The Sandman; vol. 4: Season of Mists

The fourth book in The Sandman Chronicles, Season of Mists picks up where the second volume, The Doll's House left off, continuing the story of Dream and his siblings. Unlike the previous books, Season of Mists focuses mostly on immortals (or those close to it) rather than mortals. Only one of the chapters of the book even took place on earth, and that was dealing with the dead, not the living. Because of this slightly different format, Season of Mists introduced a lot of rather colorful characters. Some were the relatively familiar faces of Norse, Egyptian, and Eastern gods, angels, and demons, while others were new characters, delightful and colorful in their own way. I particularly liked the contrast of Order and Chaos and, of course, the faeries, but that was a given to anyone who knows me at all. I promise, though, I won't dwell on them here. I love Nuala, but in Season of Mists she really plays a very small roll. The central plot of Season of Mists is the abandonment of Hell. Lucifer closes it, turning out all the souls, and then gives the key to Dream to do with as he will. This, naturally proves far more complicated than it originally seems. Most of the story is concerned with the direct repercussions of this, particularly among the (relatively) immortal creatures of mythology. The result was one of the most fun chapters I've read in a long time-the chapter where they all come and present their cases to Dream, trying to win Hell for themselves. The interactions were entertaining, and the different ways that they tried to persuade Dream to give them the key to Hell, along with their reasons for wanting it and plans for it, were as varied and entertaining as they are. I have to admit, that I was a little disappointed with the ultimate decision, and I wish that I could have known who Dream would have chosen if no one had interceded, but I do admit that the decision that was reached was the only one that could be reached. It did, however, raise an interesting point when Hell was given to its new owners and re-populated. I'm not sure that I agree that it's worse to be tortured to be redeemed and made a better person than it is to be tortured for no reason, but I can see how, with eternal torment, this might be the case. It is, after all, easier to bear unpleasant things if you can be righteously angry about them. Woven in with the main story of the "battle" for Hell, was a secondary plot line. It was, for a while, seemingly forgotten once the key to Hell was handed over to Dream, but Gaiman did not forget about it, and the conclusion to that was even more satisfying, in my opinion, than the conclusion to the main story. I was glad that Nada was not forgotten in all the distractions. I know that there is more to Season of Mists than I've gotten out of it, but I've only read it once and, like the other books in The Sandman, it is one that must be read multiple times in order to be fully appreciated. It is also a book I hope to return to s

Neil Gaiman's artistic exploration of sin and redemption in Sandman: Season of Mists is a wonderful example of the literary excellence that can be achieved with a graphic novel format. Gaiman blends traditional literary techniques, surreal art, and evocative storytelling in order to create a unique work of literature.Sandman is a seventy-five issue comic book series which follows Morpheus, a divine being known also as Sandman, as he explores the dreams of humanity and deals with other divine creatures in order to better understand mankind. Season of Mists, the third story arc in the series, begins with the Sandman, Lord of Dreams, journeying into Hell in order to forgive a woman he condemned nearly ten thousand years ago. Things quickly become complicated, however, when Lucifer decides to resign as king of Hell, and leaves the Sandman with the key to his kingdom. As the story progresses, the Sandman finds himself debating what to do with an empty Hell, as well as contemplating what it would mean to forgive the woman he condemned.Gaiman writes the above story in a poetic narrative that incorporates a variety of literary techniques. The divine beings the Sandman encounters speak in an almost musical pattern that uses a lot of alliteration, and one scene, in which the Sandman speaks to a group of historical writers, is even written completely in iambic pentameter. The style works extremely well, since it also serves as an allusion to the poetic works of Shakespeare (who even makes a brief appearance in the tale), Dante's Divine Comedy, and John Milton's poem Paradise Lost, all of which are classic literary works that explore similar themes of sin and redemption.The majority of Gaiman's literary techniques, however, are incorporated into the story through the art. Most of the figurative language, such as metaphors, allusions, and imagery are made literal by the visible depictions of characters and locations. In one scene, all the divine beings the Sandman encounters are each drawn according to the art styles of the cultures from which they originate. In another scene, we see the horrors occurring at a boarding school for troubled boys. Flip back a few pages to the depiction of Hell, and the similarities between the two locations become clear. Most effective, however, is the scene in which Lucifer congratulates God on the beauty of a sunset. The painting which accompanies the statement conveys that beauty far more effectively than words ever could.Neil Gaiman's Sandman: Season of Mists is a fantastical and intelligent tale that belongs in any literary collection.

_Season of Mists_ (volume 4 of 10) isn't my favorite installment in the Sandman series, but it's a very good one. The story is exciting, cool, and intelligent, as expected, and the ending made me cry. I like the way this story introduces some important themes (like the beginning of the change in Dream's character, Lucifer abandoning Hell...) which you probably won't see the significance of until much later. There's always more to discover...The only thing I don't like about this story is the art. While the prologue and epilogue are very well drawn, and the interlude is okay, Kelly Jones, who drew the rest of the story, is my least favorite Sandman artist. In one panel Dream grins like a chimpanzee. Death is just weird, and bears almost no physical resemblance to her usual self. And what happened to the Lucifer from issue 4? He was cool, but I don't like the way he looks now. BUT...none of this should impact your enjoyment of the story. Can't judge by appearances, and all that, yes? Season of Mists remains one of the best Sandman story arcs (aren't they all). And *you* may like the art; some people consider it the best in the series. I just don't, that's all. Definitely, whether you're new to Gaiman or already a fan, pick up Season of Mists; you're in for a really great read.

Upon my first reading of this story of The Sandman series, i was struck by how simply and profoundly Gaiman interwove so many mythologies, all the while writing the most original modern myth of our time -- dare i say _all_ time -- something that a dust cover blurb would say "if William Blake and Mark Twain colaborated on the story of what Lucifer is doing these days..." Everything from the Angels, Duma and Remiel (quite wonderful choices -- check out G. Davidson's "Dictionary of Angels" for how accurate!), to the enraged expelled demons, Azazel and company, and the self-admitted profound absence of the Greek dieties. With each successive reading, i found these threads are strung together into an amazing story of what might happen should the Ruler of Hell abdicate. Told through the perspective (and responsibility) of the Prince of Stories, the Lord Shaper Morpheus himself. i found this to be a as great a starting point as any for the series, if for no other reason, because of the wondrous introduction of Dream and his family, The Endless. The resolution of plot and every subplot, is quite tasty, and having Lucifer acknowledge the beauty of sunsets that The Creator (and his nemesis) provides daily, gives me chills just to think of it. And the bookended cliche phrases of "Once Upon A Time" and "Happily Ever After. In Hell." Give this esoteric mythos tale the finishing air of mundanity (?) that place it within the realm of each and every one of us. Aside from being my own personal favorite longer story within the series, it is in my opinion, the best. ["The Kindly Ones" would be a close second.]

All of the Endless (Except one) sit down for a nice family dinner given by Destiny. As is prone to happen at family dinners, arguments happen and old wounds are reopened. Desire makes Dream feel remorse for banishing a woman to Hell because she chose not to love him. Dream decided he was wrong in his actions that took place some 2,000 years ago (The entire story is contained in the prologue to Doll's House).Dream sets out to Hell to free Nada. However, once he arrives there, he finds Lucifer closing up and moving on. He has decided not to rule Hell anymore and gives the Key to Hell to Dream. This is where the story really begins...The research that Neil, put into this series is fantastic! He takes pieces from virtually every religion and mythology in the world and stirs them up in his own special Sandman stew. Once word gets around that Dream is now ruler of Hell, many assorted deities (such as Odin and Thor of the Norse Gods, faeries, assorted demons, etc.) plead their case that Dream should give them the key to Hell. Seeing the various characters interact with each other is the most interesting part of this complex story. The ending (which I won't give away) is very surprising, yet it makes sense. The art for these issues is terrific and the characters are equally great. This series contains the first appearences of Despair, Delirium, Lucifer, and Nuala all of whom would become major players in the series.