the sandman: the doll's house

The second part of the "Sandman" series continues, and even enhances, what Neil Gaiman has begun with "Preludes and Nocturnes". He concentrates more on developing really interesting characters, and behind the main story of Rose Walker who has become a dangerous dream vortex which has to be taken care of, there are many side stories that are more than entertaining. For example telling the "real" story of Little Red Riding Hood or writing about the happenings at a convention of serial killers. What I liked best is the portrayal of Hob Gadling, a guy who someday decides not to die - and really is successful with his approach and finally even becomes a friend of the Sandman, meeting him in a pub once in a century.

I enjoyed reading "The Doll's House" even more than the first part and I can't hardly wait to read book 3 (Dream Country).

The immense popularity of Neil Gaiman's Sandman series is due in large part to the development of his characters. In The Doll's House, the second book of the Sandman magnum opus, Gaiman continues to build the foundation for the larger story, introducing us to more of the Dream King's family of the Endless.

The Sandman returns to his kingdom of the Dreaming after nearly a century of imprisonment, finding several things out of place; most importantly, an anomaly called a dream vortex has manifested itself in the form of a young girl who unknowingly threatens to rip apart the Dreaming. And there's the smaller matter of a few nightmares having escaped. Among them is Gaiman's creepiest creation: the Corinthian, a serial killer with a miniature set of teeth in each eye socket. Because later volumes concentrate so much on human relationships with Gaiman's signature fair for fantasy and mythology, it is sometimes easy to forget that the Sandman series started out as a horror comic. This book grabs you and doesn't let you forget that so easily. --Jim Pascoe


publisher: dc comics (english), panini comics (german)