I picked up Neverwhere, didn't really get into it, but I plan to finish it soon. Read Stardust in about two evenings and liked it generally, although nowhere near as much as American Gods and Anansi Boys.

American Gods failed to impress me. Can not say why, but I just did not.

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'We're all mad here. I'm mad, you're mad." [said the Cat.]
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "Or you wouldn't have come here."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland

I didn't mind it, but it was a lot more predicatable than Sandman...

I read the first book (volume, thingie, whatever) of Sandman, and wasn't too impressed until the very end, when Death showed up. She was cool.

I bought Anansi Boys but didn't get hooked so am waiting for the holidays and the right mood - it took about 6 years for the right mood for Captain Corelli's Mandolin to come along but I am glad it did. However I read the first couple of chapters of Septimus Heap last night and got hooked! I love that feeling, I hope it is a good book, I remember when I read the African Queen, I really liked the book until the end which I thought he just completely trashed, its like he got board! Grrr!

Anansi Boys you have to read a good way through before it starts to get really good. But then when you reread it, it's great all the way through. My opinion anyway…

Ah one of them is it, thats heartening to know cos I really want to like it, gives me something to look forwards to in the summer holidays!

The first volume of Sandman was largely experimental. They were not really sure what sort of graphic novel they wanted to make. After that it settles down a bit.

Some of the stories are a bit pointless though. A Game of You (I think that is what it is) for example I found uninteresting, except that it introduced a character that plays a fairly important part later.

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'We're all mad here. I'm mad, you're mad." [said the Cat.]
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "Or you wouldn't have come here."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland

I'm a little confused on the exact order they go in. On friend had me start reading one that involved Africa (I think) but I didn't get a chance to read more than a few pages. But later on a different friend had me read what she swore was the first volume, in which Dream is imprisoned and then has to go get his stuff back. Is that one the correct first book?

Yes. The series goes (courtesy of Wikipedia): [My comments in bold]

Preludes and Nocturnes (collecting The Sandman #1-8, 1988-1989, ISBN 1-56389-011-9): Dream is imprisoned for decades by an occultist seeking immortality. Upon escaping, he must reclaim his objects of power while still in a weakened state, confronting a dream junkie, the legions of Hell, and an all-powerful madman in the process. Guest starring several DC Universe characters including John Constantine, Scott Free, J'onn J'onzz, Scarecrow and Doctor Destiny.

I liked it. Set things up, but was a bit strange in style sometimes.... Like I said, it was experimental.

The Doll's House (collecting The Sandman #9-16, 1989-1990, ISBN 0-930289-59-5): Morpheus tracks down rogue dreams that escaped the Dreaming during his absence. In the process, he must shatter the illusions of a family living in dreams, disband a convention of serial killers, and deal with a "dream vortex" that threatens the existence of the entire Dreaming.

Also an interesting one. The "Cereal Convention" was interesting.

Dream Country (collecting The Sandman #17-20, 1990, ISBN 1-56389-016-X): This volume contains four independent stories. The imprisoned muse Calliope is forced to provide story ideas, a cat seeks to change the world with dreams, Shakespeare puts on a play for an unearthly audience, and a shape-shifting immortal (obscure DC comics character Element Girl) longs for death.

The Shakespeare one is really cool. Read that one if you do not read any others, it stands alone quite well. The cat one is also very much goodness.(:P)

Season of Mists (collecting The Sandman #21-28, 1990-1991, ISBN 1-56389-041-0): Dream travels to Hell to free a former lover, Nada, whom he condemned to torment thousands of years ago. There, Dream learns that Lucifer has abandoned his domain. When Lucifer gives the Hell's key (and therefore, the ownership of Hell) to the Sandman, Morpheus himself becomes trapped in a tangled network of threats, promises, and lies as gods and demons from various pantheons seek ownership of Hell.

This is fun and is the backstory of the Lucifer spinoff series.

A Game of You (collecting The Sandman #32-37, 1991-1992): Barbie, a New York divorcée, travels to the magical realm that she once inhabited in her dreams, only to find that it is being threatened by the forces of the Cuckoo. This series introduces the character of Thessaly, who will play a key role in Morpheus' eventual fate.

I felt this one was weaker than most of them. Only really important for Thessaly too.

Fables and Reflections (collecting The Sandman #29-31, 38-40, 50, Sandman Special #1 and Vertigo Preview #1, 1991, 1992, 1993): A collection of short stories set throughout Morpheus' history, most of them originally published both before and after the "Game of You" story arc. Four issues dealing with kings and rulers, were originally published under the label Distant Mirrors, while three others, detailing the meetings of various characters, were published as the Convergences arc. Fables and Reflections also includes the Sandman Special, originally published as a stand-alone issue, which assimilates the myth of Orpheus into the Sandman mythos as well as a very short Sandman story from the Vertigo Preview promotional comic.

Can not remember this one to be honest.... Think it had a good one about Baghdad though.

Brief Lives (collecting The Sandman #41-49, 1992-1993): Dream's erratic younger sister Delirium convinces him to help her search for their missing brother, the former Endless Destruction, who left his place among the "family" three hundred years before. However, their quest is marred by the death of all around them, and eventually Morpheus must turn to his son Orpheus to find the truth, and undo an ancient sin.

Plotwise important and quite interesting.

Worlds' End (collecting The Sandman #51-56, 1993): A "reality storm" strands travelers from across the cosmos at the "Worlds' End Inn". To pass the time, they exchange stories.

Largely unrelated but some good stuff.

The Kindly Ones (collecting The Sandman #57-69 and Vertigo Jam #1, 1994-1995): In the longest Sandman story, Morpheus becomes the prey of the Furies, avenging spirits who torment those who spill family blood.

Is more or less the end of the series. Pretty good all round.

The Wake (collecting The Sandman #70-75, 1995-1996): The conclusion of the series, wrapping up the remaining loose ends in a three-issue "wake" sequence, followed by three self-contained stories.

Just what it says.


Overall, I liked Sandman. Also, the episodic way of doing it fits well into a university timetable.

__________________________________
'We're all mad here. I'm mad, you're mad." [said the Cat.]
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "Or you wouldn't have come here."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland

Brief Lives was definitely my favorite... it had the most Delirium in it!

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Metaphors be with you!

I like Hob from the first time he is introduced. That was a really good story.

__________________________________
'We're all mad here. I'm mad, you're mad." [said the Cat.]
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "Or you wouldn't have come here."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland

I have just finished reading Chris Moore's "You Suck" and would suggest that if you haven't already got it, you should go into a bookshop and read a couple of pages, then buy it. Take it home, put it on a shelf, then go back to the bookshop and buy "Bloodsucking Fiends", cursing yourself for not getting both on your first trip *.

After you have read that one, read "You Suck". It is a sequel. It is readable as a stand alone, but will spoil the ending of the prequel if you read it first.

( * Of course when you get home for a second time, if you find that you already had that book, you will need to make a third trip to return your wrongly purchased extra copy. Don't blame me. Get your books into a better sequence or carry a list of them with you always.)

Vampire book? Vampires male almost anything cool.

If you like bad kung fu movies, a decent one is The Twins Effect.... It has vampires.

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'We're all mad here. I'm mad, you're mad." [said the Cat.]
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "Or you wouldn't have come here."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland

Thanks - I will search it out.

"Close Encounters of the Spooky Kind" features Sammo, but is not that brilliant. I never managed to understand what was going on in "Zu Warriors" (San suk saan kim hap) but it is very pretty and I think featured vampires, but I can't swear to that.

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My computer beat me at chess, but I won at kickboxing

Heehee, I have The Twins Effect II... Def worth a watch!

There is a sequel? Me wants....

__________________________________
'We're all mad here. I'm mad, you're mad." [said the Cat.]
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "Or you wouldn't have come here."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland

There is a sequel. I'm absolutely desperate to tell you, but I wont! lol.

With many lots of people enjoying genetic engineering and having designer babies and things such as this, I was me thinking we should design the Perfect Book, with the Perfect Characters and Perfect Plot and Perfect First Line and Perfect Last Line and Perfect page 203 and Perfect Twist and Perfect Love Affair and Perfect Fight.

So I am suggesting with Heathcliff romantic tragic hero from Wuthering Heights meeting Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov morally anguished protagonist from Crime and Punishment.

What would you add?

I would add a welcome to you, Niebla. Help yourself to pie. I am afraid both sweet and savoury are to the left today, unless you stand ton the other side of the table.

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My computer beat me at chess, but I won at kickboxing