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chalkletters's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
As far as I can recall, The Sandman: A Game of You is the first ‘proper’ graphic novel I’ve read, and so I’m not really sure how to approach reviewing it. I’ve read lots of other Neil Gaiman fiction, from American Godsto Fragile Things, and enjoyed some a lot more than others, the highlight being an illustrated copy of Stardust which made me think I might like The Sandman. For full disclosure, however, I should mention that I’m pretty sure I went in expecting The Sandman to be Fables.
The art in The Sandman: A Game of You is nothing like Charles Vess’s illustrations, it’s much more comic-book-y, and while individual visuals were arresting, the overall style might not be appealing to readers who enjoy more conventional book art. That said, there were some cool references to older media which made it fun to give the pictures a second look, and they would probably reward even closer scrutiny.
The Sandman: A Game of You works very well as a stand-alone story. Even without having read the previous four volumes, Neil Gaiman gives the characters enough context for a reader to pick up both the different worlds and the relationships between them. Wanda, Hazel and Foxglove particularly stand out as being nuanced female characters who don’t conform to archetypes; their lives feel as though they extend beyond the pages dedicated to their stories in this one book.
As a villain, the cuckoo is interesting, and Neil Gaiman raises a lot of questions about what exactly she is and where she comes from. As with the whole of the dream world, the reader is invited to interpret it as a metaphor, and every person’s understanding will probably be a little different. Book club focused (perhaps unsurprisingly) on dreams as a way of interrogating stories and story-telling, which was particularly rewarding. The tension between the 'real’ world of New York and the dream kingdom worked to really emphasise the dramatic moments in the New York storyline, especially the ending.
My first graphic novel was always going to feel a little uncomfortable and unfamiliar, but I know I have at least two more in my TBR so I’m curious to see how they feel now that I’ve dipped my toe in the water!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Transphobia, Abortion, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Deadnaming, and Death
Minor: Pregnancy
soumil_da_vinci's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
It gets darker in this book, the reason I stopped for a while in the middle. This steps up in the "oh shit, yuck" horror stuff and...I would say that you shouldn't pay a second thought to it and you'll be completely fine. If you think too much then you might have some weird thoughts and see stuff in darkness. That's how horror world ig.
Still, a decent story, but not at par with the other novel level stuff Sandman had produced in earlier books. But this is Gaiman so...I don't care, I will continue reading. Kudos.
Still, a decent story, but not at par with the other novel level stuff Sandman had produced in earlier books. But this is Gaiman so...I don't care, I will continue reading. Kudos.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Cannibalism, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Death
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