Rating: 
Summary: The path between DC and Vertigo
Review: IF you're looking for the usual Gaiman fair, then you should turn your attentions to one of his other, rightfully celebrated works. Most of the charecters in this are not Gaiman's creation. Indeed, " Books of Magic" was created to bring a sense of consistency to DC comics skewered world of magic. You'll have to remember that "Vertigo" was still an idea under construction when this was first published. Still, there is no other author who could bind together the mystical tapestry of DC's history, including the pseudo-pulp charecters of the forties and outright silly creations of the sixties and seventies, into such a comprehensive worldview of magic. This is both a homage to the creators of charecters past and a new breath of life into an often trivialized corner of comic reality. Consider it an introductory book into the peiphery world of mainstream comics and intellectual graphic novels. Oh yeah. John Constantine and Dream of the endless are in it too...
Rating:
Summary: flowing down a river of a beutiful journey
Review: it is such a good book,so magical and enchanting. i loved it,wish i was there exploring the realms and landscapes and corners of the land of summer's twilight.such a convincing world,there is a story and adventure with every character you might there,from the market place to the massive giant guard with the riddles,to the queen of titania. and then the picture of what the many possibilities of the future will hold,our world in a thousand years,ten thousand,hundred thousand...it makes you wish you lived that longer to see these worlds.
Rating:
Summary: Grand, epic and wonderous
Review: Neil Gaiman's, 'Books of Magic,' is a must read for anyone entranced by the Sandman universe and even for those new to his stories and characters. This book is a complete standout both in writing and artwork. Comprised of 4 chapters spanning 200 pages or so, each chapter is masterfully illustrated by AAA artists like John Bolton, Charles Vess, etc. And we're not talking quickie pencil jobs either. Each and every panel in this book is absolutely gorgeous - utilizing lush paint-work, fantastic coloring and razor sharp lettering.Fans of the Sandman series will particularly appreciate the storyline for its meta views of the Sandman universe. What readers are treated to is essentially a guided tour of the worlds (both in physical reality and nether regions) and timelines (the past, present and the absolute end of infinite time) occupied by the characters in the numerous volumes of the Sandman series. In a nutshell this series is grand and sweeping in every sense of the word(s) and it's absolutely beautiful to look at. Don't miss this one!
Rating:
Summary: Grand, epic and wonderous
Review: Neil Gaiman's, 'Books of Magic,' is a must read for anyone entranced by the Sandman universe and even for those new to his stories and characters. This book is a complete standout both in writing and artwork. Comprised of 4 chapters spanning 200 pages or so, each chapter is masterfully illustrated by AAA artists like John Bolton, Charles Vess, etc. And we're not talking quickie pencil jobs either. Each and every panel in this book is absolutely gorgeous - utilizing lush paint-work, fantastic coloring and razor sharp lettering. Fans of the Sandman series will particularly appreciate the storyline for its meta views of the Sandman universe. What readers are treated to is essentially a guided tour of the worlds (both in physical reality and nether regions) and timelines (the past, present and the absolute end of infinite time) occupied by the characters in the numerous volumes of the Sandman series. In a nutshell this series is grand and sweeping in every sense of the word(s) and it's absolutely beautiful to look at. Don't miss this one!
Rating:
Summary: Magical Books
Review: One can only wonder what would have been had Neil Gaiman wrote the "Books of Magic" ongoing series after laying the foundation here in this collection of 1-4 of the limited series. Alas, Neil was busy with the Sandman, which turned out to be an epic in it's own right.
It's not that John Ney Rieber does a poor job after taking the helm as writer, it's just that after such a wonderful job by Mr. Gaiman we expect much more.
The basis for the story is this: a young male is destined to be one of the most powerful sorcerers ever. He also wears glasses, and has a pet owl. His name is.....not Harry Potter. It's Timothy Hunter, actually. Makes you wonder if J.K. Rowling might've been inspired by this story, though.
The basis of the story is this: some of the major occult figures in the DC Universe have joined forces to help young Tim with this huge burden. Then they each takes turns taking Tim on "A Christmas Carol" type of journey into the past, present and future of magic. Some of the people he meets are: John Constantine, Doctor Occult, Mister E, The Phantom Stranger, Deadman, Zatanna, The Spectre, Dr. Fate, and many others. For Sandman freaks, we get a chance to see Dream, Death and Destiny.
While Tim goes on this magical mystery tour to decide if he wishes to persue a life of magic, the forces of the evil are constantly a threat to him as they would like to eradicate Tim before he has a chance to do any good.
It's a great fantasy story with with equally great art. Each of the four books are painted by a different artist, including Charles Vess who will go on to paint the covers of the regular series. This is a book you will want to read again and again.
Rating: 
Summary: "I don't know any fields. I'm a city boy."
Review: One of Neil Gaiman's several Vertigo miniseries (others, all good, being Black Orchid, Death: The Time of Your Life and Death: the High Cost of Living), this is perhaps the most interesting and strange of all. It's hard to say what this actually is - it's not a linear narrative, certainly, with so many parallels and deliberately various art, nor is it merely a history of the magical characters in the DC universe, nor is it a guide to the occult. It's some sort of combination of the first two, with a little of the third thrown in as a sort of ghost-story-tellerish insinuation that "I really might not be making this up." Gaiman has an excellent handle on the characters and their chemistry with each other - he's an exceptional writer of dialogue, and he keeps the story from becoming a portentous chore of overwriting by keeping protagonist Tim Hunter, who is really a fairly normal English kid, firmly in the foreground. The down-to-earth sensibilities of Tim and John Constantine, surely one of the most engaging characters in comics, make this an excellent read, though you will be a little lost if you don't at least have a DC comics buff to whom you can whisper, movie theater-like, "Who's that guy, and what's he been in?" every few pages. The art is, by and large, great, although I thought Scott Hampton wasn't given a chance to play to his strengths. The third section, which takes place in Faerie and is illustrated by the inimitable Charles Vess, is particularly impressive. Overall, this is the kind of arcana that makes Gaiman such an attractive and accessible cult figure, and fans won't want to miss out, though comics newcomers would be better advised to check out the Sandman Series or my personal favorite, Mr. Punch.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic of Its Kind
Review: Particularly after the success of Alan Moore's "The Watchmen" and Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns", graphic novels have soared in popularity. Indeed, it now seems that the market is inundated with them, and practically every Vertigo title from DC is regularly recapitulated every seven or eight issues in collected paperback form. With such an increasingly large selection from which to choose, the more casual reader might be baffled as to where to start. This volume probably wouldn't be the wisest choice. While it is of the highest quality, it really has its best payoff for those who have at least a passing acquaintance with DC's occult universe and its myriad figures. So many of these pop up within the story (in a profusion not seen since the struggle for the North Slope of Heaven in the pages of "Swamp Thing" a few years ago) that it can be daunting to the neophyte. Even many of the more experienced comics readers might have a hard time placing two of the four major magical protagonists, Mister E and Doctor Occult (who actually is one of DC's oldest characters, having been created many decades ago before slipping into obscurity). In fact, so very many exceptionally minor characters pop up in the margins that it's necessary to hit the Internet to find annotations to explain their background and significance. In large part, this collection is an attempt to codify and explain the chaotic history of the DC occult universe. Gaiman has an intimate knowledge of apparently every title ever produced over the last 30 or 40 years, and he induldges himself somewhat showily in dragging in every two-bit mage and witch for a fleeting guest appearance. Often, this is done for purposes of historical revisionism, which is for the good, since the accretion of rank silliness and sloppily conceived plots in the thousands of DC comics over the years has resulted in many mutually contradictory character origins and universal histories, not to mention a lot of gross stupidity. (Such an opportunity for widescale housecleaning was one of the few appeals of DC's "Crisis on Infinite Earths", which gave the writers permission to ruthlessly slaughter dozens of idiotic characters and to destroy the countless alternate dimensions and the "it was just a dream" Earths. But I digress.) Be that as it may, the heart of the story, which served to launch the ongoing "Books of Magic" series and its various mini-series spinoffs, is the realization by the mightiest of the occult powers that Timothy Hunter, a young lad in the UK, is destined to become the most powerful magician ever known, should he actively choose to walk that path. Accordingly, Doctor Occult, Mister E, the Phantom Stranger (always one of DC's coolest and most enigmatic characters, often thought to be a repentant fallen angel), and John Constantine (even cooler than the Phantom Stranger, although much scummier and devoid of nearly any useful powers) band together as the so-called Trenchcoat Brigade to show Tim what could lie in wait for him if he embraces a future of magic. In its most basic form, this is of course a classic quest story, wherein a young man has to undertake a journey to discover his destiny, and along the way will discover mentors, guides, companions, and foes. In Tim's case, he's actually taken to the past and the future, and given an introduction to many of the occult players of the present. He also takes a fateful trip to Faerie, a mystical land which has long been of fascination to Gaiman (see his "Stardust", which also shares artist Charles Vess, for another treatment of the fey world). The segment in Faerie is actually the strongest, largely because of the fantastic and dream-like nature of the setting and because of the art by the award-winning Vess, whose distinctive and delicate style suggests a naughty opium-addicted Victorian illustrator. Also of special interest are any of the scenes featuring the dissolute and disreputable yet popular John Constantine (who anchors his own series, the long-running "Hellblazer", itself a spinoff from "Swamp Thing"), a favorite Gaiman character. (I've noticed that all hip English characters in the comics have to share a loathing of the perceived horrors of Thatcherism, which arguably was the economic salvation of the UK, but again I digress.) Constantine is one of the most feared occult characters in the DC universe, even though he's actually one of the weakest. He gets by on bluff, style, and charm, and also because of his resemblance to a more dangerous and less eco-friendly Sting (tantric powers included). At this early stage in the game, Tim remains mostly a cipher, since it's his job largely to merely bear witness to all that is being displayed to him. He has to make certain critical choices, but to a large degree he's overshadowed by the more strongly delineated members of the Trenchcoat Brigade. Even so, he plays an active enough role in his quest. The character of Tim Hunter proves to be promising enough, and any Constantine appearance is welcome. Doctor Occult turns out to be so interesting that one wants to learn more (although very little has subsequently been done with this character). This volume is exceedingly enjoyable to any DC readers who have been fascinated with the magic-oriented superheroes, but can be intimidating to the less avid. Nevertheless, even for the more timid, the Vess artwork alone is worth the price of admission.
Rating:
Summary: synchronicity freeway
Review: reading this book is so akin to floating in a dream,especially the way the scenes change in parts two and three.neil gaiman has a flair for this;making you feel like you're weaving through a long,pleasant and eventfull dream. gaiman is one of the few writers who gives the true feel of fantasy. a warning though,reading this book has a sort of a dominoes effect.you read this and you'll feel unsatisfied and want more work like this,picking up the next volume in the books of magic series and then going to sandman and possibly dreaming. don't worry,vertigo is a nice place to visit.
Rating:
Summary: As deadly as a dream...as beautiful as a nightmare...
Review: The Books of Magic establishes a history of Magic and Magic use in the DC comic Universe as seen through the eyes of Tim Hunter, the potentially most powerful mage to ever come in the modern age, and of established characters, The Stranger, Constantine, Dr. Occult & newly-introduced Mister E. As an adventure in the normal comic sense, it is not anything of the sort. Although there are some exciting scenes, but for comic fans who enjoy reading a new definition of established characters (hero & villian), it's well-worth the money. The art (painted by 4 of comicdom's best artists) is outstanding, and easily among the best anyone has seen in years. Neil Gaiman's writing is concise, brilliant, and gives more than a few twists that no one could predict. Best of all, it brought forth possibilities that are still being defined in DC's various occult titles.As such, the Books of Magic is a must buy, especially for Gaiman and occult fans. But best of all, for the story and the art
Rating:
Summary: A Brilliant Book,With Superb Characterizations,Excellent.
Review: The Books Of Magic, Like Any Other Gaiman Story,is Breathtakingly Amaazing in its Telling,and the art compliments the story wonderfully. This is arare and unique instance where an established artist such as Charles Vess works on a Comic book.There are cameo sequences in this book that include scenes with Dream,Death,Destiny,Etrigan the Demon,Deadman,Zatanna,and the Spectre, just to name a few characters. Timothy Hunter is one of Gaiman's finest creations,and he is an actually believable and interesting one,as well.
The Premise of the story is: Timothy Hunter, a very Young man,Pre-teen in fact,has the potential to become the greatest sorcerer of this age. The Trenchcoat Brigade,whose Ranks include The Mysterious Phantom Stranger,The incorrigble Hellblazer,John Constantine,The Enigmatic Dr. Occult, and Mr.E. His name says it all. The four decide to show Tim the magical history of Earth,and the universe,and some of the major magical players that exist in the DC universe.The Stranger shows Tim the past,Hinting at his origins all the while,and making the reader rather curious about him.The Second Tour guide on the Magical Mystery Tour is John Constantine, and this is a very True-to-form Constantine story,in that most of the people whom they visit have some sort of grudge against everyone's favourite Constantine,and Tim is introduced to many of the prominent contemporary characters Like the Spectre,Jason Blood,and Zatanna.The Third story is about Dr.Occult taking Tim on a guided tour of the lands of Faerie,The Dreaming(Neil Gaiman's writing,
did you honestly think that Morpheus WOULDN'T show up?)Charles Vess did the artwork for issue 3, and that contributes to the magnitude of superb story this story inside of a story has.Also, if you read SANDMAN, you see Titania,and find out what Happened to Shakespeare's son, Hamnet.It also hints at the shadowy background of Doctor Occult.Issue Nimber Four is also very amazing,in that Gaiman tells us what's going to happen in the future.Or it might.Tim sees just what he might be,witnesses the final battle of the age,
and into the mind of Mr.E.and makes his decision about Magic.
I would Recommend this book to anyone wanting an introduction to the Vertigo Universe,anyone who wants a fantastic story,and if you have any sort of literary appreciation, you should go and buy this book as soon as you get a chance to.
The ongoing BOOKS OF MAGIC books dont have the wonderful feel that this book gives off, and you wont feel nearly as satisfied about them. I recommend any Neil Gaiman,Garth Ennis,and Alan Moore stories(especially their DC work).
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