Rating: 
Summary: Buy the hardcover version if you can
Review: For those of you ready to take the plunge in making purchase of this excellent graphic novel, do yourself a favor and spend the few extra bucks on the hardcover version. For starters the hardback is slightly oversized and the thick, glossy paperstock wonderfully frames every panel of this diverse and beautifully illutrated book. Fans of Neil Gaiman will find much to be delighted about in this return to his beloved, 'Sandman,' series. Made up of 7 chapters, each chronicles one of the Endless (Death, Desire, Dream, Despair, Delirium, Destruction and Destiny) in a self-contained story superbly illustrated by a different artist. Particular standouts are Milo Manara's contributions in 'Desire,' the subdued tones of Miguelanxo Prado in 'Dream,' and Barron Storey and Dave McKean's gritty work in 'Despair.' As a volume of bonus material post-Sandman, this book is a wonderful treat for fans and certainly lives up to the quality we've come to expect from Gaiman and company.
Rating: 
Summary: A quick glance into the Sandman universe....
Review: Gaiman did an outstanding job at finding the right artists for each story. The book is a beautiful collection of art and design, but the stories feel incomplete, lacking the "kick" and "umph" of Gaiman's earlier Sandman work. Desiny's story, for instance, is 8 pages of Gaiman retelling Destiny's duties and realm. It's like reading the beginning of Seasons of Mists, but with different art work. Other stories are abstract fragments that left me wishing there was more. If you're a Sandman fan, you'll have this quick read already. But if you're just being introduced to the Endless, grab Preludes and Nocturnes, and save your 25 bucks.
Rating: 
Summary: Up and Down
Review: Gaiman goes for diversity here, made especially clear by his choice in artists. And as with any mixed bag, you'll like some more than others. I prefer the clear lines of Milo Manara, P. Craig Russell, and Frank Quitely, and found Gaiman's storytelling more to my liking there than the abstract episodes (art by Bill Sienkiewicz and Barron Storey). The Delerium story is told in a delerious style, yes, I get it, but I'm not blown away. Glenn Fabry does the art for a tale that reminds me of those old EC science fiction stories - no real explanation, just an anomaly and human reactions fused in. I liked it. Miguelanxo Prado provides some Sandman backstory and depicts the Endless back in the day. Would I recommend this book if you haven't read other Sandman books? No. But if you have, want more, want to see some beautiful art, and don't want to miss one of Gaiman's best stories ("What I've Known of Desire"), definitely take the time for this collection.
Rating:
Summary: Up and Down
Review: Gaiman goes for diversity here, made especially clear by his choice in artists. And as with any mixed bag, you'll like some more than others. I prefer the clear lines of Milo Manara, P. Craig Russell, and Frank Quitely, and found Gaiman's storytelling more to my liking there than the abstract episodes (art by Bill Sienkiewicz and Barron Storey). The Delerium story is told in a delerious style, yes, I get it, but I'm not blown away. Glenn Fabry does the art for a tale that reminds me of those old EC science fiction stories - no real explanation, just an anomaly and human reactions fused in. I liked it. Miguelanxo Prado provides some Sandman backstory and depicts the Endless back in the day. Would I recommend this book if you haven't read other Sandman books? No. But if you have, want more, want to see some beautiful art, and don't want to miss one of Gaiman's best stories ("What I've Known of Desire"), definitely take the time for this collection.
Rating:
Summary: A Triumph!!!
Review: Gaiman never ceases to amaze me. This book is a great buy for any Sandman fan. While I don't recommend it for people still waiting to be introduced to the characters. The tales are very classic Gaiman styling with a few adventurish attempts at change on his part. None go off in a direction that is too far off the mark. The hardcover holds well with an accented glossy bookcover that looks great. I think McKean did it actually. I haven't checked. You come into the work that binds the material with textured black pages. The entire work is printed on high quality glossy paper. This book is a MUST for any Sandman fan. You can't beat the quality for this price. They even bring in Milo Manara for the story about Desire. The Despair section is very well done (abeit different.) I've always felt Despair was never given enough attention and glad to see she has it here. I do complain that the Destiny commentary is a bit short, but the others stories can be quite longer than your average comic and the guest artists and the writing more than make up for this. Believe me I was tempted to give this item a 5 out of my enthusiasm, but I think a 4 is still a very flattering mark indeed. Buy it!!!
Rating:
Summary: More of the stories I've come to love
Review: I came to the Sandman late, but it's become a favorite. It must be a favorite of Gaiman's too, for him to come back to it after so many years.
It must be a special favorite for Gaiman to have engaged so many top illustrators. Each of the seven pieces is dedicated to one of the siblings in Gaiman's pantheon, and each piece comes form a different illustrator. P. Craig Russell opens with a story about Death (charming girl, really), using two rendering styles to represent two threads of the plot. Next comes Milo Manara, who brings lush figure illustration into a story or mixed emotions and revenge. Sienkiewicz delivers a complex visual realization of complex people in a very subtle undertaking. Only someone of his skill and judgement can throw so much into an illustrated story create a coherent whole.
The stories are good (except maybe one - I still can't quite make it out). The art is exceptional. If you like the Sandman, or good comic art of any kind, you're sure to like this extension to the Sandman saga.
//wiredweird
Rating:
Summary: Good, but not the best of The Sandman
Review: I enjoyed this book a great deal, especially the stories for Death, Dream, and Desire. In particular, I liked how the story for Dream explained the animosity between Dream and Desire. However, this book doesn't live up to the standard set by Fables and Reflections and Worlds' End. I would have liked to have seen a story about how and why Delight became Delirium, the transition between the old Despair and the newer one, and most of all a true story featuring Destiny, not just a reiteration of who he is and what he does. I thought Destruction's story was intriguing, but overall it felt more like an outline for an epic scifi/fantasy novel rather than a short story. I know Gaiman likes to let some mysteries remain, but I don't think the questions raised in this story should be left that way - there is so much material there to be developed! I would really like to see this expanded into a full-length graphic novel, at least.
Rating:
Summary: a lovely visit with old friends
Review: I found this a wonderful way to reaquaint with some very old, dear friends. There will never be "enough" of some of these characters....so it will be hard to ever write the story that does justice to our "dream" of the characters...
Rating: 
Summary: If you need a sandman fix I suppose this fluff will do...but
Review: I have followed the Sandman series from the first issue and I was really excited about this lastest offering. However, I found this return to the material less than entralling. The best stories are Desire, and Destuction. I don't even want to discuss the tacked on Destiny tale. The scraps that Gaiman throws his fans are few and far between. The Dream, Delirium, and Despair chronicles seem like onanism on the part of the author and the heavyweight artists he recruited. Readers should avoid this work and spend their money on the new Lucifer series by Mike Carey it's a continuation of the character from The Sandman and it's the best dark fantasy series to date.
Rating:
Summary: Actually 4.99 out of 5 stars
Review: I really like this book. Having read all ten of the originals, in order, and picked my favorites (I like Season of Mists, The Wake and both Death books), I've got to say that it's a great comeback. The only eensy nit I have to pick with Neil is that this one doesn't seem to "fit" with the others. For that reason, I think it essential to read all ten (or twelve) previous books first, to judge for onself if Neil has been apart from personally writing this series himself.
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