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Preludes & Nocturnes
(The Sandman #1)
by
Librarian Note: If you're looking for the Audible adaptation of the first three volumes it is here.
New York Times best-selling author Neil Gaiman's transcendent series SANDMAN is often hailed as the definitive Vertigo title and one of the finest achievements in graphic storytelling. Gaiman created an unforgettable tale of the forces that exist beyond life and death by ...more
New York Times best-selling author Neil Gaiman's transcendent series SANDMAN is often hailed as the definitive Vertigo title and one of the finest achievements in graphic storytelling. Gaiman created an unforgettable tale of the forces that exist beyond life and death by ...more
Hardcover, 233 pages
Published
December 1st 1998
by Vertigo
(first published 1991)
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Start your review of Preludes & Nocturnes (The Sandman, #1)

So here's the thing...
I wrote the introduction to the 30th anniversary edition of The Sandman.
How absolutely *stupid* is that?
It's been half a year since I got the invitation, and months since I actually finished writing the introduction, but I still can't believe it.
To celebrate, I thought I'd write a review here. But rather than just my usual messy gush about how I love some story, I got permission from the publisher to re-print part of my introduction I wrote.
Share and enjoy...
**(What follows ...more
I wrote the introduction to the 30th anniversary edition of The Sandman.
How absolutely *stupid* is that?
It's been half a year since I got the invitation, and months since I actually finished writing the introduction, but I still can't believe it.
To celebrate, I thought I'd write a review here. But rather than just my usual messy gush about how I love some story, I got permission from the publisher to re-print part of my introduction I wrote.
Share and enjoy...
**(What follows ...more

First off, let's be clear, I'm a big soppy fan of Gaiman's Work.
Secondly, I've read the Sandman series several times before. So this is more a record of my fond re-reading and musing about this story rather than some sort of objective review.
But if you've read any of my other reviews, that won't come as a surprise.
I think it's been a full ten years since the last time I've read this series. And, given that my memory is, well... to put it plainly quite shit, I get to experience the series with ...more
Secondly, I've read the Sandman series several times before. So this is more a record of my fond re-reading and musing about this story rather than some sort of objective review.
But if you've read any of my other reviews, that won't come as a surprise.
I think it's been a full ten years since the last time I've read this series. And, given that my memory is, well... to put it plainly quite shit, I get to experience the series with ...more

I thought it was time I added The Sandman. It fits precisely into my systematic program of reading. “Hold on!” I can hear all you folks out there saying. “ Your 'systematic program of reading'? Why you're one of the most eclectic readers I know!”
I can understand why you might feel that way, but there is a little method to my madness. Although it is true that some of the books I read (progressive political analyzes, slim 20th century verse collections, cat books, classic spiritual treatises, or t ...more

Mr Gaiman, thank you for the dream.
See what I did there? But in all fairness this is a dream. This comic is just everything I want a comic to be. It’s dark and brutal; it’s profound and sophisticated: it’s imaginative and creative. I just love everything about it. It’s superb. Let’s begin with the characters:
Dream

So the protagonist is a god, a very old god. And he represents one of the key elements of life itself: hope. He is everything the mind longs for. He is the reason to carry on livi ...more
See what I did there? But in all fairness this is a dream. This comic is just everything I want a comic to be. It’s dark and brutal; it’s profound and sophisticated: it’s imaginative and creative. I just love everything about it. It’s superb. Let’s begin with the characters:
Dream

So the protagonist is a god, a very old god. And he represents one of the key elements of life itself: hope. He is everything the mind longs for. He is the reason to carry on livi ...more

FanTABulous preluDe!
Creative Team:
Writer: Neil Gaiman
Illustrators: Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg & Malcolm Jones III
Covers: Dave McKean
Letterer: Todd Klein
A PRELUdE TO dREAM
It is NEVER “only a dream”, John Constantine.
Definitely there is stuff that if you read again, you’ll get it differently, but even so, you’ll get it differently if you re-read it again in a different order.
I am re-reading again the first four TPBs of The Sandman since I was able to buy the rest of TPBs of the series ...more
Creative Team:
Writer: Neil Gaiman
Illustrators: Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg & Malcolm Jones III
Covers: Dave McKean
Letterer: Todd Klein
A PRELUdE TO dREAM
It is NEVER “only a dream”, John Constantine.
Definitely there is stuff that if you read again, you’ll get it differently, but even so, you’ll get it differently if you re-read it again in a different order.
I am re-reading again the first four TPBs of The Sandman since I was able to buy the rest of TPBs of the series ...more


I need to admit something. I've never "gotten" Neil Gaiman's books. They confuse the hell out of me. I really never know where he is going with a story. *gasp*

This one was some freaky ass shit. Some old guy wants to perform a ceremony to capture "Death". Yeah..okay.
Anyways, he ends up capturing our guy Dream.
Dream bides his time. Then he wants his domain back. Then some more freaky ass shit goes down.


I see a whole lot of fangirls and boys on these books. Don't kill me yet. I hav ...more

I'm stuck at home during a pandemic so why not revisit an old friend. Sandman was the first comic I remember reading in high school where I first thought, "Hey, maybe comics aren't just for kids!".
Even though Vertigo later distanced itself from the rest of the DC universe. I love how Gaiman grounds this right in the DC universe while still making it its own thing. John Constantine who quickly become one of my favorite DC characters. Even the Justice League shows up with the main villain, Dr. De ...more
Even though Vertigo later distanced itself from the rest of the DC universe. I love how Gaiman grounds this right in the DC universe while still making it its own thing. John Constantine who quickly become one of my favorite DC characters. Even the Justice League shows up with the main villain, Dr. De ...more

Re-Read 1/3/20:
Just as good as the previous reads. :)
Original Review:
I have to say I enjoyed this much better the second time around.
Both times I really got a kick out of the Crowley sidestory, and I still have no idea who or what the original sandman comic was all about, nor do I particularly care, but this reimagining is a real work of art.
It's not even the art, per-se, although I did enjoy seeing Bowie as Satan. It fits him so well. It was the story. It seemed to stumble about for a short wh ...more
Just as good as the previous reads. :)
Original Review:
I have to say I enjoyed this much better the second time around.
Both times I really got a kick out of the Crowley sidestory, and I still have no idea who or what the original sandman comic was all about, nor do I particularly care, but this reimagining is a real work of art.
It's not even the art, per-se, although I did enjoy seeing Bowie as Satan. It fits him so well. It was the story. It seemed to stumble about for a short wh ...more

Sep 21, 2020
Hamad
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Hamad by:
Fadi Antwan
“What power would hell have if those imprisoned here would not be able to dream of heaven?”
Fadi's pick for my 10 reader, 10 recommendations challenge!
For personal reasons I will only do a short review of this book. I thought the book was confusing and hard to get into at first but the more I read, the easier it got to follow and understand and I enjoyed it more and more.
There is always a magic to books released decades ago (1998!!) because you get a snapshot of that time period wh ...more

Since joining goodreads, I’ve been baffled by the Neil Gaiman love fest. American Gods, Neverwhere, Stardust, The Graveyard Book, they appear to be universally loved, and I’ve been skeptical of this emotion that borders on worship. These books are good and all, and I recognize their general accessibility, but I don’t personally find any of them mind blowing literature. Gaiman’s prose is no match for China Mieville’s or Iain M. Banks’ or Ursula LeGuin’s (and countless others who write speculative
...more

One of those graphic novels that are so famous and hyped up that it makes you want to read them. The consequence though would be that expectations tend to rocket up. I am more disappointed than entertained.
I've read 2 novels of Neil Gaiman. I hated Stardust, while Ocean was a mediocre read for me. I DNF(did-not-finish) American Gods and Graveyard Book because I got bored. The Sandman was not that great for me. I think I have to conclude soon enough that I honestly don't see what's so good about ...more
I've read 2 novels of Neil Gaiman. I hated Stardust, while Ocean was a mediocre read for me. I DNF(did-not-finish) American Gods and Graveyard Book because I got bored. The Sandman was not that great for me. I think I have to conclude soon enough that I honestly don't see what's so good about ...more

"I am anti-life, the beast of judgement. I am the dark at the end of everything. The end of universes, Gods, worlds... of everything. And what will you be then, Dreamlord?"
"I am hope."
This is my favourite quote from this book, and one of my favourite quotes in general. It's beautiful. And true, thank god, so true.
I really liked this book. I've wanted to read The Sandman for a long time, and after this I'm beginning to grasp why it's become so popular.
You can tell that this is a prelude to the ...more
"I am hope."
This is my favourite quote from this book, and one of my favourite quotes in general. It's beautiful. And true, thank god, so true.
I really liked this book. I've wanted to read The Sandman for a long time, and after this I'm beginning to grasp why it's become so popular.
You can tell that this is a prelude to the ...more

I liked the beginning, when Dream was captured. The mystical elements held my attention. However, the middle of it kind of grossed me out. Especially the part in with Dee in the diner. EWWWW. The end of Preludes and Nocturnes totally made up for it, though. I loved Death! How cool is she?! Whoever came up with the idea to make Death a peppy little goth girl was a genius!

“I am hope.”
A man named Roderick Burgress wants to prevent death in the world by summoning and capturing Death – but what he ends up with is Dream instead. Dream is imprisoned for 70 years and loses his tools that give him his power. Upon Dream’s release he must embark on a journey to retrieve his tools before the world falls into turmoil.
I’ve been so psyched to read the Sandman series since I first heard about it on bookstagram. It’s considered by many to be the pinnacle of graphic novels - an ...more
A man named Roderick Burgress wants to prevent death in the world by summoning and capturing Death – but what he ends up with is Dream instead. Dream is imprisoned for 70 years and loses his tools that give him his power. Upon Dream’s release he must embark on a journey to retrieve his tools before the world falls into turmoil.
I’ve been so psyched to read the Sandman series since I first heard about it on bookstagram. It’s considered by many to be the pinnacle of graphic novels - an ...more

Aug 31, 2019
Ms. Smartarse
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Ms. Smartarse by:
Roxana Chirilă
Dream (a.k.a. the Sandman) is mistakenly captured by a creepy cult, that had been hoping to bind Death. Attempting to make the most of their failure, the cultists try to persuade Dream to do their bidding, but he refuses to even acknowledge them. Instead, he bides his time until his captors make a mistake... 72 years later.

I loved the story, especially the first chapter where the effects of Dream's imprisonment on humanity are depicted. For all that I'm not big on horror and gore, I was positive ...more

I loved the story, especially the first chapter where the effects of Dream's imprisonment on humanity are depicted. For all that I'm not big on horror and gore, I was positive ...more

Preludes and Nocturnes is the first entry of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman series and in it he introduces the main protagonist, Dream, also known as Morpheus, and also unveils an imaginative storyline.
Written in collaboration with graphic novel artists Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg, and Malcolm Jones III, the medium illuminates his creativity and expands the reader’s perceptions of his vision.
The Sandman concept promises an occult, fantastic journey into dreams, Hell, and an intimate association wit ...more
Written in collaboration with graphic novel artists Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg, and Malcolm Jones III, the medium illuminates his creativity and expands the reader’s perceptions of his vision.
The Sandman concept promises an occult, fantastic journey into dreams, Hell, and an intimate association wit ...more

Why, hello. Sandman, Morpheus, Lord of Dreams. This is the first we see of Gaiman's Eternal (one of seven god-like beings).
In this first volume we see howAlastair Crowley High Mage Burgess accidentally captures Dream instead of his sister Death and imprisons him for the next 70 years or so. However, you can't just remove an Eternal as they have responsibilities. Thus, the world and everyone in it suffers severely. Since Dream refuses to give Burgess what he craves, he remains a prisoner until l
...more
In this first volume we see how

Aug 23, 2014
Antonio
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Fantasy lovers, Comic Lovers

Esta es la primera novela gráfica de estilo occidental que leí y también es el primer comic que leí,
Antes de empezar a leerlo

Como la historia está dividida en siete Capítulos, mi reseña la dividiré en siete
1. El sueño de los justos Al principio estaba bastante perdido, no se explica casi nada, solo son cosas sucediendo, cosas algo tenebrosas, pero bastante confusas, lo que ...more

I first read this a couple of years ago, and it was one of the first graphic novels I read. Even though I love me some Gaiman, I have to admit that I didn’t love this. It seemed so incredibly dark when I first read it. Since that time, I’ve read many more graphic novels, most of which have been dark. I decided to revisit this series to see if I still found as dark as I did originally.
Yes. Yes, I do.
The plot of the first few issues didn’t bother me. Dream’s story and search were compelling. Wher ...more
Yes. Yes, I do.
The plot of the first few issues didn’t bother me. Dream’s story and search were compelling. Wher ...more

↳ "¿Sabes de qué están hechos los sueños? (...) La gente cree que no son reales porque no son materia, partículas. Son reales. Están hechos de puntos de vista, imágenes, recuerdos, juegos de palabras y esperanzas perdidas."
Tenía estos cómics en la mira hacía un tiempo y por fin decidí leerlos. No tenía claro su argumento, ni estaba enterado de que era parte de DC, así que me llevé una sorpresa (de las buenas). Investigué un poco más y me encontré con que no solo era muy popular sino que muy acl ...more
Tenía estos cómics en la mira hacía un tiempo y por fin decidí leerlos. No tenía claro su argumento, ni estaba enterado de que era parte de DC, así que me llevé una sorpresa (de las buenas). Investigué un poco más y me encontré con que no solo era muy popular sino que muy acl ...more

In the foreword and the afterword, both the editor and Gaiman indicated that this isn't the strongest volume in the Sandman series; Gaiman was still finding his vision for the series, it's essentially a fetch quest, etc. I'm inclined to agree with them, although it was still enjoyable (as any video game fan will tell you, a fetch quest can still be fun, but it's not the strongest narrative device). I'm halfway through Volume 2: The Doll's House and I'm already finding the story much more interes
...more

Once I was all done with this book, my very first thought was "This book is really weird."
Neil Gaiman, as all of you know, is a God at creating the most intricate and best of all story worlds. Honestly, every time I pick up his books, I never have a single clue with where he's going to take the readers with his story lines. Reading the blurb seriously does not help. Gaiman's works always have depth and much more stuff going on than what the blurb normally says.
So, I finally have gotten around to ...more
Neil Gaiman, as all of you know, is a God at creating the most intricate and best of all story worlds. Honestly, every time I pick up his books, I never have a single clue with where he's going to take the readers with his story lines. Reading the blurb seriously does not help. Gaiman's works always have depth and much more stuff going on than what the blurb normally says.
So, I finally have gotten around to ...more

Oct 15, 2012
Dave Schaafsma
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
gn-superhero-scifi-fantasy,
gn-course-f-14
7/5/2020 Third reading of this volume, whiich used to be the opening volume of the classic series until Overture was published decades later as a kind of prequel to the series. Yet this volume and some of the next contain prefatory material, or what Gaiman calls "a little night music." As with many series, it is a part of the process of finding its way, getting the elements or the chemistry right. And I think both the storytelling and the artistic choices were less than ideal for this beginning
...more

Ok, this is cool. (do people still say cool?) Preludes & Nocturnes is the first of twelve in THE SANDMAN series that I have put off reading far too long.....
It begins June 6, 1916 in Wych Cross, England.....
In an attempt to capture and bind DEATH to achieve immortality, the creepy looking and evil Daemon King, Roderick Burgess mistakenly apprehends her brother DREAM instead.....
DREAM (Morpheus) is robbed of his powers, but will not talk....."Confined in a glass box for three score years and ten.
...more
POPSugar Reading Challenge: #39. The first book in a series I haven't read before
The air is musty, tired, old, it smells of lost dreams and rotten fabric.
I would have to sell my kidney and part of my liver to acquire this. Fortunately, I have a friend who has a copy, so my organs are safe. Now, whether or not he sold his organs to buy this is unknown to me, but I am glad he has the book.
Now, I am no longer a Gaiman virgin; I've read a fair few of his riveting stories. And yet, his knowledg ...more
The air is musty, tired, old, it smells of lost dreams and rotten fabric.
I would have to sell my kidney and part of my liver to acquire this. Fortunately, I have a friend who has a copy, so my organs are safe. Now, whether or not he sold his organs to buy this is unknown to me, but I am glad he has the book.
Now, I am no longer a Gaiman virgin; I've read a fair few of his riveting stories. And yet, his knowledg ...more

I read this one some 10 years or so ago when I was slowly returning to comics and, having re-read it now, I still maintain that Preludes and Nocturnes is a poor place to start with this series - though it’s a decent book.
My first time around, I read Sandman totally out of sequence starting with Vol 3, then Vol 5, then a couple more volumes (I was just grabbing whatever was on the shelves that week!) and I read Vol 1 towards the end thinking what an unimpressive first volume it was.
I’d recommen ...more
My first time around, I read Sandman totally out of sequence starting with Vol 3, then Vol 5, then a couple more volumes (I was just grabbing whatever was on the shelves that week!) and I read Vol 1 towards the end thinking what an unimpressive first volume it was.
I’d recommen ...more

3 – 3.5 stars
Ok, so, The Sandman. Ground breaking comic series from the early days of DC’s innovative Vertigo line. One of the many comics of the era that was trying to do new (or at least different) things with the medium and even went so far as to not only NOT be primarily a superhero book, but one that had elements that hearkened back to the old days of anthology comics in addition to telling the serialized life story of the ‘hero’. I know I’m in the minority here, and I will admit that my op ...more
Ok, so, The Sandman. Ground breaking comic series from the early days of DC’s innovative Vertigo line. One of the many comics of the era that was trying to do new (or at least different) things with the medium and even went so far as to not only NOT be primarily a superhero book, but one that had elements that hearkened back to the old days of anthology comics in addition to telling the serialized life story of the ‘hero’. I know I’m in the minority here, and I will admit that my op ...more

I really enjoyed this one, although some parts were pretty grotesque and hard to take. The story was very interesting, philosophical at times, and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series. I found it quite funny that the Dream Lord resembles Neil Gaiman so much!
...more

Onu hepimiz tanıyoruz. Kumlarını insanların gözlerine serpiştiren bir uyku tanrısı o. Yunan mitolojisinde Morpheus, Afrika’da Kai’ckul… Kardeşleri olan Sonsuzlar arasında ise Rüya onun adı. Pek çok şarkı ve mitteyse Sandman…
Sandman, Neil Gaiman’ın magnum opusu olduğu kadar, DC’nin bugün efsaneleşmiş pek çok eserini bastığı Vertigo markasının kuruluşunda da bir kırılma noktası. Evet evet, hepiniz biliyorsunuz ki o bir efsane. Belki de bunu duymaktan bıktınız. Ama emin olun, bunun için geçerli ned ...more
Sandman, Neil Gaiman’ın magnum opusu olduğu kadar, DC’nin bugün efsaneleşmiş pek çok eserini bastığı Vertigo markasının kuruluşunda da bir kırılma noktası. Evet evet, hepiniz biliyorsunuz ki o bir efsane. Belki de bunu duymaktan bıktınız. Ama emin olun, bunun için geçerli ned ...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
---|---|---|---|---|
I Read The Sandman: Nocturnes and Preludes and loved it? | 3 | 7 | Jan 19, 2021 12:40AM | |
I Read The Sandman: Nocturnes and Preludes and loved it | 2 | 5 | Jul 16, 2020 08:34AM | |
does the sandman get better after preludes and nocturnes | 2 | 22 | Feb 27, 2020 02:52PM | |
Opinion: Preludes And Nocturnes is the worst volume of THE SANDMAN | 1 | 36 | Oct 02, 2019 06:14AM | |
I Read The Sandman: Nocturnes and Preludes and loved it | 1 | 5 | Sep 28, 2019 04:54PM |
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Dragons, demons, kings, queens, and the occasional farm boy (with a special destiny, of course): Fantasy literature has it all! To celebrate...
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12 trivia questions
More quizzes & trivia...
“You get what anybody gets - you get a lifetime.”
—
2474 likes
“CHORONZON: I am a dire wolf, prey-stalking, lethal prowler.
MORPHEUS: I am a hunter, horse-mounted, wolf-stabbing.
CHORONZON: I am a horsefly, horse-stinging, hunter-throwing.
MORPHEUS: I am a spider, fly-consuming, eight legged.
CHORONZON: I am a snake, spider-devouring, posion-toothed.
MORPHEUS: I am an ox, snake-crushing, heavy-footed.
CHORONZON: I am an anthrax, butcher bacterium, warm-life destroying.
MORPHEUS: I am a world, space-floating, life-nurturing.
CHORONZON: I am a nova, all-exploding... planet-cremating.
MORPHEUS: I am the Universe -- all things encompassing, all life embracing.
CHORONZON: I am Anti-Life, the Beast of Judgment. I am the dark at the end of everything. The end of universes, gods, worlds... of everything. Sss. And what will you be then, Dreamlord?
MORPHEUS: I am hope.”
—
723 likes
More quotes…
MORPHEUS: I am a hunter, horse-mounted, wolf-stabbing.
CHORONZON: I am a horsefly, horse-stinging, hunter-throwing.
MORPHEUS: I am a spider, fly-consuming, eight legged.
CHORONZON: I am a snake, spider-devouring, posion-toothed.
MORPHEUS: I am an ox, snake-crushing, heavy-footed.
CHORONZON: I am an anthrax, butcher bacterium, warm-life destroying.
MORPHEUS: I am a world, space-floating, life-nurturing.
CHORONZON: I am a nova, all-exploding... planet-cremating.
MORPHEUS: I am the Universe -- all things encompassing, all life embracing.
CHORONZON: I am Anti-Life, the Beast of Judgment. I am the dark at the end of everything. The end of universes, gods, worlds... of everything. Sss. And what will you be then, Dreamlord?
MORPHEUS: I am hope.”