The Little Endless Storybook

Jill Thompson’s The Little Endless Storybook builds upon the Little Endless she created for The Sandman story, “The Parliament of Rooks.” In this storybook, Barnabas, charged to look after Delirium, travels to the realms of the various Endless after Del wanders off. He travels from Destruction to Destiny to Despair on to Desire and Dream and finally Death, all the way gaining charms to help him. Thompson gorgeously paints the lush pages of each realms and the places Barnabas visited before, though Delirium, as her favorite, is the highlight of this volume, especially the nonsensical qualities of her realm. Some have suggested that this book serves as an introduction to The Sandman mythos for children and, while that may work, the show more story makes more sense as a tale within The Sandman universe told from Delirium’s point of view. It will particularly delight fans of Delirium, though there’s plenty here for all who love Neil Gaiman’s Sandman comics. show less

Thompson's delightful little adventure through the realms of the Endless to reunite Delerium and her puppy Barnabous is highly entertaining and absolutely adorable! It really doesn't get much cuter than the chibi versions of the Endless, and I'm really glad that Jill thompson took her accidental sketches into an entire book (now two). Sure, the plotline is a little trite and childish, but it's actually pretty good as a proper children's story (even though I'm sure that the actual audience is adult fans of the Sandman series).

"Once upon a time, in an ice-cream-colored realm, there lived a tiny princess named Delirium..."

And so starts the very endearing story of the youngest of Gaiman's The Endless who thought that she has "losted" her puppy Barnabas or as she is now calling him: "Mr. Losty MacLosty".

If you're a Deliriophile, this will rock your candy-colored inside-out boat made of popsicle sticks as you try out words that are "particularly crispy on the tongue, like twinkle and citrus."

Barnabas started searching for little Del and his search for her leads him to the realms of her siblings, who award him with vague advice and a charm from each of them.

The story is funny and appealing in itself, yet it incorporates enough insider jokes to gratify Sandman show more fans. Jill Thompson has managed to stay true to the feeling of the world of the Sandman comics, but at the same time produce a warm, cute fairy tale. A few pages at the end of the book are dedicated to explaining how the stories came about and relaying a few tidbits about the Little Endless dolls and figures.

Book Details:

Title The Little Endless Storybook
Author Jill Thompson; Neil Gaiman (Consultant)
Reviewed By Purplycookie show less

The artwork can be pretty, but personally I feel like Delirium needs to grow the fuck up. I mean, yeah she's the youngest of the Endless, but she's still at least tens of thousands of years old (if not millions?) and sometimes I feel that her insanity is just really overplayed sometimes.

Sure, this book is a nice addition to the Sandman collection and I own a hard copy of this, but I liked the second book in this series better than this one.

Summary: The Little Endless Storybooks are just that, children's storybooks, illustrated with lovely watercolors by Jill Thompson, that feature the kid versions of the Endless first featured in Sandman #40. In The Little Endless Storybook, Delirium has gotten lost, and it's up to her companion and guardian, the dog Barnabas, to find her. He visits each of her siblings in turn, but she's nowhere to be found!

Review: Aww, this was cute. I didn't realize before I got it that it really was a kids' storybook, rather than what I think of as a more regular graphic novel. It's pitched to kids in its language as well, although I don't know how much sense it'd make to someone who isn't already familiar with the Endless from the regular Sandman show more canon - which is decidedly not kids' stuff. The pictures are gorgeous and full of detail (and color, since Delirium is a major player), with plenty for both kids and adults to look at.

Most of the fun in this series, I think, is in the miniaturized versions of the Endless, in how they interact with each other, and how their interactions compare to those of their adult forms. (I think Little Destruction is my favorite, although I always wished he got more screen time in the canon versions as well.) The first book gives each of the Endless their own chance to shine, but they don't really interact with each other, which is a shame. In any case, it's a cute, lighthearted read, that made me really want to go back and re-read the Sandman proper. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Probably only for Sandman fans, the Little Endless Storybooks are nonessential but definitely fun additions to the collection. show less

Thompson's illustrations are charming, and it's clear that she put a lot of thought and work into this presentation (the "history of the Little Endless") kind of makes that clear. The recent Gaiman relevations have rather soured my nostalgia for this crew, and I was hoping that something lighthearted and Delirium-focused might help. Unfortunately, the focus is actually on Barnabas, little Delirium's doggy protector. Which is nice, as it gives us little Thompsonesque glimpses of the Endless' realms, but doesn't build any further understanding of any of the characters.

Despite having the usual Vertigo "Recommended for mature readers" warning on the back, this is essentially a children's picture book, about Barnabas, puppy of Delirium, the craziest of the Endless. With Delirium missing, Barnabas must journey between the realms of the different Endless in an attempt to locate her. Basically the whole thing is an excuse to see Jill Thompson draw all the Endless in her manga-esque style. It works. I liked her Destruction the best. (Surprisingly, the whole thing feels like it fits into continuity just fine, after "Brief Lives" but before "The Kindly Ones." Is there actually a break there?) It does show up how underdeveloped the realms of all the other Endless are compared to Dream's, though; all the other show more Endless seem to hang out by themselves!

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