The Doll's House is the second in Gaiman's Sandman series, after Preludes and Nocturnes, and I must say I am now hooked. I did enjoy the first novel, but I didn't feel that burning need to read the second - the true mark that I am not totally in love with a series. The Doll's House, on the other hand, I was sad to finish, and I'm already planning on heading to Barnes and Noble to pick up the next two graphic novels in the series...probably today.

Many times when I read something I deem creepy, it's in a sporadic, silly, or disgusting way, but not this novel. Gaiman sets a creepy tone and maintains it throughout the entire story. The pictures accompanying the text - this is afterall a graphic novel - do nothing the diminish this tone. I never found myself smiling at a ridiculous image. When I did smile, for there is humor, it was not a this-is-funny type of grin; it was more an amused but horrified grimace.

The plot involves interweaving stories which simultaneously focus on Dream, one of the Endless and if I'm not mistaken, the main character in the series, and Rose Walker, the focus of this book in the series. Rose, unknowingly and mistakenly, is a dream vortex. The Doll's House is her story. And yet, it is a continuation of Dream's story begun in Preludes and Nocturnes. I find myself wanting to say so much more and yet any type of plot summary, in my mind, is a spoiler. I don't even read the backs of novels before reading the story itself. Suffice it to say, the plot is complex, surreal, and most importantly, interesting. ( )

http://books.moonsoar.com/archives/20... ( )

Continuing with many of the same themes brought to us in volume one of the Sandman series, Neil Gaiman introduces the twins in The Doll's House. Having already become well acquainted with Dream, spent one story with Death and briefly mentioned Destiny, only four of the Endless were left unknown to the reader and DH brings us a little closer to understanding both Despair and Desire.

DH also introduces many other characters that will later show up in different stories, weaving intricate patterns into the fabric of Sandman. DH claims four stars and is well worth a read wether or not you've read PN (although, like I've said, I strongly recommend that Sandman be read in completion). As an individual story, I very much enjoy reading (and re-reading) Men of Good Fortune. It's a simple story in which we meet one of the humans who has been granted immortality. I like it because it shows that, with a willingness to live, nothing is too difficult to be overcome. ( )

Not, overall, among my favourites from the Sandman volumes, but it does a nice job setting up a lot of circumstances that will come back later on in the series. Highlights include the introduction of Hob Gadling (one of the most intriguing characters in the series) and the disturbingly witty way Gaiman handles a convention of serial killers.

This is where the Sandman series really hits its stride. The Doll's House story line is entertaining, horrifying and amusing at the same time, and the stand-alone 'Men of good Fortune' is a wonderful interlude. The art work remains distinctive with its muted tones and shades. Excellent. ( )