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The Sandman, Vol. 7: Brief Lives (The Sandman #7)

by Neil Gaiman (Goodreads Author), Jill Thompson (Illustrator), Vince Locke (Illustrator), Peter Straub (Goodreads Author) (Introduction)

4.55 of 5 stars 4.55 · rating details · 21,501 ratings · 407 reviews

Dream's youngest sister, the loopy Delirium, convinces him to go on a quest for their missing brother, Destruction. But Dream may learn that the cost of finding his prodigal sibling is more than he can bear. collecting The Sandman #41–49

Hardcover, 256 pages

Published March 1st 1999 by Vertigo (first published March 1st 1993)

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Jul 17, 2012 Brooke rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Coming off the least interesting volume in the series (The Sandman Vol. 6 Fables and Reflections), Brief Lives was a welcome high point. Delerium wants to look for Destruction, who left the Endless family and disappeared 300 years prior. Dream is the only sibling who agrees to accompany her; he doesn't want to find Destruction, but he does want to take his mind off a love affair that just ended.

Delerium was what made Brief Lives. She is absolutely charming and hilarious, and the interactions bet...more

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Apr 26, 2008 Siria rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 20th-century, fantasy, graphic-novel

Oh, this is one to wallow in. I loved the interaction between Delirium and Dream - Dream's terseness and Delerium's ramblings which always seem to have an odd kind of sense to them contrast so nicely. Their two very different personalities also serve to nicely point out the Really Big Dysfunctionality of their family.

And Ishtar! With the temple prostitution! A scene in Dublin that is recognisably taking place on O' Connell Street! Hades and Persephone! And Destruction, who tries so hard to creat...more

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Nov 04, 2012 Ideasmith rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This is a fairly straightforward story in an otherwise complex, meandering narrative, probably because this is the turning point for the larger Sandman story leading into its big climax.

It starts by reminding the reader of a sacred, severed head on a desolate Greek island, that has a connection to the Endless family. Leaving the reader with that thought, the story moves on to the thus far neglected character of Delirium, the youngest, most tragic of the Endless. Delirium is in direpair, floating...more This is a fairly straightforward story in an otherwise complex, meandering narrative, probably because this is the turning point for the larger Sandman story leading into its big climax.

It starts by reminding the reader of a sacred, severed head on a desolate Greek island, that has a connection to the Endless family. Leaving the reader with that thought, the story moves on to the thus far neglected character of Delirium, the youngest, most tragic of the Endless. Delirium is in direpair, floating bewildered in chaotic surroundings and once mistaking a stranger for her sister Death. Luckily she is rescued (or is that the bystanders who're rescued) from her meltdown by Desire frequenting the same BDSM-themed private party. That Desire's arena slightly overlaps with Delirium in a place such as this, is the first of many meta-fiction flourishes in this book.

Delirium breaks down (literally into colourful butterflies) before confessing that she misses her brother Destruction. But as neither Desire nor its twin Despair support her quest, Delirium reluctantly goes in search of Dream. Dream is in the throes of heartbreak when Delirium reaches him (another meta-fiction touch). This chapter where the two siblings talk is one of the sweetest, most heart-wrenching pieces in the entire Sandman arc. Even Dream's forbidding, aloof aura is melted by Delirium's touching vulnerability and he agrees to aid her on her quest.

Most of the book touches on their adventures as they hunt down Destruction's old friends to seek him out. Every lead runs dry or dies mysteriously. The most wonderful of these stories is their meeting with Ishthar, a strip-club dancer with a history that even a colleague with a degree in Women's Studies doesn't recognize. I loved this story for two ideas that it brought to fore - the origin (and death) of gods and that Love and Destruction are soulmates.

Dream returns from his quest empty-handed and much changed by its experiences. A sibling relationship has been rekindled, a missing sibling found and lost again, a love laid to rest and finally, a prophesy sought and paid for with dire consequences. As Despair puts it, "You cannot seek Destruction and return unscathed."(less)

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Oct 21, 2012 Klytia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Il viaggio di Delirio e Sogno alla ricerca del fratello Distruzione, un viaggio attraverso il cambiamento e le paure che esso comporta, fino alla consapevolezza che alcuni cambiamenti sono inevitabili sia che si sia un mortale dalla vita breve sia che si appartenga agli Eterni.

Ancora una volta i punti di contatto con American Gods sono numerosi. Nuovamente incontriamo alcune divinità che ancora vivono tra gli ignari mortali: Ishtar, la dea della fertilità babilonese, la sua discesa negli Inferi...more

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Sep 19, 2012 Alyssa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I hope I don't come across sounding like a fanboy, but the thesis of my review is this: WHY AREN'T MORE PEOPLE READING THIS SERIES? For that matter, why aren't more people talking about this series? Seriously, why did it take a random conversation with a Facebook friend for me to hear about this series for the first time? Especially considering that one of my most intellectual and well-read friends apparently adores this series? Or the fact that this series has won all sorts of incredibly presti...more I hope I don't come across sounding like a fanboy, but the thesis of my review is this: WHY AREN'T MORE PEOPLE READING THIS SERIES? For that matter, why aren't more people talking about this series? Seriously, why did it take a random conversation with a Facebook friend for me to hear about this series for the first time? Especially considering that one of my most intellectual and well-read friends apparently adores this series? Or the fact that this series has won all sorts of incredibly prestigious awards and accolades?

Heck, after all the fancy degrees in English and Literature that I've gotten, I'm just wondering why this series isn't being included in "Contemporary British Literature" courses. Because I'm not kidding that it's the kind of thing that is worthy of study. Is it because people turn their noses up at graphic novels and dismiss them as juvenile or something? I don't get it.

In Vol. 7 of this series, Dream becomes the co-protagonist with his sister Delirium as they set out on a quest to find their brother Destruction---who abandoned his family duties more than 300 years ago for mysterious reasons. This series explores notions of the inevitability of mortality and change: even for apparently "endless" or unchangeable beings. I think that Peter Straub did an excellent job at dissecting these themes in the book's Afterword. It was a very thought-provoking essay and I'd encourage you to read it.

But in this review, I want to commend Gaiman for encouraging "tangential learning." Tangential learning when a book or video game or artwork inspires its readers/viewers to self-educate themselves about other important topics. That's one of the biggest draws of this series for me. Gaiman's subtle and witty allusions to centuries of mythology, history, and literature teases you into wanting to go deeper and know more. For example, after reading this series, I started studying a lot more about the hundreds of temples built to the goddess Astarte along the Tigris and Euphrates, which were destroyed by Constantine when he converted to Christianity. It also caused me to ponder some of the issues that feminists are strongly divided about.

And you know what? That's really cool. I love art that challenges your thinking, that expands your mind, that whets your appetite for knowledge.

The only (mild) criticism that I have about this series is that I'm not sure how I feel about the way the narrative is constructing a theme of loss or nostalgia for the changes brought about by the enlightenment and the age of science/reason. I'll have to see how the series develops that theme a little bit more before I decide whether I agree with Gaiman's approach on that one. Still, it should be interesting either way.

I can't wait to read the next one!(less)

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Jun 24, 2012 Drivingsideways rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

I'm going to review the entire series here because Brief Lives is possibly my favourite volume of the collection (although I'm hard pressed to choose between Brief Lives and World's End). The Sandman was my introduction to graphic novels and wow,was I blown away. I read it over an epic stretch of 3 days barely eating and sleeping, I was so caught up by the stories, the phenomenal art, and how damn *clever * the whole thing was. Truly inventive and possibly the series against which all future end...more

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Apr 21, 2012 Ronyell rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of Neil Gaiman's Sandman series!!!

Shelves: action-adventure, alternative-worlds, best-books-of-2012, book-series, books-i-want-to-own, cult-classic, drama, fantasy, family-situations, favorites, graphic-novels-comics, horror, my-blog-reviews, mystery, neil-gaiman, read-in-2012, reviewed-books, strong-hero, strong-heroine, surreal, young-adult-teen-books, vertigo-comics, ronyell-s-epinions-reviews

After reading the sixth volume of Neil Gaiman’s famous “Sandman” series, I just had to keep reading more and more of this fantastic series! For the past six volumes of the “Sandman” series, we have been reading about mainly Dream’s (Morpheus’) side of the story, but now in the seventh volume, “Brief Lives,” we are finally reading about Dream’s other siblings, mainly the youngest sibling of the Endless, Delirium, and how she tries to convince Dream to help her find their missing brother, Destruct...more After reading the sixth volume of Neil Gaiman’s famous “Sandman” series, I just had to keep reading more and more of this fantastic series! For the past six volumes of the “Sandman” series, we have been reading about mainly Dream’s (Morpheus’) side of the story, but now in the seventh volume, “Brief Lives,” we are finally reading about Dream’s other siblings, mainly the youngest sibling of the Endless, Delirium, and how she tries to convince Dream to help her find their missing brother, Destruction. This volume “Brief Lives,” is full of drama, surreal fantasy moments and heartbreaking moments that will set any “Sandman” fans ablaze with excitement!

In the seventh volume, “Brief Lives,” the youngest sibling of the Endless who is known as Delirium decides to drag Dream into a journey in finding their missing brother, Destruction who disappeared from the Endless many years ago. Even though the two siblings go through so many tragedies along their way, they will soon discover a startling revelation about Destruction that might change the lives of the Endless forever! There are a total of nine chapters in this volume that details the story of Dream and Delirium’s journey to find their missing brother.

Wow! This volume was just so amazing beyond all reason! I will admit that even though there is not that much action in this volume as there was for the past few volumes, this volume clearly shows that you do not really need a lot of action to make an extremely interesting story! Neil Gaiman has done an excellent job at writing this volume as it was not only intense, but it provided a good insight on the relationship shared between the Endless siblings. For a long time now, we keep seeing the close relationship shared between Death and Dream, but now we see another close relationship between Dream and Delirium and it was nice seeing how Dream was willing to help out Delirium through her quest in finding their missing brother Destruction, even though Dream was hesitant about helping Delirium in the first place. I also loved the way that Neil Gaiman gave this story a dark fantasy feel as we see Dream and Delirium traveling through the real world while mysterious and frightening accidents keep happening whenever they are around. Jill Thompson and Vince Locke’s artwork is gorgeous and dark at the same time as the images of the Endless siblings are truly unique to look at. I especially love the appearance of Delirium herself as she has multicolored hair and her hair constantly changes appearances every time she is in a different world. I also enjoyed the disturbing images in this volume, especially of the image of Orpheus’s severed head sitting on a desk.

Like the previous “Sandman” volumes, this volume does have some blood and gore, although it is not as explicit as the first few volumes and there is few in between. Probably some of the gory images that might disturb some readers are an image of Despair, one of the Endless, cutting herself up and you can see the blood spurt from her cuts and another image where a Cat goddess bites off the head of a rat and you can see the bloody insides of the rat.

Overall, “The Sandman: Brief Lives” is a truly wonderful volume about sibling love that fans of the “Sandman” series will easily enjoy for many years!

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog(less)

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Feb 21, 2012 John Kirk rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a good story: it's pretty much a soap opera (exploring the relationships between familiar characters) but there are some deeper points in there too, and several funny scenes.

Near the start of the book, I particularly liked the interaction between Delirium, Desire, and Despair. We've only seen them interact with Dream previously, and it's good to know that they have lives of their own rather than simply being part of his supporting cast. The first time I read this, seeing Despair in her h...more

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Feb 01, 2012 Eva Nickelson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: graphic

This is a story about different journeys that the Endless take, mainly Dream and his sister Delirium. Heavy in mythology (intertwining a number of different cultures into the tale), the story is well plotted and paced, focused on Delirium's wish to see her brother Destruction again. As she polls her siblings for help, as she and Dream take off on their journey to find those closest to Destruction, hidden motives for the Endless' actions are fully explained.

I enjoyed the story and the artist's re...more

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Mar 24, 2011 Andreas rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: graphic-novel

I was slightly disappointed when I finished #4 Season of Mists. Beautiful illustrations and a lyrical language couldn't hide the shallow story. Nevertheless I decided to give the series another try, looked around for the most popular part and found Brief Lives.

In short words, Morpheus and Delirium go on a journey to look for their lost brother Destruction. Delirium is fantastic in the way how she talks and behaves. Sometimes she acts like a child; suddenly the fury of a goddess breaks through on...more

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Feb 10, 2011 Tancredi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: graphic-novel

"Delirium: Qual è la parola per le cose che non sono sempre uguali a se stesse? Esiste? Sono sicura che ce ne sia una.
Dream: Cambiamento.
Delirium: Qual è la parola per indicare il momento preciso in cui hai dimenticato cosa si prova ad amare qualcuno che in passato hai amato profondamente?
Dream: Non esiste.
Delirium: Oh. Pensavo esistesse."

Sul volume in particolare:
Altro picco del genio di Gaiman. Un volume difficile da leggere, perché complesso, con una evidente vena filosofico-esistenziale. Dav...more "Delirium: Qual è la parola per le cose che non sono sempre uguali a se stesse? Esiste? Sono sicura che ce ne sia una.
Dream: Cambiamento.
Delirium: Qual è la parola per indicare il momento preciso in cui hai dimenticato cosa si prova ad amare qualcuno che in passato hai amato profondamente?
Dream: Non esiste.
Delirium: Oh. Pensavo esistesse."

Sul volume in particolare:
Altro picco del genio di Gaiman. Un volume difficile da leggere, perché complesso, con una evidente vena filosofico-esistenziale. Davvero niente a che vedere con un semplice fumetto fantasy.
Piacerà a chi ha amato American Gods. C'è tanta mitologia, qui.

----------

Sulla serie in generale:
Parlare di "The Sandman" mi mette imbarazzo e non solo, perché di fronte ad un'opera mastodontica e superiore come questa non posso che sentirmi un mero ammasso di carne pensante per sbaglio, per una malata frizione casuale tra i miei neuroni.

La verità è che "The Sandman" è l'opera di un genio fuori dal comune, che non si può comprendere mai del tutto, nemmeno leggendolo mille volte. Per la profondità della sua scrittura, per la finezza dellle sue citazioni letterarie, per la cura paziente e poetica con cui ogni singola parola pausa e virgola viene scelta, per il modo oserei dire "chirurgico" con cui si intrufola nell'animo umano, mettendolo a nudo.
"The Sandman" è un'opera che sostanzialmente è una rappresentazione di ciò che siamo, una rappresentazione dell'essere umano, con tutte le sue pieghe, le sue contraddizioni e le zone nascoste, in ombra.
La finezza della sua analisi dell'uomo la si può vedere ad esempio nella creazione dei sette Eterni: Sogno, Morte, Destino, Distruzione, Disperazione, Desiderio, Delirio. Sette personificazioni di sette elementi che scuotono gli uomini, che ne plasmano la crescita.
Parlando della trama, che qui è veramente l'intreccio invisibile e complesso di mille fili narrativi, "The Sandman" è fondamentalmente la storia di una crescita morale, quella di Sogno, il protagonista, che sceglie un percorso forzato con lo scopo di redimersi completamente, viaggiando tra dimensioni più o meno allegoriche, contattando e interagendo con una miriade di personaggi (ed è STRAORDINARIA la caleidoscopia varietà di personalità secondarie che Gaiman crea, arricchendo la storia).
"The Sandman" è soprattutto la prova che il fumetto, o meglio, la "graphic novel" è un'opera d'arte degna della qualità di letteratura. Non a caso un episodio di questa serie di fumetti è riuscito a vincere un premio riservato alle opere letterarie.
(less)

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Dec 29, 2010 Karissa rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is the seventh graphic novel in Gaiman's Sandman series. The Sandman series is 10 graphic novels in length. This was a wonderful book. Absolutely loved the story and enjoyed the illustrations.

In the seventh graphic novel in the Sandman series Morpheus's sister Delirium wants to go searching for her brother Destruction. After Desire and Despair refuse to help her she turns to Morpheus for help. Morpheus has just been abandoned by his girlfriend and is depressed and as such agrees to travel w...more

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Nov 02, 2010 Jay rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: comics, fantasy, philosophy-and-religion

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 07, 2009 Greenland rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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May 22, 2009 Cleverusername2 added it

Brief Lives is my favorite of the Sandman collections mainly because I started reading individual issues of this arc as my introduction to the series back in 1993, so it holds nostalgic value for me. Perhaps this makes me biased but I think it makes a good introduction to the Sandman series even though it takes place over halfway through the original serial run. Gaiman had really hit his stride. A few points make it a good point of entry, such as its linear plot arc and because of all the storyl...more Brief Lives is my favorite of the Sandman collections mainly because I started reading individual issues of this arc as my introduction to the series back in 1993, so it holds nostalgic value for me. Perhaps this makes me biased but I think it makes a good introduction to the Sandman series even though it takes place over halfway through the original serial run. Gaiman had really hit his stride. A few points make it a good point of entry, such as its linear plot arc and because of all the storylines the Endless and their family dynamics central to the plot. While six of the seven Endless were introduced in previous issues (and Destruction’s fate discussed obliquely), it is in Brief Lives that you see how they interact with each other, their prejudices and rivalries. At a dramatic point in the conclusion a long conversation contrasts several of the immortal siblings which caused me to see them in a different light.

Delirium, the youngest and most scattered Endless, conceives of a quest to find her older brother Destruction, who abandoned his realm and responsibilities sometime during the Age of Reason. He had grown rather fond of Earth, and couldn’t bear to continue his duties after humans take up the scientific principles that in his words can only lead to “the age of fire and flame”. Delirium conceives of this quest haphazardly as a quixotic attempt to bring the family back together. She knows that she doesn’t have the coherence to put together such an attempt on her own so she turns to her older siblings for help. After being rebuffed twice, Dream agrees to travel with her if only to distract himself from sorrow of a recent romance gone sour but does not seriously expect or even desire success.

Mortality is a central theme. Even goddesses and extremely long-lived humans mysteriously meet their death in the wake of the mismatched pair. There is a lot of character development in this collection. Dream finds himself shaken and challenged at many points, at one point he even weeps when he comes to an uncomfortable realization. That is pretty stark when compared to the haughty, proud, and vainly single-minded Morpheus from earlier in the series. Delirium finally gets some serious “screen time”. While first portrayed as scattered and irrecoverably insane she later shows sighs of self-knowledge and hidden wisdom. At one point she angrily defends herself, saying she knows lots of hidden truths unknown to her more stable older siblings. Flashbacks show a real tenderness between Delirium (formally Delight) and Destruction, so it is not surprising that she would want to seek him out.

And where has Destruction been all this time? He has been teaching himself to create things as a way of escaping his dharma. Unfortunately he is terrible at it, as it pointed out by his talking canine companion who kvetches over his attempts at art, sculpture, poetry, and cuisine. When there is a reunion near the conclusion of the story they talk over their differences. Destruction refuses to return to his duties and tries to explain his motives to Dream, whom finds it baffling and a bit heretical. He even tries to warn Dream about certain flaws in his personality that will soon bring about his downfall, but Dream is too stubborn avoid them.

Jill Thompson’s artwork is very engaging; sometimes beautiful and other times jarring and disturbing and always somehow unexpected. I think the artwork reflects the nature of the story very well in that sense. I always kind of want it to be a bit different somehow but she lines stray in odd direction that at first irk me but then I find it engaging. Also the color palate is full of bright pastels, which you might not expect for an adult-themed graphic novel of such intellectual weight. It is a nice break from dreary gothic tones found in, say, the start off Preludes and Nocturnes.(less)

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Jun 13, 2011 Ryan Rebel rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everybody.

Recommended to Ryan by: Chantel

Shelves: reviewed

Yet another fantastic entry in the Sandman series. I believe this is the last of the books that I have read before, and now I will be venturing into new territory. This particular entry is focused on the protagonist and his family, the Endless. I find them incredibly interesting, so I loved digging deeper into their issues.

The overarching theme is change. It saturates the work, pouring from the pages like the vitreous humor from an eyeball. It is appropriate that Dream's most prevalently feature...more

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Aug 08, 2010 Emily rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult-fiction, graphic-novels, favorites, series

brief lives is probably my favorite sandman installment so far. the thing i loved most about this graphic novel was that Gaiman designs the Endless to embody a specific character trait and i think these traits take full form in this story. i also like how the reader gets to know more about the other Endless, namely Delirium and Destruction. i think we all have moments in our lives where the inevitable change has to occur and this novel deals with the subject so beautifully that you suffer Deliri...more

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Apr 22, 2013 Shira rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novels

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Nov 16, 2012 Xirxe rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bookcrossing, comics, fantasy, graphic-novel

It is the first Sandman series in which the Endless play the main role. Delirium, Dreams sister, longs for her brother Destruction, who has left the family of the Endless 300 years ago - no one knows where he is. After Desire and Despair refused helping delirium in her search, she turns to Dream, who will surprisingly stand by her. However due to selfish reasons: Just left from his beloved, he is hoping to think of other things and maybe, in secrete, to meet her once again ...
I have to admit, th...more

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Aug 19, 2012 Maggie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: english-writers, novelas-graficas

Este volumen ha sido mi favorito hasta ahora. Porque en este podemos conocer un poco más sobre los eternos, y sobre cómo se relacionan con Sueño. Me parecen todos muy interesantes.
A Delirio, la más joven de los eternos, se le ocurre que deberían buscar a su hermano perdido, Destruccion. Le pide a sus hermanas Deseo y Desespero ayuda, pero al negárselas no le queda más que acudir a Sueño, aunque le da miedo. Él, por su parte, acaba de tener una decepción amorosa y sólo accede a acompañar a Deliri...more

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Jul 06, 2012 Emily rated it 5 of 5 stars

Loved it! Seriously cool. You can pick this up without having read the previous issues, as I knew hardly anything about the series when I started reading. This was also the first comic book/graphic novel I've ever read, so if you're unfamiliar with the formatting or you'd like to try it out, I would recommend this! The cool thing about this story is that it introduces all of the Endless for you, so that was nice.

I don't know if a graphic novel has ever been reviewed on here yet, but I thought, w...more

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Apr 28, 2009 Mary Overton added it · review of another edition

The homeless woman asks, "Spare a little change, Love?" and crazy, pre-pubescent, sister Delirium of the Endless (she who when sane was the sweet, vulnerable Delight) responds, "Change. That was always kind of the problem, kind of ... um ... change, Change, CHANGE, change, chaaaange. When you says words a lot they don't mean anything or maybe they don't mean anything anyway and we just think they do ..." (ch I, pg 8)
Because Delirium can't bear the change that is the loss of brother Destruction,...more The homeless woman asks, "Spare a little change, Love?" and crazy, pre-pubescent, sister Delirium of the Endless (she who when sane was the sweet, vulnerable Delight) responds, "Change. That was always kind of the problem, kind of ... um ... change, Change, CHANGE, change, chaaaange. When you says words a lot they don't mean anything or maybe they don't mean anything anyway and we just think they do ..." (ch I, pg 8)
Because Delirium can't bear the change that is the loss of brother Destruction, she and brother Dream go on a quest to recover him. They do find him, and it triggers irrevocable change. Destruction, whose realm it is to destroy the old so as to make room for the new, is the most unsettled of all about the change he rules. He says of the night sky, " I like the stars. It's the illusion of permanence, I think. I mean, they're always flaring up and caving in and going out. But from here, I can pretend ... I can pretend that things last. I can pretend that lives last longer than moments. Gods come, and gods go. Mortals flicker and flash and fade. Worlds don't last; and stars and galaxies are transient, fleeting things that twinkle like fireflies and vanish into cold and dust. But I can pretend." (ch 8, pg 12-13)
Brother Destiny says to Dream, "You are prince of those symbols and shapes that mean other than they seem, of metaphor and of allusion. My dominion is that which IS, of actions and consequences and paths." (ch 7, pg 9). But later Destruction sweeps aside the categories of Endless. He scoffs, "The Endless are merely patterns. The Endless are ideas. The Endless are wave functions. The Endless are repeating motifs. The Endless are echoes of darkness, and nothing more. We have no right to play with [mortal:] lives, to order their dreams and their desires." (ch 8, pg 16)
Jung would say that the Endless are archetypes, and that Destruction's abdication is part of the process of assimilating unconscious content into consciousness. This process causes the Self (our "unit" of mortality) to grow in awareness, to become increasingly more integrated, so it is better able to function at its own discernment, rather than as the puppet of unconscious whims, drives, and/or obsessions. (less)

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Apr 14, 2013 CiderandRedRot rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: believe-the-hype, graphic-novel

Okay, I get it now.

Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed the hell out of the previous volumes in this series to varying degrees, but even though I remember people raving about The Sandman almost from the initial dates of publication, it's hard for a sprawling - sometimes a tad dated - series such as this to stand up to the 'Okay big boy, I've heard you're the seminal graphic novel classic that's gonna blow my tiny mind' shit I couldn't help but bring to my reading.

Like many things, I'd presume that...more

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Sep 15, 2011 Tim Miller rated it 5 of 5 stars

Like most of the 'Sandman' graphic novels, 'Brief Lives' is an entertaining read. It's also very deep. Gaiman's writing perpetually pushes the envelope of storytelling and what it means to be "literary." College courses should cover these books. 'Brief Lives' is about Dream and Delirium's search for Destruction personified. Of course, this search entails all kinds of real world implications. The '90s--when 'Sandman' broke out--were a time of reflection and loss, when much of the first world unde...more

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Mar 02, 2013 Michael Nash rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

*4rth reading* *spoilers*
Brief Lives is another Sandman volume that I simply didn't get. And it's a shame because I love much of the story here, from the sheer fun of watching Dream adventure with Delirium to a collection of some of the best one-liners in the series. What bothers me, though, is the conclusion, specifically the conversation at the end between Dream and Destruction. I can't shake the feeling that Gaiman's point here is completely incoherent, and that he masks this by presenting it...more

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Feb 06, 2011 D.M. rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'd never have thought that a Sandman Road-Movie would work, but here it is. I really do like this book, but I think Jill Thompson holds me back from loving it. There's not really anything wrong with her art, I just don't like how long everyone ends up looking, or how static any action ends up looking. She makes some bold choices a couple times in here (a couple paintings & the scenes in the strip bar, for example), and they are invariably (for me, at least) her strongest stuff.
That aside, t...more

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Aug 06, 2010 Adam rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1970-present, graphic-fiction

I surely don't need to point out the similarities between The Sandman and Doctor Who. Brief Lives is kind of like a Doctor Who story focused entirely on Gallifreyan stuff, very tied to the nature of the Doctor and his home planet and the Timelords, etc etc. This is all about the Endless, the whole story arc is, really, and that just doesn't seem all that interesting to me, much like I'd be less concerned with the aforementioned Doctor Who story than other ones. I realize this puts me in a differ...more

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Jan 26, 2013 Anna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Another great story - I love it when Gaiman writes quest stories. This one was so intricate and interesting, plus NOW I can remember the last Endless I was having trouble remembering ;)

I'd totally forgotten how melodramatic Dream was - but then again, I last read this series in high school, and so I probably really liked that kind of thing back then. Now, it really stands out and is kind of annoying. But that's the point - Dream isn't fitting in with the changing world anymore. *sigh* The end ma...more

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Dec 08, 2010 Cathy Douglas rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, speculative-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 06, 2013 Paul Hamilton rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: graphic-novel, fantasy

The thing that is most interesting to me about Neil Gaiman's The Sandman is how Dream himself is frequently not the center of the action. The Sandman book is his story, certainly, but the narrative weaves around him like a planetary orbit. In winter, the distance can be stretched far afield indeed. This volume is more of a summer arc, with the narrative pulling in close to Morpheus as we follow him as he accompanies his sister Delirium on a quest to track down their missing brother Destruction.

I...more The thing that is most interesting to me about Neil Gaiman's The Sandman is how Dream himself is frequently not the center of the action. The Sandman book is his story, certainly, but the narrative weaves around him like a planetary orbit. In winter, the distance can be stretched far afield indeed. This volume is more of a summer arc, with the narrative pulling in close to Morpheus as we follow him as he accompanies his sister Delirium on a quest to track down their missing brother Destruction.

It's also worth noting that even with Dream front and center, the star of this tale is Delirium. Like Death, she is a delightful character (there is some intentional irony in that statement), perhaps far more relatable than Dream will ever be. As usual, threads from earlier in the series return with much more gravity than may have seemed at first glance. Morpheus and Calliope's son Orpheus, now a mystically living severed head (seen in Fables & Reflections), plays a central role to the story. Since the purpose of the mission is to find Destruction, he arrives and worms his way quickly into the reader's heart.

I very much loved Brief Lives, perhaps not quite as much as A Game Of You or The Doll's House, but very nearly so. In particular I appreciate how Gaiman is unafraid to have his conclusions tie up into neat little bows. I don't think it is a spoiler to say that Dream and Delirium are not successful in their endeavor, at least in so much as they do not convince Destruction to resume his post. There is resolution to the end, it's just not the sort of obvious summation one might expect.

It feels at this stage in Sandman's run that Gaiman is working at full tilt, at the so-called top of his game. This is a layered, complex, richly rewarding book to read, one I can't really imagine was easy to wait for in monthly installments. Note that my individual critiques of each volume are, in aggregate, small and relative, practically petty. Seven volumes in and I can't think of a single reason for anyone not to read these books. They are genuinely great. Occasionally you'll hear about something and it comes with a lot of high praise and you have to wonder if it could ever live up to all the hype. In the case of Sandman, the question is really more a matter of, "is there such a thing as too much praise?"(less)

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Quotes from Brief Lives

“I like the stars. It's the illusion of permanence, I think. I mean, they're always flaring up and caving in and going out. But from here, I can pretend...I can pretend that things last. I can pretend that lives last longer than moments. Gods come, and gods go. Mortals flicker and flash and fade. Worlds don't last; and stars and galaxies are transient, fleeting things that twinkle like fireflies and vanish into cold and dust. But I can pretend...” — 489 people liked it

“You know the best thing about aeroplanes? Apart from the peanuts in little silver bags, I mean.

It's looking out of the windows at the clouds and thinking maybe I could go walking in there. Maybe it's a special place where everything's okay.

Sometimes I do go walking in the clouds but it's just cold and wet and empty. But when you look out of a plane it's a special world...and I like it.” — 128 people liked it

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The Sandman, Vol. 7: Brief Lives (The Sandman #7)

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