My favorite collection so far, maybe because it was pretty much focused on the Endless.

#41 - 8
#42 - 9
#43 - 10
#44 - 9
#45 - 9
#46 - 8
#47 - 9
#48 - 10
#49 - 10 ( )

The next chapter of Sandman. Sadly, it's a "missing person" storyline, and those usually annoy me. Dream and Delirium set out to find Destruction, who decided to leave the Endless 300 years ago. It's annoying that Delirium feels the need to ask most of her siblings for help, and most of them say no anyway, not really doing much for the story other than involving them. The theme here is change, mortality, the length of a life. There were some good nuggets here. Not my favorite Sandman but still pretty great. Mervyn Pumpkinhead though! (Only because he somewhat reminds me of my fave -- Return to Oz... but that is because I feel most of Gaiman's stuff is heavily influenced by Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland.) Can't believe I only have #8, 9 & 10 left to go! ( )

This is one of my favorite volumes in the series – in it, Dream and Delirium go on a journey to find their long-lost brother... ( )

Neil Gaiman changes things up again, giving us one long quest in this volume. It is still made up of several intertwining stories. As usual, there are rich characters and deep thoughts about life, death, change, that sort of thing. The art ranges from sketchy to artistic and Peter Straub's afterword wraps it all in a neat bow. ( )

Continuing with this great series, in this issue, Dream and Delirium (my favorite endless character) go on a mission to find their brother, Destruction. Strange things happen along the way and a price is to be paid in order for them to find their brother. Wonderful sad story and the graphics were ok but the story outshines the graphics in this one. ( )

This volume was wonderful. Much better than the last - much more of the Endless too. These books are always best when they have plenty of the Endless in them. Delirium annoyed me a little, but her interactions with Dream were priceless. The message of this volume was also something that really got you thinking. Very enjoyable! ( )

This one? Not so much. A grudging two that perhaps should be a three because the ending was enjoyable.

The main issues (pardon the pun) that I had with this one fall to two areas:

1 - The art
The Sandman run, as far as I'm concerned, really hasn't had that many issues where the art was stunning. Most of the time it's serviceable at best. But this collection, finally done by a single artist and inker, was not good. It was amateurish, with the characters often a half-step above stick figures.

Morpheus, the titular Sandman himself, instead of looking imposing, or mysterious, or, hell, at least a little gothy, was instead a boring figure, just like the others. I felt no weight from the art, no gravitas.

In a graphic novel, the words drive the story, but the art should supply the wonder. The only thing I wondered here was, why were these two chosen for the art?

2 - Delerium
The only thing I can really say about Delirium is, I find her tedious. So any story that highlights her, I am likely to find tedious as well. That was the case here.

Garman's writing is still miles above most in the industry, and the second-last chapter was a particular highlight, but overall, I found I had to force myself to get through this one. ( )

Delirium and Dream go looking for Destruction, who doesn't want to be found.

I loved Delirium's reactions to our world and am intrigued by the headstone on the island. I remember her from the French Revolution story in "Fables & Reflections" but do we know anything more about her? ( )

Destruction of the Endless is missing (and has been missing for a very long time). Delerium--the strangest by far--seeks him.

Oh it's quite a story. I think this is the most we've seen about the other Endless yet, and it's truely bizarre. I think that Delerium being a core point of view helps that along nicely.

And best of all--it's stoic Dream who takes up the challenge of helping Delerium on the way. The play between the two of them is downright wonderful.



Well worth the read, both for the worldbuilding, but also for the little bits of the cuter sides of madness.

Spoilers and pretty pictures. Given it's Delerium--so many pretty pictures.



Heh. An easy mistake to make.



The magic of Delerium. Accidently bringing (short) life to some tiny chocolate people.

Such wording...



Heh. Blunt.



I think that's one thing that draws me to Sandman. There are truely ancient beings in this universe--and they actually feel as alien as they should. There are echoes of humanity--or echoes of them in humanity--but they are all... universally weird.



The best way to live forever? Just ... don't die. Keep doing that.



That's pretty Delerium. Sometimes I forget words, but not quite like that.



A good driver. I think I've met her on the road before...



And they found him! It's interesting that the Endless can pass on their titles or give them up entirely. I wonder how much other stories (the Dresden Files for example) borrow from that and how much they each borrow from some much older idea.



The opposite of Dream... ( )

When I first read the entire sandman series, this was my least favorite of the books. I think it still is. It seems overly long for what it accomplishes in the main story line, and rambles about a bit in sidelines for the sake of style.

It is still essential to the overall arc of the story and the character of Morpheus, and it is still good. Just not as good as the rest. Perhaps I will change my mind as I read the final 3 books. ( )

This seventh volume of the Sandman is one of my favourites so far; the story of Delirium and Death's search for their lost brother, Destruction.

"I like the stars. It's the illusion of permanence, I think. I mean, they're always flaring up and caving in and going out. But from here, I can pretend. I can pretend things last. I can pretend that lives last longer than moments. Gods come, and gods go. Mortals flicker and flash and fade. Worlds don't last; and stars and galaxies are transient, fleeting things that twinkle like fireflies and vanish into cold and dust. But I can pretend."

( )

OKAY here we go. This volume is awesome. Anything with all the Endless hanging out together is awesome, and Dream Delirium is my favourite duo. They're just fabulous together. Delirium dancing about making butterflies while Dream just stands perfectly still, staring at nothing. I really liked this conversational trend:

Someone: Hm, Dream, you seem like slightly less of an asshole nowadays, is it possible you've changed a bit?
Dream: Doubtful.

Aw, Dream. Adorable. I especially liked when Death was calling him out for making Delirium sad, and he was being a confused puppy about it. The relationships between the Endless are just so wonderful to watch unfold. At the beginning of the series, when we see Dream finally escaping captivity and going on his missions to get his stuff back, he seems so badass and awesome, the master of his kingdom, and then when you see him interacting with his family you get to see how haughty and stubborn he is. You can see why people who don't know him would be in awe of him, but really he can be petulant and mopey and petty.

I loved meeting Destruction, and learning some more about Despair. More backstories pleeeeeeease ( )

What is really a road trip is really a helluvalot more than just a roadtrip when Dream and Delirium search for their long lost brother of change, Destruction.

Nothing is quite as funny and quirky in these Graphic Novels like Delirium, and nobody is quite as quietly disturbing, deep down. How does one need to so completely retreat from Delight by willingly throwing oneself into deepest madness? *shiver*

I really loved this volume. Things change.

The other most memorable and thought-provoking stories are those of Ishtar and Bast and Orpheus, but honestly, I can't bring myself to pick which I liked the most. They all resonate deeply. :)

This is the Sandman I remember decades later, and it holds up as endlessly now as it did the first time I read it. :) ( )

Why does he have to be so...
The Sandman characters are so removed from life that I can never fathom why they make me feel so strongly. Or maybe because they are so removed from life, so much larger than life itself, that gives it the beauty nothing else could quite capture. ( )

In this book, we are fully back with the Endless family. Delirium wishes to see her brother Destruction who walked away from the family 300 years ago. After failing to persuade Desire and Despair to go with her, he manages to convince Dream to come with her. They start with his last named contacts, but as they visit them, these people are either killed or run away and hide. After Dream talks to one of Destruction’s former lovers, Ishtar, she performs her final furious dance at the strip club where she works. It is destroyed, and she dies too. Dream realises that as they seek Destruction, they are leaving a trail of death and destruction behind them, and decides to cease searching. Delirium withdraws into her realm, shocked and angry that they have given up. After seeing the goddess Bast, Dream is told by Death that they must continue. After visiting Destiny they are directed to Orpheus, Dream’s son, who knows the whereabouts of Destruction.

With this new information they find him and his dog in a small cabin, painting and writing. During dinner he admits that he had put safeguards in place should anyone try and locate him, and reveals why he had abandoned his realm. He decides to put himself beyond the reach of all, by disappearing into space. Dream returns to Orpheus, and as a way of thanks, permits him finally to die.

Whilst it is not as bleaks as some of the earlier books, Gaiman has taken these stories as a way of introducing us to the wider family of Dream, and the various power plays between the siblings and their strange roles that they have. Great illustrations make this such a good series to read. ( )

This entry in the series was different from the others in that the entire volume was the continuation of one story-the search for the missing member of the Endless-Destruction.

We also get to see the final story of Orpheus, Dream's (Morpheus') son. It was a very sad note to end on, or was it? I felt a little bit of hopefulness that perhaps Orpheus was finally reunited with Eurydice after years of suffering.

This volume also had a nice afterword from Peter Straub that I enjoyed.

I thought this was yet another excellent entry in the series and I'm excited to move on to the next! ( )

In this collection, Delirium drives the story. She takes it into her head to go searching for the family's long-lost sibling, Destruction. He departed from them over 300 years ago and Delirium hopes to find him and bring him back. She asks a few of her siblings until she arrives on Dream's doorstep. Dream has been in an emotional funk for awhile following a recent break up, and he reluctantly embraces this quest as a means of distracting himself.

Calling in some favors, Dream and Delirium embark on a cross-country road trip to track down the only leads they have: long-lived people who knew Destruction way back when. Inexplicably, these people begin dying from freak accidents and Dream realizes that there is a type of protective magic that is blocking them in their quest. They will have to take stranger paths if they are to find Destruction and learn his reasons for leaving them.

The excellence continues unabated in this volume. ( )

As the introduction/afterwards states, Brief Lives is about morality and change. In this volume of the Sandman collection, Delirium and Dream search for their brother, Destruction, who has long since abandoned his role in the Endless. What we are treated to is a basic search story, interlaced with questions as to whether or not the Endless' responsibilities are truly correct; that, and how to deal with change.

Different people have different answers. The highlight of this comic, for me, was the conversation with Destruction near the end. Two sides to every coin, much to consider when it comes to what is right and what is wrong. It was interesting. The linear telling of the story didn't appeal to me as much as the one-shot stories have, but it still was pretty darn good. Makes you think. ( )

So this was a fantastic installment in the Sandman series. This was a return to the main storyline (after volume 6's little detours), and I was really glad for that. I enjoyed this volume a lot more. The Endless are such a messed up "family". Which makes them extra cool to read about. ( )

This might be one of my favorite volumes so far in The Sandman overture. The straight linear storytelling I enjoy a bit more than some of the more hectic or random or jumping narratives in previous volumes. I also love to learn more about the mythologies of the Sandman universe, especially in regards to the Endless ones, so getting to see more Delirium, Dream, Despair, Desire, and Destruction is great. Especially with how little this leaned on Death - given that Death plays most prominently among the non-Dream endless ones.

I would love to see more of Destiny as well, but his character is a bit stagnant for storytelling purposes and limited.

The theme of 'change' and how no matter how LONG a life is, that its still a 'brief' life is very interesting and poignant in this volume, and Peter Straub's introduction (that is more an aftermath since it was moved to the back due to being too spoilerish) is very good (possibly the best introduction/ending to any volume, outside of Ellison's). ( )

I love when there are many endless in one volume. This was one of my favorites so far. ( )

Words cannot describe... ( )

I don't ever want to see Delirium go off on a non-sensical tangent while Dream calmly looks on again. That's enough of that.

Fun though, Morpheus matures a bit, we find out about Destruction finally. Keeps me interested enough to continue with the series, but these last couple seem not as stellar as the earlier ones. Still good. ( )

Great story arc in this volume. A great search and lots of really deep thoughts going on, especially at the end. ( )

It is the first Sandman series in which the Endless play the main role. Delirium, Dreams sister, longs for her brother Destruction, who has left the family of the Endless 300 years ago - no one knows where he is. After Desire and Despair refused helping delirium in her search, she turns to Dream, who will surprisingly stand by her. However due to selfish reasons: Just left from his beloved, he is hoping to think of other things and maybe, in secrete, to meet her once again ...
I have to admit, that this Sandman series left me behind with mixed feelings. On the one hand it is a story that is unique to sense and serious thoughts about the uniqueness and finality of life in this form, on the other hand there are so many references to previous volumes, that I am constantly asked myself, what was happening before, who are these persons, don’t I know them, etc. Unfortunately, between my readings of each book there are longer periods and not all is still present, so I think my reading experience was significantly diminished. Otherwise, the drawings are awesome as always, with some of them are almost be described as paintings.
All in all, great reading material, but if possible, just read it in conjunction with the preceding books. And I, I have to read it again ;-) ( )