The Sandman

Sandman Audible Original #1

by Dirk Maggs (Adapter), Neil Gaiman

Hailed by the Los Angeles Times Magazine as "the greatest epic in the history of comic books," The Sandman changed the game with its dark, literary world of fantasy and horror—creating a global, cultural phenomenon in the process. At long last, Audible and DC present the first-ever audio production of The New York Times best-selling series written by acclaimed storyteller Neil Gaiman (who also serves as co-executive producer). Adapted and directed by multi-award-winner (and frequent Gaiman collaborator) Dirk Maggs, and performed by an ensemble cast with James McAvoy (It, Parts one and two, X-Men: First Class, Split) in the title role, this first installment of a multi-part original audio series will transport you to a world that re-writes the rules of audio entertainment the way that The Sandman originally re-defined the graphic novel.

When The Sandman, also known as Lord Morpheus—the immortal king of dreams, stories and the imagination—is pulled from his realm and imprisoned on Earth by a nefarious cult, he languishes for decades before finally escaping. Once free, he must retrieve the three "tools" that will restore his power and help him to rebuild his dominion, which has deteriorated in his absence. As the multi-threaded story unspools, The Sandman descends into Hell to confront Lucifer (Michael Sheen), chases rogue nightmares who have escaped his realm, and crosses paths with an array of characters from DC comic books, ancient myths, and real-world history, including: Inmates of Gotham City's Arkham Asylum, Doctor Destiny, the muse Calliope, the three Fates, William Shakespeare (Arthur Darvill), and many more.

A powerhouse supporting cast helps translate this masterwork into a sonic experience worthy of its legacy, including Riz Ahmed, Kat Dennings, Taron Egerton, Samantha Morton, Bebe Neuwirth, Andy Serkis, and more. Setting the stage for their performance is an unprecedented cinematic soundscape featuring an original musical score by British Academy Award winner James Hannigan. Fans will especially revel in a new twist for the audio adaptation: Neil Gaiman himself serves as the narrator. Follow him as he leads listeners along a winding path of myths, imagination and, often, terror. Even in your wildest dreams, you’ve never heard anything like this.

This first installment of the audio series The Sandman adapts volumes 1-3 of the graphic novel series (Preludes & Nocturnes, The Doll’s House, and Dream Country).

Genres: Fantasy, Audiobook, Fiction, Horror, Graphic Novels, Comics, Mythology

12 pages, Audible Audio

First published July 15, 2020

About the author

Dirk Maggs, a freelance writer and director working across all media, is principally known for his work in radio, where he evolved radio drama into "Audio Movies," a near-visual approach combining scripts, layered sound effects, cinematic music and cutting edge technology. He pioneered the use of Dolby Surround in BBC Radio. He was among the first nominees for the Directors Guild of Great Britain Outstanding Achievement in Radio Award, and in 2005 he was invited to become one of the first Honorary Fellows of the University of Winchester for his work in the dramatic arts.

From 2003 to 2005, Maggs produced new episodes of Douglas Adams' science fiction comedy series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, adapted from the novels based on the original radio series that Adams wrote. The books that Maggs adapted were written after the radio series ended its original run.

He co-founded Perfectly Normal Productions Ltd (PNP) with Paul Weir and Richard Adams to create compelling high quality popular audio drama in serialized form for delivery to personal digital players and cell phones.

Early in his career Dirk became known for directing adaptations of comic book storylines. He started in 1988 with the 50th Anniversary Man Of Steel docudrama Superman on Trial, carried on with a 50th birthday tribute to the Dark Knight: Batman: The Lazarus Syndrome. This was followed by The Adventures Of Superman, Batman: Knightfall, The Amazing Spider-Man and his final BBC Radio superhero series, Judge Dredd in 1995. Along the way his production of Superman: Doomsday and Beyond ("Superman Lives" in the USA) won the 1994 Audie Award for Best Dramatisation from the American Booksellers Association and Spoken Word Audio of The Year from Publishers Weekly.

Reviews

[Lyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much fun!

I’m a huge fan of audiobooks, I listen to them all the time – more than music or podcasts, but not so much a full cast production. So I was a little hesitant to start this Audible original. But I loved the Sandman comics and graphic novels, really enjoy most anything by Neil Gaiman and am also a DC comics fan. So off I went.

The music, sound effects and multiple players added to the enjoyment of this production. Many talented voice actors and all delivering Gaiman’s splendidly surreal art.

I especially loved the many references to DC comic characters and am again enamored with the Sandman universe being connected to the larger DC universe.

Probably best for fans, this is still an exceptional work that most listeners of this genre will appreciate.

[Choko · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** 4.35 ***

"...“What power would hell have if those imprisoned here would not be able to dream of heaven?”
― Neil Gaiman, Preludes & Nocturnes..."

This is a very moody read for sure. It has those bleak and dark overtones, which I kind of expected, but it is a bit more... surreal than I thought. However, I am really liking the audio adaptation and can't wait to see what happens... It is like a series of short stories and it is easy going. I am planning on checking out the comic books too

"...“I only have two kinds of dreams: the bad and the terrible. Bad dreams I can cope with. They're just nightmares, and the end eventually. I wake up. The terrible dreams are the good dreams. In my terrible dreams, everything is fine. I am still with the company. I still look like me. None of the last five years ever happened. Sometimes I'm married. Once I even had kids. I even knew their names. Everything's wonderful and normal and fine. And then I wake up, and I'm still me. And I'm still here. And that is truly terrible.”
― Neil Gaiman, Preludes & Nocturnes..."

Very psychedelic:):):):):) I enjoyed it and am interested if they make more of the series into audio. Loved that there were so many different little stories, and still there were common threads... The one with the Muse was very disturbing. I think my favorite one was about Rose Walker and her brother... I loved the one with the cats also. I really enjoyed most of them, some more than others. Glad I got to read them:)

"...“We don't have a clue what's really going down, we just kid ourselves that we're in control of our lives while a paper's thickness away things that would drive us mad if we thought about them for too long play with us, and move us around from room to room, and put us away at night when they're tired, or bored.”
― Neil Gaiman, The Doll's House..."

I recommend it to all fans of Gaiman and DC Comics:)

"...“I'm not blessed, or merciful. I'm just me. I've got a job to do, and I do it. Listen: even as we're talking, I'm there for old and young, innocent and guilty, those who die together and those who die alone. I'm in cars and boats and planes; in hospitals and forests and abbatoirs. For some folks death is a release, and for others death is an abomination, a terrible thing. But in the end, I'm there for all of them.”
― Neil Gaiman, Dream Country..."

[Dawn F · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uuuuggg, four or five stars? How to judge! This masterfully rewritten, directed and crafted full cast audio version of the first Sandman comics (I’ve lent my first four to a friend so I can’t actually check if it’s two or three books) is so well done productionwise that it earns it five stars right there.

My reason for wanting to rate it four stars is that it doesn’t reach the brilliance of the actual comics. My main and personal complaint is all the dramatic, descriptive music, but such is this media I suppose. Reading the comics was a much calmer, and preferable experience, imo, where I was able to dwell on pages and images and facial expressions and let that move me. I couldn’t really be moved in that way here, with this dramatized reading. I did laugh out loud a few times, though, especially Taron Egerton’s Constantine was all kinds of lovable. The whole cast is brilliant for sure.

I’d always recommend the comics first and foremost, they’re a far more emotive, reflecting and wholesome experience, but as a whole the transference from comic to audio could not possibly have been better, so I have to grant it those five stars. Well done to everyone involved, and I look forward to the next part.

[Ꮗ€♫◗☿ ❤️ ilikebooksbest.com ❤️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome Full Cast Audiobook Adaptation of the DC Comic Series!



The following ratings are out of 5:
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Story/Plot: 📕📗📙📘📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌍🌏
Character development: 😤😥😊🤩😘

This was a full cast audiobook, including sound effects, background music and various famous actors and actresses as the cast of characters. It was written by Neil Gaimon and adapted and directed by Dirk Maggs. The Sandman is based on the DC Comic books and is soon to be a Netflix series. It definitely had the dark eeriness that exists in a lot of the DC comics, especially Batman and contained a lot of DC characters such as John Constantine, Dr. Destiny and more.

The number of characters in this one was huge and each was (or at least seemed to be voiced by different people), most notably James McAvoy as Dream (a.k.a Lord Morpheus; a.k.a. The Sandman), Kat Dennings as Death, Michael Sheen as Lucifer Morningstar, Riz Ahmed as The Corinthian, John Lithgow as Emporer Joshua Norton, David Tennant as Loki and so many more. It was definitely the most enjoyable audiobook I have listened to. If only all audiobooks were full cast audiobooks with music and background noise, they might just be worth the price charged for them.

There were characters from myth and legend (like Morpheus, Orpheus, Thessaly), Norse Gods (like Thor, Odin, Loki), Angels and Demons (including Death, Lucifer, Azazel), the DC comic world and many others including William Shakespeare. Of course I liked some of the characters much more than others, Dream, Death, John Constantine and Loki were my favorites as well as a few others.

The story started with a cult that wanted to summon and control Death so that they could change the world they mistakenly summon Dream instead and they imprison him for something like 70 years. They take the tools of his trade (source of his powers) including a ruby which holds parts of himself, a pouch of dreaming sand, the helmet of dreams which was crafted from the bones and spine of old gods.

The tools were lost and stolen over the years Morpheus was imprisoned and when he finally escapes he has to go and collect them to get his power back and restore his realm, which has been withering during his years away. The plot goes further as the book goes on and we see Morpheus throughout time. I don’t want to say more about the plot but to say it is interesting and the characters (and voices) make it an awesome listen. I can’t wait to see the first season on Netflix and compare. I did purchase the next audiobook, though I may wait to listen to it until just before the next season of the show on Netflix.

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[james · Rating 5 out of 5]

not sure i understood anything but i respect the grind

[Kerri · Rating 5 out of 5]

The announcement of this Audible adaptation of The Sandman was what finally nudged me into giving Audible a go (a good decision so far) but prior to its release I decided that I wanted to read the series in it's entirety before I started this, something that I think worked well for me. I still have my own interpretations of the characters, but this builds beautifully on that. I would have listened to this faster, but certain chapters I would delay -- for example, I made a point to listen to 24 Hours during the day, when I had time to shake it off a bit. It was brilliant but awful, not something that I wanted to be playing in my head right before I was trying to get to sleep!

James McAvoy was superb. Dream has become yet another iconic character he has perfectly captured. I also really liked Kat Dennings' take on Death. Riz Ahmed as the Corinthian was almost too good. Creepy as hell without overdoing it. The more I listened, the more he got under my skin. I did not enjoy the eating sound effects-- already a sound I dislike, but add to that the all too clear mental image of the Corinthian's choice of food and it was almost unbearable. That's a compliment in this context! Collectors was one of my my favourite issues, and I loved (yet hated) listening to it.

I also thought Neil Gaiman's narration was wonderful.

I'm incredibly pleased to see they will be continuing with this, with the second being released later this year.

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recently, I have become fascinated by the comparisons of the mediums of comics and audiobooks. When a graphic novel is adapted to an audioplay, it makes for an interested mixture of visuals in one's mind with listening to actors playing out the story.

Audible's high-quality version of the classic Neil Gaiman fantasy series Sandman, is the ultimate adaptation in this regard. Dirk Maggs has done an exceptional job of turning every single story into another medium with real voices bringing this epic to life.

On that front, the main criticism seems to be that he was too faithful to the source material. Pretty much everything that happened in those issues happens exactly the same. It's all canon.

To be honest, though I love Sandman, I have always felt that the first book 'Preludes and Nocturnes' makes for a slow start. The primary problem is that Gaiman didn't quite know what his opus was going to be yet; it is sometimes more horror than fantasy for example. The worst sin of all is that it takes place in the DC Universe. It's one thing to take up obscure horror/fantasy elements from old comics, which often fits well (Destiny, Kirby's Sandman, anthology hosts Cain and Abel...), and it's another thing to start name-dropping the Justice League and a special appearance by the Martian Manhunter.

The latter doesn't work, and I wish it wasn't included in this edition. But it's canon, it's there, and it's as well done as possible all things considering.

That said, Sandman truly becomes a masterpiece by the time Death shows up and the complex Doll's House storyline begins. The acting, the sound effects, all exceptional storytelling that shows Gaiman's scriptwriting is perfect in any medium.

It also behooves me to mention the last chapter is A Midsummer Night's Dream from Sandman # 19, the tale that won the World Fantasy Award in 1991. Leaving on that note leaves the listener satisfied and makes up for any early bumps along the way...

Lastly, James McAvoy's Dream of the Endless isn't whispery voice I imagined but that's okay. There are many interpretations and his bold kingly take is eminently valid. There's also Neil himself who narrates much of the exposition, he has a nice voice and is experienced at public readings but I'd still like it if they hired another announcer. Still that's the fun of reading a book and seeing the movie--exploring another take of a well-crafted story! All versions still count.

I certainly hope they continue these until the end of the entire saga

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very satisfying.

Mind you, I've read the comics several times through, so I was apprehensive about how well it would have transformed into an audiobook format.

Fortunately, it worked brilliantly. I'm sure it required a great deal of re-imagining for the format, but this should come as no surprise since it will soon come out as a TV SERIES!!!!

Wooo!

But back to the story. This only takes on the narrative through the Midsummer Night's Tale. We can all expect more, later.

Just imagine.

The lord of stories, of narrative, of dream.

For all of you who have never read the comics and think you might like to get introduced to this?

Definitely. Listen away. It only gives you a taste of the full tale, but it's very, very fun.

[Michelle F · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chantal is having a relationship with a sentence. Just one of those things. A chance meeting that grew into something important for the both of them.

Solidly satisfying adaptation of one of my favourite graphic novels! This was a delightful way to revisit Dream.

This first volume tells, mostly, the tale of Morpheus (the powerful personification of dream) after he escapes a decades-long captivity. He must, in a quest-type fashion, regain his objects of power, muster his strength, and begin setting the long neglected Dreaming back into order. It is dark and gritty and so much fun.

While I generally feel that nothing could match the original graphic novel presentation, Gaiman and the team involved clearly put a huge amount of careful effort into this iteration and it shows. I'd absolutely recommend it all around (to adult audiences), and most especially for curious readers who don't love comics.

So very pleased to have this in my audiobook collection.

[Char · Rating 5 out of 5]

This audio was so much fun!

It's done in episodes with a full cast production. There is music and sound effects here and there. I would recommend reading the graphic novels first, but even if you didn't, there's still a lot here, something for everyone.

Highly recommended!

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I'm a fan, I'm a FAN (meaning I can read the same story several times and enjoy reading it in different formats). And Gaiman's The Sandman certainly is a series to gush over. Sure, the art of the graphic novels often is downright ugly, but it somehow grows on you and usually fits the story. So when I heard that there would be an audiobook adaptation, I was simultaneously elated and dubious. Why dubious? Well, the story is agraphic novel - Gaiman thought it out and designed it as one so it was written in a way that the story is told half through Gaimans wonderful wordsmithery and half through the art. But in an audiobook, you don't have any art. Hm.

In the end, what won me over was also the impressive cast that had a few of my favourite actors playing key roles - and Gaiman himself being the narrator.

And let me tell you that it was absolutely worth it! This first part encompasses the first 4 volumes of comics so there will be more (yay). We are introduced to Morpheus, see him live through decades of captivity, what him being missing does to our universe, meet his siblings as well as some other well-known DC characters, witness mind-bending events in different realms (Hell being only one of them) and generally have a good time while being caught between fun and a looming / unsettling darkness.

For more information on the actual plot of the single story archs, see my reviews here:
Volume One - Preludes & Nocturnes
Volume Two - The Doll's House
Volume Three - Dream Country
Volume Four - Season of Mists

If you like full-cast audiobooks with some sound effects (though they are few and far in between, which I liked since I'm not too much of a fan of overblown sound effects drowning out the actual narration and acting) and are, like me, addicted to glorious storytelling, this is for you!

[exploraDora · Rating 5 out of 5]

***5 stars***
The audiobook version of these graphic novels is absolutely brilliant and deserves all the stars!!

[Ms. Smartarse · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been circling the Sandman dramatization for what felt like years, though Goodreads logs say it was only a month and a half. I blame my browser's news feed, that suddenly exploded with Sandman-related articles, ever since I read one on Buzzfeed. Damn you Google and your stalkerish ways!



Story improvement over audio?
I was hoping for an improvement on the 3rd volume's short stories, but the Midsummer Night's Dream performance didn't get any more interesting. Although I guess I did get a different understanding by listening to the comments from the "peanut gallery".

My overall favourite story, of the travelling cat-prophet however, lost some of its charm along the way. Or maybe, I just react better to seeing the fluffy monsters, as opposed to listening to someone impersonate them...

Dramatization: yay or nay?
If you already own the comics, I wouldn't shell out 15USD a month, just to listen to the exact same story. Although, I do agree that Neil Gaiman is an excellent narrator, and could probably give reading the phonebook a go.



I'm still working on reconciling James McAvoy's voice with my mental "imagery" of Morpheus, but should I decide to move forward with the sequels I'll probably get used to it.

Score: 3.3 /5 stars

All in all, not a bad way to pass a couple of days, but if (like me) you already own the comics, I wouldn't call the dramatisation a must have. I mean, ideally someone would create a fan video combining the audio with the relevant images from the comics, but the end effect is not that different.

==================
Review of the associated comic books:
Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes
Vol. 2: The Doll's House
Vol. 3: Dream Country

[NAT.orious reads ☾ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is for you if… you are ready to ascend to a new level of audiobook experience. Not suitable for young readers and people who are easily triggered. TW: r*pe, abduction, violence, child ab*se, imprisonment, p*dophilia.

⤐ Overall.
Me raving about this book is not so much about the collected works of The Sandman itself but rather this specific adaptation. The calibre of some of the narrators is incredible: starting with Neal himself to James McAvoy to Taron Egerton to the fabulous Justin Vivian Bond. The 'end credits' took up over four minutes to list the entire cast and that in itself is already marvellous.


If you're not used to dramatisations, the beginning might be a bit rough. At first, the background noises and music sometimes made it hard to concentrate on the plot for a while. It must also be noted that this is merely a collection of the comics written by Neal so far and thus the narrative seems sorta chopped up. Once you've got a grip on that, though, you can enjoy the ride!


I haven't read too much of Neal's works but always admired him for his rhythmic language that is poetic without annoying me to death with stupid, useless prose. Even when reading his books, you can see he is a very thoughtful writer that likes writing as much for the creation of stories as he enjoys using language as an adaptable tool to do just that. It is definitely evident that Dirk did his best to capture that aspect of The Sandman and did a fantastic job getting the best out of all his narrators and sound crew.

Trump hugging the Murican flag is an accurate depiction of the feelings I have for this adaptation:

(using him in memes is so much more fun now that he finally was voted out.)

⤐ What’s happening.

‘The wind that blows between the worlds chills me as I fall. Suppose I fail? I cannot bluff demons as I bluffed the errant dreams with Constantine. But I have the pouch, I have a modicum of power.’

_____________________
5 STARS.Absolutely loved it. Memorable read that I'm likely to return to. Takes up space in my mind long after I've finished it. Oftentimes a particularly insightful read. Will recommend it with my last breath.

[Sebastien Castell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this audio drama in ninety minute chunks once a week when cleaning the house. If that's not a detailed enough depiction of the context of my experience of the Dirk Maggs audio production of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman, then I'll be more specific: it was while vacuuming and mopping the floors of our house. Oh, and the vacuuming was done with a Dyson V9. Nice vacuum cleaner.

I mention all that because it's kind of a weird way to experience an audio drama. In between Morpheus fighting to retrieve his trademark insectoid mask and jewel, I was fighting to wedge the head of the vacuum into tough-to-reach parts of the carpet underneath the couch. That's a rather different way to interact with a story than, say, reading it every night before bed when all my attention (what little there is of it, anyway) is devoted to the book in my hands.

The Sandman audiobook is really a pastiche of dark fantasy stories, some featuring Morpheus himself, others in which he's merely a mentioned side player. The production values are phenomenal, with top-shelf actors like James McAvoy as Morpheus and a cast most feature films would envy. Dirk Maggs does an amazing job of making it feel like your spirit is fully immersed in the world – even when your physical body is trying to attach the damned wet Swiffer napkin-thing over the dratted rubber head-thing.

As for the stories themselves, well, they had a retro feel to me – as if they were intentionally calling back to the old radio dramas of the 1930's and 1940's. This is fun, sometimes, and a bit cliché at others. Mostly, though, it was the Sandman himself who left me feeling less than engaged in the stories. The character of Morpheus feels like Goth Superman to me, with powers that suggest he'll always win in the end because . . . dream magic. So while there's lots of twists and turns in the story, there was never much genuine jeopardy to me. The human characters are represented almost as archetypes themselves – variations of "everyperson" figures meant to represent slices of 1950's Americana. They come and they go, which means there's never much of a reason to become emotionally invested in any of them.

All that said, I still thought the writing was great and the production outstanding. So maybe the problem is that I was imposing my bias for novels onto what is really a short story collection – demanding a continuous set of emotional stakes when one is really meant to visit the world of the Sandman – like the world of Faery – on its own terms.

Or maybe it was just all the vacuuming. Either way, there's lots to love here so if dark fantasy fairy tales with a sort of 1950's/1960's vibe are your thing, give The Sandman audio drama a try.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just looove the story and especially the narration!!!! Definitely up for the second book!!!

[Lee (the Book Butcher) · Rating 4 out of 5]

weird to rate a audio drama based on a comic book here. I'm not a fan of comic books or Short stories albeit that's a personal preference I still have to take off a star because it's a personal rating. If you like those formats you could just as easily add a star. so why did I listen to The Sandman, well Firstly, Neil Gaiman is a favorite author of mine. secondly, I like audio dramas Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is on my favorites shelf and I have no desire to read a hardcopy. I also buy from audible any audio dramas based on the classics I have read. I don't post those on Goodreads because it seems awkward. Being adapted from the original work and not the original work itself.

the work itself is very imaginative a little more on the mature side than I expected. The content is dark and descriptive. Being derived from comic books the narrative jumps from story to story involving tie-ins with characters in the D.C universe and mythologies. Probably a few where he has just a cameo performance. Like all short stories some were big hits and some were off-putting misses most were on the good side of the spectrum. The worst IMO was the stories with Dr. Dee probably because i don't like superheroes and it was to graphic I can only imagine the comic prints, yuk! The best were the battle in hell and the Shakespeare production of a midsummer nights dream. Great storytelling. The images conjured as comic prints in my head were complete. I have heard that the incarnation of death from the sandman is one of the best in pop culture. I have to heartily agree i looked forward to her passages greatly. Desire not so much and don't get me started of the brief glimpse of misery/misfortune e were treated to. The adaptation works because i was able to imagine it in comic book stills and it is adequately descriptive. One hiccup was i kept forgetting that sound effects and noises like sighs were full panels in the comic book. I kept thinking this guy Morpheus is a noisy bastard.

If your a fan of comic books, Gaiman, or Audio dramas check this out! If you read any of the comic books listen to this now. i believe your enjoyment will be increased if you can reference the comic book visuals. I had a blast just using my imagination!

[Tiff · Rating 5 out of 5]

HOLY SHIT
This is my first time listening to an audio play with a full cast. I am literally blown away and nearly speechless.
I read the graphic novels and watched the show in advance and oh man this was a fantastic way to round things out.

One last comment... James McAvoy IS Morpheus.

[Sonja Arlow · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

Gave up at 75%, there was just too much gratuitous and pointless violence for my taste. I don’t mind dark stories but most of this just felt like it was overly graphic to create shock value.

The forced ogry and self-mutilations in the diner, the endless rape & torture scenes…….

Although I am giving this the lowest rating I possibly can I have to mention that the audio production was really fantastic…. oh and I liked Dream’s sister Death. I think she was the only character I liked but neither the great audio nor Death could save this for me.

[TS Chan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic production and performance all round.

[Arghavan-紫荆 · Rating 5 out of 5]

نمیتونم تصور کنم که این آدیوبوک چطوری میتونست ازین بهتر باشه!
لذت‌بخش ترین تجربه‌ی کتاب صوتی بود که تا الان داشتم، گوینده‌ها فوق العاده بودن، برگردان کامیک به روایت صوتی درجه‌یک بود و موسیقی خیلی خوبی براش استفاده شده بود. و صدالبته خود داستان ها هم که دیگه حرفی برای گفتن باقی نمیذاشتن. این اولین تجربه‌ی کمیک خوندنم بود و فکر کنم اگر همراه با کتاب صوتی نمیخوندمش اینهمه لذت نمی‌بردم. ولی گوش دادن نسخه‌ی صوتیش قبل از خوندن هر پارت از کامیک واقعا باعث شد روی غلتک بیفتم و کار و زندگیم رو بذارم کنار و فقط بخونم:))
صددرصد پیشنهادش میکنم.
پی‌دی‌اف کامیک (و یعالمه کتاب دیگه رو) ازین سایت میتونید دانلود کنید:
https://z-lib.org

[Nigar Osmanlı · Rating 4 out of 5]

This doesn’t reach the glory and greatness of the original comics, but it was still a well crafted, brilliantly cast and directed piece of art.


Also, MICHAEL SHEEN!!!

[Jillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This audio book was amazeballs. It was like watching a movie without pictures it’s so much fun. I give it 5 stars and 2 very enthusiastic thumbs up. I love that Neil Gaiman narrates all his own books. I have the bind up 1-5 comic books but comics are not really my thing. This had a full cast includingKat Dennings I love her. It’s got 3 stories separate from each other but all equally as good if I had to pick I would say the first one Is my favorite, but they are all wonderful and entertaining. I recommend and Neil Gaiman is my favorite author ever since I read neverwhere.

[Ginger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This audible collection for The Sandman was fantastic! I was a bit blown away by how much I loved it.

Neil Gaiman narrates it, James McAvoy is Lord Morpheus, and there's a ton of others that add their voice to this audiobook.

The first audible includes Volumes 1-3 in the series:
Preludes and Nocturnes, The Doll’s House and Dream Country.
Fabulous job on all three!

In fact, while listening to this, there were parts of The Doll’s House that translated better for me on upcoming plot points in The Kindly Ones, volume 9.

I would suggest doing the graphic books first before this audible original. You’ll be able to follow the plot and volumes much easier.
I know that I’m glad I did it in this order.

I really hope they do all the volumes with this cast of narrators and director. It was super entertaining to listen too!

[Exitgirl05 · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4,5 stars for fantastic audio/radio drama book. The Sandman is actually compilation of stories originaly created as the graphic novel. They are marvelously adapted and binded in one whole. Only couple of them pop up a bit, that’s why I can’t give clear 5⭐️.
What thrilled me the most is the perfect naration, fantastic actors and background noises. You really feel as if you are one of the characters! Like you’ve jumped into the picture with Marry Poppins. And James McAvoy is THE perfect Morpheus! ❤️

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The wildly imaginative world and characters Gaiman creates here are immensely captivating, yet the stories/episodes within are a bit hit or miss, in part I believe due to the challenges of translating the content from graphic novel to audio. Where it works, it works extremely well, but elsewhere it can fall a bit short in creating a compelling and cohesive narrative.

[Nicolo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though it is more radio drama than audiobook, it is an excellent adaptation with Gaiman himself narrating his own text re-written in spots to serve its audience better in this medium. It is well cast, with James McAvoy, a Gaiman radio drama regular, the best Morpheus I've ever heard.

[Soo · Rating 5 out of 5]

07/17/2020 Mini-Review:

5 Stars for Narration by Cast
4.5 Stars for Audio Production (One of the best balance of sound effects & narration.)
4 Stars for Adaptation
4.5 Stars for Concepts & World (Bizarre in the best ways.)
3.5 Stars for Plot Progress

Contains: Preludes & Nocturnes - The Doll's House - Dream Country

I never made it to the end of reading the Sandman comics. It's not due to the story. It's more about the art. I have to enjoy the art and story in comics. While all of the artists are talented, the drawing styles didn't always vibe with what I enjoy or my image of the story. I'm very excited about this adaptation and I hope the whole series will be produced!

- DC Universe: I had forgotten about this and it was cool to learn about again.
- I could get lost in the backstories of all of the characters.
- John Constantine's narrator was the oddest one for me to hear. It didn't quite fit the character in my head.
- Rose Walker arc was my fav in this selection.

Author - Neil Gaiman
Adaptation Author - Dirk Maggs

Featured Cast:

Neil Gaiman - Narrator
Riz Ahmed - Corinthian
Kat Dennings - Death
Taron Egerton - John Constantine
James McAvoy - Morpheus
Samantha Morton - Urania Blackwell
Bebe Neuwirth - Siamese Cat
Andy Serkis - Matthew the Raven
Michael Sheen - Lucifer
Justin Vivian Bond - Desire
Arthur Darvill - William Shakespeare
William Hope - Doctor Destiny
Mathew Horne - Hob Gadling
Reginald D. Hunter - J'onn J'onzz
Sue Johnston - Unity Kinkaid
Paterson Joseph - Demon Choronzon
Josie Lawrence - Mad Hettie
Anton Lesser - Doctor John Hathaway
Joanna Lumley - Lady Johanna Constantine
Miriam Margolyes - Despair

Plus a bunch of other talented narrators. =)

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

چقدر لذت بخش بود!
موسیقیش، صداهاش و چقدر تعریف داستانش جذاب بود.
بازم مرسی از دیبا و بهار که بهم معرفی کردنش و پیدا کردنش و باعث شدن گوش بدم بهش.

درسته اکثرش رو با کمیک همزمان گوش میدادم، ولی اگه کمیک هم جلوت نبود و‌ چشماتو میبستی قشنگ همه چی رو برات تصویر میکرد.

از نظر داستانی هم جذاب بود. یکم متفاوت با سریاله.

از نظر نقاشی ای هم عالی بود سبکش!

[Z. D'Aleo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sandman è tratto da una famosa serie a fumetti pubblicata dalla DC comics negli stati Uniti d’America tra il 1988 e il 1996. Conta qualcosa come 75 albi, raccolti oggi in dieci volumi, tradotti ed editi Panini Comics e così suddivisi:

1. Preludi notturni #1/8
2. Casa di bambola #9/16
3. Le terre del sogno #17/20
4. Stagione delle nebbie #21/28
5. Il gioco della vita #32/37
6. Favole e riflessi #29/31 #38/40 #50
7. Vite brevi #41/49
8. La locanda alla fine dei mondi #51/56
9. Le eumenidi #57/69
10. La veglia #70/75

11. Notte Eterne (Questo è uno spinoff finale)

Ouventure (una sorta di prequel che racconta le origini di Morfeo) (2015) #1/6

C’è anche una miniserie su Morte (sorella maggiore di Morfeo)
E una su Lucifer (sì, quello che vedete in TV)

La serie Netflix (prima stagione) copre i primi 2 volumi del fumetto, “Preludi notturni” e “Casa di bambola”, mentre la serie Audible (atto I) copre i primi tre, “Preludi notturni”, “Casa di bambola”, “Le terre del sogno”

Non avendo ancora letto i fumetti non posso sapere quanto le due serie si discostino dall’opera originale, ma sapendo che Gaiman ha supervisionato i lavori di entrambe le serie possiamo avere la certezza che la volontà dell’autore sia stata in entrambi i casi rispettata.

Ma quindi, cosa ne penso?

Davvero carino, anche se (incredibile ma vero) in questo caso devo ammettere che, come sceneggiatura e personaggi, preferisco l’ultima versione, quella Netflix.


Di che parla Sandman?
Siamo nel 1916, il vecchio mago Roderick Burgess e la sua allegra combriccola di iniziati alle arti occulte si riuniscono per una carinissima evocazione. Scopo del Mago è quello di imprigionare Morte per assoggettarla al suo volere, ma non ci riesce e per sbaglio finisce per catturare Sogno.
Il Mago non vuole di certo far la figura dello scemo davanti i suoi iniziati; quindi, anzi liberare il Re dei sogni lo priva dei tre simboli del suo potere e lo confina in una bolla di vetro in grado di bloccare la sua forma fisica, sperando che questo collabori a donargli qualcosa in cambio della sua scarcerazione... la situazione sarà bene differente da quella sperata dal mago, e dovranno passare ben più di settant’anni (cento nella trasposizione Netflix) prima che Sogno possa trovare il modo di liberarsi per poter tornare nel suo Regno e andare a riappropriarsi dei suoi strumenti...

Differenze tra Audible e Netflix...
Nella versione fumetto Sogno riesce a liberarsi nel 1989, in corrispondenza con la pubblicazione del fumetto, nella versione Audible anche, mentre nell’adattamento Netflix, Sogno torna libero nel 2021. Questi trent’anni di prigionia in più sono i diretti responsabili dei più grossi cambiamenti tra la prima trasposizione e la seconda.

Mi chiedo se gli indignati fedeli al fumetto abbiano fatto questi calcoli quando si sono trovati di fronte a una Jhoanna Costantine al posto di Jon prima di sfogare la loro frustrazione con battute sessiste e razziste (rivolte a un altro personaggio).

È un adattamento e come tale si tratta di una trasposizione di una storia pubblicata per la prima volta in un altro formato e in quella che era a tutti gli effetti un’altra epoca.
Scopo degli adattamenti non è creare un remake fedelissimo, ma adattare un’opera a un nuovo formato in modo che questa possa essere conosciuta e apprezzata da un nuovo pubblico.

La versione Audible è curata nei minimi particolari, e forse, da quello che ho capito (ma dovrei leggere il fumetto per poterne avere la certezza) è più fedele all’originale, ma vi dirò, la serie Netflix potrebbe aver migliorato ancora di più una serie già bella di suo.


Non è il solito audiolibro.
È un capolavoro.
Assolutamente consigliato.

TW: questa è una storia per adulti. Quanto di più brutto abbiamo nel mondo viene rappresentato anche in modo esplicito. Se le storie con omicidi, stupri, violenza di qualsiasi tipo vi disturbano allora questo audiolibro e l’intera opera in sé non fa per voi.