The Sandman Vol. 8: Worlds' End | Neil Gaiman, Stephen King | ...within stories, within stories,...

The Sandman Vol. 8: Worlds' End | Neil Gaiman, Stephen King | Point of order.... but still a great compilation

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The Sandman Vol. 8...

	The Sandman Vol. 8: Worlds' End Neil Gaiman, Stephen King Vertigo, 1995 - 168 pages average customer review:based on 20 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

When Brant and Charlene wreck their car in a horrible snowstorm in the middle of nowhere, the only place they can find shelter is a mysterious little inn called World's End. Here they wait out the storm and listen to stories from the many travelers also stuck at this tavern. These tales exemplify Neil Gaiman's gift for storytelling--and his love for the very telling of them. This volume has almost nothing to do with the larger story of the Sandman, except for a brief foreshadowing nod. It's a nice companion to the best Sandman short story collection, Dream Country, (and it's much better than the hodgepodge Fables and Reflections). World's End works best as a collection--it's a story about a story about stories--all wrapped up in a structure that's clever without being cute, and which features an ending nothing short of spectacular. --Jim Pascoe

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...within stories, within stories, within stories...

Are Sandman fans such because they love the characters (Dream, Delirium, etc.) or because they love the writings of Neil Gaiman?

I'd imagine that there are both types, and that most of us are somewhere on a continuum in-between.

I mention this, because those of you who are closer to the "love Gaiman" pole, like myself, will doubtless love this collection of short stories, set in the Sandman universe. On the otherhand, those who are closer to the characters pole might well be disappointed, as they are almost non-existent, here.

Worlds' End concerns a group of travellers, taking shelter from a very strange storm at a pan-dimensional inn, who while away the hours telling stories, a la The Canterbury Tales, The Decameron, Hyperion, etc. While we *could* say that this is a tired cliche, or device, or any number of things that would be unfairly unflattering of Mr. Gaiman, I think, rather, that he's using this structure to make a point. In fact, *within* one of these stories, there is a character who gets into a group that starts telling stories to pass the time. The tale, itself, is a narration of a story being told. And, lest we forget, the whole comic is a story being told from Gaiman to us. Stories, within stories, within stories, within stories, within stories...

I think that, here, Gaiman wants to reflect in part on the role that stories play in our lives. Sandman, here, isn't Dream, but is the Master of Stories (which is pointed out in this volume).

And so, if you're comfortable with the fact that cutie Death will only put in a cameo or two, the question becomes: are these stories any good?

My answer--yes, they're good.

Another strong book in an amazing series. Five stars.

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Point of order.... but still a great compilation

From a previous review, the following quote exists:
fans of Gaiman will note that "A Tale of Two Cities" borrows heavily from the essay he wrote for the SIMCITY 2000 game

As a point of accuracy, it's the other way around, The Tale of Two Cities came before the SimCity 2000 Game.

This is still my favorite collection of Sandman Stories. The Sea Witch Story is one I occasionally dream about.

The story continues...

The Saga of Morpheus continues in this Graphic Novel. Gaiman is the best. A co-worker's 18 y.o. son is reading the series and he is blown away.

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Graphic SF Reader

A reality storm causes a group of travellers, all afflicted by actual storms in their own realities to be transported elsewhere, nearby to the Inn at World's End. They all take shelter there, heal injuries, and pass the time on the piss and doing some telling of stories. One of the travellers is Cluracan of Faery, having been on a diplomatic mission, and two are humans from different time periods.

One of the least successful of the series

Rather than a continuous narrative, this volume is a collection of short pieces with distinctly different artistic treatments. The frame story is that there's an inn just outside space and time, where travelers just might find themselves marooned for awhile when a reality story hits. There not being much else to do, they take turns telling stories, Canterbury-style. Some, like "Cluracan's Tale" and "The Golden Boy," are quite good. Others, like "Hob's Leviathan," are just kind of pointless. For me, this is one of the less satisfying entries in an excellent series.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4

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