Product Description

This collection of stories in comic strip form includes an interpretation of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream", alongside "Calliope", "A Dream of a Thousand Cats" and "Facade". Also included is the annotated script for "Calliope", showing the process behind creating a comic-book.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2201 in Books
• Published on: 1992-06-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
"Wake up, sir. We're here". It's a simple enough opening line--although not many would have guessed back in 1991 that this would lead to one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comics of the second half of the century.

In Preludes and Nocturnes, Neil Gaiman weaves the story of a man interested in capturing the physical manifestation of Death but who instead captures the King of Dreams. By Gaiman's own admission there's a lot in this first collection that is awkward and ungainly--which is not to say there are not frequent moments of greatness here. The chapter "24 Hours" is worth the price of the book alone; it stands as one of the most chilling examples of horror in comics. And let's not underestimate Gaiman's achievement of personifying Death as a perky, overly cheery, cute goth girl! All in all, there is a roguish breaking of new ground in this book which is preferable to the often dull precision of the concluding volumes of the Sandman series. --Jim Pascoe

Review
Entertainment Weekly, October 17 2003: " After seven years, the Sandman triumphantly returns."; Go! Essex Chronicle, W/e November 12 2004, review by Matt Adams: "Gaiman has definitely not lost his touch on the series that made his name."; Sunday Mercury (Birmingham) 6 February 2005 : " ...a classic collection of fantasy tales with stunning illustrative work by a host of top artists..."

Go! Essex Chronicle, week ending November 12 2004, review by Matt Adams
"Gaiman has definitely not lost his touch on the series which made his name..."

Customer Reviews

Gorgeous.
This is the one that hooked me on Sandman. I now have almost everything Gaiman has ever written. So this was a good starting point for me. There is a large portion of the book devoted to the script for Calliope, which is probably annoying if you are a first-time reader of Sandman, but brilliant if you're an obbsessive, like me! There are four short stories, each of which is a fine example of why Gaiman has become so famous now. My personal favourite is 'Calliope' which reveals a few things about Morpheus, the Sandman of the title. If you're a first time reader of Gaiman's graphic work, then I'd start off with 'Preludes and Nocturnes', the first in the series, but if you've already read his work, you won't be disappointed. I only direct you to the first in the series because its annoying to read things backwards, and once you've read a bit of 'The Sandman' you'll read all of it. I guarantee.

Brilliant, beautiful, and a just little disappointing
The ten collected volumes of "The Sandman" are about as good as graphic fiction can get. In this volume, Neil Gaiman returns to the key characters, and gives us seven self-contained stories illustrated by well-known artists, each dealing with one of the Endless. I was hoping that Gaiman would fill in some important gaps in the series; for instance how Delight became Delirium, how the first incarnation of Despair was killed, the exact circumstances of Destruction's decision to leave: no such luck! However the individual stories are often superb.
The "Dream" story is brilliant and beautifully realised; anyone who has an interest in the series will need this story. Desire's tale is, inevitably, darkly erotic and well-illustrated. The "Death" story is competent, but not spectacular. The "Despair" section is highly experimental, pushing the bounds of graphic fiction, it is horrible, but compulsive; just don't read this section if your feeling low. Delirium's story is wild and strange and confusing at first reading; what would you expect when the only sane characters are a talking dog and a loquacious crow? The artwork here is by Bill Sienkewicz, who I remember from his work on Elektra in the late 80's. He has lost none of his skill and it's hard to imagine any other artist doing justice to this tale. Lots of big, swirly, water-colour-style images bring the story vividly to life.
The Destruction story is a disappointment; I really couldn't see the point of it, maybe I need to read it again. The final section "Destiny", is blessed with some spectacular images, but isn't really a story.
In summary: one essential story "Dream"; three very good ones "Desire", "Delirium", "Despair"; two pretty good ones "Death", "Destiny"; one puzzling disappointment "Destruction".
If you are a fan you need this volume; if you are a newcomer, this isn't the place to start.

A Good start to a Brilliant series.
Preludes and Noctures is more than just a story, it is a setting, more than anything it gives you background and a notion of who Morpheus (Sandman) is. Maybe because of that it lacks in the pure storytelling other parts of the sandman saga have. This book has useful information and if you are just starting in the world of Sandman it is where you should start, but remember, after this one comes better stuff.