Sandman, The: The Doll's House - Book II [Paperback]

 

 

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The Sandman has returned to his country of dreams, but his long absence is still showing -- he's gotten his magical items back, but not all of his followers. "The Sandman Vol. 2: The Doll's House" picks up some threads from the first collection of Sandman stories, and while the story is often confusing and scattered, Neil Gaiman's writing is a glittering jewel of sadness, horror and beauty.

Among the current-day stories, we get some Dream backstory. As part of his coming-of-age ritual, a young boy is told of how a beautiful woman fell in love with Lord Kai'ckul, king of the dream realm. And we see a story of a man untouched by Death, and his ups-and-downs over the centuries as he keeps meeting with his Endless friend.

In the present, Dream learns that a dream vortex has appeared. That vortex is Rose Walker, the granddaughter of Unity Kinkaid (who has slept most of her life), who is searching for her imprisoned little brother. She goes to live at a boarding house full of eccentrics, and is taken under the wing of the mysterious Gilbert (who looks a lot like G.K. Chesterton, and is named "Gilbert").

Additionally, some of Dream's creatures have escaped -- the horrifying Corinthian, who is the guest of honor at a serial-killer convention; Brute and Glob, who have made their own "New Sandman" out of a dead superhero; and Fiddler's Green, who is already close to the dream vortex...

"The Sandman Vol. 2: The Doll's House" is a somewhat messy story -- the two "past" stories feel disconnected from the rest of the book, and it takes awhile for some of the subplots to fully flower. Additionally, I was a little confused by the sudden inclusion of a pair of DC superheroes who have been folded into the world of Dreams -- although their story is the beginning of a much larger, more pivotal one.

And as the story winds on, Neil Gaiman's spellbinding style draws you in -- he fills these pages with bloody horror, love, sorrow, and the occasional glimpse of the lonely lives of the Endless. His style that is all glassy edges and lush poetry, and he pops in some moments of ghastliness (the Corinthan finally taking off his glasses, revealing empty sockets lined with teeth) as well as some moments of warmth (Unity's final shared dream with Rose).

Similarly, Gaiman's characters are a mixture of the lovable and the horrifying -- we get to see Morpheus as he has been throughout the centuries, as well as his flaky, devious sibling Desire (whom I desperately want to sock in the mouth) and the ghastly Corinthian. And he spins up the down-to-earth Rose, as well as a motley band of eccentric characters -- the lace-shrouded lesbians and the creepy yuppies spring to mind, as well as the genial Gilbert.

While some parts of it are clunky, "The Sandman Volume 2: The Doll's House" gradually twines together its many subplots, and sets the stage for what is to come.

It's never too late for a good story, and the Sandman saga is very good. This collection moves that story forward, mostly in the person of Rose.

This book compiles a sequence of regular-sized comic books. The first story here stands by itself - a tribal tale of a place that could, some day, descend from our own time.

The rest of the book takes a very ordinary young woman and puts her in an extraordinary world. Taken part by part, it sounds fragmentary and disorganized: a nursing home, a bizarre convention, befriending a place, and facing mortal threat in an immortal world. The pieces all fit, though. They sustain a pace and a visual variety that makes this book hard to put down.

Best, however, is the glimpse of intrigue in the Sandmnan's world. We see a little of his own realm, and the plotting of his own minions. We also see his larger world, his sisters, and their covert push against the walls of his domain. This is just the second of a dozen or so collections - there is enough material here to drive that many volumes or more.

If you're new to comics, or just new to the Sandman, give this a try. If you already know the Sandman, you're in for one of the best books in the series.

I am having a hard time understanding the motives of people who claim that The Doll's House is too "rough around the edges", and "not as brilliant as later volumes". These people are not only wrong--they are completely misguided.

You want to know the truth? The Doll's house is probably the best volume of Sandman that there is.

I have read it four times. Yet there are moments in The Doll's House, where I find myself literally sweating from tension as my eyes follow the words on each page. When Dream finally catches up to the Corinthian, I still applaud. Whenever Barbie and Ken share the page, I still laugh, and then shudder as I think of their future. When I see the horrible things happening to Rose Walker's brother, I still have to look away, and when The two siblings are finally reunited, I still shed a tear. It's that good.

All of you people calling it "unfocused", and "flawed" have completely missed the boat, and need to do some serious swimming to catch up to the rest of us.

Doll's House introduces us to so many memorable characters, so many fascinating insights of humanity, and so much memorable dialogue, that it cannot be labeled as anything less than the pinnacle of the series. Whether it shares this spot with the likes of "Brief Lives" and "Season of Mists" can be debated, but no other episode of the Sandman series can capture every human emotion and channel it so perfectly.

Please do not start with this. Wade through Preludes and Nocturnes first, and consider this one your dessert.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Very confused
I don't understand why people consistantly refer to this title as the weakest entry in the Sandman series. Read more

Published on Jun 14 2004 by samsonthesaxman

4.0 out of 5 stars very readable, very entertaining
I'd read a few of Gaiman's novels and had always really enjoyed them, though he gets lazy and sloppy in spots. Read more

Published on Jan 5 2004 by Nate Volkerding

4.0 out of 5 stars Early Sandman, still exciting
I had the entire hardcover volumes of The Sandman series sitting on my bookshelf for about the last six years or so, having only read PRELUDES & NOCTURNES (I was first... Read more

Published on Nov 7 2003 by C.B. Derrick

4.0 out of 5 stars A big step forward
It is finally with this collection that Gaiman demonstrates his (immense) potential and the Sandman series deserves its acclaimed reputation. Read more

Published on Sep 5 2003 by The Peruvian Wunderkind

4.0 out of 5 stars A big step forward
It is finally with this collection that Gaiman demonstrates his (immense) potential and the Sandman series deserves its acclaimed reputation. Read more

Published on Sep 5 2003 by The Peruvian Wunderkind

4.0 out of 5 stars A big step forward
It is finally with this collection that Gaiman demonstrates his (immense) potential and the Sandman series deserves its acclaimed reputation. Read more

Published on Sep 5 2003 by The Peruvian Wunderkind

4.0 out of 5 stars A big step forward
It is finally with this collection that Gaiman demonstrates his (immense) potential and the Sandman series deserves its acclaimed reputation. Read more

Published on Sep 4 2003 by The Peruvian Wunderkind

4.0 out of 5 stars A big step forward
It is finally with this collection that Gaiman demonstrates his (immense) potential and the Sandman series deserves its acclaimed reputation. Read more

Published on Sep 4 2003 by The Peruvian Wunderkind

4.0 out of 5 stars A big step forward
It is finally with this collection that Gaiman demonstrates his (immense) potential and the Sandman series deserves its acclaimed reputation. Read more

Published on Sep 4 2003 by The Peruvian Wunderkind

4.0 out of 5 stars A big step forward
It is finally with this collection that Gaiman demonstrates his (immense) potential and the Sandman series deserves its acclaimed reputation. Read more

Published on Sep 4 2003 by The Peruvian Wunderkind

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