8
May
2010
The Sandman: Season of Mists by Neil Gaiman
In the first issue of Season of Mists, Prophecy has called a meeting of the Endless. The result is that Dream is humiliated into going back to Hell, in order to rescue the princess he once sentenced there (back in Doll’s House we heard about this).
Dream is nothing if not proper, so he sends an envoy to Hell to tell Lucifer he’s coming.
But rather than fight or capture Dream, Lucifer has something else in store when he gets to Hell.
And that something is nothing. Quite literally.
Now the onus of Hell is on Dream. It’s amazing how many factions want to take that onus from him. This is where, for me, it gets really good. Various delegations from different branches of human mythology come to him, offering him something in return (except for the Greeks…where are the Greeks? one delegate absently wonders–ha! I hope that that is returned to…are the Greeks up to something?)
And as anyone who’s ever attended a conference, be it in school or with work, knows, hook-ups abound. There’s drinking, cajoling, wonton violence, and sex between the groups. Thor is particularly hilarious as a drunk.
And as powerful as each is, the decision still rests with Dream.
But it turns out to really be no decision at all.
Buy The Sandman Vol. 4: Season of Mists on Amazon
If you like this book/author, you might like:
(my reviews in blue)
Watchmen by Alan Moore
Fables Vol. 1: Legends in Exile by Bill Willingham
The Unwritten by Mike Carey and Peter Gross
Sandman Presents, The: The Furies by Mike Carey
Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art by Scott McCloud
The Power of Comics: History, Form and Culture by Randy Duncan
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, Klaus Janson and Lynn Varley
Other works by Neil Gaiman:
The Dangerous Alphabet
The Facts In The Case Of The Departure Of Miss Finch
Black Orchid
InterWorld
M Is for Magic
Signal to Noise
The Last Temptation
Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions
Death: The High Cost of Living
Death: The Time of Your Life
Midnight Days
Harlequin Valentine
Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders
Anansi Boys
Neverwhere: A Novel
Stardust
MirrorMask: The Illustrated Film Script of the Motion Picture
The Alchemy of MirrorMask
Don’t Panic: Douglas Adams & The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Angels and Visitations: A Miscellany
The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish
Odd & the Frost Giants
The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes
The Sandman Vol. 3: Dream Country
The Sandman Vol. 4: Season of Mists
The Sandman Vol. 5: A Game of You
The Sandman Vol. 6: Fables and Reflections
The Sandman Vol. 7: Brief Lives
The Sandman Vol. 8: Worlds’ End
The Sandman Vol. 9: The Kindly Ones
The Sandman Vol. 10: The Wake
The Sandman: Endless Nights
A Walking Tour of the Shambles
The Books of Magic
Adventures in the Dream Trade
Creatures Of The Night
Violent Cases
Coraline
Coraline: The Graphic Novel
The Graveyard Book
Absolute Death
Marvel 1602 Premiere HC
The Wolves in the Walls
Mr. Punch
American Gods: A Novel
With P. Craig Russel
With Terry Pratchett:
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
I don’t think they ever explain the Greeks, now that you mention it. Unless maybe the Greeks all know Dream from when he was with Calliope, and they figure he won’t be swayed by their pleas because he’s so largely unswayable.
Season of Mists is one of my favorites – I’m glad you enjoyed it!