50bookchallenge, 15000pages
Book #106 -- Neil Gaiman, The Sandman, Vol 9: The Kindly Ones, 352 pages.
The penultimate and climactic volume, not to mention the longest. What can I say? It was brilliant, of course. Although it has been too long since I read the earlier volumes, and I had a hard time remembering the stories of some of the older characters who returned. The sense of inevitability throughout was *very* well done such that, despite the many myriad ways it could have gone differently, what actually did happen never felt random. And of course the last scene with Death was appropriately poignant, and a wonderful distillation of their characters. That said, no matter how brilliantly it was done, I didn't *like* the ending. I get it. I do. Dream changed. And because he changed, he had to die, or be reborn, into something that could incorporate the change. And on from a mythological standpoint I understand the significance of that. But from a purely personal, human standpoint, I don't like it. Because I'm a strong believer in self-determination and I wanted Dream as Morpheus to be able to change without destroying himself. Ah well. It was still excellent. Only one more to go - I'll be interested in the kind of tribute Morpheus is given.
Progress toward goals: 314/366 = 85.8%
Books: 106/150 = 70.7%
Pages: 28363/50000 = 56.7%
2008 Book List
cross-posted to 15000pages, 50bookchallenge, and gwynraven
The penultimate and climactic volume, not to mention the longest. What can I say? It was brilliant, of course. Although it has been too long since I read the earlier volumes, and I had a hard time remembering the stories of some of the older characters who returned. The sense of inevitability throughout was *very* well done such that, despite the many myriad ways it could have gone differently, what actually did happen never felt random. And of course the last scene with Death was appropriately poignant, and a wonderful distillation of their characters. That said, no matter how brilliantly it was done, I didn't *like* the ending. I get it. I do. Dream changed. And because he changed, he had to die, or be reborn, into something that could incorporate the change. And on from a mythological standpoint I understand the significance of that. But from a purely personal, human standpoint, I don't like it. Because I'm a strong believer in self-determination and I wanted Dream as Morpheus to be able to change without destroying himself. Ah well. It was still excellent. Only one more to go - I'll be interested in the kind of tribute Morpheus is given.
Progress toward goals: 314/366 = 85.8%
Books: 106/150 = 70.7%
Pages: 28363/50000 = 56.7%
2008 Book List
cross-posted to 15000pages, 50bookchallenge, and gwynraven