Product Description

From Neil Gaiman's award-winning Sandman series comes the longest story arc in Gaiman's extraordinary saga of the Endless. This is the story of the search for the Sandman's long missing brother, Destruction, and of the consequences of that endeavour. The great quest begins when Delirium, the youngest of the Endless family, prevails upon her brother Dream (the Sandman), to help her find her missing sibling. Their travels take them through the world of the waking until a final confrontation with the missing member of the Endless and the resolution of The Sandman's painful relationship with his son, Orpheus, change the Endless forever.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9720 in Books
• Published on: 1994-12-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Customer Reviews

If this ain't literature...
For me, The Sandman is the finset work of comics literature we've yet seen, and "Brief Lives" is my favourite story from the run. Let me tell you why.

Neil Gaiman was once asked to summarize The Sandman in one sentance, and his reply went something like this:
"The Lord of Dreams learns that he must change or die, and he makes his decision"
Brief Lives is a road trip, and such tales are essentially about self-discovery. What Dream discovers about himself in this story, as he travels the waking world in the company of his youngest sister, the adorable, fizzy princess Delirium, is two-fold.

The first thing he learns is that life and change are inseperable. Dream is travelling with Delirium, who embodies Change, in search if their absentee brother Destruction, who quit his position 300 years ago. Delirium wants to see her most beloved brother again, and find out why he left. Dream is just looking for some distraction after the end of his latest doomed romance. The answers they find say more about Dream's emotional immaturity, his inability to change and his stubborn obsession with his duties as Lord of Dreams, than he is comfortable with hearing.

Which leads us to the second thing Dream learns; that his duty to his work is far less important than his duty to the ones he loves and who love him, and to his own heart. This understanding leads Dream to a course of action that is at once the finest act of kindness and mercy we have seen him perform (at a huge emotional cost to himself), but which has enormous consequences in later stories.

Throughout the story, Neil Gaiman's writing shines. His grasp of character, story and dialogue has never been better. The underlying themes of his magnum opus come into focus as it turns towards the home strait, and I for one was left breathless.

I can't finish this review without mentioning the artwork. Jill Thompson is one of my favourite comics artists, as well as a fine writer in her own right. Her work in this book sparkles and crackles with energy, but also has the depth to portray the many and varied moods of the tale convincingly. She is the perfect illustrator for Delirium, and my choice for top Sandman artist.

Kudos also to Danny Vozzo, one of the finest colourists in the medium, who does some of his finest work here, especially the vibrant, candied palette he uses for Delirium.

Neil Gaiman at His best.
This book is Focused around Delirium and Strangely Dream. It features ALL of The Endless including Destruction. Brief Lives follows Delirium and Dream's search for their brother~Destruction who left his realm 300yrs ago. Not only does it follow THEIR search it lets us see what Destruction is doing with his life, which includes a talking dog called Barnabas.It shows how Delirium shuts off her realm to the other Endless and how Destruction leaves this world.Delirium in this story is quite well... Delirius. She destroys the life of a Police Officer by making him feel invisible bugs all over his body.(That part of the story is a favourite of mine)I recommend this Sandman book because it has one of the best story lines of the Sandman Comics I have read.

Much better than just 5 stars.
This is the best of the large story arcs in 'The Sandman'. We learn so much about Dream (The Sandman) and the other main charcaters, especially Delirium, whom everyone is charmed by. It is not a particularly happy book, especially in light of the end of the series, as it is the turning point. Dream is forced / lets himself be led into a series of actions which can eventually have only one ending. But it is brilliantly written. The illustration is beautiful, personally my favourite depiction of Dream and Delirium of all the series. It's just... right. There aren't many things which I would say that about. Like the little girl on the plane says who talks to Dream, Gaiman tells you true things.