Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
Sandman: Endless Nights made history; it was the first graphic novel to ever make the New York Times Bestseller List. In it, each of the Endless get their own chapter, and each tale is illustrated by a different artist in an often experimental style. The stories are stand-alones and independent of each other, except Delirium's and Destruction's, which are also the only ones that take place after the events in the main Sandman series. I wouldn't normally review a graphic novel issue by issue, but since these can be considered to be illustrated short stories, and they are so stylistically different, I'll break it down.
Death And Venice · ★★★★ (Art by P. Craig Russell)
This is the oldest story in the book, written in Venice the week after the 9/11 attacks. Its title is a nod to Thomas Mann's Death In Venice, and the tale itself is clearly strongly inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's The Masque of the Red Death. It switches back and forth between two story- and timelines: A group of people in a by-gone century, living on an island off the coast of Venice which is protected from Death by magic, and the memories and thoughts of a contemporary American soldier who met Death on that same island as a child, and never forgot the encounter.
What I've Tasted Of Desire · ★★★★1/2 (Art by Milo Manara)
In the introduction, Gaiman says that the thought of Manara illustrating a tale of Desire was one of the things that propelled him into making Endless Nights a reality, and I can see why; everything from his line-work to the coloring is beautiful and sensual. This story appears to be set in pre-Roman Britain, and follows the life of a woman who bargains with Desire to win the hand of her handsome neighbor.
Dream: The Heart of a Star · ★★★ (Art by Miguelanxo Prado)
I admit that this one tied into the wider DC universe too strongly for me to fully appreciate, so it's my least favorite in the collection—I like my Sandman to be self-contained. This is the earliest story in the Sandman chronology, set near the beginning of the habitability of the universe—Delight has not yet become Delirium, Death is unmerciful, and we see the genesis of the rivalry between Dream and Desire. The story is narrated by the Sun to the Earth, long before the evolution of life on it, and the illustrations involving space were by far my favorites, while I really disliked the look of Killalla of the Glow's face.
Fifteen Portraits Of Despair · ★★★★★ (Art by Barron Storey, designed by Dave McKean)
Not really a story, but rather a collection of fifteen vignettes, or, as the title suggests, portraits, illustrating different aspects of Despair. This was some really heavy stuff, and the dark, bizarre, and often abstract art, unlike any I've seen in any other Sandman book (save on McKean's cover art), really enhanced the stories. This would be my pick as favorite chapter, although I had to take breaks while reading it because the sense of hopeless despair I got from these shorts was a lot to take.
Delirium: Going Inside · ★★★★1/2 (Art by Bill Sienkiewicz)
I felt like I was going crazy while trying to bring coherence to these pages, until you realize that you just have to let it go, you're entering Delirium's realm after all—which tells you how well-done both story and accompanying artwork really are. It's about several mentally ill people (one of whom is loosely based on Henry Darger—I had never heard of him, but it's an incredibly fascinating story, I encourage you to look it up) who are brought together by Daniel, Dream's raven Matthew, and Delirium's dog protector Barnabas, on a quest to save Delirium from herself.
Destruction: On the Peninsula · ★★★★ (Art by Glenn Fabry)
This directly follows and relates to Delirium's story, and features her as well. A female archaeologist who has constant dreams and visions of variations of a post-apocalyptic world is exploring an Italian peninsula which appears to hold artifacts from the future (they find pennies dated 2019—I was so glad to have found this volume now, while the future in the story is still the future!). The most sci-fi of the stories, in a way, I really enjoyed it, although Destruction's role was rather minor when compared to the other chapters so far.
Destiny: Endless Nights · ★★★★ (Art by Frank Quitley)
Not a story, but a short vignette of the burden of responsibility that Destiny, the most elusive and mysterious of the Endless, has to bear. This chapter holds my favorite art and lettering in the volume—bright and airy full-page illustrations perfectly suited as the closing chapter in what, at the time, was the last Sandman volume.
While Endless Nights might not be an essential addition to the Sandman canon, it is a delightful one, and a great way to revisit the siblings; perhaps especially because each of them gets to shine in turn. I took my time reading it and really savored it, knowing that it might be the last time I'd read a Sandman story for the first time. I can highly recommend it—it would be confusing to someone unfamiliar with the main series though, and is really only a treat for long-time fans, and not a good starting point for new readers.
—————
My other ડꪖꪀᦔꪑꪖꪀ reviews:
01: Preludes & Nocturnes · ★★★½
02: The Doll's House · ★★★★
03: Dream Country · ★★★
04: Season of Mists · ★★★★½
05: A Game of You · ★★★½
06: Fables and Reflections · ★★★½
07: Brief Lives · ★★★★½
08: Worlds' End · ★★★
09: The Kindly Ones · ★★★★★
10: The Wake · ★★★
Overture · ★★★
The Dream Hunters · ★★★★
Death: The Deluxe Edition · ★★★★
Audible Original #1 · ★★★★★
The Sandman Universe · The Dreaming: Pathways and Emanations · ★★
The Sandman Universe · Lucifer: The Infernal Comedy · ★
Death And Venice · ★★★★ (Art by P. Craig Russell)
This is the oldest story in the book, written in Venice the week after the 9/11 attacks. Its title is a nod to Thomas Mann's Death In Venice, and the tale itself is clearly strongly inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's The Masque of the Red Death. It switches back and forth between two story- and timelines: A group of people in a by-gone century, living on an island off the coast of Venice which is protected from Death by magic, and the memories and thoughts of a contemporary American soldier who met Death on that same island as a child, and never forgot the encounter.
What I've Tasted Of Desire · ★★★★1/2 (Art by Milo Manara)
In the introduction, Gaiman says that the thought of Manara illustrating a tale of Desire was one of the things that propelled him into making Endless Nights a reality, and I can see why; everything from his line-work to the coloring is beautiful and sensual. This story appears to be set in pre-Roman Britain, and follows the life of a woman who bargains with Desire to win the hand of her handsome neighbor.
Dream: The Heart of a Star · ★★★ (Art by Miguelanxo Prado)
I admit that this one tied into the wider DC universe too strongly for me to fully appreciate, so it's my least favorite in the collection—I like my Sandman to be self-contained. This is the earliest story in the Sandman chronology, set near the beginning of the habitability of the universe—Delight has not yet become Delirium, Death is unmerciful, and we see the genesis of the rivalry between Dream and Desire. The story is narrated by the Sun to the Earth, long before the evolution of life on it, and the illustrations involving space were by far my favorites, while I really disliked the look of Killalla of the Glow's face.
Fifteen Portraits Of Despair · ★★★★★ (Art by Barron Storey, designed by Dave McKean)
Not really a story, but rather a collection of fifteen vignettes, or, as the title suggests, portraits, illustrating different aspects of Despair. This was some really heavy stuff, and the dark, bizarre, and often abstract art, unlike any I've seen in any other Sandman book (save on McKean's cover art), really enhanced the stories. This would be my pick as favorite chapter, although I had to take breaks while reading it because the sense of hopeless despair I got from these shorts was a lot to take.
Delirium: Going Inside · ★★★★1/2 (Art by Bill Sienkiewicz)
I felt like I was going crazy while trying to bring coherence to these pages, until you realize that you just have to let it go, you're entering Delirium's realm after all—which tells you how well-done both story and accompanying artwork really are. It's about several mentally ill people (one of whom is loosely based on Henry Darger—I had never heard of him, but it's an incredibly fascinating story, I encourage you to look it up) who are brought together by Daniel, Dream's raven Matthew, and Delirium's dog protector Barnabas, on a quest to save Delirium from herself.
Destruction: On the Peninsula · ★★★★ (Art by Glenn Fabry)
This directly follows and relates to Delirium's story, and features her as well. A female archaeologist who has constant dreams and visions of variations of a post-apocalyptic world is exploring an Italian peninsula which appears to hold artifacts from the future (they find pennies dated 2019—I was so glad to have found this volume now, while the future in the story is still the future!). The most sci-fi of the stories, in a way, I really enjoyed it, although Destruction's role was rather minor when compared to the other chapters so far.
Destiny: Endless Nights · ★★★★ (Art by Frank Quitley)
Not a story, but a short vignette of the burden of responsibility that Destiny, the most elusive and mysterious of the Endless, has to bear. This chapter holds my favorite art and lettering in the volume—bright and airy full-page illustrations perfectly suited as the closing chapter in what, at the time, was the last Sandman volume.
While Endless Nights might not be an essential addition to the Sandman canon, it is a delightful one, and a great way to revisit the siblings; perhaps especially because each of them gets to shine in turn. I took my time reading it and really savored it, knowing that it might be the last time I'd read a Sandman story for the first time. I can highly recommend it—it would be confusing to someone unfamiliar with the main series though, and is really only a treat for long-time fans, and not a good starting point for new readers.
—————
My other ડꪖꪀᦔꪑꪖꪀ reviews:
01: Preludes & Nocturnes · ★★★½
02: The Doll's House · ★★★★
03: Dream Country · ★★★
04: Season of Mists · ★★★★½
05: A Game of You · ★★★½
06: Fables and Reflections · ★★★½
07: Brief Lives · ★★★★½
08: Worlds' End · ★★★
09: The Kindly Ones · ★★★★★
10: The Wake · ★★★
Overture · ★★★
The Dream Hunters · ★★★★
Death: The Deluxe Edition · ★★★★
Audible Original #1 · ★★★★★
The Sandman Universe · The Dreaming: Pathways and Emanations · ★★
The Sandman Universe · Lucifer: The Infernal Comedy · ★
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
This volume comprises seven stories, one for each of the Endless and representing their essence somehow. I would say it can be read at any time, whether before, in the middle, or after having read the 10 core Sandman volumes. They are not at all related in story to the others, so that made them quite refreshing. Some of these stories emerged as well from Gaiman's will to work with certain artists, so each issue has a different style that somehow connects to the spirit of the Endless approached. I did really appreciate this, and I enjoyed having bits and pieces of the Endless and what they represent. However, these issues varied widely in quality in my opinion, thus the average rating. Below, are some discriminated thoughts on each one.
Death in Venice - ★★★★☆
As the title suggests, it focuses on Death. It was a very good first issue for the volume, and I loved seeing the depiction of a "younger" Death, even though this seemed to be set in the 80s/90s for the most part. The inspiration from Poe's [b:The Masque of the Red Death|204779|The Masque of the Red Death|Edgar Allan Poe|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1172667858l/204779._SY75_.jpg|15568908] and the setting of Venice were all really intriguing, so I would greatly recommend this on that account (as well as the artist). The only thing I did not particularly like was the needless representation of a lover of death in the USA solider. I do not particularly condone that kind of message and I felt that if a character that was obsessed with death was needed, then perhaps something so militaristic didn't need to be included? Specially because it felt admired, not criticised.
What I've Tasted of Desire - ★★★★★
Now this was my favourite of the issues/stories. It appears to be set in the early Middle Ages, perhaps, and is the story of a woman that is hopelessly in love with a ladies' man from her village. She has a meeting with Desire and he helps her get her wish. This story is very familiar to me, and it might be an adaptation of an old tale. Nevertheless, the art, the subject, how the essence of Desire was portrayed, the emotion depicted... Felt very much raw and real and I loved it!
The Heart of a Star - ★★★☆☆
This was simply ok. I would expect Dream's story to stand out among the others, but I didn't really care for it, perhaps because Dream is now mostly boring to me. I didn't care to know about another of his dalliances, and his dispute with Desire felt very oversimplified and lacking in tension. Also, Gaiman just seems to want to personify any "entity" out there, and I felt that kind of unnecessary and repetitious. The art and setting, however, kind of made up for it, as well as some more world-building and exploration of the Endless.
15 Portraits of Despair - ★★☆☆☆
This was a very neat concept, though explored in a bit of a shallow and opaque way for me. It is not a singly story about Despair, but more of a representation of its essence, 15 cases of how people have encountered desperation (not Despair itself). In that, it was very interesting. However, most of the stories were written in a way as to leave you completely clueless as to what exactly they meant. Combined with the art (which sometimes made them near ineligible), this issue was quite a complicated and frankly tiring read.
Getting Inside - ★★☆☆☆
As for the previous issue on Despair, this story focusing on Delirium also suffers from being a really difficult reading experience at times, not because of its subject per se, but because of the writing and artistic style. I appreciated that Gaiman and the artists try to imbue each story with its own style and spirit, evocative of what each Endless represents. While this was strangely beautiful, at the same time so tiring and confusing, and I think the message was a bit lost this way.
On the Peninsula - ★☆☆☆☆
This was by far the most uninteresting story. A bit contrived as well, as I did not understand in which time it was set regarding the Sandman core volumes (Destruction is supposed to be gone for 300 years in the present time, but here he is and it seems to be in the late 1900s?) The plot also revolves around him and Delirium apparently causing remnants from the future to appear in an archaeological dig, and I ask... what? The Endless distorting views of time was never something set up in the other volumes. In fact, linearity is quite asserted (e.g. Destiny). We also follow this woman that has a meet up with Destruction, but her story-line was not interesting in the slightest. Nothing in this was interesting except for the fact that Destruction is taking care of Delirium.
Endless Nights - ★★☆☆☆
Just a short and not very substancial story about Destiny and his book of fate. Besides the beauty of the illustrations, there was nothing interesting in this either. We gained no further knowledge of who Destiny is, only that the book of fate has an end.
Death in Venice - ★★★★☆
As the title suggests, it focuses on Death. It was a very good first issue for the volume, and I loved seeing the depiction of a "younger" Death, even though this seemed to be set in the 80s/90s for the most part. The inspiration from Poe's [b:The Masque of the Red Death|204779|The Masque of the Red Death|Edgar Allan Poe|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1172667858l/204779._SY75_.jpg|15568908] and the setting of Venice were all really intriguing, so I would greatly recommend this on that account (as well as the artist). The only thing I did not particularly like was the needless representation of a lover of death in the USA solider. I do not particularly condone that kind of message and I felt that if a character that was obsessed with death was needed, then perhaps something so militaristic didn't need to be included? Specially because it felt admired, not criticised.
What I've Tasted of Desire - ★★★★★
Now this was my favourite of the issues/stories. It appears to be set in the early Middle Ages, perhaps, and is the story of a woman that is hopelessly in love with a ladies' man from her village. She has a meeting with Desire and he helps her get her wish. This story is very familiar to me, and it might be an adaptation of an old tale. Nevertheless, the art, the subject, how the essence of Desire was portrayed, the emotion depicted... Felt very much raw and real and I loved it!
The Heart of a Star - ★★★☆☆
This was simply ok. I would expect Dream's story to stand out among the others, but I didn't really care for it, perhaps because Dream is now mostly boring to me. I didn't care to know about another of his dalliances, and his dispute with Desire felt very oversimplified and lacking in tension. Also, Gaiman just seems to want to personify any "entity" out there, and I felt that kind of unnecessary and repetitious. The art and setting, however, kind of made up for it, as well as some more world-building and exploration of the Endless.
15 Portraits of Despair - ★★☆☆☆
This was a very neat concept, though explored in a bit of a shallow and opaque way for me. It is not a singly story about Despair, but more of a representation of its essence, 15 cases of how people have encountered desperation (not Despair itself). In that, it was very interesting. However, most of the stories were written in a way as to leave you completely clueless as to what exactly they meant. Combined with the art (which sometimes made them near ineligible), this issue was quite a complicated and frankly tiring read.
Getting Inside - ★★☆☆☆
As for the previous issue on Despair, this story focusing on Delirium also suffers from being a really difficult reading experience at times, not because of its subject per se, but because of the writing and artistic style. I appreciated that Gaiman and the artists try to imbue each story with its own style and spirit, evocative of what each Endless represents. While this was strangely beautiful, at the same time so tiring and confusing, and I think the message was a bit lost this way.
On the Peninsula - ★☆☆☆☆
This was by far the most uninteresting story. A bit contrived as well, as I did not understand in which time it was set regarding the Sandman core volumes (Destruction is supposed to be gone for 300 years in the present time, but here he is and it seems to be in the late 1900s?) The plot also revolves around him and Delirium apparently causing remnants from the future to appear in an archaeological dig, and I ask... what? The Endless distorting views of time was never something set up in the other volumes. In fact, linearity is quite asserted (e.g. Destiny). We also follow this woman that has a meet up with Destruction, but her story-line was not interesting in the slightest. Nothing in this was interesting except for the fact that Destruction is taking care of Delirium.
Endless Nights - ★★☆☆☆
Just a short and not very substancial story about Destiny and his book of fate. Besides the beauty of the illustrations, there was nothing interesting in this either. We gained no further knowledge of who Destiny is, only that the book of fate has an end.
Probably one of my favorites in the Sandman universe. I'll never tire of stories from the other Endless's POV.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Finally, I can put away the Sandman series, having made it to the end. This was a mixed bag of stories about the Endless. I liked the stories about Death, Desire, Dream, Destruction and Destiny, but didn't care for the weirdness and abstract art of Despair and Delirium's stories. Done!
dark
mysterious
relaxing
Vracíme se do světa Sandmana, tentokrát v krátkých příbězích o Věčných. Smrt, Touha, Sen, Zoufalství, Delirium, Zkáza a Osud, to jsou oni, každý má svůj příběh a přitom jsou všechny propojené. Ocitneme se v době, kdy byli Věční ještě mladí a hvězdy mluvily. Sen si přál najít lásku a požádal Touhu o pomoc, ta mu jeho přání splnila, ale nikdy nic není zadarmo. Podíváme se i na 15 portrétů Zoufalství, které jsou tak reálné, až je to děsivé. Smrt čeká před branou na jednom malém italském ostrově a čeká, až se křídla brány otevřou a ona bude moci na toto záhadné místo uvězněné v čase vstoupit. Delirium se tak nějak ztratí a ti, co jí slyšeli se jí musí vydat hledat. Naštěstí mají rybičky, které zpívají rybí písně. Při vykopávkách na ostrově narazí vědci na zvláštní nálezy, které vypadají jako z budoucnosti. Na ostrově je i sám Zkáza a ještě, že tak. Může lecos vysvětlit. Navštívíme i zahradu Osudu, který je slepý, ale vše vidí ve své knize, jeho zahrada je plná spletitých cestiček a stojí v ní sochy ostatních Věčných. Kdybyste měli dost času a pozorně je sledovali, všimli byste si, že se sochy hýbou...
I wasn't a fan of the artwork and I couldn't get into most of the stories.
When I rated this a 3, I really mean that for me it ranged from 2 to 4, with a small but emphatic moment of less than 1.
There is a single page of one section (the one on Despair) that I found so gratuitously disturbing that I am seriously pissed off at Mr Gaiman and everyone else involved for thinking it ought to be printed. (And I say that having read the rest of the Sandman series, which is not exactly devoid of graphic violence (pun unplanned but fitting).)
There are some other stories that I simply didn't find all that interesting.
And then there are some that I was utterly charmed by, which made the volume well worth reading.
I just wish someone had told me to skip over Despair.
So I hereby pass said warning along. Especially if you like cats: if you don't want to skip the whole section, then at least when you get to that page about the person with the trailer, just avert your eyes and move along.
There is a single page of one section (the one on Despair) that I found so gratuitously disturbing that I am seriously pissed off at Mr Gaiman and everyone else involved for thinking it ought to be printed. (And I say that having read the rest of the Sandman series, which is not exactly devoid of graphic violence (pun unplanned but fitting).)
There are some other stories that I simply didn't find all that interesting.
And then there are some that I was utterly charmed by, which made the volume well worth reading.
I just wish someone had told me to skip over Despair.
So I hereby pass said warning along. Especially if you like cats: if you don't want to skip the whole section, then at least when you get to that page about the person with the trailer, just avert your eyes and move along.
Re-read after many more years than I can remember. This is a mixed collection, with one chapter for each of the Endless. The quality of the artwork is excellent and the overall atmosphere was quintessentially Sandman.
The Despair chapter was not to my tastes and I didn't think the Delirium chapter really said anything of merit. The other chapters I enjoyed though, with Desire being my standout favourite.
Worth your time if you enjoyed Sandman and would like a few more stories to immerse yourself in that universe.
The Despair chapter was not to my tastes and I didn't think the Delirium chapter really said anything of merit. The other chapters I enjoyed though, with Desire being my standout favourite.
Worth your time if you enjoyed Sandman and would like a few more stories to immerse yourself in that universe.