerful madman.
This book also includes the story “The Sound of Her Wings,” which introduces us to the pragmatic and perky goth girl Death.
Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: New York Times best-selling author Neil Gaiman’s transcendent series THE 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.
In PRELUDES & NOCTURNES, an occultist attempting to capture Death to bargain for eternal life traps her younger brother Dream instead. After his 70 year imprisonment and eventual escape, Dream, also known as Morpheus, goes on a quest for his lost objects of power. On his arduous journey Morpheus encounters Lucifer, John Constantine, and an all-powerful madman.
This book also includes the story “The Sound of Her Wings,” which introduces us to the pragmatic and perky goth girl Death.
My Review:The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes is a graphic novel first published in 1989 and is the first installment in The Sandman comic book series.
The story follows the character of Dream, also known as Morpheus, who is one of the seven Endless, a group of powerful beings who embody universal concepts such as destiny, death, and desire. At the beginning of the story, Dream is captured and imprisoned by a group of human occultists for seventy years. After finally managing to escape, he sets out to reclaim his lost objects of power and regain his former realm. Along the way, he encounters various characters, including his sister Death and the demon Azazel, and faces a series of challenges that test his strength, will, and ingenuity.
I picked up this graphic novel after my boyfriend had finished it. He had watched the Netflix series and then had wanted to read the graphic novel it was based on. I have not yet seen the Netflix series, but after hearing my boyfriend gush over the novel, I figured I’d give it a try.
One of the most striking aspects of The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes is its artwork. The book features illustrations from several different artists, including Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg, and Malcolm Jones III, and each brings a unique style and perspective to the story. From the dreamlike landscapes of the Dreaming to the gritty realism of 1980s London, the artwork in this book is truly stunning and adds an incredible amount of depth and atmosphere to the narrative.
Gaiman uses characters from a wide range of sources, blending together elements of mythology, folklore, and popular culture to create a world that is simultaneously familiar and otherworldly, and he populates this world with an eclectic cast of characters who come from a variety of different traditions.
For example, Dream himself is based on the character of Morpheus, the Greek god of dreams. However, he is not a direct adaptation of the mythological figure – rather, Gaiman takes inspiration from Morpheus and creates a new, more complex character who embodies both the power and the vulnerability of the dream world.
Other characters in the book come from a variety of different sources as well. For example, the character of John Dee is based on the real-life historical figure of the same name, who was a famous alchemist and advisor to Queen Elizabeth I. In Gaiman’s series however, Dee is reimagined as a villain who seeks to control Dream’s power for his own ends.
Similarly, the character of Cain is based on the biblical figure of the same name, who is best known for murdering his brother Abel. In The Sandman Cain is one of the immortal beings who inhabit the Dreaming, and he is constantly at odds with his brother Abel, who is also a character in the book.
Other characters in the book come from more contemporary sources e.g. the character of John Constantine, who I know from the movie, but I think is based on another comic book.
The use of these different characters from different sources adds an incredible amount of depth and richness to the world of The Sandman. From reading the introduction to the graphic novel, it is my understanding that such a blending is unique to this series of graphic novels and has never been done before or since.
I am only giving it 4 stars instead of 5 mainly due to two reasons: pacing and confusion. Some parts of the story were more engaging than others, and I found myself feeling ambivalent towards certain parts while feeling more invested in others. Additionally, given the multi-layered nature of the story and the introduction of many characters, it can become a little overwhelming and confusing to keep track of everything. Although I appreciate Gaiman’s efforts to build the world and characters in the first volume of the series, it can be challenging to get used to, particularly for someone who is not accustomed to reading graphic novels. Nonetheless, I acknowledge that Gaiman has executed this well and created an intricate world for readers to explore.
The Legal Alien 