5 Stars
Pros: The interlude that introduces Hob Gadling, a man who decides that he will never die, is a funny, heartfelt and interesting look at how our lives are just one big roller coaster and sometimes it helps to have friends along the way/The Corinthian is truly horrifying/Gilbert is so easy to love and just such a kind, gentle character after all and you can't blame him for doing what he did and neither does Morpheus.
Cons: The "Cereal" Convention was truly horrific, though unfortunately I'm sure there are places like that and "conventions" like that, that take place. It's frightening how dark the world can be.
Full Review:
At the beginning we learn that there are more members of the Endless than we thought. And Desire is a truly deceitful, manipulative, sadistic player. She calls on her sister Despair and it's obvious they're plotting something against Dream.
Meanwhile, after having taken a consensus of all the creatures/dreams/nightmares in the Dreaming, Lucien, Morpheus assistant, tells him that four dreams/nightmares are missing. Brute and Glob, The Corinthian and Fiddlers Green. So Morpheus sets out to find them and try to repair the damage they may have caused in his absence.
Also, Unity Kincaid, who suffered from "Sleepy Sickness" all those years ago was raped while she was asleep and had a baby. She has now managed to find that baby, and also her grand daughter, Rose Walker. Now that they're family is more or less complete, Rose takes it upon herself to go in search of her younger brother, who was taken in by relatives when their parents divorced.
It turns out that Brute and Glob, two of the dreams that escaped the Dreaming, are hiding within Rose's brothers dreams and are using a man who has already died, to act as "the Sandman." It's complicated and confusing but in the end Morpheus finds them and punishes them accordingly. He also explains to Hippolyta, the wife of the man who was acting as the Sandman, that the baby she is carrying belongs to him and he'll return when the child his born to claim him.
He then goes in search of The Corinthian, a truly horrifying Nightmare that he created who has escaped the Dreaming and is just...sick and twisted. Rose, in her journey to find her brother ends up staying at the same hotel that all the people who are attending the "Cereal" convention are staying at as well. It's a convention for Serial Killers. And it's sick and twisted and The Corinthian is the guest of Honor.
Gilbert, a man who lived in the same boarding house as Rose, has accompanied her on her trip to find her brother and when he sees the Corinthian, realizes who he is and tells Rose that she must summon Morpheus if things get bad and then, Gilbert all but disappears.
Rose ends up getting attacked by one of the people attending the "Cereal" convention but before he can do any lasting damage she calls on Morpheus, who saves her. He also finds the Corinthian and unmakes him. So Rose returns to her boarding house, her brother in serious condition and meanwhile her Grandmother Unity is not doing well either. She's torn, unable to sleep, not sure of what's going to happen. But when she finally does doze, she realizes that she can see everyone elses' dreams.
It turns out that Rose Walker is the Vortex. It happens once every generation and because of the destruction it can cause, Morpheus must kill her. Gilbert, who suddenly appears, wishes to defend her but Morpheus won't let him. He is Fiddlers Green, which is a place in the Dreaming and one of the creatures that escaped. The reason he escaped was because he wanted to know what it was like to be human. Morpheus can't fault him for that, and so he allows him to return to the Dreaming without punishment, but he still must deal with Rose and the Vortex.
But before he can kill Rose, Unity, her Grandmother arrives and explains that she was supposed to be the Vortex if Morpheus hadn't been imprisoned. So she trades her life for Roses' and in the end, the Dreaming is saved, Rose is alive, her brother gets better and all the dreams that had escaped are back in their rightful place.
At the end, Dream pays a visit to his sister Desire and says that if she interferes with his kingdom again, he will kill her. Desire was the one who raped Unity Kincaid while she was asleep from "Sleepy Sickness" and kind of put this whole thing into motion. And since Destiny, Death and Dream are the three oldest, he reminds her that it would be wise for her to not meddle in his affairs. She's nonplussed though, and it's obvious she'll continue to meddle as much as she wants.
This volume was good at tying up loose ends. And getting to know the other members of the Endless, albeit briefly, was an interesting bit. Again, Dream is more or less compassionate, straightforward, not frilly or flashy. He does what needs to be done and isn't cruel about it. But at the same time, he knows he has to put things right and will do so.
Comments
Post a Comment