Rating: 
Summary: Fantasy/horror with a philosophical bent
Review: I had to make a decision years ago that has more to do with finances than my critical feelings, and that decision was to give up on reading comics. Actually, I had to give up buying them, but since that was the only way I could read them, the effect was the same. As with books, I had once read comics quite indiscriminately, from the tritist superhero soap opera (okay, I'll name titles--X-Men) to the bizzarist independents (Flaming Carrot). As the prices increased, I couldn't manage to keep up with all the titles I was following, plus maintain all my other interests. Something had to give, and I selected books and music over comics because I felt that comics were the most ephemeral.There were some that I hated to give up, notably Dave Sim's Cerebus. Since then, I've convinced myself that buying the "collected" volumes of comics isn't the same as actually following comics, but falls into the realm of books. Which leads me to Neil Gaiman's Sandman, which started appearing shortly after I had made my decision. Lucky for me the collections started appearing right on the heels of the comic, so I didn't have too long of a wait to see what everyone was talking about. Gaiman's comic is like Jonathan Carroll's novels, except Gaiman is more fantastical and less real, but more abstract and philosophical. In a sense, what Gaiman is achieving in Sandman is the creation of a new mythos, but one born of ancient ideals mixed with modern concepts. Actually, come to think of it, Ovid probably was doing the same thing in his time. Comparing Gaiman to Ovid may be going too far, but then he does reinvent the Orpheus myth in this collection, so who knows? While I'll never be one you can trust to pick art work, this volume does contain a story illustrated by one of my favorites, P. Craig Russell, whose ornate style works well with Gaiman's poetical flourishes. This isn't the best introduction to the characters if youíve never met Sandman before--I've also got The Doll's House, which probably fits that bill better.
Rating: 
Summary: Myth, History, and Dreams and the story between
Review: I must say that this book was a surprise when I read it. This was the first short story collection of the Sandman series that I encountered and I fell in love with it. It was amazing to see the size of the canvas upon which Gaiman's ultimate work could be laid: here we had his characters encountering the mythical, the historical, and all spaces in between to give us tales that I'll never forget. I really enjoyed this volume of the Sandman, and there's even a little foreshadowing in the story about the first and last Emperor of America story about what is going to soon happen in the actual Sandman continuity. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves Sandman, history and myth, or just a damn good story!
Rating: 
Summary: Best Thing I've Read In A While
Review: I used to read a lot of comics, but by far, the Sandman series is my all time favorite. I bought Fables and Reflections mostly because of one very entertaining story, that of the first and last Emporer of America. Certainly, that is not the only reason I would recomend reading this, the entire collection of stories, even the entire Sandman series is well worth your time . If you enjoy fantasy, history, comic books, Myth, etc. you should read this as soon as possible
Rating:
Summary: Blown Away
Review: I was okay with the first series of one-offs, Dream Country, but I definetly loved the comple story lines surrounding the 1,2 and 4, so I came into this one with an air of snobery against singles issue collections. But these were so good that this became my favorite collection, even over "Mist". The Emporer of America was astounding and the contest's metaphor about the ups and downs of life is a construct that Joseph Campbell would be proud of. His incorporation of history and mythology are at Gaiman's best in this series.
Rating:
Summary: More Essential Sandman
Review: I've been reading the Sandman series in order, and have been enjoying each volume. It's hard not to rank them, but this collection of short stories probably ranks near the middle (vol. 1, 4, & 5 are my favorites, but essentially they're all worth your time and money). The stories vary in look and feel somewhat, but are all linked together by regular appearances from Dream, and cameos from his always intriguing family. The over all scope of these stories is great, covering vast areas of time and distance. While a few of the stories suffer somewhat from the regular use of a "telling" rather than "showing" style, there aren't any duds here. Two in particular, "Song of Orpheus", and "Parliament of Rooks" are a pure joy to read throughout, and worth the price of admission on their own. Even though Gaiman works with quite a few artists here (different artist/artists for each tale), the quality is consistent, always moving the story along successfully. The efforts of P. Craig Russell, Bryan Talbot, and Shawn MacManus are especially worth mentioning. Gaiman's Sandman series is easily one of the most consistently exceptional of all time, and volume 6, Fables and Reflections, follows right along with that high level of quality. While I'd recommend starting with volume 1 and making your way through to the end, due to the timeless quality of the stories, any one of the volumes that I've read so far (the first 6) could also be read on it's own, primarily due to the skill and power of Gaiman's writing, and his lack of dependence on continuity. If you're new to Sandman, this is not your typical comic book. This is great fiction, period. If you're dismissive of comics as juvenile or inferior, toss aside any preconceptions and invest in a volume of Sandman. You won't regret it, or forget it.
Rating:
Summary: More Essential Sandman
Review: I've been reading the Sandman series in order, and have been enjoying each volume. It's hard not to rank them, but this collection of short stories probably ranks near the middle (vol. 1, 4, & 5 are my favorites, but essentially they're all worth your time and money). The stories vary in look and feel somewhat, but are all linked together by regular appearances from Dream, and cameos from his always intriguing family. The over all scope of these stories is great, covering vast areas of time and distance. While a few of the stories suffer somewhat from the regular use of a "telling" rather than "showing" style, there aren't any duds here. Two in particular, "Song of Orpheus", and "Parliament of Rooks" are a pure joy to read throughout, and worth the price of admission on their own. Even though Gaiman works with quite a few artists here (different artist/artists for each tale), the quality is consistent, always moving the story along successfully. The efforts of P. Craig Russell, Bryan Talbot, and Shawn MacManus are especially worth mentioning. Gaiman's Sandman series is easily one of the most consistently exceptional of all time, and volume 6, Fables and Reflections, follows right along with that high level of quality. While I'd recommend starting with volume 1 and making your way through to the end, due to the timeless quality of the stories, any one of the volumes that I've read so far (the first 6) could also be read on it's own, primarily due to the skill and power of Gaiman's writing, and his lack of dependence on continuity. If you're new to Sandman, this is not your typical comic book. This is great fiction, period. If you're dismissive of comics as juvenile or inferior, toss aside any preconceptions and invest in a volume of Sandman. You won't regret it, or forget it.
Rating:
Summary: More Essential Sandman
Review: I've been reading the Sandman series in order, and have been enjoying each volume. It's hard not to rank them, but this collection of short stories probably ranks near the middle (vol. 1, 4, & 5 are my favorites, but essentially they're all worth your time and money). The stories vary in look and feel somewhat, but are all linked together by regular appearances from Dream, and cameos from his always intriguing family. The over all scope of these stories is great, covering vast areas of time and distance. While a few of the stories suffer somewhat from the regular use of a "telling" rather than "showing" style, there aren't any duds here. Two in particular, "Song of Orpheus", and "Parliament of Rooks" are a pure joy to read throughout, and worth the price of admission on their own. Even though Gaiman works with quite a few artists here (different artist/artists for each tale), the quality is consistent, always moving the story along successfully. The efforts of P. Craig Russell, Bryan Talbot, and Shawn MacManus are especially worth mentioning. Gaiman's Sandman series is easily one of the most consistently exceptional of all time, and volume 6, Fables and Reflections, follows right along with that high level of quality. While I'd recommend starting with volume 1 and making your way through to the end, due to the timeless quality of the stories, any one of the volumes that I've read so far (the first 6) could also be read on it's own, primarily due to the skill and power of Gaiman's writing, and his lack of dependence on continuity. If you're new to Sandman, this is not your typical comic book. This is great fiction, period. If you're dismissive of comics as juvenile or inferior, toss aside any preconceptions and invest in a volume of Sandman. You won't regret it, or forget it.
Rating:
Summary: Wow.
Review: I've read 6 Sandman books now, in order, Fables and Reflections being the most recent. It could be my favorite, but they're all so perfect in different ways. I made my mom read "Ramadan", and now she's hooked. I just love that story. I can't stop thinking about it...it's just incredible. Gorgeous. My suggestion: If you're new to Sandman, and aren't exactly sure whether you'll like it, read Fables and Reflections. (Only skip "Song of Orpheus" and "A Parliament of Rooks", which would be a bit confusing without the other issues.) However, if you're new to Sandman and trust Neil Gaiman with all your heart, start with Preludes and Nocturnes and know that it gets better. I really think they're best read in order. "Ramadan" is just pure genius. The collection would be worth its price if only that one story were in it. "Fear of Falling" is another highlight, although no one ever mentions it. Very simple and short, but great. "The Hunt" is cool...well, all of them are! If you already know Sandman, obviously you'll want to buy this volume. If you're new, then don't hesitate.
Rating:
Summary: We just keep on dreaming....
Review: In my mind, "The Sandman" is the greatest comic book to come along in the past 15 years or so. Neil Gaiman is such a great writer and brings so much into the mix that is Sandman. Of course, it's easy to do this when Sandman is the King Of Dreams, but the way Neil did it was truly magical. "Fables and Reflections" is perhaps my favorite of the Sandman collections because they are all self-contained stories that are all interesing in their own right. All the Sandman issues are great, but you cannot read only one chapter of "Brief Lives" or "Doll's House" to get the whole meaning. Because this collection is so varied, it would be a good place for new readers tom start. The Sandman storylines often jump around in time anyway, after all Dream has been around since the beginning of time and that is a lot of ground to cover! I should start off perhaps by explaining who the Sandman is. The Sandman goes by many names, but his given name is Dream and he is the king of dreams. He is one of the Endless, who are all older than Gods. The rest of the Endless are Destiny, Death, Desire, Despair, Destruction, and Delirium. Each of their names gives you a glimpse of what they are and what they do. Death, Delirium, Despair, and Desire pop up in this volume, as do other familiar charactewrs like Matthew the Raven. What distinguishes "Fables & Reflections" from other Sandman collections is that not only does it not follow a choesive story, but Dream is not directly involved in all the tales told here. Some of the tales are stories being told that involve the Dream King. Some are pieces of long past history involving the Sandman (such as encounters with Mark Twain and Caeser Augustus) and some are even retellings of old myths like Orpheus' Song. All of these stories are bound together by soemthing that every person does: dream. Gaiman tries to make sense of dreams and of Dream. Although Dream is as old as the hills, he can be quite human at times. Neil Gaiman's writing is just phenomonal. Who else would think to reference Joshua Norton, emperor of the United States? He also has great one-liners that often are given by Delirium and Matthew the Raven. If you like to read, I suggest reading Sandman. This is best comic book out there. Nothing is like it. It's an experience unto itself.
Rating:
Summary: We just keep on dreaming....
Review: In my mind, "The Sandman" is the greatest comic book to come along in the past 15 years or so. Neil Gaiman is such a great writer and brings so much into the mix that is Sandman. Of course, it's easy to do this when Sandman is the King Of Dreams, but the way Neil did it was truly magical. "Fables and Reflections" is perhaps my favorite of the Sandman collections because they are all self-contained stories that are all interesing in their own right. All the Sandman issues are great, but you cannot read only one chapter of "Brief Lives" or "Doll's House" to get the whole meaning. Because this collection is so varied, it would be a good place for new readers tom start. The Sandman storylines often jump around in time anyway, after all Dream has been around since the beginning of time and that is a lot of ground to cover! I should start off perhaps by explaining who the Sandman is. The Sandman goes by many names, but his given name is Dream and he is the king of dreams. He is one of the Endless, who are all older than Gods. The rest of the Endless are Destiny, Death, Desire, Despair, Destruction, and Delirium. Each of their names gives you a glimpse of what they are and what they do. Death, Delirium, Despair, and Desire pop up in this volume, as do other familiar charactewrs like Matthew the Raven. What distinguishes "Fables & Reflections" from other Sandman collections is that not only does it not follow a choesive story, but Dream is not directly involved in all the tales told here. Some of the tales are stories being told that involve the Dream King. Some are pieces of long past history involving the Sandman (such as encounters with Mark Twain and Caeser Augustus) and some are even retellings of old myths like Orpheus' Song. All of these stories are bound together by soemthing that every person does: dream. Gaiman tries to make sense of dreams and of Dream. Although Dream is as old as the hills, he can be quite human at times. Neil Gaiman's writing is just phenomonal. Who else would think to reference Joshua Norton, emperor of the United States? He also has great one-liners that often are given by Delirium and Matthew the Raven. If you like to read, I suggest reading Sandman. This is best comic book out there. Nothing is like it. It's an experience unto itself.
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