Reviews

The Sandman, Vol. 9: The Kindly Ones by Neil Gaiman

midici's review

4.0

I'm not even sure I can write a review for this book. This ninth volume is the largest, most jam-packed book in the Sandman series. Gaiman gathers the loose threads from his previous volumes and weaves them all together into one last narrative about Morpheus. It has been five years since Morpheus was freed from his imprisonment. He has spent much of his time rebuilding the land of Dream and mending his relationships with other people - with his siblings the Endless, with former lovers, with friends and creations alike. In the previous volume Morpheus finally forgave his son, and killed him. This act has left him open to rage of the Furies, also known as the Kindly ones. They seek vengence for blood-debts, when someone has killed a member of their own family. Using Lyta, an unstable women who believes Morpheus kidnapped and killed her son, the furies set out to destroy Morpheus.

It was best described in the introduction by Frank McConnell:

"...this story is a magnificent parable about the humanization of myth; about how the values of regret, responsibility, and the aweful duties of love outweigh even the power and majesty of the gods we invent and then worship."

youarecool's review

adventurous hopeful fast-paced

3.5

xxfelixxreads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

lbarsk's review against another edition

5.0

Ohhh NOOOOOOO. I read the Sandman series in its entirety once every year, and re-read certain volumes way more frequently than that. Always included in any iteration of the re-reading are both Volume 7 and Volume 9, but NINE IS ESPECIALLY CRUSHING. Its art style is a source of controversy among fans--some feel that it was a serious departure from the rest of the series that went too far--but I love it. And the STORY. Augh. Heartbreaking. Too good.

seraphiina's review against another edition

5.0

"You don't have to stay anywhere forever."

Once again, Sandman shows its true colours as a masterpiece of story-telling, putting tiny specks of mythology, folklore and fantasy into a meaningful universe that will take you to the land of dreams and beyond. This is truly the magnum opus in which it all comes together and I'm grateful for having stuck around for so long.

jsantucci's review

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

kat_sanford's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

malenfant's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

knod78's review against another edition

4.0

Things are finally coming together, but there were a lot of characters and remembering how they tied into dream. The damn forward basically gave away the ending of the book. So when the big thing happened, I already expected it. I mean it was leading to it, but you have that hope it won’t happen. Now the act was muted, not much surprise. Why the hell would you give away the big surprise plot line in the beginning when it wasn’t part of the story.?

Still great book! Loved it.

bentleyc's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.0