Neil Gaiman's SANDMAN is one of the most successful graphic novel series to transcend the often self-imposed barriers of the comics world and achieve a place of acceptance with the mainstream readership beyond its walls. It is a work of modern fantasy that tracks the lives of seven siblings who are the living representations of the forces that shape existence. We enter their lives, and the greater mythology that Gaiman has created, through the travels of Dream, the titular Sandman, who is attempting to restore order to his dream realm after a period of imprisonment and chaos.
FABLES AND REFLECTIONS, the sixth volume in the series, is a collection of short standalone pieces that were created during various stages of the series' initial run. Mostly morality plays, these stories weave in Gaiman's fascination with history, introducing both prominent and obscure characters to the Sandman's dream world; a storytelling vehicle that has helped secure THE SANDMAN's place as a piece of legitimate literature.
This volume also contains The Song of Orpheus, an important chapter in the SANDMAN mythos, illustrated by Bryan Talbot, that explores the fate of Dream's son and introduces the last of Dream's brothers, Destruction. This collaboration between two of comics foremost storytellers lays the foundation for Brief Lives, the pivotal next volume in the SANDMAN series, and caps off one of the more thought-provoking books of this series.
Peter Aaron Rose is a writer, producer and technologist who lives and works in San Francisco, CA. Under the pseudonym "Peter Siegel", he recently authored Killing Demons, a graphic novel available from Engine Press and Platinum Studios.
