Alright, it's been a while since I've written anything like this, but here we go, book review combined with soul searching. Fun stuff no? Book of Dreams is a companion volume to Neil Gaiman's Sandman comic series. It's a collection of short stories by various authors about Morpheus and the other Endless. It's an amazing read that really fucked with my dreams. Both those sleeping and awake.
Certain stories stand out in both style and disturbance. The first story is a well written little dream of love. Light and playful, with just a hint of the depth that is to follow. Dreams of lost loves and those unrequited haunt me this time of year. The story made me face some of those feelings and although it wasn't my favorite or the best written of the collection, it did bring a smile to my face, bittersweet as it may be.
The best two stories were also a couple of the most disturbing and most uplifting. "Seven Nights in Slumberland" is about a boy's quest to fulfill desire, both his and others. The path the child follows is amazingly moving and quite detailed, the hero's quest in microchasm. In his journey through his own dreams, the child meets all of the Endless minus the missing one. Each shows him something different, each testing the resolve that one may have. Death being of course the most beautiful, light hearted opinion availible. And in this journy the author captures the essence of Gaiman's characters in a way that no other author I have ever read has. The quest is full of challenges, of despair, of choice, and of a child discovering what it is they really want. The universality of the story is moving and it's extremly well told.
The other story that stands out for its creepily wonderful value is called "The Writer's Child." It center's around a young girl and her teddy bear and her family. I really dont' know how to describe it without coming off as a total sicko, but it's extremly touching and moving and just jaw dropping story. But the part I really enjoyed was a reference back to one issue of Sandman where it mentions that poets often mistake Morpheus for Apollo, and the price that is paid for certain strokes of genius. The line of responsibility is drawn and care is given and when must boons be asked. It's just a really beautiful story and I dare anyone to not be disturbed or have at least one messed up dream after reading.
Yeah, not really sure if any of this makes sense at all, but I can hope that it does. Go out and get this book if you have read and enjoyed Sandman. And if you haven't read Sandman, then go out and find a copy of it now. It will change the way you see comic books forever.
But the main thing I wanted to say in this blog is the amazing skill that these authors have in exploring the dark corners of the mind and the messed up dreams and Sandman inspires. I mean, it really messed with my dreams in ways that nothing ever has before. But I was never able to draw anything useful, anything more from the dreams. I bow to those who can. The artists, the writers, those who are so much braver than I am.
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