It's not as great as people are saying, but I've still got my fingers crossed that it will get better. But "The Doll's House" was enjoyable. It had its stronger parts, and it indeed had its weaker parts.

The build-up was great, and had a huge amount of pay-off in the penultimate issue as well as the conclusion. However, I felt that Gaiman took way too long to introduce the idea of a vortex. Even an off-hand comment (in the main narrative of the arc) would have been sufficient, as the introduction of the idea of a vortex took place in the second-to-last issue. It felt like the main plot of the arc was being introduced too late, but I must say that I really enjoyed what Gaiman did with the it when he finally got the ball rolling.

The characterization is great. The quirky good guys leap off the page with their complexities and over-the-topness, and the bad guys evoke true fear deep in the gut. Not all of it is good, though. The initial scene with Desire is really awkward, and not that good a way to start the arc. The first few issues have that feeling that Gaiman is meandering about, devoting three or four issues to plot development he could have done in two, and been the better for it.

Gaiman is at his best here when he strays from the main plot. There is a one-shot issue (called "Doll's House Part Four", which is beyond me, as it has absolutely nothing to do with the main plot and should have been placed after these issues as to not interrupt the flow of the story) called "Men of Good Fortune," in which Dream 'befriends' a man who is intent on not dying. Their conversations span years, and we get to see through Dream how life has been good and bad to this man, all in the context of England's history, which Gaiman masterfully weaves in. From that point on, the book stays consistently enjoyable.

Gaiman is, however, at his worst while writing about Brut, Glob, the dead man who thinks he's a super hero, and his old (alive) wife who doesn't want to lose him. That whole plot-line seems utterly out of place and extremely contrived. It made for unpleasant reading, but thankfully the rest of the book mostly made up for it. Since we're on the subject of the weaker aspects of the Sandman, the art still isn't the best for me. Sometimes it seems like the pages were intended to be sketches, and they decided to color 'em up and use them for the actual comic. The coloring is inconsistent, in that in one panel a guy's moustache is orange, the next panel it's bright yellow, and then for the rest of the comic its orange. This happens more than once. The art, like the story, does begin to click in the final issues, especially during the scene between Dream and Rose when she becomes the vortex. But I hope there will be more consistency and quality next time.

All in all, I'm still waiting for this series to get better, but there was enough quality in this to convince me to buy the third volume.

7/10

This 2nd Sandman volume was hands down one of the best things I've ever read.(I'm through Vol.4 so far) I know Vol. 3 won awards and was also a good read, but a Cereal convention for serial killers, a 70's Sandman etc. This volume was truly amazing. I had planned to buy, read and resell the series when I was done. This vol. changed my mind. I'll keep and reread them forever.

Vol 2 is still early in the series and Gaiman is still feeling out the character and what all is possible in this series. It's really good, but I don't think it's quite at its zenith yet, to deserve the reputation it has, but I'm looking forward to the next volume to see how Gaiman and the Sandman grow.

What will continue in third trade paperback, started here.

After we saw capturing of Morpheus in first volume, it was about time to show us something else. And here Gaiman kicks in. He veawes a tale of dreams and mysteries, he tells a story of growing up and nightmares that lurk beyond. We find modern epic in these pages, filled with interesting characters, dark villany (whichi is somewhat lighter here than in the first paperback) and old fashiond heroes. We are learning of Dreams past, friendship gained and loves lost.

In this volume you'll find one of the best stories that Gaiman ever written, story that spans centuries of lifetime but loses its sense for humanity, for ups and downs of human intelligence, and essential loneliness that rest in the hearts of every sentient being out there.

Maybe somewhat rough on the edges, and even too mundane (grand epics, clashes of entities will follow later up) in its finishing touch, Doll's house still remains one of the best Sandmans ever written.

If you're new to Gaiman, you might not be used to his style but this volume is a great accompaniment to Vol I - Preludes & Nocturnes. It follows Rose, who was first introduced in Vol I through uncovering secrets to the whereabouts of her missing brother & meeting long, lost relatives. A truly great graphic novel.

There are several threads in the Doll's House. Morpheus must clean house as he realises several of his more important servants are missing. He must deal with two of them who have set about creating their own Sandman using a dead man, and his live wife and child. Another is keynote speaker at a serial killers convention.

On a lighter note, Dream and Death are amused by Hob when they find him declaiming he will not die, so Dream offers to meet him for a drink every 100 years to see if he has changed his mind, and realises that they have become friends.

I can't say enough good things about Neil Gaiman. His imagination is unparalelled. Wonderfully written and illustrated.

Neil Gaiman has an amazing imagination. I love all of his books that I have read so far. American Gods, Anansi Boys, Neverwhere, and now the Sandman series. Fabulous! The creativity and beautiful visuals never cease to amaze me.

Neil Gaiman has an amazing imagination. I love all of his books that I have read so far. American Gods, Anansi Boys, Neverwhere, and now the Sandman series. Fabulous! The creativity and beautiful visuals never cease to amaze me.

What I particularly enjoy about Neil Gaiman is his ability to build a story from the foundation going forward. So many times, we have authors or illustrators that take the campy way out by using flashbacks, amateurish jumps, or just plain forgetfulness as they attempt to keep the reader's attention by quickly arriving to the climax or resolution (or better yet the gasp of a twist ending). Gaiman does no such thing with his "Sandman" stories. While this second collection of his graphic novels doesn't quite match to the standard of "Preludes & Nocturnes", it is because it is a building block for future stories. What I especially love about Gaiman's writing and choice of stories is that he is not afraid to take us away from our comfortable characters and begin planting the seed for more interesting events going forward. It is like the television series "Lost", events happen for a reason, and Gaiman is very willing to dedicate just as much time to those smaller stories as he does our overall story because he knows the value of amazing (and concise) storytelling. I love this series, but this collection "A Doll's House" is a sampling of smaller stories that will obviously be used as bigger events in the future.

Those that drooled over the first collection (as I surely did), may be in for a bit of a shock with this one because he isn't using pop culture techniques as he did with the opening, he is instead building his characters. Gaiman pulls you into this chapter with an opening that transcends time. He uses simple natives to tell an ageless story that builds the foundation for this story. He frames it well, and then pushes us deep into the constantly changing world of Rose Walker. We follow Rose through a majority of this story as she is re-introduced to her life. She has powers she is unaware of, and guardians that her in place to protect her. Gaiman is not afraid to get dirty and gritty with this story. He takes us to a "Cereal" convention, where all darkness confines itself to one hotel. He demonstrates the emotional level of his title character by giving him a lifelong friend Hob Gadling. He even gives us some sibling rivalry with a shocking ending that begins to set the stage for future family squabbles.

This is second collection is meaty, because if you are not reading it as future possibilities, then you may see this collection as nothing more than jumpy tangents. When I first read it, I was utterly disappointed because I had trouble following the path Gaiman was building. I walked into this one expecting the same from the first collection, but it was completely different. Again, at first I was not as rejoiced, but as I read it a second time, it clicked in my mind. I saw the full circle that Gaiman was headed; I saw his clues set early in the book, and I was able to see the path much clearer. This collection will push those that really want to be engulfed with the Sandman world deeper into the rabbit hole, or it will push those casual readers further away. I had to read this twice to see the brilliance behind Gaiman's words and world, but it was well worth it. I cannot wait to see where we are guided next.

Overall, I am giving this book one star less not because the quality was anything less, but merely because Gaiman did change direction on us rather quickly, but by my second reading it worked. I loved the ties into the first book and the hints of future conflicts. A question I have running through my mind is, "Is this book better or worse than the first collection?" After much thought, I have come to the conclusion that neither are better or worse, but both stand on their own. Gaiman doesn't pull as much from the DC world (like hints of the JLA or John Constantine), but I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much if it were just a rehash of the first book. I liked this book because it challenges you more than the first. The artwork is brilliant, the stories are far superior than anything I have read before, and it is one of those graphic novels that pulls both your emotions, or eyes, as well as your mind, and that is a difficult combination to find out there. I highly suggest this book to those that are eager to see where "the Sandman" is headed next, but beware, this is a foundation book, and what it builds for next will leave you chomping at the bits!

Grade: **** out of *****

Following a decent beginning Neil Gaiman truly shines in this second volume of his acclaimed series, The Sandman. Taking the second incarnation of the Sandman (who he completely reformed for the series), Gaiman spins a story seamlessly around his first volume and introduces elements that will affect the title the remainder of it's 75 issues. Even bringing in William Shakespeare in one issue, Gaiman uses elements of fact and fairy tale along with some of our worst fears to write an extraordinary story.

Sandman even after being written 10+ years ago is still as clever and dark as it was then. Showcasing Neil Gaiman's fantastic writing and complex plot threads, scary and wonderous at the same time Vol. 2 is the first time we actually start to see what Gaiman is truly capable of. I highly recommend to anyone who loves horror and fantasy.

In the second volume of the Sandman saga, Gaiman's work earns his first A+. Rich in plot, unexpected humor, and storylines that stretch back to Preludes & Nocturnes...The Doll's House demands immediate re-reading. Nothing is exactly what you expect, and you will experience horror, disgust, enlightenment, and even genuine laughs. On top of all that, more threads for future chapters are spun. This is a great read, and a must for Sandman fans.

In the second volume of the Sandman saga, Gaiman's work earns his first A+. Rich in plot, unexpected humor, and storylines that stretch back to Preludes & Nocturnes...The Doll's House demands immediate re-reading. Nothing is exactly what you expect, and you will experience horror, disgust, enlightenment, and even genuine laughs. On top of all that, more threads for future chapters are spun. This is a great read, and a must for Sandman fans.

In the second volume of the Sandman saga, Gaiman's work earns his first A+. Rich in plot, unexpected humor, and storylines that stretch back to Preludes & Nocturnes...The Doll's House demands immediate re-reading. Nothing is exactly what you expect, and you will experience horror, disgust, enlightenment, and even genuine laughs. On top of all that, more threads for future chapters are spun. This is a great read, and a must for Sandman fans.

The Sandman series altered my consciousness and perception of reality. This is book two, I read the first three books the night I got them. I only stopped because it was morning and time to get up.
The books can be read individually, but they are better viewed as chapters of a whole. I just gave the set to a friend of mine and he finished them in under a week - and he's a full-time student working full time.
Neil Gaiman has the amazing ability to create characters that are so real they become a part of you. His story lines flow and intertwine so naturally that you don't realize it's happening.
This book, specifically, introduces us to some of the people that will be revisited throughout the series. Of particular note is the serial killer convention. Mr. Gaiman definitely has an odd sense of humor - so do I.
Buy it, Read it, and then read it again.

The Sandman series altered my consciousness and perception of reality. This is book two, I read the first three books the night I got them. I only stopped because it was morning and time to get up.
The books can be read individually, but they are better viewed as chapters of a whole. I just gave the set to a friend of mine and he finished them in under a week - and he's a full-time student working full time.
Neil Gaiman has the amazing ability to create characters that are so real they become a part of you. His story lines flow and intertwine so naturally that you don't realize it's happening.
This book, specifically, introduces us to some of the people that will be revisited throughout the series. Of particular note is the serial killer convention. Mr. Gaiman definitely has an odd sense of humor - so do I.
Buy it, Read it, and then read it again.

The Sandman series altered my consciousness and perception of reality. This is book two, I read the first three books the night I got them. I only stopped because it was morning and time to get up.
The books can be read individually, but they are better viewed as chapters of a whole. I just gave the set to a friend of mine and he finished them in under a week - and he's a full-time student working full time.
Neil Gaiman has the amazing ability to create characters that are so real they become a part of you. His story lines flow and intertwine so naturally that you don't realize it's happening.
This book, specifically, introduces us to some of the people that will be revisited throughout the series. Of particular note is the serial killer convention. Mr. Gaiman definitely has an odd sense of humor - so do I.
Buy it, Read it, and then read it again.

Received in a timely fashion -- condition as described.

Received in a timely fashion -- condition as described.

Okay, let me first say that I loved that we didn't just leave Unity Kinkaid hanging off the side of a cliff, as Gaiman tends to do with his other tragic characters. I want to thank you for that personally.

Rose Walker's story is a move in the utterly real direction, despite the fact that the motives of some characters are fantastical. The whole time reading the novel, you're realizing the truth of this because people are actually as mentally unbalanced as these characters. On the other hand, Gaiman throws in a support group-like "cereal" convention which sort of plays fun with the fact that these people are tormented. Sue me, but I liked it.

Traditional roles are presented and while his wit isn't the most original, the overall plot is captivating and cool.

Okay, let me first say that I loved that we didn't just leave Unity Kinkaid hanging off the side of a cliff, as Gaiman tends to do with his other tragic characters. I want to thank you for that personally.

Rose Walker's story is a move in the utterly real direction, despite the fact that the motives of some characters are fantastical. The whole time reading the novel, you're realizing the truth of this because people are actually as mentally unbalanced as these characters. On the other hand, Gaiman throws in a support group-like "cereal" convention which sort of plays fun with the fact that these people are tormented. Sue me, but I liked it.

Traditional roles are presented and while his wit isn't the most original, the overall plot is captivating and cool.

As you read more, you can see the connections between first book and second book are more than it seems. That's such a good thing to notice these connections.

As you read more, you can see the connections between first book and second book are more than it seems. That's such a good thing to notice these connections.

One of the things that amazes me, reading through the reviews of the various volumes of Neil Gaiman's Sandman series, is how each one seems to have, somewhere in it: "This is the best volume of the series!", "Here, Gaiman really hits his stride!" or something similar. The truth is that each volume has its own timbre, its own shading, but they are *all* masterful in their own ways.

This particular volume appeals to me quite a bit (though most of them do)--it contains the brilliant story of a man who doesn't die (and an actual friendship for Dream), a hilarious/terrifying serial killer convention, the introduction of the charming Fiddler's Green, the seeds for a later masterwork with Barbie's dream, and the excellent introduction of some of Morpheus' family, the Endless.

It is best to begin reading The Sandman from the start of the series--it makes sense and offers some rewards--but I suspect that it is not required. This is a truly excellent series that will best your expectations. Enjoy!

One of the things that amazes me, reading through the reviews of the various volumes of Neil Gaiman's Sandman series, is how each one seems to have, somewhere in it: "This is the best volume of the series!", "Here, Gaiman really hits his stride!" or something similar. The truth is that each volume has its own timbre, its own shading, but they are *all* masterful in their own ways.

This particular volume appeals to me quite a bit (though most of them do)--it contains the brilliant story of a man who doesn't die (and an actual friendship for Dream), a hilarious/terrifying serial killer convention, the introduction of the charming Fiddler's Green, the seeds for a later masterwork with Barbie's dream, and the excellent introduction of some of Morpheus' family, the Endless.

It is best to begin reading The Sandman from the start of the series--it makes sense and offers some rewards--but I suspect that it is not required. This is a truly excellent series that will best your expectations. Enjoy!

This is a great Sandman book, one of the best, and a wonderful story in particular. Some Sandmanbooks are a collection of standalones and story arcs, and others, like this, are primarily a long narrative on a central topic. In this volume, Dream hunts down a girl who has a mysterious connection to the Dreaming, while the same girl searches Florida for her younger borther, whom she lost touch with years ago. This book is filled with memorable moments, but the most memorable HAS to be the "cereal convention", which has to be a pinnacle of black comedy.

This is a great Sandman book, one of the best, and a wonderful story in particular. Some Sandmanbooks are a collection of standalones and story arcs, and others, like this, are primarily a long narrative on a central topic. In this volume, Dream hunts down a girl who has a mysterious connection to the Dreaming, while the same girl searches Florida for her younger borther, whom she lost touch with years ago. This book is filled with memorable moments, but the most memorable HAS to be the "cereal convention", which has to be a pinnacle of black comedy.

Neil Gaiman, Sandman: The Doll's House (DC Comics, 1995)

The second book in the ten-book Sandman series is a dramatic improvement over the first, as promised by Gaiman's afterword to Preludes and Nocturnes. Where that one contained flashes of the brilliance Gaiman would later unveil in American Gods, this one pretty much goes whole hog in the brilliance department.

Where the first book was standard plot (right out of Malory, really) in relatively standard setting, The Doll's House is fairly standard plot (Sandman must neutralize a threat to the kingdom in the form of a human girl who functions as a dream vortex), the setting is anything but standard; we meet more of the Endless, a number of murderers who make the first book's John Dee look like a walk in the park, escaped dream-creatures, a cereal convention in the middle of nowhere, and much, much more.

The Sandman books are revered by thousands, if not millions; I'm starting to see why. This is stuff you want to read. ****

Neil Gaiman, Sandman: The Doll's House (DC Comics, 1995)

The second book in the ten-book Sandman series is a dramatic improvement over the first, as promised by Gaiman's afterword to Preludes and Nocturnes. Where that one contained flashes of the brilliance Gaiman would later unveil in American Gods, this one pretty much goes whole hog in the brilliance department.

Where the first book was standard plot (right out of Malory, really) in relatively standard setting, The Doll's House is fairly standard plot (Sandman must neutralize a threat to the kingdom in the form of a human girl who functions as a dream vortex), the setting is anything but standard; we meet more of the Endless, a number of murderers who make the first book's John Dee look like a walk in the park, escaped dream-creatures, a cereal convention in the middle of nowhere, and much, much more.

The Sandman books are revered by thousands, if not millions; I'm starting to see why. This is stuff you want to read. ****

Some time ago, I was desperate to get my hands on this particular TPB. It wasn't possible, but, at last, I own my own copy!

I had read this some years ago, recommended by a friend really into American comics. Back then, I was not really interested in them, having gotten to a point of extreme boredom over superhero comics, that looked all the same to me, except for this or that good author (like Frank Miller, who penned "Year One" and "The Dark Night Returns"). My friend, however, persuaded me. He told me that not all American comics dealt with superheroes. There was one I'd love, called The Sandman, with dealt with mythology, with magic. Reluctantly, I gave it a try. I read book by book. The first one, I found, was not bad, but the art was too crude for my tastes (I still maintain that point of view). The story, however, was compelling. Now, on the second TPB, things got great. The art was improving, and the stories got better. In here, I found what is, to this day, my favorite Sandman story. Hob Gadling's tale of immortality was a breath of fresh air. Without spoiling it for anyone, it amazed me as I kept turning the pages. This particular story turned Gaiman into a hero for me. From then on, The Sandman had captured me, I was a slave to his magical sand. The serial killer convention was pretty creepy, and the seeds of Desire's plot were in here, but, back then, I paid no heed. Gadling's was my story. Now, after re-reading it, I read into more layers, more texture in the stories, and feel that Gaiman is actually a literary genius. Comic books (or, more recently referred to as "Graphic Novels") may be an artform frowed upon by some, but they can give some of the biggest writers of our time the chance to be known by the public.

Some time ago, I was desperate to get my hands on this particular TPB. It wasn't possible, but, at last, I own my own copy!

I had read this some years ago, recommended by a friend really into American comics. Back then, I was not really interested in them, having gotten to a point of extreme boredom over superhero comics, that looked all the same to me, except for this or that good author (like Frank Miller, who penned "Year One" and "The Dark Night Returns"). My friend, however, persuaded me. He told me that not all American comics dealt with superheroes. There was one I'd love, called The Sandman, with dealt with mythology, with magic. Reluctantly, I gave it a try. I read book by book. The first one, I found, was not bad, but the art was too crude for my tastes (I still maintain that point of view). The story, however, was compelling. Now, on the second TPB, things got great. The art was improving, and the stories got better. In here, I found what is, to this day, my favorite Sandman story. Hob Gadling's tale of immortality was a breath of fresh air. Without spoiling it for anyone, it amazed me as I kept turning the pages. This particular story turned Gaiman into a hero for me. From then on, The Sandman had captured me, I was a slave to his magical sand. The serial killer convention was pretty creepy, and the seeds of Desire's plot were in here, but, back then, I paid no heed. Gadling's was my story. Now, after re-reading it, I read into more layers, more texture in the stories, and feel that Gaiman is actually a literary genius. Comic books (or, more recently referred to as "Graphic Novels") may be an artform frowed upon by some, but they can give some of the biggest writers of our time the chance to be known by the public.

The Doll's House is my favorite still out of all the other books in the series, and the first one I read. Gaiman has a way of crafting the human characters so they're unrealistically realistic (simple yet complex, childlike and cynical, insightful and ignorant, with an eternal late '80s - early '90s-ish air). Rose Walker has always been my favorite among those. Also Gilbert and the Corinthian make it more memorable (the serial killers' convention, Zelda and Chantell and the others, etc....) Morpheus never appeared kinder or more human(e?).

It means that we're just dolls. We don't have a clue what's really going down, we just kid ourselves that we're in control of our lives while a paper's thickness away things that would drive us mad if we thought about them for too long play with us, and move us around from room to room, and put us away at night when they're tired, or bored.
-- Rose Walker, in The Doll's House

The Doll's House is my favorite still out of all the other books in the series, and the first one I read. Gaiman has a way of crafting the human characters so they're unrealistically realistic (simple yet complex, childlike and cynical, insightful and ignorant, with an eternal late '80s - early '90s-ish air). Rose Walker has always been my favorite among those. Also Gilbert and the Corinthian make it more memorable (the serial killers' convention, Zelda and Chantell and the others, etc....) Morpheus never appeared kinder or more human(e?).

It means that we're just dolls. We don't have a clue what's really going down, we just kid ourselves that we're in control of our lives while a paper's thickness away things that would drive us mad if we thought about them for too long play with us, and move us around from room to room, and put us away at night when they're tired, or bored.
-- Rose Walker, in The Doll's House

In this second installment of the Sandman series, we the readers are treated to one of the most strange storylines and probably one of the most horrifying of the whole series. The story revolves around a girl named Rose Walker, whom is also referred to as a vortex. A vortex is someone who can hurt those that are dreaming because they are like an opening into the dream world and the real world. From my understanding there haven't been a vortex in decades. In the dreamworld, by law Morpheus must kill the person who is the vortex. Anyway, sound confusing, well it's really not. As the subplot I will also like to add that there were also four creatures that escaped during Morpheus' imprisionment. The imprisionment, which we learn more about in the first volume "Preludes and Noctures." The creatures are the Corinthian (who is one ruthless killer), Brute and Glob, and Fiddler's Green (who becomes one of Rose Walker's friends and main journey companion). This is a very complex storyline and what I'm writing as description doesn't do this book justice.

Probably one of my favorite parts in this volume has to be the "Serial Killer Convention," which is bizarre and at the time delightfully disturbing.

"The Doll's House" is probably one of the best graphic novels I've ever read. I mean I rank it up there with "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns," and "Watchmen." It is one of Neil Gaiman's masterpieces and anyone who is tired of reading the same old Superman, Batman, or The Flash comics will like this book. This series takes risks. Something I feel that comics of today are lacking.

I belong to that great unwashed mass of people who have not yet read every Sandman comic collection in existence. I came to the series only recently, and as such I decided to systematically work my way through each chapter in the Sandman Chronicles. Thus far, I have finished two (count `em) two collections of the series. The first was the well-known and regarded "Preludes and Nocturnes". The second is the less regarded, "Doll's House". Before I picked up this collection I was informed by my husband that with this collection he no longer felt the necessity to read any more Sandman comics. Something in this book turned him off the series for good. Bearing that in mind I went into "The Doll's House" with some trepidation. It is a difficult book at times, and probably has a small flaw here and there. Nonetheless, I found it just as enticing and well-written (better illustrated even) than its predecessor. "The Doll's House" does not, contrary to the opinion of some, disappoint.

The last chapter in "Preludes and Nocturnes" is included at the beginning of this book, allowing people who skipped the first to still understand the second. And if THAT wasn't enough then Neil Gaiman himself has included a helpful introduction that sums up everything that has come before. The first official story of this collection is a little bleaker. An elder African man tells a story to a younger of the only woman the Sandman ever loved and the consequences that arose from that loving. It is a good way to telling the reader right off the bat that our hero is not, at times, much in the way of a good guy. In fact, he can be downright evil and petty. Other stories are less disturbing (in that particular way). We meet Rose and view her adventures as she attempts to locate a long lost little brother. We find that the Sandman, while he was imprisoned for so many years, has lost four of his major arcana dreams and he must personally track them down. As he does so, his destiny and the destiny of Rose herself become intertwined.

Gaiman does a couple things with this book that I highly approved of. For one thing, he finally makes a direct reference to the great "Little Nemo" comics of Winsor McCay. You would think the greatest dreaming comic strip (until "The Sandman", of course) would have earned itself a mention before now. As it is, Gaiman does a spot-on imitation of McCay's style. Other elements in the collection are especially good. There is a storyline about a man who wishes to never die, and who meets with Morpheus in a pub every one hundred years throughout the centuries. There's a rather amusing convention of serial killers who tell the hotel hosting them that they are a cereal convention. And then there's the fact that Gaiman is constantly bringing elements from previous plots into current ones. The dreams in this book are remarkably similar to those you've had in your sleep. His nightmares, however, are worse. Much worse than anything you might conjure up from your own unconscious.

I don't think this collection is quite as strong as its predecessor, but it doesn't have to be. It's just a well-written exciting fantasy about a nicely mysterious protagonist. It's amazing how Gaiman can take a hero who basically has all the powers of the world at his command and still keep the plotline interesting. It's also not every graphic novel that ends with you mentally pleading for the hero NOT to kill someone. A nice touch. Overall, a strong companion to previous Sandman efforts.

It's never too late for a good story, and the Sandman saga is very good. This collection moves that story forward, mostly in the person of Rose.

This book compiles a sequence of regular-sized comic books. The first story here stands by itself - a tribal tale of a place that could, some day, descend from our own time.

The rest of the book takes a very ordinary young woman and puts her in an extraordinary world. Taken part by part, it sounds fragmentary and disorganized: a nursing home, a bizarre convention, befriending a place, and facing mortal threat in an immortal world. The pieces all fit, though. They sustain a pace and a visual variety that makes this book hard to put down.

Best, however, is the glimpse of intrigue in the Sandmnan's world. We see a little of his own realm, and the plotting of his own minions. We also see his larger world, his sisters, and their covert push against the walls of his domain. This is just the second of a dozen or so collections - there is enough material here to drive that many volumes or more.

If you're new to comics, or just new to the Sandman, give this a try. If you already know the Sandman, you're in for one of the best books in the series.

I don't understand why people consistantly refer to this title as the weakest entry in the Sandman series. I have read all ten volumes, and have to say that it is in fact one of the best. Of course, finding a bad Sandman book is like finding a bad Beatles album. It's really not about which one is the "worst", but which one is the least memorable; the one you are least likely to refer to over and over again and re-read just for the hell of it. And Preludes and Nocturnes is certainly one of the more memorable episodes.

Gaiman was new to his series, and he did not have very much direction. Preludes and Nocturnes leans towards classic horror, whereas other volumes, such as The Wake, and A Game of You, are closer to fantasy. So Preludes and Nocturnes is different then all the others. So what? There are so many classic moments that are contained within its pages, moments that stick in your mind and don't leave. Moments such as Dream's escape from his prison and the logic that followed, the introduction or Cain and Abel, John Constantine and his quest to find the pouch of sand, Dream's journey to Hell and his battle with Choronzon over the helm, the ENTIRE FRIGGIN CHAPTER OF 24 HOURS, and the final introduction of Death at the end--the sweet, good natured goth girl who just happens to be the same person we often see personified as a dark cloaked figure with a scythe. The list goes on and on and on.

Of course the same could be said for any of the other volumes, but that is exactly my point. Preludes and Nocturnes is not better then Brief Lives, nor is it worse. It exists to advance the story to its eventual conclusion, and it does a great job. There are some flaws--but everyone will find something they don't like in each of the volumes. Don't listen to those people who say "if you read this one first, you'll get the wrong impression of Sandman". Bull. If you don't like this volume, then Sandman is not for you, end of subject.

The worst thing you can do is skip this volume in favor of another, later chapter, such as Season of Mists. Start at the beginning--Gaiman did, and his work turned out just fine in the end.

I am having a hard time understanding the motives of people who claim that The Doll's House is too "rough around the edges", and "not as brilliant as later volumes". These people are not only wrong--they are completely misguided.

You want to know the truth? The Doll's house is probably the best volume of Sandman that there is.

I have read it four times. Yet there are moments in The Doll's House, where I find myself literally sweating from tension as my eyes follow the words on each page. When Dream finally catches up to the Corinthian, I still applaud. Whenever Barbie and Ken share the page, I still laugh, and then shudder as I think of their future. When I see the horrible things happening to Rose Walker's brother, I still have to look away, and when The two siblings are finally reunited, I still shed a tear. It's that good.

All of you people calling it "unfocused", and "flawed" have completely missed the boat, and need to do some serious swimming to catch up to the rest of us.

Doll's House introduces us to so many memorable characters, so many fascinating insights of humanity, and so much memorable dialogue, that it cannot be labeled as anything less than the pinnacle of the series. Whether it shares this spot with the likes of "Brief Lives" and "Season of Mists" can be debated, but no other episode of the Sandman series can capture every human emotion and channel it so perfectly.

Please do not start with this. Wade through Preludes and Nocturnes first, and consider this one your dessert.

I had the entire hardcover volumes of The Sandman series sitting on my bookshelf for about the last six years or so, having only read PRELUDES & NOCTURNES (I was first introduced to Gaiman's Sandman back in the early 90s, starting with issue 50 and then stopping right before the final KINDLY ONES, story arc - hoping to read it all in a few chunks, but that never happened) and planning on getting around to the other volumes soon -- well, soon stretched on to a several years, but I started reading again - choosing vol.2 THE DOLL'S HOUSE as my new jumping on point.

Gaiman's story unfolded like a weird experience, much like reading his American Gods or Coraline, and it became more fascinating with each pasisng issue, then ultimately becoming disturbing in the episode called "The Collectors" where Gaiman satirically addresses a Serial Killer Convention, that is remarkable as it is unsettling. Not to mention the first appearances of additional members of The Endless family.

After I closed the final pages, I immediately wanted to pick up DREAM COUNTY (the next volume)- but it was 3:45 in morning, and I need to my own sleep!

Seeming all the little pieces of later story that Gaiman laid the foundation for in these early adventures with his version of Morpheus is quite astounding, as if he had a masterplan all along -- and mabye he did! But I kind of think that Gaiman, like many a great storyteller, created an immense landscape and that he then saw could be a fanatastic tapestry for creative output; where any and every idea could be explored with the confines of The Dreaming. And the characters he created were too juicy not to continue to weave complex and LARGE story around.

Gaiman succeeds brilliantly, as the rest of the series will surely attest.

A lot of Gaiman's work for THE SANDMAN can't be catergorized, nor should it - it effectively evades being ghettoized (eventhough it's a comic book) and that's why it's all the more winning as a piece of late 20th Century literature. Please read.

It is finally with this collection that Gaiman demonstrates his (immense) potential and the Sandman series deserves its acclaimed reputation. Gone are the awkward - and sometimes boring- story arcs and borrowed characters from other titles. takes place almost entirely in a parrallel universe constructed by the imagination of the narrator: a fascinating place where dream and day are closely intermeshed. Each narrative in the collection adeptly stands on its own, unlike some stories in the previous collection (), which seemed to demand a prior knowledge of the DC comic universe; an unfortunate circumstance, really, seeing that none of these references had the complexity and originality of Gaiman's own creations. is ample proof that Gaiman works best with an empty canvass.

I generally agree with many of the other reviews that complement the complexity of the characters, or applaud Gaiman's ability to tell a great story. However, one feature of the Sandman series that is often overlooked is Gaiman's wicked sense of humour. Indeed, Gaiman is often at his funniest when he really has no right to be - when describing moments of horror. In "24 Hours" adeptly balanced horror with humour, and Gaiman does the same in this collection with "Collectors," a story which concentrates almost exclusively on serial killers. While, on the surface, mass murder wouldn't appear to be particularly amusing, Gaiman contrives a scenario where famous serial killers attend a "Cereal" convention at a hotel. The story is a hilarious send-up of the features of conventions as well as the cult of serial killers. His usage of humour at such times is a brilliant rhetorical tool that questions and interrogates what is funny. Unlike other writers in the genre, Gaiman skilfully uses humour to underpin the motifs of many of his narratives.

At times, however, the narrative seems to assume that we're on the same page as Gaiman, and able to navigate our way throughout his universe as adroitly as him. Complex ideas are barely explained, or not explained at all. Although some of my difficulties were resolved near the end of the collection (especially what constitutes a "dream vortex"), others never were. Whether this was a failure on my part or a flaw of the narration, I can't tell for certain. Perhaps the narrative was even meant to disorient and overwhelm us, as strangers in a strange dream.

That small (potential) criticism aside, this is great literature, no mere comic book. Gaiman transcends the graphic novel medium with this collection and delivers a terrific and brilliant read.

If you only buy one Sandman/Gaiman book this should be it.

Highly Recommended.

The Sandman of the late eighties was not quite the majestic, surreal series that became the most celebrated comic book of the 1990s. Instead, it was an odd mixture of horror, fantasy and typical DC fare. They were loaded with potential but the early issues of Sandman seem rough and awkward compared to the brilliant material of a few years hence.

The Doll's House, Sandman's second volume, presents Neil Gaiman's first attempt at a large-scale story arc (The series' first eight issues, collected in Preludes and Nocturnes, were interconnected but were, for the most part, individual episodes). Like most Sandman story arcs, The Doll's House is quite multifaceted. Later, Gaiman would master the art of unfolding intricate story arcs with masterful precision, but on The Doll's House, he has yet to reach his peak. Thus, this is not a great story arc but a cumbersome one that has occasional moments of greatness.

It is difficult to recap the plot of The Doll's House, as it is a messy one that slowly unveils itself as the story moves along. The least one must know before delving into any Sandman volume is that the series focuses on the "realm of dreams," and its ruler, Morpheus, a God-like being with the attitude of a morose 20-something. The Doll's House finds the dream king tracking down several inhabitants of his dominion who fled during the decades he was imprisoned by a sorcerer (see Preludes and Nocturnes) and also dealing with a "dream vortex" that has manifested itself in a punk-ish young woman named Rose Walker. Rose is searching for her lost brother, Jed, who is locked in the cellar of his abusive aunt and uncle. Given his connection to the dream vortex, it is no coincidence that Jed is experiencing strange dreams involving The Fury and The Silver Scarab of the superhero team, Infinity Inc.

Although the larger story of The Doll's House does not quite succeed, two episodes that stand somewhat independently of it do. One is "Collectors," in which Rose's search somehow brings her to a trade convention for serial killers. This tale is ingenious; a horror story that is somehow funny, terrifying and wholly original at the same time. The other is the prelude, "Tales in the Sand," in which an African tribesman indoctrinates his grandson into manhood by telling him the legend a queen and her tragic love affair with Morpheus. This chapter first demonstrated Gaiman's appreciation of indigenous folklore and his remarkable ability to weave it into the Sandman mythos. It is moments like these in which one can see Sandman shaping into something wonderful. However, when the focus is on the Walker siblings, the missing denizens of the dream world, a couple of obscure superheroes and the confusing connections between them, The Doll's House is a frustrating read at best.

This is the best of the Sandman collected volumes. It is frightening, lyrical, and moving all the same time. Gaiman really knows how to tell a story, and the occasional cliched language in some of the other volumes is not apparent here. This is sharp writing--- and gorgeous artwork--- from beginning to end.

It is hard to describe the major story arc in this collection. In fact, at one point Morpheus himself admits that he doesn't fully understand it. That's alright though, any time you fully and completely understand a plot without working at it, and wondering at it, you are probably wasting your time. You would be better off sticking to T.V.... As it is, we have Mystery in it's deepest sense. Moreover, we have mystery populated by the best developed, most believable, cast of unconventional characters in graphic literature. You get sucked into the Vortex because you care about the people you are reading about- not unlike life, really. What is the Vortex? It is a person, and a phenomenon, that breaks down the barriers between individual dreams and leaves a black hole in it's wake. It is also a young woman by the name of Rose Walker. How appropriate....
Oh yes, as for the Corinthian, the escaped nightmare, and his fellow "collectors", well I can believe that he was the finest nightmare that Morpheus ever created. He has certainly made himself at home in my nightmares.

I enjoy some graphic novels -- not the standard "Marvel" type but those with original content and approach, and Gaiman is about as original as they come. This is the first of the "Sandman" series I've read and I was quite taken with both the story and the art, though it seems to suffer (as so many graphic novels do) from narrative discontinuity. The Prologue, "Tales in the Sand," is a memorable retelling of what purports to be an African tribal legend, "Collectors" is a terror tale that will jangle your nerves, and the six centuries of "Men of Good Fortune" is worth the price of admission all by itself.

The Sandman series got off to a good start with the eight issues included in the first collection, "Preludes and Nocturnes," but the series really hit its stride with the storyline collected in "The Doll's House."

The story focuses on Rose Walker, a young woman whose life has become completely tangled with events in the Dreaming (she just doesn't know it yet). It's a great self-contained graphic novel, with themes of death and rebirth, and it also sets up things that will come back to haunt Morpheus several books later.

There are moments of genuine terror, like the serial killers' convention, and some great laughs too, like the snarky reference to the 1970s DC Sandman (who is vastly different from Morpheus).

Even if you read the first collection and didn't like it, you haven't really given Sandman a chance unless you take a look at "The Doll's House."

A house full of eccentrics. A voyage into an abused boy's imagination. A convention of serial killers. A man who just won't die. A vortex of dreams. This book shows the Sandman series shaping up very good. Finally, comic books are living up to their potential.

This book depicts Dream going through collecting various dreams and nightmares which have escaped into the waking world. I found the most interesting parts were the independent short story about a man made immortal due to a boast in a bar, and the fairy tales told in their "original" form. I don't know if this really was their original form, but I liked them a lot. The corithian was an interesting touch, though the "cereal convention" (the conventions of serial murderers) was sort of lame. Still not Sandman at its best.

In the second Sandman collection, the reader starts to realize that Gaiman has some long range plans for this series. The tale of Rose Walker, the dream vortex who must be killed to save The Dreaming, is a complex one. The Doll House introduces the reader to many of the characters who would have a major effect on Gaiman's plans for the series. Particularly excellent is the tale of Hob Gadling, who becomes Dream's friend when he becomes the man "Death will not touch." Their meetings each century are little history lessons so well executed they make you wish for more. The "Cereal" convention, with special guest lecturer the Corinthian, is a scary look at the fascination with serial killers and the final twist involving Desire gives the reader some insight into the relationship of Dream with his siblings. This book really shows what a truly original creation The Sandman is.