The Sandman, Vol. 3: Dream Country

The Sandman, Vol. 3: Dream Country (Sandman Collection #3)

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4.38 of 5 stars 4.38  ·  rating details  ·  28,199 ratings  ·  551 reviews
The third volume of the Sandman collection is a series of four short comic book stories. In each of these otherwise unrelated stories, Morpheus serves only as a minor character. Here we meet the mother of Morpheus's son, find out what cats dream about, and discover the true origin behind Shakespeare's A Midsummer's Night Dream. The latter won a World Fantasy Award for best...more
Hardcover, 160 pages
Published February 5th 1999 by Vertigo (first published 1990)
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Brooke
Earlier, when I reviewed The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch, I said that I wished more of Gaiman's short stories could be adapted in graphic novel form. Dream Country fills that wish a bit; rather than being part of the storyline started in the first two Sandman volumes, this compilation contains four single-issue stories. All four stories demonstrated once again that Gaiman is a master of the short story, and even though I'm not a cat person, I was very fond of the dreaming ki...more
Airiz C
The Sandman graphic novels are a myriad of styles in themselves: Preludes and Nocturnes cemented the foundation of the whole series, introducing us to Morpheus, the axis where this fictional universe rotates; The Dolls House proved how Gaiman can masterfully weave a story of mortals thrown in a mythology. In Dream Country, Gaiman gives us a quartet of stand-alone short stories—Calliope, A Dream of a Thousand Cats, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Façade. While Sandman takes a backseat again in this...more
Alex Ristea
Wow. I'm glad I started reading The Sandman again.

Dream Country is the shortest of the series (I believe), comprised of four short stories. Take note of that before you get frustrated that none of the issues are part of a larger arc, like I did.

I'm still curious where this whole series is going, but this volume fleshed out the world a bit more, and is getting me to think about what I think the author thinks I should think about.

The artwork in this volume blew me away again. A perfect combination...more
Dante
This is certain: Neil Gaiman has a very dark and weird imagination.

I love the artwork, but I'm not comfortable with weirdness right now.

Still, I find the stories very interesting.

This volume contains only four stories, and they are not related with each other or with the general plot of Sandman:

Calliope (#17)
A Dream of a Thousand Cats (#18)
Midsummer Night's Dream (#19)
Facade (#20)

In Calliope, a writer enslaves a muse in order to write great novels, poems, and plays.

In A Dream of a Thousand Cats,...more
Karyn
I'm not at all a fan of graphic novels/stories, and will probably never read one again. But. One of my creative writing students loves sci fi and is super smart and really wanted me to read this book so I could get a sense of the writing she admires. So I did. (Also, Tori Amos mentions Gainman in a song on one of her early albums, one of the two that came out when I was in high school and still worshiped her.) Dream Country is smart, creepy, complex, moving, and well-imagined. I enjoyed the play...more
Dave Johnson
so, this, of course, is the third in the Sandman series. this had a different flow and feel to it. i think it was because this graphic novel doesnt really follow the main character of the series. this is almost a book of side stories. it didnt have the brutally honest candor and dark undertones that the first two had. in that respect, i liked it better, since i could read it and not worry about debating within my own mind whether or not to continue on, reading such a dark novel. but the fact tha...more
Deslni01
The third Sandman volume, Dream Country is a collection of short stories following the Doll's House arc. While there is no overarching story arc in the collection, there is of course a sense of relevance as each part develops the Sandman's universe and other characters - especially his sister, Death, in the final part.[return][return]Included with the set is an interest bonus - a copy of the script for one of the parts (Calliope). Neil introduces is as merely an example of one script, for one is...more
CuriousLibrarian
This is a volume with three brilliant stories and one mediocre one. So I give it a 4.5. The last story keeps me from giving it a 5. I know there is still plenty more Sandman to go, but this will continue to rank as one of my favorites whatever comes in the future volumes.

I don't like to do spoilery reviews, but I don't see how I could review this one without them. So I guess I'll be vague instead.

"Calliope" - The creepiest and most disturbing story I've seen Gaiman do. Not least because there's...more
Ross
After reading three volumes of "The Sandman" out of sequence, I've gone back to reading the Sandman Library in order of publication, rather than according to which volumes catch my interest-such as "Endless Nights", which appealed to me simply because of the premise ( a reunion, of sorts, of the Endless after several years.)

Do the volumes of "The Sandman" need to be read sequentially? For the most part, I think not, especially as we are dealing with dreams, here! (For instance, I'm pretty sure t...more
Klytia
Il terzo volume della serie contiene quattro storie indipendenti dalla trama principale.
Le terre del sogno Incontriamo Calliope, la musa della poesia epica, secondo la tradizione mitologica. Calliope viene rapita da uno scrittore divenendone a tutti gli effetti la Musa ispiratrice e rendendolo quindi prolifico e famoso. Ma Calliope è stata è anche la madre di Orfeo, nato da una relazione con Morfeo, e sarà proprio lui a diventare il centro del destino del Signore dei Sogni.
Il Sogno di Mille Ga...more
Ideasmith
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Andrea
While I really like this book, just as in Vol 2, Gaiman uses rape in a way that bothers me. It seems to me that while rape is depicted as wrong, is also not portrayed as wrong enough. The true emotional and spiritual violence is not portrayed. Of course every writer must tell their stories as they see them, and their cannot, and should not, be a prescribed way to write rape and violence. In no way am I trying to limit the readership for this book, or say that it shouldn't have been written. Inde...more
Erin
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Jade Kerrion
In general, I'm not a fan of short stories, but I'll admit, Gaiman does them exceedingly well. It helps, of course, that the short stories illuminate various facets of Dream and his elder sibling, Death.

In "Calliope," Dream proves he has changed and has learned to let go of implacable hatred when he saves a former lover, and the mother of his son, from imprisonment.

"A Dream of a Thousand Cats" leaves you wondering what power have dreams to change the world. It's a charming tale, and has made me...more
Ronyell
The more I read from Neil Gaiman’s popular “Sandman” series, the more interested I get in reading more about Dream and the other Endless characters! In the third volume of Neil Gaiman’s “Sandman” series, “Dream Country,” we are introduced to more stories regarding Dream and his sister Death and we also get to read the World Fantasy Award-winning story, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

In this volume “Dream Country,” there are four stories that continue the adventures of Dream (or Morpheus) and his pr...more
Jen
Feeling lazy, I will let this review serve as my review of the entire series.
If you are at ALL interested in mythology, art, literature, dreams, how literature has changed in recent years, or just generally, big ideas, this series is for you! Neil Gaiman is an amazing writer, loved by millions, and this is the series that helped him hone his writing chops.

If you're unfamiliar with the conceit of this series, allow me to fill you in. Dream, Morpheus, the Sandman (he's got several more names than...more
Elena
Every time I read a volume of Sandman, I desperately hope I'll love it. Then I get a sinking feeling as I read and find myself bored and unimpressed, and I start to fear that someone is going to show up at my door and revoke my nerd card. Because everyone loves Sandman. You can't be a nerd without adoring this series, whether or not you like any other graphic novel series. I...do not adore this series.

It seemed like it took me ages to get through the Midsummer Night's Dream section of this book...more
Moira
Sandman je prostě úkaz sám o sobě a je mi skoro blbé ho nějak hodnotit.. :D Nevím, jestli je to tím, že už jsem se v tom "smočila", nebo jednoduše mi zrovna tato kniha nesedla, ale dávám jen tři hvězdičky. Důvod je jednoduchý: Jedna povídka se mi líbila "úplně šíleně dokonale famózně hodně", další se mi líbila "dost hodně" a dvě se mi líbily "moc". Vám to možná nic neřekne, ale mně z toho vyplyne něco mezi čtyřkou a trojkou. A jelikož nechci být nudná, dám prozatím tři hvězdičky. Možná to pozděj...more
Anthony Chavez
Gaiman's The Sandman Vol. 3 "Dream Country" is more or less a collection of short stories that are related to the the series, but unrelated in terms of the main storyline that's been going on in the first two volumes. I hate when good storylines like that in "The Doll's House (Vol. 2)" get cut off with something unrelated like this book, but this tangent was good. I have heard Gaiman's short stories are amazing and the volumes in Dream Country are all unrelated short stories that touch on little...more
Erin
It was very hard to get through Dream Country.

I am not a fan of the drawings style employed in the Sandman series, and have had to rely on an affinity for Gaiman's writing to get through the previous two volumes. However, I did not realize starting out that Dream Country is an anthology of unrelated stories, and was exasperated with the chapters that came after the first - a creepy, but brilliant tale of a man keeping his muse captive - expecting the lackluster plots to eventually relate, but o...more
Melanti
I know I said I was done with The Sandman, but I was stuck (happily so) in the library for several hours this afternoon, and was in the graphic novel section looking for Charles Vess's Ballads collection when this caught my eye. Since I had plenty of time to spend, I decided to give it a try.

Instead of being one long story like the first two Sandman collections are, this is a set of 4 short stories that don't seem to be connected to the story arcs of the previous collections.

Calliope - the story...more
Ea Solinas
One of the best things about the Sandman series is that it isn't actually necessary to have Dream -- or any of the other Endless -- in much of the story. Neil Gaiman's "The Sandman Vol. 3: Dream Country" demonstrates that beautifully, with four lusciously haunting, sometimes horrifying tales of magic, muses, cats and faerie royals.

In "Calliope," a struggling writer is willing to do anything if he can write his second novel, but he's got a wicked case of writer's block. So he gains possession of...more
Andrew Hill
This (very) short collection reprints issues 17-20 of the series, with Neil Gaiman's script for issue 18 as bonus material. The script makes for interesting reading, particularly for those curious to know more of how a comic is put together. Morpheus plays a minor role in the stories, and unlike the previous two collections, there is no broad story arc. Each issue is self-contained. Gaiman has an impressive imagination, but the stories themselves, with one notable exception, are disappointing. T...more
Yousif Mukhtar
This book is probably the weakest of the series due to being an 'anthology', and not one whole story arc. In this volume, you get four different issues:

1. Calliope: The story begins with a writer who took a muse from an author friend. The muse is called Calliope, who helps him to write. But the muse wants to be free, and so tells the Dream Lord to free her. What you get is a frightening work of art. 4/5

2. A Dream of a Thousand Cats: This is one of my favorite of all Sandman issues because of its...more
Leigh
Having fallen in love with The Sandman by reading its second book, The Doll's House, I had really high hopes upon picking up this book, the third in the series. I found the book enjoyable but lacking the magic of its predecessor.

Dream Country is a series of four tales. In one story, a Muse is enslaved by a writer whose need for ideas trumps his ability to feel compassion for the plight of his captive. In another, we are shown the world as viewed by cats. In the most-acclaimed tale, we are shown...more
Tancredi
"This is magnificent, and it is true! it never happened, yet it is still true. What magic art is this?"

Sul volume in particolare:
Un altro dei miei preferiti della serie. Non a caso, è il volume che contiene l'episodio "Sogno di una notte di mezza estate". Esattamente: Shakespeare è uno dei personaggi ricorrenti in questa serie! E la magistrale trattazione ha fruttato a Gaiman un premio riservato alle opere letterarie: la prima (ed unica) volta che a vincerlo è un fumetto!

---------

Sulla serie in...more
Patrick
The first story was ok and I liked the last one but the middle two were too shamelessly indulgent nerdscapes of fantasy for me. I have a phobia against serious talking animal stories, especially ones in which humans are characterized as ignorant/evil, and I also dislike stories where historical figures are used as cypher-pawns to spruce up a story. These two stories stink of too much pixie dust and fey faeries and rainbows and unicorns for my temperament this evening (I like them even less now a...more
Trisha
Dream Country contains 4 disturbing stories: Calliope, A Dream of a Thousand Cats, A Midsummer-Night's Dream, and Facade. Plus, Gaiman has included his script for Calliope which gives us insight into Gaiman's writing process on this particular story.

Calliope was difficult for me to read. Artfully done and intriguing, the story features a young author who comes into possession of a muse (who used to date...is that the right word?...Dream) and uses her to become rich and famous. That is not the di...more
Tim Pendry
Volume 3 of the acclaimed 'Sandman' series but stand-alone. This edition also contains the original script for the first of its four stories, 'Calliope', which might be of interest to students of illustration.

If we are to be honest, Neil Gaiman is engaged in a project to bring 'Tales from the Crypt' up the literary and artistic food chain. There is no doubt that he succeeds admirably in his task, aided by a series of excellent illustrators, but the stories, with the exception of his re-thinking...more
Paul Nelson
Four seemingly unconnected stories, in the first Calliope who was Homers muse is enslaved by a writer and then passed onto another writer who has run out of ideas and subsequently becomes a huge success through the inventiveness she prompts. Raped and abused she seeks help and here we learn of a past relationship with Dream thousands of years ago and a son born to them. There is evidence that Dream has changed due to his imprisonment as he shows empathy with Calliope's situation. This was my fav...more
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