And I finished Game of You, which managed to be simultaneously satisfying and unsatisfying. It's well plotted, for the most part, and it doesn't have a random, unrelated middle issue like the two previous story arcs. As for the resolution, Gaiman embraces the comfortable familiarity of the Companion Who Unexpectedly Betrays You followed by the You Made It All Up, but then he adds the old Sandman twist (Note: I laughed out loud at "Is this where I find out I was abused as a child and I've been blocking it all these years?" because OMG IF I SEE THAT ONE MORE TIME). I wonder what Thessaly's deal is. Barbie is much more of an interesting character than I ever would have thought from her initial appearance.

Donna (as in belladonna) becomes Foxglove. Clever.

But I found it hard to really care about the fate of The Land because, for one, Dream didn't seem to care, and plus...it just seemed like it belonged in a different book. The art was deliberately incongruous with the rest of the book, with kiddie-style talking animals. And they weren't characters we really knew at all, so their presence in the Dreaming isn't very substantial. Okay, I was sad when Wilkinson died. Plus, the whole thing was internal, basically; it didn't seem to connect to the larger arc beyond being a slight side effect of Rose's vortex dream.

Dream is such a bitch. "You have trespassed! I am very displeased!" Oh, cool it. Just let them go. Have we met Alianora before?

From the Afterword, it's clear this was a story Gaiman really wanted to tell, and I think for some people, this could be their favorite one. It could hit all the right buttons; it's more human than the previous ones. But I'm ready to move on.

Game of You is not my favorite, except for Wanda, who is a generally loved character. Once you're done with Sandman, you should check out the book of short stories by fifteen or so different writers set in the Sandman 'verse. Hell. What is it called?

As far as Dream goes, I think you're either going to sympathize with him, or you're going to spend the entire series wanting to smack him about the head.. He's a lot like Achilles in The Iliad. Unsurprisingly, I love them both.

I think you're either going to sympathize with him, or you're going to spend the entire series wanting to smack him about the head.

I alternate.

Plus, the whole thing was internal, basically; it didn't seem to connect to the larger arc beyond being a slight side effect of Rose's vortex dream.

I won't spoil, but everything connects, one way or another, and a lot of elements in "Doll's House" do end up being relevant.

Halfway through Fables and Reflections, and it's kind of a mixed bag.

"Fear of Falling" is trite and forgettable. Sometimes when you fall, you fly? Really? I've never heard that one before.

"Three Septembers and a January" made me smile. It's cute, and there's a cameo by Mark Twain. Plus, we get another teeny piece of the Desire puzzle: she wants Dream to invoke the Kindly Ones. We already knew she was trying to get him to spill family blood. Plus, more mystery about the missing brother. Man, I hope I'm not disappointed when we finally learn what went down with that. And when Desire finally wins...and given that the penultimate book is called The Kindly Ones, I'm betting she does, or at least comes close. But why? What is this all for? Oh, the Endless. You and your sibling rivalry that threatens the very fabric of existence.

"Thermidor" has a talking severed head, and that's about the best part. I think there were supposed to be important themes about the French Revolution or something, but...I didn't care.

"The Hunt" was good. I do enjoy the old grandfather-telling-a-story conceit, and the narrative is old school, which is fun. It took me too long to recognize that the tall man was Lucien. I love Lucien. He's like Dream's Alfred. I should have seen that last twist coming, dammit. It's not like it's particularly new. Again, this is Gaiman being fascinated with the nature of stories and storytelling. Trust the story, not the storyteller. Huh.

"August," like "Thermidor," seems to rely on historical context for its oomph, and I didn't really care. It's mostly interesting to note that the Greek gods do exist in this world.

The one-offs are a neat idea, although this collection is strange in its content, with issues out of order and ones from way in the future. Freaky!

Those three you liked were some of my favorites in the series. I like the next collection of short one-offs, too (I think it's called World's End).

Wait, I only liked two: "Three Septembers" and "The Hunt." I didn't really like "Thermidor" that much, but it was better than "August."

And World's End is one-offs? Heh, I thought it was a plot spoiler.

Is World's End the one that has "Ramadan"? I love that one.

I'm going to have to reread now.

The book of short stories is called The Sandman: Book of Dreams. Stories by Tad Williams, Gene Wolfe, Caitlin Kiernan, Susannah Clarke, and several other people.

Is World's End the one that has "Ramadan"? I love that one.

I was thinking of the one with the Prez story. But I think now that I have the name of the collection wrong. And, yeah, Ramadan was great.

Sorry I misunderstood, P-C. "Thermidor" stuck with me more than many of the other stories.

Is World's End the one that has "Ramadan"? I love that one.

No, that's at the end of this one. Ooh.

Oh, dammit! Clicking that link spoiled me for the identity of the missing D.