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The Kindly Ones

(The Sandman #9)

Neil Gaiman (Goodreads Author),

Marc Hempel (Illustrator)

Richard Case (Illustrator)

D'Israeli (Illustrator)

Teddy Kristiansen (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator)

Glyn Dillon (Illustrator)

Charles Vess (Illustrator)

Dean Ormston (Illustrator)

, more…

4.59 · Rating details · 39,188 ratings · 1,073 reviews

The Penultimate volume to the phenomenal Sandman series: distraught by the kidnapping and presumed death of her son, and believing Morpheus to be responsible, Lyta Hall calls the ancient wrath of the Furies down upon him. A former superheroine blames Morpheus for the death of her child and summons an ancient curse of vengeance against the Lord of Dream. The "kindly ones" e ...more

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Hardcover, 352 pages

Published August 6th 1999 by Vertigo (first published September 1st 1996)

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4.59 ·

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Jul 29, 2015 Alejandro rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: comic-book, horror, magic, paranormal

Superbly written but too long for what the story is about

Creative Team:

Writer: Neil Gaiman

Illustrators: Marc Hempel, Richard Case, D’Israeli, Glyn Dillon, Teddy Kristiansen, Charles Vess, Dean Ormston & Kevin Nowlan

Covers: Dave McKean

Letterer: Todd Klein

THE END IS NIGH

We do what we do because of who we are. If we did otherwise, we would not be ourselves.

Before of anything, I want to comment that it was very nice to find that The Kindly Ones TPB price remained in $19.99, the same as oth ...more

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May 04, 2017 Bill Kerwin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 20th-c-amer, fantasy, fiction, graphic-novels

I remember reading somewhere that Bleak House is one of Neil Gaiman’s favorite novels, and The Kindly Ones, the penultimate volume of The Sandman, reminded me a great deal of Bleak House. Like the typical Dickens novel, The Sandman series contains a multitude of characters and plot threads, and The Kindly Ones is the volume which, gathering these characters and threads together, brings them to climax (though not to conclusion, a matter reserved for the next volume, The Wake.) It is precisely thi ...more

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Nov 20, 2013 Algernon (Darth Anyan) rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2013

The most ambitious of all Sandman albums, the highpoint of the series, the convergence of all the random plot threads and part time characters into a spectacular denouement. The tragic nature of the story doesn't come as a surprise: the seeds were planted right from the start, with Morpheus imprisoned in a country manor in England in Preludes and Nocturnes and reflecting on his past mistakes and ways to redeem them. Every subsequent volume added to the morbid and apparently inevitable conflict
The most ambitious of all Sandman albums, the highpoint of the series, the convergence of all the random plot threads and part time characters into a spectacular denouement. The tragic nature of the story doesn't come as a surprise: the seeds were planted right from the start, with Morpheus imprisoned in a country manor in England in Preludes and Nocturnes and reflecting on his past mistakes and ways to redeem them. Every subsequent volume added to the morbid and apparently inevitable conflict that pits the Lord of Dreaming against persons he has mishandled, intentionally or not. A second source for Morpheus woes comes from his fascination with mortals and their brief lives, making him lose his immmortal detachment from the affairs of 'ants'.

The resolution is not a surprise, given the clear portents of doom that became quite explicit in the previous two volumes (The Orpheus story arc and the final images of the reality storm at the World's End Inn). What did surprise me was Morpheus apathy, his resignation and quasi passive acceptance of the events (he takes some counter measures initially through a resurrected Corinthian), watching the destruction of his castle and of his closest allies as if it was irrelevant to the inner conflict going on inside his mind. Thte most important question asked of Morpheus : with absolute power at your disposal, where are the restrains on that power coming from? Tradition? A Higher Power? Self-discipline? Remorse? Boredom?

The Kindly Ones from the title represent another incarnation of the Maid / Mother / Crone magic infused female entity, in this case inspired by Greek mythology as avatars of revenge. They have had many names: Erinyes, Furies, Fates, and are pictured knitting the threads of men's destinies and cutting them with scissors more or less arbitrarily. I believe they appear in a similar form in other Gaiman novels (Stardust?) and it is interesting to watch here how they relate to the Endless family : older? more powerful? more ruthless?

I must confess that I found some of the characters confusing at the beginning, partly because of the artwork (I will come back to this) and partly because I needed to go back to their initial story arc to remember where they come from and what their grudge against Morpheus is. In trying to link together and to close too many of the open plot lines, Gaiman diluted a little the impact of the main conflict between the Endless and the Furies. Or my short time memory is too feeble to keep track of what bugs Rose from The Doll's House , Thessaly from A Game of You , Lucifer and Loki from Season of Mists , Cluracan and Nuala from the Faerie realm, and so on. Most important to the plot turns out to be the former superhero Hipollyta Hall, whose husband was killed by Morpheus and whose son Daniel was born in the Dreaming. I did manage to remember them after three or four issues, and the later issues became compulsive reading, making this 13 issue album seem like one of the shortest. The story practically begs for a couple of re-reads to get at all the nuances and symbolism that maybe got lost in the rush to find out how the conflict is resolved and how each player fits in.

I liked the storytelling as much as ever. My four star rating comes courtesy of Marc Hempel, who got to draw the most important album in the collection. I can see, at a cold analytical level, why he was chosen and why his artwork might appeal to a younger generation of readers, who are more used than me with the modern, angular, deformed, manga inspired draughtsmanship that features so prominently on new Cartoon Network animations and new comic titles. To me it looks ugly and lazy, as if anatomical correctness and attention to detail are irrelevant to the raw energy needed to get noticed and be cool in the late 90's and early oughts. To give an example of what I actually like, my favorite arc in the album is the short story illustrated by Charles Vess, a smaller family drama centered on deceit, domestic violence and revenge with horror elements.

Conclusion : five stars for the story, three for the presentation, but don't mind me, I'm just an old-fashioned grinch, and out of sync with modern trends. A must read, but if you got so far into the Sandman, you are more than likely already a fan. ...more

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Nov 09, 2018 Sean Gibson rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I guess it’s like Sammy Hagar sang (nay, emoted) in a criminally underrated deep cut* off the For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge album: dream another dream—this dream is over.

Sandman has never shied away from going into dark places; reading it is often akin to that time when you were a kid and were forced to go down into your grandmother’s unfinished basement to fetch a jar of homemade jam. Logically, you knew nothing bad would happen, but it was still terrifying to open the dingy door at the top of I guess it’s like Sammy Hagar sang (nay, emoted) in a criminally underrated deep cut* off the For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge album: dream another dream—this dream is over.

Sandman has never shied away from going into dark places; reading it is often akin to that time when you were a kid and were forced to go down into your grandmother’s unfinished basement to fetch a jar of homemade jam. Logically, you knew nothing bad would happen, but it was still terrifying to open the dingy door at the top of the stairs, flip the light switch and hear that single, low-watt yellow light bulb buzz to life, and work your way slowly down the creaky wooden steps, taking care to avoid the fifth stair, where the head of a nail stuck out just a little bit. You knew that your stockinged feet would struggle to find traction on the cement floor, and every shadowy shape—the boxes stuffed with Christmas decorations, your grandfather’s work boots, the old-fashioned hulk of a furnace squatting in the corner—looked menacing. As you slipped and slid your way across the floor toward the humming old refrigerator—pea green under the fluorescent light that you didn’t turn on, creepily gray in the half-light of the bulb above the stairs—you heard the house above you settle and groan, an inhuman exhalation, and a skittering sound—a mouse, perhaps, or maybe a roach; maybe nothing at all but your imagination—set you on edge. The fridge was hard to open, and you needed to tug hard once, twice, a third time, all the while wondering what it was you could feel lurking behind you. When you finally managed to get the door open, the jars of pickled vegetables looked more like the dismembered remains of your unfortunate preserve-seeking predecessors, and it was all you could do to steady your breath and focus on the task of finding the jar of strawberry jam you were sent into the underworld for. At last, you saw it, and you grabbed for it like it was Excalibur being thrust forth by the Lady of the Lake, a talisman to protect you from the suffocating shadows. Skittering back across the floor, the jar clutched tightly against your pounding heart to make sure it didn’t shatter if you fell, you stumbled back up the stairs, somehow staying mindful of that nail, and slammed the door behind you. With a sigh of relief, you handed the jar to your grandmother. With the light of day streaming in through the windows and the sight of plastic-covered couches and lace doilies awaiting you in the living room, you once again felt safe, and even silly. Of course there was nothing in this house that could hurt you. You decided to reward yourself with a cookie, so you went to the pantry, opened it, and walked in, only to find yourself face-to-face with the CREEPIEST CLOWN COOKIE JAR KNOWN TO MAN. You screamed, backed away frantically, and found your dour grandmother shaking her head at you and telling you no cookies before dinner.

That, my friends, is what reading Sandman—this volume in particular—is like. Here’s the funny part, though—that’s a GOOD thing. I’ll comment more extensively on the series as a whole in reviewing the concluding tenth volume, but suffice it to say that this volume got deep, dark, and intense. A good microcosm for the series as a whole, and more brilliant storytelling from Mr. Gaiman. Criminey.

*You know what’s NOT an underrated deep cut off the F.U.C.K. album? Spanked. Look, I love Sammy Hagar as much as anyone who I’m not related to and/or very good friends with—the guy’s my all-time favorite vocalist, and he’s one of the best pure entertainers I’ve ever seen (see him live and you’ll know what I’m talking about)—but the world was collectively made dumber by that bone(r) headed song about a phone sex line with lyrics like “all you bad, bad boys call her up on the spank line.” If Hagar hadn’t later written Returning of the Wish and somewhat restored the cosmic intellectual balance, I would demand an apology. As it stands, we’ll let it slide. ...more

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Jul 20, 2009 Brooke rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: graphic-novels-read

I've rated both this and The Sandman Vol. 7 Brief Lives 5 stars, but I think I liked Brief Lives better, for the sole reason that it contained more scenes with Delerium. Here, Delerium is searching for someone again, this time her talking dog Barnabas, and the scene where they're reunited was charming as all get out.

Practically every other character we've met along the way shows up in the Kindly Ones, and it was just more proof that Gaiman is the master of making everything he writes have a purp ...more

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Feb 09, 2019 Kyriaki rated it it was amazing

Shelves: comic, fantasy, neil-gaiman, finished-series

Αν και προϊδεασμένη από τον προηγούμενο τόμο, τελικά δεν ήμουν προετοιμασμένη για το τέλος. Ένα τέλος το οποίο, όπως είπε και η Death, σχεδιάζονταν πολύ καιρό πριν, σχεδόν από την αρχή της σειράς, και που ίσως κάποιος μπορούσε να υποψιαστεί από τα μικρά στοιχεία, τις μικρές λεπτομέρειες, τις ιστορίες που έμεναν ανοιχτές, όλα οδηγούν εδώ. Και παρ’ όλα αυτά μόνο ανώδυνο δεν είναι…..
Από τους πιο δυνατούς τόμους.
Πάω για τον δέκατο και τελευταίο, να δω τι απέμεινε…..

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Sep 10, 2009 Nicolo Yu rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: collected-comics

This is the penultimate arc in Neil Gaiman’s original Sandman run. The seeds for Dream’s ultimate fate has been foreshadowed in previous storylines, with its seeds reaching fruition here. The actual machinations for his demise are contained in this story as we see characters with a vendetta against Morpheus working towards his downfall. This is the longest arc in the title, with the appropriately thickest trade paperback, taking over a year to complete it. I thought that this was a bargain when This is the penultimate arc in Neil Gaiman’s original Sandman run. The seeds for Dream’s ultimate fate has been foreshadowed in previous storylines, with its seeds reaching fruition here. The actual machinations for his demise are contained in this story as we see characters with a vendetta against Morpheus working towards his downfall. This is the longest arc in the title, with the appropriately thickest trade paperback, taking over a year to complete it. I thought that this was a bargain when I bought it, having a larger page count than say, World’s End, the eighth Sandman trade paperback.

I need not say more about Gaiman’s writing on Sandman. His work, to craft stories about stories for a mature readership was an impetus to the launch of Vertigo as a line to house Sandman and other titles from his peers with the same adult themes. His achievements in other literary forms notwithstanding, it would his work in this title that would define his career and be the his work that would be most fondly remembered.

Much furor was raised regarding the choice of Marc Hempel to provide the art for this critical chapter. His geometric and expressive style is a departure from the lush and realistic art of earlier stories. It was revealed that Hempel wasn’t the first choice of Gaiman for this story, but nevertheless the choice was inspired. How can one depict the death of an idea and the personification of stories? One could only hope to capture a rude impression of the titanic between blood vengeance and an abstract concept. The end came when Morpheus realized that even though he was set in his ways, change is inevitable. It will come even for him. He couldn’t abandon his duties as Dream Lord as his brother abandoned his own realm, so he welcomes the touch of his sister Death so that another aspect of him would rule his kingdom in his stead. Like stories, his end was only the beginning of another.

Postscript.

Gaiman revealed that Mike Mignola would have his first choice and it would’ve happened had his schedule allowed it. I for one would like to see Gaiman collaborate with Mignola. A pity it wouldn’t be on Sandman. But there are other stories and I’m pretty sure it is already in Lucien’s Library of Dreams.
...more

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May 18, 2012 Ronyell rated it it was amazing

Shelves: neil-gaiman, grant-morrison, graphic-novels-comics, modern-age-comics, my-blog-reviews, strong-hero, strong-heroine, vertigo-comics

6 stars!!!

Now, you are probably looking at the title of the ninth volume of Neil Gaiman’s fantastic “Sandman” series, which is called “The Kindly Ones” and you are probably thinking to yourself about how this volume will be all sunshine and roses. Definitely not! Do not let the innocent title of this volume fool you! The ninth volume “The Kindly Ones” is probably the darkest volume out of all the “Sandman” series since “A Game of You” and yet this is probably the best volume out of the entire 6 stars!!!

Now, you are probably looking at the title of the ninth volume of Neil Gaiman’s fantastic “Sandman” series, which is called “The Kindly Ones” and you are probably thinking to yourself about how this volume will be all sunshine and roses. Definitely not! Do not let the innocent title of this volume fool you! The ninth volume “The Kindly Ones” is probably the darkest volume out of all the “Sandman” series since “A Game of You” and yet this is probably the best volume out of the entire “Sandman” series ever created!

Lyta Hall (also known as Hippolyta Hall) was always on edge when it came to taking care of her baby son Daniel, who was born after her husband Hector had died. One night however, when Lyta Hall decided to leave her baby son Daniel in the care of a babysitter while she went for a job application, she finds out that her baby son had been kidnapped as soon as she got home and she desperately wanted to find him. Unfortunately, when Lyta believes that the worse has happened to Daniel after there were no clues tracing to him, Lyta goes into an emotional shock and a deep rage where she confronts the “Kindly Ones” in the dream world and wants them to help her seek vengeance on Dream, the Sandman for she believed that Dream was the one who harmed her baby. Can Dream protect his dream realm from the forces of darkness?

Now I just have to say that this was the LONGEST volume I have ever read from the “Sandman” series as it was well over two hundred pages worth of disturbing scenes and plot development, but it was worth the read! Neil Gaiman’s writing is just as brilliant as ever in this volume as the story is exciting and creepy at the same time and it is like once you started reading this volume, you really cannot put this graphic novel down since there is so much excitement building up on each page regarding the mystery surrounding the “Kindly Ones.” I also loved the fact that all of the characters that we were introduced to in the “Sandman” series all make an appearance in this volume, sort of giving this volume a finale feel as everything is set in place for the huge battle that awaits the Sandman. I really loved the way that Neil Gaiman focused so much of the story on the characters as I was really interested in hearing about Matthew the Raven’s obsession about finding out what happened to the other ravens before him since I wanted to also find out about Matthew’s origins and his connections with the ravens. But probably the part about the graphic novel I was most impressed with was how Neil Gaiman developed the character Lyta Hall and it was apparent from the previous “Sandman” books that Lyta harbored a deep hatred for Dream because she believes that he killed her husband Hector in the Dream world. It was definitely a frightening and intense experience seeing how Lyta’s hatred for Dream could cause so much turmoil for everyone involved, even though it was based on her worst assumptions about what happened to her son Daniel. Marc Hempel, Richard Case, D’ Israeli, Teddy Kristiansen, Glyn Dillon, Charles Vess, Dean Ormston, and Kevin Nowlan’s artwork were brilliant creative in this novel and they all contributed well to the story at hand. I will admit that some of the artwork is a bit blocky and I would have expected epic illustrations to accompany this epic volume, but these illustrations do bring a sort of uniqueness to the story and I still really enjoyed the artwork being done in this volume.

Some of the problems I did had with this graphic novel is that some of the artwork looks a bit cartoony to me since some of the artwork made some of the characters have blocky heads, which made it hard for me to take the story seriously at times. Although, I will admit that the artwork did provide some creativity to the story. Also, there is so much disturbing content in this volume which involves a mother losing her son, which would be upsetting for any parent who has fears of losing their own children. There are also some gory images in this volume which involves birds pecking out people’s eyes out, which would be extremely disturbing to anyone who is not a fan of gory imagery.

Overall, “The Sandman: The Kindly Ones” is easily one of the best volumes in the “Sandman” series as it clearly seems like the true finale for the “Sandman” series and is full of disturbing and intense moments that will go down in history as the greatest moments in comic book history! Now that I am interested in seeing what will become of Dream and his crew, I will now start reading the tenth volume, The Sandman, Vol. 10: The Wake to find out!

...more

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Mar 05, 2014 Teresa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Just about all the disparate plot lines and characters come together in this volume, even several that originally appeared to be random. In only this aspect (speaking of "aspect," the facet of a gemstone is my favorite image in this book), I was reminded of how while reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, I was so amazed at how everything came together that immediately afterward I reread all the HP books just to see how Rowling did it.

As this is volume 9, it seems appropriate that there a ...more

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Nov 16, 2014 Ivan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: graphic-novels

Best Sandman volume so far. Sadly illustrations are worst in series and this is series that has pretty bad illustrations overall.

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Sep 21, 2017 Panagiotis added it

Το βρίσκω βαρετό, λίγο μάταιο να πρέπει να εκφέρω λόγο για κάθε μέρος μιας σειράς. Ο Γκέιμαν είναι αποδεδειγμένα ένας άνθρωπος με συνέπεια και όραμα. Δεν μπορώ να φανταστώ πως στο τέλος μιας επικής ιστορίας, που θεωρείται άκρως επιδραστική στα κόμικς, αλλά και γενικά ένα λογοτέχνημα μεγάλων διαστάσεων, θα μπορούσε να τα θαλασσώσει.

Είναι μια κλιμάκωση που ο προσεκτικός αναγνώστης ίσως είχε εντοπίσει κάπου στο βάθος αυτού του ψηφιδωτού. Η καταστροφή επεκρέματο ως σπάθι κοφτερή πάνω από τους ήρωες. ...more

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Jul 21, 2013 Paul Nelson rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favourite-graphic-novels, graphic-novels

The Kindly Ones is quite simply the best graphic novel I have read, the bar is raised for a series that was already at the top limit of the vault. A true masterpiece that deserves 6 out of 5 stars, I read it twice which I have only ever done with the Lord of the Rings trilogy and that in itself says a great deal.
The thirteen episodes of this volume feature many characters that we have met in the series so far and significantly add to the excitement that builds almost page by page.

Lyta Hall leave ...more

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Mar 08, 2015 Caro the Helmet Lady rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: comics, 2015-reads, fantasy-urban-fantasy

I want to learn how to draw a pentagram, into which I will catch Neil Gaiman to ~~make~~ ask him to tell me bedtime stories every night.

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Jul 18, 2016 Stuart rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: dark-fantasy-gothic, fantastic-weird, graphic-novels

Sandman, Vol 9: The Kindly Ones: The climax we all saw coming

If you are reading this review, I’ll assume you’ve read and liked the previous eight volumes. If you haven’t read them, I suggest you start with Volume 1 and go from there. Otherwise, this review will be full of spoilers and I don’t want the Furies or Corinthian to visit me in my dreams in retribution.

The entire series shifts between collections of short stories and single longer narratives, and some of my favorite Sandman stories hav Sandman, Vol 9: The Kindly Ones: The climax we all saw coming

If you are reading this review, I’ll assume you’ve read and liked the previous eight volumes. If you haven’t read them, I suggest you start with Volume 1 and go from there. Otherwise, this review will be full of spoilers and I don’t want the Furies or Corinthian to visit me in my dreams in retribution.

The entire series shifts between collections of short stories and single longer narratives, and some of my favorite Sandman stories have been the stand-alone stories such as “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, “Three Septembers and a January”, “The Song of Orpheus”, “Ramadan”, “Hob’s Leviathan”, and “The Golden Boy”. Sometimes I think Gaiman does his best work here, as some of the full-length Sandman story arcs were not as satisfying, particularly “A Game of You”. At the risk of being pilloried by Sandman fans, I felt that “The Kindly Ones” was a bit too long and tried to tie together too many disparate story threads and characters to be a cohesive and effective story.

I also have to say that having really admired most of the artwork in the series, the drawings of Marc Hempel that dominate this volume were amateurish and distracting, to the point where I couldn’t recognize the characters even if they appeared in previous volumes. It made it hard to follow and was far below the high standards of the many other Sandman artists. I’ve read other views and there are a lot of Sandman fans who feel similarly. It’s unfortunate since this is probably the most important volume in the series, and it’s the reason I gave it a 4-star rating.

The other key point about The Kindly Ones is that any astute reader will know what inevitable end the story is leading towards. This had been foreshadowed throughout the series in more subtle terms, but explicitly at the end of Vol 8 during the reality storm outside the Inn at Worlds’ End. That was a very poignant and powerful moment in the series. The sense of impending and unavoidable doom and tragedy infuse almost every moment of this volume, not least of which being the fatalistic and passive attitude of Morpheus himself. Despite his seeming immortality and dream powers, he seems fairly helpless and resigned to his fate as a host of different characters with grudges against him for past offenses line up to take shots at him. And when one of the them enlists the vengeance of the Furies, the Kindly Ones of the title who are anything but, events have been set in motion that can only end with one outcome.

The buildup to this is fairly slow, as Gaiman visits almost every human, faerie, and immortal character who has been affected by Morpheus and might have an axe to grind. Morpheus, with his dogged insistence on carrying out the responsibilities of his office, sanctimonious attitude toward his fellow Endless siblings, callous treatment of lovers, and repeated snubs of other immortal beings, has made a surprising number of enemies, and it seems they all choose the same timing to deliver payback to him. The only ones on his side are his loyal servants, especially Lucien the librarian, Matthew the raven, Merv the pumpkin handyman, the guardians of his castle, and most unexpectedly a resurrected figure from Vol 2: The Doll’s House. Arrayed against them are certain pranksters, Norse gods, witches, fallen angels, and plenty of jilted lovers. It hardly seems a fair fight, especially when Dream is not inclined to fight back. He seems almost to court this informal judgement against him, as if he deserves their censure.

So the dramatic tension is sometimes lacking. As the Furies close in on Dream’s realm and his servants, he seems to hardly be making an effort to thwart them. In response to queries by the faerie Nuala of why he does nothing, he replies “There are old rules, Nuala. Rules that were old when time was young. The [Furies] have power to avenge blood-crimes…And I killed my son. The [Furies] are empowered to hound those who spill family blood. I have Orpheus’ blood on my hands, Nuala.” In a sense, he may feel that he deserves punishment at their hands.

Again, when questioned by Lucien as why he did not protect his other faithful servants, he replies, “Rules and responsibilities: these are the ties that bind us. We do what we do, because of who we are. If we did otherwise, we would not be ourselves. I will do what I have to do. And I will do what I must.” The whole story is modeled on the ancient Greek tragedies, but this attitude most reminded me of King Arthur in The Once and Future King as he goes to confront Mordred and certain death.

The climactic confrontation between Morpheus and the Furies is not a battle in the usual sense of epic fantasy, with blasts of magic, armies clashing, and the final clash between the hero and arch-villain. In fact, it is more a battle of attitudes and moral stances, with both sides bound by their natures and those ancient rules we keep hearing about. So who made the rules? The Creator, yes, but why? And will he intercede in such conflicts? What does this say about the free will of the Endless? Destruction chose to exercise that free will and walk away from everything, but Dream is woven from different cloth. Again, much to contemplate, and still a final volume awaits… ...more

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Aug 27, 2012 Tahmeed rated it liked it

This is my lowest rating of the entire Sandman series thus far, and the main and only reason for this is that I absolutely hated the artwork in this volume. It was childish and very cartoon-ish and it prevented me from enjoying the story.

The story itself was quite good, well great in fact, although I feel that its length could have been curtailed somewhat. Rose Walker's story-line in particular felt forced, especially since it distracted from the main arc of the Kindly Ones hunting down dream. ...more

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Aug 01, 2016 Milutin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: graphic-novels, neil-gaiman

Priča se konačno konkretizovala, ali što je bedan crtež,
bukvalno jeste li vi u Vertigu rertardirani?
Nadam se da će jednog dana doći do reizdanja kompletnog
serijala, nacrtanog od strane lika koji je radio Sandman Overture, na isti način.

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Jun 26, 2017 Rebecca Skane rated it it was amazing

Shelves: graphic-novels

"Lady, I'm your worst nightmare--A Pumpkin with a gun."

Oh, yeah. It's on.

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Sep 29, 2017 Arnis rated it liked it · review of another edition

https://poseidons99.wordpress.com/201...

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Jan 24, 2018 Kellan Gibby rated it it was amazing

This is what I signed up for when I bought the entire Sandman collection.

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Mar 01, 2016 Linda rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2016

Best one yet! All the peeps make an appearance. I feel like I need to start reading the entire series again now that I'm finally starting to get a grasp on all the many characters.

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Jul 30, 2015 Cheese rated it liked it · review of another edition

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

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Dec 30, 2016 MischaS_ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Nevím, co je roztomilejší, jestli Lucifer a Delirium nebo Kain :'(.

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Feb 26, 2016 Amanda rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Need more than 5 stars for this one. Definitely my favorite so far. I know I know I keep saying that but this one really is :).

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May 12, 2018 Wing Kee rated it it was amazing

A melancholy penultimate tale.

World: The art is great, it's atmospheric and sets the tone wonderfully. It's not the best in the series but it's still pretty great. The world building is phenomenal this time, this is the penultimate book and with it comes all the pieces that Gaiman has created for the Sandman series, it's a culmination of the world building and all the things he's created and set in motion for the entire run. Seeing them all interact to each other is absolutely amazing.

Story: Th ...more

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Jun 20, 2011 Airiz C rated it it was amazing

Shelves: gaimanic-disorder, graphic-novel, mythology, my-favorites, paranormal, romance, reread, science-fiction, surreal, the-sandman-catalog

After the eeriest and perhaps the biggest portent of a character’s demise in World’s End, Gaiman pulls all the finished literary embroideries that were the previous story arcs and knits them together into this penultimate volume and apex of The Sandman series, The Kindly Ones.

ABUNDANT SPOILER-ISHNESS! The volume is pretty rich with subplots, but the main premise is this: Lyta Hall’s three-year-old baby, Daniel, is missing. With all the peculiar appearances and statements of the Dream King about ...more

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Sep 17, 2009 Lizzie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: david-s, comics, myth, 2009, borrowed, fantasy-or-something

Well I just started reading this. Here is something about that. I won't even save it til I write the proper review, because, god.

F to this volume's introduction. F F F F F F it. There is the most giant spoiler in this introduction, and I didn't even read it. I'm so annoyed. It's just sitting there in a conspicuous spot on the page, and I think that's on purpose. I saw it as I flipped past and my jaw dropped, so then I stared at it, and ugh. This guy. It is just the most flippant and obnoxious wa ...more

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Dec 14, 2010 Ryan rated it it was amazing

While reading Songs of Love and Death, a fantasy and science fiction anthology compiled by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois, I was surprised to find that Neil Gaiman's "The Thing About Cassandra" was my "stand out" story. I was surprised because after reading American Gods, I became convinced that Gaiman's best work was behind him. After all, he wrote the Sandman comics.

For those not in the know (shame on you!), Sandman is the Dream Lord. Among other things, he is also the patron of stories While reading Songs of Love and Death, a fantasy and science fiction anthology compiled by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois, I was surprised to find that Neil Gaiman's "The Thing About Cassandra" was my "stand out" story. I was surprised because after reading American Gods, I became convinced that Gaiman's best work was behind him. After all, he wrote the Sandman comics.

For those not in the know (shame on you!), Sandman is the Dream Lord. Among other things, he is also the patron of stories. His siblings include Death, Destruction, Destiny, and several other Endless beings. They are endless because they will always exist. It's a fine concept for a series, and it gives Gaiman more than enough room to flex his imagination.

However, in spite of all that room, Gaiman spends quite a bit of time on planet earth, relating the events of -- get this -- ordinary human beings. I forgot about this, which is why after I convinced my wonderful wife to read the Sandman comics, I was shocked by her summary: most of these stories aren't that great. I started reading them and that's when I realized that my wife was about to say, "I told you so." I really struggled to care about any character that wasn't Dream -- and many of these stories feature nobodys that -- only in the final scenes -- encounter the Lord of Dreams. What a scam!

How did I forget this?

I think it's because The Kindly Ones, Sandman's penultimate story arc, is absolutely fantastic. Dream, for all his power and wisdom, has backed himself into a corner. The Furies, or kindly ones, are on his trail. He may be one of the Endless, but they're keen to cut his life's string. And they never fail.

If Gaiman has been indulgent or unfocused in this series, you'd never know it reading The Kindly Ones. Gaiman masterfully reveals that there was a method behind the occasionally uneven madness all along. And it's a method that builds into a fantastic tragedy, making for one of the most moving comics that I have ever read.

The Kindly Ones illustrates why, I think, most people read long, drawn out fantasy series. We'll claim it's all about monsters and laser swords -- and those things are definitely great -- but really, we're like those children that can resist eating a cupcake so long as we'll get two at the end of the experiment. We understand the concept of delayed gratification.

So yes, Robert Jordan, George RR Martin, and Neil Gaiman all have their weak moments. But. Ultimately, they've convinced us there's a hell of a cupcake waiting at the end of the road.

And a hell of a cupcake is exactly what The Kindly Ones delivers. We have to read every other issue to get it, but fortunately, that's exactly the kind of thing we excel at. ...more

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Dec 02, 2014 David Schaafsma rated it it was amazing

Shelves: gn-superhero-scifi-fantasy

At more than 200 pages, this is the longest of the ten volume epic series, and pulls out all the stops to complete the story. I waited to write this review until after I finished the tenth and last volume, "The Wake," which I liked even better. This volume is about the variously named Furies, The Dirae, The Erinyes, the Eumenides: agents of vengeance, and if you see the final title, and you know who the series is basically about, well then you know the object of their vengeance and the result. I At more than 200 pages, this is the longest of the ten volume epic series, and pulls out all the stops to complete the story. I waited to write this review until after I finished the tenth and last volume, "The Wake," which I liked even better. This volume is about the variously named Furies, The Dirae, The Erinyes, the Eumenides: agents of vengeance, and if you see the final title, and you know who the series is basically about, well then you know the object of their vengeance and the result. In this tale we get a conclusion, in ambitious, operatic fashion, introduced and described beautifully by Frank McConnell. (I don't love all aspects of the introductions, which are typically too long, describe too much, and--this especially--spend altogether too much time deifying Gaiman as the single greatest contribution to comics and Literature itself EVER. Gaiman without question does make in this series one of the greatest contributions to comics and literature, but it makes one a little cynical to hear it page after page…intro after intro).

In this volume (as with The Wake) you get visits from the principal cast of characters from all the volumes. The idea is to wrap things up, and end it as we know it must end, with gravitas and grace and lovely writing, and we get all that is promised. I don't like the artwork in this finish nearly as well as the work in The Wake. I do like the idea of having different artists doing the art throughout, and Dave McKean, who never draws the stories, doing all the covers. I like the idea of all these diverse contributions, even if I don't like all the unevenness of the styles. It gives one a sense of the variety of imagination, of the constructedness of the thing, as opposed to a sort of seamless artful tale.

For all of its artful variation and power, not so much really happens in the last long volume except the unimpeded march of the Furies, Dream's creation of the Corinthian, a real nightmare, and revisiting all the characters we have met to end their individual tales. It's not as memorable as some of the other volumes, but it does essentially end the story and end it powerfully and quite neatly, Shakespearanly, with all things coming together, as a great epic series must end. For my money, though, The Wake is the greater ending to the series, the most moving, the most creative. ...more

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Jul 09, 2009 Jenny (Reading Envy) rated it really liked it

Shelves: read09, sci-fi-fantasy, graphic-novels-or-comics

This is the account of what happens when the Kindly Ones enter the Dreaming. There is some great stuff in here, and some surprises. I loved learning more about the characters living in the dreaming, particularly Matthew the Raven. I always love Delirium, but she really made me laugh in this particular volume. The randomness is a welcome respite sometimes from what is going on otherwise.

"Most people don't realize how important librarians are. I ran across a book recently which suggested that the ...more

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Dec 13, 2014 Paul rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-read-2015

The ninth in the Sandman series gathers a number of threads, some started as far back as the second book in the series, and brings them to a conclusion. Morpheus is a stubborn character, someone who is not always prepared to compromise, and sometimes makes difficult choices. Characters from earlier books, including Hippolyta Hall, three witches, a Norse god and Thessaly are determined to settle those grudges
But there is a cohesive and separate storyline in the book too. A child is taken, and the ...more

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Quotes from The Kindly Ones

“Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up.” — 34197 likes

“I've been making a list of the things they don't teach you at school. They don't teach you how to love somebody. They don't teach you how to be famous. They don't teach you how to be rich or how to be poor. They don't teach you how to walk away from someone you don't love any longer. They don't teach you how to know what's going on in someone else's mind. They don't teach you what to say to someone who's dying. They don't teach you anything worth knowing.” — 17987 likes

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