Rating: 
Summary: The Dream King is Dead, Long Live the King!
Review: one of the best books i have ever read, the death of a Lord, the birth of a new king, the need for a change and a visit by a long-lost brother. Beautiful piece of art. Gaiman rules. long live Gaiman, long live the king.
Rating:
Summary: A Fitting Ending
Review: Sandman was one of, if not the, most important comic book series ever produced. It managed to achieve a depth rarely found in the field, and maintain it far longer than most of the other important series. Neil Gaiman is a true genius, and this volume certainly displays that. Illustrated mostly by my favorite Sandman artist, Micheal Zulli (and containing excellent work by Jon J. Muth and Charles Vess), The Wake is a grand and emotional ending to a superb series.
Rating:
Summary: A Fitting Ending
Review: Sandman was one of, if not the, most important comic book series ever produced. It managed to achieve a depth rarely found in the field, and maintain it far longer than most of the other important series. Neil Gaiman is a true genius, and this volume certainly displays that. Illustrated mostly by my favorite Sandman artist, Micheal Zulli (and containing excellent work by Jon J. Muth and Charles Vess), The Wake is a grand and emotional ending to a superb series.
Rating:
Summary: Will it hurt?
Review: That is the phrase both me and the character Matthew the Raven were uttering as I picked up the soft cover of one of my least anticipated Sandman novelas. I say this in the realization that I was in such a state in denial to the death of Morpheus that I hated Neil for ever doing so. I bought it more out of spite than out of love and after reading it realized that yes, all good things must come to an end....and it was a good ending indeed. But before buying it I would come across it in Barnes and Noble and pick it up sneering that such a concoction had run across the great mind of Mr. Gaiman. I would sneer at the artist and at the way the pages begged to be read and decided to buy it, to prove that I was right becuase to me, it was a great sin to ever hate a book by Neil...I nearly worship the fellow....and it would kill me to have any notion against him go unscathed. I read at first, in great triumph which, as my reading became more frequent, began to dissolve into mere wonderment. Everything that I wanted it to be was unexpected. This is how it should be. This is why I can't help liking Neil Gaiman novels. This is why I actually wept from reading it. Don't get me wrong...this collection isn't all that sad. The ending I'm sure you'll find one of the most joyous that you've read, and the extra stories quite amusing. It is a MUST read...even if your concious is telling you any different! I would also like to say a special thanks to the author...who has filled my mind into believing that it holds more imagination than meets the eye. And that all great stories, do indeed end. I am happy now with it read, that it did.
Rating:
Summary: "Somewhere to rest, to stop reading, and to be content."
Review: That quote comes from the end of an earlier Sandman book, but it applies to "The Wake" as well."The Sandman" has always been about change, about those who can and those who cannot. This, the last in the Sandman series, ties together the ending threads of the story, and in the process reaffirms how wonderful a writer Neil Gaiman is. Never the showman, his prose quietly and powerfully speaks for him and his characters. The artwork is, as always, brilliant. Michael Zulli's work on the main "Wake" storyline is amazing, and Charles Vess outdoes himself again for the very last story, "The Tempest." But most remarkable in this writer's opinion is Jon Muth's work for "Exiles", a quietly powerful piece that manages to express best what "The Sandman" was about; his art is a perfect match for it. There are precious few proper endings, and ones that bring a tear to your eye are even rarer. This is one of the few books that accomplishes both.
Rating:
Summary: More than the name implies
Review: The first part of this book is exactly what the name implies. A wake for the great Dream of the endless. This is actually pretty boring. The latter half is really excellent. The first story is one of depression over a lost friend. The second, "Exiles", is a wonderful story of a man exiled in a desert, who gets lost. He is in fact in one of the "soft places", and meets both reditions of Dream. The art work and writing are beautiful. The story is sad, and so stylized as to seem like ancient legend. Gaiman is a great surrealist, and this story is his greatest example of this. The book concludes with a story of the death of Shakespeare. This, too, is a melancholy story, where Dream explains what would have happened had Dream not given him his special gift. This seems like the perfect way to end the series, Shakespeare died--the greatest dreamweaver of them all.
Rating:
Summary: More than the name implies
Review: The first part of this book is exactly what the name implies. A wake for the great Dream of the endless. This is actually pretty boring. The latter half is really excellent. The first story is one of depression over a lost friend. The second, "Exiles", is a wonderful story of a man exiled in a desert, who gets lost. He is in fact in one of the "soft places", and meets both reditions of Dream. The art work and writing are beautiful. The story is sad, and so stylized as to seem like ancient legend. Gaiman is a great surrealist, and this story is his greatest example of this. The book concludes with a story of the death of Shakespeare. This, too, is a melancholy story, where Dream explains what would have happened had Dream not given him his special gift. This seems like the perfect way to end the series, Shakespeare died--the greatest dreamweaver of them all.
Rating:
Summary: Awaking Dream
Review: The first three chapters in this graphic novel are the story of the funeral for the King of Dreams, mostly seen through the beady, little smart-assed eyes of the raven who was once Matthew Cable. Delirium manages to steal the show a bit in the first act, but there's plenty for everyone. Just about everyone puts in an appearance here, from the lovely, self-absorbed and funny Rose Walker, who adjusts to her 'condtion' with the help of her estranged brother Jed; to the immortal Indian King talked about in World's End (who makes a Winnie the Pooh reference, so's you know it's good). The convention of Morpheus' old lovers is nice. Good Queen Titania refuses to disclose any specifics about their rumored relationship, Larissa/Thessaly comes to tears speaking about Morpheus (wasn't she directly responsible for him getting killed in the first place, though?), and Calliope's speech about her gratefulness to Dream for the mercy-killing of their son, was strangely beautiful. Meager words, however, cannot possibly describe the eulogies of Morpheus' family and friends, nor the mystical funeral barge that Dream's final voyage is taken on. It IS the stuff dreams are made of. But, celebrity guest stars aside, this is the story of the late Dream King's best friend and right-hand bird, Matthew, coming to grips with his boss' death, the option of ending his own life, and the new Dream on the throne. Dream/Daniel Hall has a busy time too. Fear over meeting the rest of his family, The Endless, over dinner, and his quiet moments with the palace guards, show that, despite however much of Morpheus there may be in him, this time, Dream is more human than ever. But, as Destruction's visit proves, Morpheus is still very much a part of Daniel. Evidenced especially when he pardons his mother, Lyta Hall, for her involvement in the Kindly Ones affair, something Morpheus probably would never have done. Finally, Matthew learns a lesson that Dream tried to impart to his son, Orpheus, and had he learned it, none of the tragedy in the series would need have happened. "When the dead are gone, you mourn, and go on living." Or words to that effect. Long live the King. The Epilogue, Sunday Mourning, chronicles the immortal Hob Gadling's day spent at a renaissance festival with his latest girlfriend, Gwen. Miserable, and feeling his age (635), Hob gets into an argument about English slaving practices with Gewn, and argues about what the English Renaissance era was REALLY like with a puppeteer. Then he gets drunk. Or at least tries to. Hob's description of American beer has to be read in context to be believed, but it made me split my sides. Then Death shows up. She brings Hob the news of her brother's passing, and asks if he's ready to call it a day. Hob's anguish over whether to choose a poetic death over a degrading life is a great, moving literary moment. Michael Zulli illustrates these four parts of the novel. The faces, the colors, the emotion in every stinkin' panel... Wow. The colors and the inks look just slightly washed-over, somehow, giving the feeling of looking at the page through glass. Or like in a dream. This is some of the best comic artwork I've ever seen. Ever. Exiles is the story of a Japanese man banished from his village, and, lost in the desert, he enters the Soft Places, a section of the Dreaming where all time exists simultaneously, and meets both Dreams, Morpheus and Daniel. A quiet, touching story, perfectly fitting with the mostly black and white brushstrokes of Jon J. Muth. Finally, The Tempest. Illustrated by fantasy master Charles Vess, whose art is full of emotion and the sights of the period. This, the story of the world's greatest writer's last work, which is itself, the story of a powerful magician who breaks his books and leaves his island. Will Shakespeare himself, is faced with the weight of old age, his distance from his wife, and his daughter being courted by a boy he does not approve of. He deals with these by getting drunk with Ben Jonson, and pouring his heart and soul into The Tempest. Finished the play, Will accompanies the King of Dreams to his castle for a drink, and to ask him why this was the play that Morpheus wanted written about him. Because Morpheus, unlike some of his family and unlike Prospero, the hero of The Tempest, will never leave his island. Although he is the Prince of Stories, he will never have one written about him. And, I guess, that's where we came in, fellow readers. Just us and Mr. Gaiman. Wasn't that a nice note to go out on?
Rating:
Summary: This is the end that justify the means
Review: The two things that struck me most in this fitting end to the Sandman series were the poem at the end of the wake, and the final stanzas of the Tempest. It was almost like Gaiman had tried to fit the whole series to match those words. But even if he did, no other can surpass the Sandman epic.
Rating:
Summary: An incredible ending to an incredible series.
Review: This book is definitely not one to start with, if you're new to the series, but is one of the most incredible books I've ever read. It is less fast-paced than the rest of the series, but more dramatic, in its own way. The back of the book says it best, I think: "When a Dream ends, there's only one thing left to do.... The Wake." Each of the four stories in this book plays an integral part not only to _The Wake_ but to the series as a whole. In "The Wake" and "Sunday Mourning", we see the aftermath of the death of a character, not a superhero, but heroic in a different way from any other I've seen. The art for this story is amazingly detailed and beautiful. There is no action whatsoever, but the dialogue.... WOW, is all I can say. From the raven Matthew and the grim Despair and the silent Duma, to the vengeful Thessaly and cruel Desire, to the taciturn Destiny and confused Delirium, the characters reflect on Morpheus, the King of Dreams, Prince of Stories, in some of the most moving eulogies, formal and informal, I've read for a fictional character. In "Exiles," we see an unknowing outsider's point of view on the events of the last few books, and the difference in modes of operation of both Dreams of the Endless. Though less moving, than "The Wake," "Exiles" provides an important perspective on the series. "The Tempest" finally pulls together all the many interlocking storylines into a conclusion. We find out what motivation has driven Morpheus, Dream of the Endless, through nine books of transformation, we see his capacity for compassion, and for sternness. The conclusion for this story frames the picture beautifully. _The Wake_ was the most emotional of the series, though the least disturbing. I cried at the end, upon seeing how everything fit together (absolutely perfectly, I might add). I didn't think this book was quite as good as _The Kindly Ones_, but close. Truly amazing work.
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