Rating: 
Summary: Why doesn't anyone like this book?
Review: 'Fables and Reflections' is Book 6 of the SANDMAN series of horror/myth/fantasy all-sorts-of-stuff-but-really-great comic books by Neil Gaiman.
Now, SANDMAN is really the first series of comic books I've read, so you can say I have bad taste and that's why I like 'F & R', because no one else seems to. But I really like it. And guess what, "The Hunt" is one of my favorite stories.
You must definitely read "Ramadan", and on this I actually have popular opinion behind me.
The point of this muddled review is that, yes, "F & R" is not widely considered to be the best SANDMAN book. But you are reading something by one brave soul who liked it, so just give it a chance.
Rating:
Summary: A MUST FOR SANDMAN COLLECTORS
Review: A SERIES OF SHORT STORIES RATHER LIKE "DREAM COUNTRY" WHERE THERE IS NO GRAND PLOT LINE RUNNING THROUGHOUT. OTHER THAN THE PLOT LINE FOR THE SERIES AS A WHOLE, AND THATS PLOT LINE ENOUGH FOR ANYONE, ALL THE STORIES ANSWER QUESTIONS AND CREATE NEW ONES. HAVING READ THE ENTIRE SERIES I KEEP REREADING ALL THE SANDMAN NOVELS AND WONDERING IF GAIMAN PLANNED IT ALL FROM THE BEGINING OR IF HE LET THE STORY TELL ITSELF AS THE SERIES RAN. EITHER WAY IF YOU ARE LOOKING HARD ENOUGH YOU CAN SEE ANSWERS TO ONIEROS' DECISION IN THE "KINDLY ONES" \. NEIL IF YOU READ THIS----THANK YOU
Rating:
Summary: Random Dreams
Review: Although Brief Lives is my favorite book in the Sandman series, Fables and Reflections is not far behind it.Fables and Reflections is a series of unrelated short stories that are mostly seperate from the main Sandman plot, (except for the stories about Orpheus) and in most, if not all, Gaiman and crew are at the top of their game. The main theme that occurs throughout all stories is what happens when men and women pursue their dreams, about the bounties we can reap for attaining them, the price of pursuing them, and the sometimes terrible fate that comes about when we actually reach them. Out of them all I have to say that my favorite story is August, which gives us a most unusual day in the live of the first emporer of Rome, Augustus Ceaser. Also interesting is this story's opposition to most of the others, while the rest are about chasing dreams, this one is about escaping them, both the nightmares that haunt Augustus and the dream that Julius Ceaser laid out for him, Rome, and all the world. It can be a very difficult thing to escpae the dreams of our anestors and the roles that they set out for us, and this is a unique and wonderful telling of one man's attempt to do so. My other favorites include Three Septembers and a Febuary, the story of a very different emporer, Joshua Norton, and the effects of dreams on his life. Especially interesting here is the examination of dreams versus madness, (where do dreams end and madness begin? how do you tell the difference? or is it all merely in the eye of the beholder?) and how a dream ennobles a simple man and makes him truly great. The other two truly excellent stories are Ramadan, in which a ruler's dream both dooms and saves the land he loves, and Soft Places, a tale involving Gilbert or Fiddler's Green, (a favorite character of mine), and is a sort of meditation about the blurring of reality and dreaming, and what happens when such blurring occurs. Gaiman shows all his usual skill in both deeping and expanding our knowledge of historical figures and legends, (particularly Augustus Ceaser, Joshua Norton, Marco Polo, that Sam Clemens fella and the legend of Orpheus), in a way that brings those people, places and legends, many of which we have half-forgotten or half ignore, a new meaning and immediacy, which is no mean feat. Isn't it interesting how a work of fiction makes the past more real than anything else?
Rating: 
Summary: Good, bad, who knows
Review: Clearly, I expected a little too much from this particular Sandman graphic novel. Flicking through and considering the wildly beautiful artwork for stories like 'Ramadan', I imagined 'Fables and Reflections' to be the serie's finest point. The notion of the work is an excellent one. Nine stories, each completed by different artists and each portraying a historical event with a little Sandman twist. However, the execution of the work leaves a little to be desired. For the most part, the stories are anti-climatic, slow and irrelevent. Perhaps the only pieces that can stand alone are the whimisical 'The Hunt' and the tale of lost love, 'Orpheus'. Elsewhere, there is little of Gaiman's usual originality to be found. 'Fables and Reflections' is clearly not a great starting point for delving into The Sandman. I would, however, recommend 'Seasons of Mist', 'Brief lives' and 'The Kindly ones.'
Rating:
Summary: More wonderful stories
Review: Collected from a number of non-sequential issues of the Sandman comic, Fables and Reflections does a wonderful job showing the reader the variety of story telling styles Gaiman undertakes in this wonderful series. Using real figures and events from history (The Emperor of the United States, Augustus, The French Revolution, Marco Polo) Gaiman shows the reader the effects of dreams on their lives and what shape history took because of these dreams. It also contains the story of Dream's son and the consequences of that story's ending have long term effects on the series and its eventual close. The art and subject matter are perfectly matched each time, and a better representitive of a graphic short story collection would be very difficult to find.
Rating: 
Summary: Gaiman Continues to Impress
Review: Echoing Dream Country, Neil Gaiman's Fables and Reflections is a collection of stand-alone stories that have largely little to do with Sandman's multi-volume story arc. As was also the case with its predecessor, this collection boasts an impressive assortment of characters and eras. Gaiman's freedom from narrative sequence allows the reader to embark on a whirlwind tour of all that Gaiman's delightfully bizarre mind can manage to cram into a 250-odd page book: quite simply, you never know where Gaiman's imagination will take you one page to the next. Despite the apparent lack of cohesiveness between the stories, however, one can clearly see there are some overarching motifs linking the tales: themes of power, family, storytelling. Gaiman's great gift is that he's able to contrive these fantastic scenarios yet remain firmly in control by constructing a cogent story. While the book's format accomodates Gaiman's strong points as a storyteller, there are some drawbacks, as well. At times, Gaiman appears unwilling to map-out, even at some basic level, who the characters are and their motivations. A case in point occurs in "Thermidor," where the protagonist, a Lady Constantine, appears to have had a past relationship with Morpheus, but we're never blessed (at least in this book) with an explanation as to the depth or relevance of this connection. One wonders, therefore, whether there was any real reason to bring it up. This phenomenon re-occurs, to a lesser extent, in "The Hunt," where the central character, who is apparently a nice guy, scares the pants off of a palm-reader, who appears to think she read for Satan himself. The meaning of this scene is never expanded upon, and, consequently I felt somewhat confused throughout the rest of the story. Although these are admittedly trivial points which did little to detract from my enjoyment of the book, they point to the fact that the book's format makes it incumbent upon Gaiman to create a coherent world that we really care about; a task that felt a little lacking, at times. With the exception of the disastrous imagery provided by the introductory story (Morpheus, for example, looks like a Gothic hillbilly, if such a blend is capable of existing), the art was of consistent high quality. I particularly enjoyed the imagery, inking, and lettering styles employed in "Ramadan" to accompany the 1001 nights-influenced story. All in all, Gaiman earns high marks for his flair and creativity. It is a testament to Gaiman's greatness that, six books into the series, he continues to churn out a product without equal in the graphic novel world.
Rating:
Summary: Another brilliant work by Neil Gaiman
Review: Fables And Reflections is interesting because of the sheer variety of stories. You travel from the underworld of Ancient Greece, to Paris during the French Revolution, to the Dreaming, the home of the Sandman. It has all the characters that makes the Sandman great: the title character, Morpheus, his raven Matthew, Cain and Abel, and Lucien the librarian. If you have never read Sandman before, this cangive you a good introduction to the characters, and if you are familiar with Morpheus and his cast of dreams, you will see new depth to them.,
Rating:
Summary: Fragments of dreaming
Review: Gorgeous, stunning, overwhelming book. The Ramadan story has got to be the most beautiful artwork anyone ever drew for Sandman. Each short story is a little part of the overall tapestry this book presents, and that tapestry is just a fragment of the beauty of Sandman. Thanks, Neil.
I needed that.
Rating:
Summary: Intellectual Graphic Novel
Review: Greetings
This is the first Sandman graphic novel I have ever read. This is the best collection of short stories ever, in any format! What are you waiting for? BUY IT NOW
Rating:
Summary: ACCOUNTS AND REFLECTIONS touching the Prince of Stories
Review: HB: "How did you come to name this collection FABLES AND REFLECTIONS?"
NG: "Actually, I didn't. What I wanted to call it is ACCOUNTS AND REFLECTIONS, but nobody at DC would let me. My thinking was that the book contained a set of stories about different elements intersecting titled CONVERGENCE, and a set of historical tales titled DISTANT MIRRORS, and 'accounts' would represent both things being totalled up, or coming together; and ancient tales being recounted. But DC felt all that title would do is make readers think of chartered accountancy."
- interview with Neil Gaiman in THE SANDMAN COMPANION, by Hy Bender
All stories herein were written by Neil Gaiman (Wolfe only wrote the introduction which was added for their publication in book form). Each involves characters telling stories, from a phobic modern playwright to Orpheus himself. Often the entire story is part of a character's reminiscences, such as Lady Joanna's journals. Each (apart from possibly "Fear of Falling") also involves the spirit of a very distinct *place* (Fiddler's Green even makes an appearance).
As for the artists - SANDMAN's typical practice was to team up artists with Gaiman for short storylines like these to get used to working together before tackling major story arcs. McManus worked on most issues of A GAME OF YOU (which was published between the CONVERGENCE and DISTANT MIRRORS storylines). Later, Thompson and Locke drew BRIEF LIVES, while Talbot and Buckingham worked on WORLDS' END.
"Fear of Falling" (illustrator: Kent Williams) Rather than appearing in SANDMAN proper, this story appeared in VERTIGO PREVIEW #1, which launched DC's VERTIGO imprint in 1993. The narrator's phobia has mushroomed into a more general fear of success, which is driving him to the verge of pulling out of the off-Broadway production of his own play. But in his dreams, he finds himself climbing to meet Morpheus, and telling him the story of how his terrors stem from a childhood nightmare. And as in DREAM COUNTRY, the Prince of Stories can provide revelation, if not always justice or wisdom. For there is a third alternative to awakening from or dying in a falling dream...
"Orpheus" (illustrators: Bryan Talbot, Mark Buckingham) Gaiman's plans for SANDMAN SPECIAL #1 were scrapped in favour of providing the background of the Orpheus and Eurydice legend, after learning from bitter experience that many of his readers didn't know who Orpheus (Dream's son) was.
The remaining 7 stories (which appeared in SANDMAN proper) aren't grouped by publication order and story arc within the book, but I have taken the liberty of doing so here.
The four stories of DISTANT MIRRORS:
"Thermidor" (illustrators: Stan Woch, Dick Geordano) replaced the month of July in the calendar of revolutionary France, where Lady Joanna Constantine has accepted a commission to rescue Morpheus' son from Robespierre's tireless attempts to destroy *all* old stories and superstitions.
"August" (illustrators: Bryan Talbot, Stan Woch) is a day in the life of the emperor for whom that month is named, who because of a dream spends one day a year in the marketplace of Rome, disguised as a beggar, as taught by the young actor accompanying him.
"Three Septembers and a January" (illustrator: Shawn McManus) Septembers 1859, 1864, 1875, and January 8, 1880 in the life of Norton I, who declares himself first and only Emperor of the United States as a consequence of a challenge issued to Dream by his younger siblings that he couldn't keep Norton out of *all* their realms - Despair, Desire, and Delirium - before their eldest sister came for him. (The young newspaperman whom Norton helps with his first story is writing "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.")
During "Ramadan" (illustrator: P.Craig Russell), Haroun al-Raschid - troubled in his soul, despite his lordship of the greatest of the world's cities - summons the Dream-Lord to offer a bargain. (The story of one of Dream's treasures, last seen in his castle in SEASON OF MISTS.)
The three stories of CONVERGENCE:
"The Hunt" (illustrators: Duncan Eagleson, Vince Locke) A present-day grandfather tells his granddaughter this tale of a young man of "the People" who falls in love with a woman in a miniature carried by a wandering tinker. But among the tinker's stock is also a book, stolen from a librarian who is *most* anxious that Lord Morpheus not come to hear of the incident...
"Soft Places" (illustrator: John Watkiss) are those unexplored realms where boundaries are crossed and time becomes fluid, like the Desert of Lop in which a young Marco Polo has become separated from his father's caravan. Or is it his dream as an old man in prison, when he meets the Dream-King, just escaped from his own imprisonment?
In "The Parliament of Rooks" (illustrators: Jill Thompson, Vince Locke), Lyta Hall's son Daniel (whom she was last seen carrying back in THE DOLL'S HOUSE) is now a toddler who gets into *everything* - even Cain and Abel's little corner of the Dreaming, where three ancient storytellers find him a receptive audience. Thompson's "Li'l Endless" Hello-Kitty take on the Endless, accompanying Abel's simplified version of his own story, became a big hit. Eve's version of *her* own story is the theologian's version, which may be unfamiliar to readers apart from the simplified version told by CS Lewis as part of the backstory of the Witch. As for Cain, he begins with the title story (which is completed by his brother later).
The book concludes with "Biographies" - a warped little picture of each of the literary/artistic contributors, and some equally warped text accompanying each picture. :)
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