The Sandman: The Kindly Ones

I'm still trucking along on my many years project of reading Sandman. I will state that since the allegations against the writer, reading them has lost luster a bit. Very sad. In this one, there are MANY plates spinning. I can't imagine reading each chapter within each book so separated in time if you don't have the big collection in front of you of Volume #9. So many characters revisiting from the past books, that it seems to become a bit of the point... to have all the characters reappear.... but maybe really that was the point of the books before this one... to introduce characters that would appear together in this book. The art in this collection is a little more abstract, I think, than previous books. Which makes me a bit less of show more a fan. The story was a complex glorious mess though. It will be interesting to see what happens in the final book.... show less

"Las Benévolas" es EL ARCO de Sandman. Todo lo que ha pasado, Lucifer abandonando el infierno, Loki y Puck escapando de sus mundos, la historia de Rose Walker, la captura de Sueño por Roderick Burgess, la vuelta a casa de Nuala, la muerte de Orfeo y, por supuesto, el destino de Daniel Hall, llega a su punto álgido de tensión. Por primera vez, Sueño tiene en frente a un contrincante peligroso, las Furias (aunque no quieren que les llamen así) y... bueno, no sale bien parado. Es la conclusión de cada hilo argumental que han tejido las Tres Mujeres a lo largo de nueve tomos, y es prácticamente perfecto.

Tenemos así respuestas a varias preguntas no resueltas, como el misterioso funeral celestial de "Worlds' End" e incluso quién el show more amorío que lleva a Sueño a su estado emo en "Brief Lives". Todo lo que pasa en estas páginas, la historia más larga de la saga, da forma a toda la narrativa anterior y casi hace que quiera darle cinco estrellas a algún recopilatorio pasado. Podría haber sido perfectamente el final, pero hay ciertas ganas de ver qué pasa a continuación, aunque girará alrededor de todo lo que acaba de pasar. Es maravilloso y supera a "Brief Lives", otro tomo excelente, con creces. show less

Who would have thought that it would come to this? Hippolyta Hall is PISSED off, but at the wrong person. However, what she does sets off a chain of events that will change the Dreaming forever. This is a really thick volume, and for a good reason, as it basically contains the whole Kindly Ones arc. The ending blew me away - but I am NOT going to tell you what happens, as this story is just too good to spoil! Enjoy!

This one is probably the one that I love the most, but not because of the quick pace, the literary references, the art, or the final act. Or maybe it's because (or not because) of all of it.

No spoilers, but the furies can be a real bitch, and so is their puppet.

Then again, who's really pulling the strings?

This one brought me to tears both times I read it. It sneaks up on you. Even when you know it's coming from the previous volume's foreshadowing, it still sneaks up on you and you expect something else to occur and yet... it was always to be, wasn't it?

Fuck you, Destiny.
Fuck you to hell.

Oh my. I might be getting a little carried away with my emotions a little.

Wow. I just finished The Sandman Volume 9: The Kindly Ones and my mind is still in a whirl. Don’t let the title fool you, this volume is one of the darkest yet. Except for the side story of Delirium searching for her lost dog which was charming, the rest of the book took us to the depths of Dreaming.

Reviewing this volume is difficult without putting spoilers in, but rest assured that Neil Gaiman has brought his series full circle. This is the thickest volume in the series and the pace is exceedingly fast, but the chaotic story is both a nod to the past and a path to the future. Be ready to get reacquainted with just about every character that ever graced a Sandman tale. The way these characters are brought back and fit seamlessly into show more the story is incredible and a nice reward for those of us who have followed the story from the beginning.

I felt that in this issue many threads from previous volumes were laced together but in true Gaiman style, there are still unanswered questions and avenues to explore. The Kindly Ones augments the legend and assures the reader that the dream continues. show less

I hereby declare Sandman a part of me; so whoever loves Sandman loves me.


Wasn't it really inevitable, that the story of Dream had to end this way? I knew what was coming at every step I took towards the end of the story, and yet I read on.

And Gaiman didn't disappoint. It was not some grand battle, it was like how a fire dies, little by little till you cannot remember where.

Still, I loved the little moments of artistry, where the writing touches your heart and kills you at the same time. It was like being granted love and having it taken away - it's hard on you but, you would go through it all over again.

Neil Gaiman's The Sandman reaches its zenith in The Kindly Ones, in which Morpheus, the Lord of the Dreaming, comes to grips with the events that precipitated the entire series. Gaiman returns to many of the side characters that have populated his world, weaving their stories back into that of Morpheus even as the Kindly Ones (or the Furies or the Fates) weave lives. The denouement transcends the previous stories to create something both new and familiar. The artwork feeds the story just as much as Gaiman's writing, with powerful visuals that subtly illustrate ever-building tension leading to the inevitable climax.