The Sandman by Neil Gainman & Dirk Maggs

Narrated by: Riz Ahmed, Kat Dennings, Taron Egerton, Neil Gainman, James McAvoy, Samantha Morton, Bebe Neuwirth, Andy Serkis, Michael Sheen

Riz Ahmed as – The Corinthian

Kat Dennings as – Death

Taron Egerton as – John Constantine

Neil Gaiman as – The Narrator

James McAvoy as – Morpheus

Samantha Morton as – Urania Blackwell

Bebe Neuwirth as – The Siamese Cat

Andy Serkis as – Matthew the Raven

Michael Sheen as – Lucifer

10h 43m

I mean, this sounded so good I couldn’t pass it by. It sounds so intricate I’m worried about how well I’ll be able to process it but, still, I’m excited for the journey.

Despite how many crossovers there are in this audiobook, I found it very easy to follow and very easy to listen to. It was the blend of Greek Mythology and the DC Universe that appealed to me.

I am now 2.5 hours through the audiobook and I’m glad I took a chance on this. Already, Morpheus has escaped his imprisonment and is looking to claim back what has been lost. He has travelled to the human world and has battled in the underworld. I find his character fascinating because he is so level-headed and calm despite all that has happened to him and he is still able to be merciful and treat those around him as they should be treated. I have no doubt that he can be a terrible and frightful King, but it is fun to see that there are different sides to his character that allow him to express himself outside of the stereotypical realm.

I read some reviews on this audiobook before I got it and it seemed to me that those who didn’t enjoy it, didn’t enjoy it because they weren’t familiar with either DC Comics or Greek Mythology. I’m not an avid DC Comics fan, most of my character knowledge there comes from various games I’ve played and a couple of TV shows/films. My Greek Mythology knowledge is much the same.

I don’t think you have to be very knowledgable in either to enjoy this book, but I do think you need to be focused. If I zoned out for even a second, I would become confused because there are a lot of characters in this audiobook and a lot of scene changes.

I am now 4 and a half hours into the story. Morpheus has travelled across the plains of dream, he has sought out people, he has conquered, and he has faultered. My initial interest into his character has now doubled. I find him fascinating and he is such an incricate character with a multitude of emotions, actions, and thoughts.

This is my second day of listening to the audiobook and it’s been really helpful to keep me focused. I am overly tired today and have started to get a bad headache this afternoon and listening to this has kept my motivated and equipped to handle the working day.

Morpheus is such a controlled character compaired to those he interacts with. I kind of see him like the calm before a storm and I marvel at his ability to control himself. I am still able to follow along with what is happening, and despite all the scene changes and added characters, I find the story is still easy enough to follow along too.

I usually find it really hard to listen to an audiobook because my mind tends to wander on its own path, and I can’t tune my brain in to listen to an audiobook for long. So, I’m surprised with how invested I’ve got with this audiobook. Even though I am only 4.5 hours through it, I would recommend it to others. It just has this really good vibe and there is such detail behind the words that help bring it to life.

The Sandman is really lots of stories combined into one long story. It’s really quite intricate and impressive.

I am now on Episode 15 and 7.5 hours into the audiobook. There have been more stories than I know what to do with and more characters than I can count on my hand and yet I have somehow managed to keep track of everything that is going on. The Sandman, Morpheus, is the one constant through it all and it is his voice that I follow the most through this audiobook. I feel that something big is on the horizon and am eager for its arrival because I think it will bring unexpected scenarios to the characters at play.

There is still 3.5 hours left to listen to, so I don’t think I’m close to the climax or the ending quite yet, but it seems like things are hotting up for Morpheus again and that his character might see some more action, or become more promiment in the storyline once more.

I’ve been listening for the last 2 hours to calm my anxiety as I had an overload of stress and worry and couldn’t quite handle myself. Returning to this audiobook has been very calming. It’s an easy thing to focus on and I am enjoying the story.

Ok, so, chapter 15 was SO good. Really got my heart racing and my imagination turning. I really enjoyed the accompanying music because it flowed in sync with the story and made the narrative more enjoyable.

There are only 4 chapters left to listen to now and I’m excited for them but I’m also sad that this experience will soon come to an end. I know this audiobook is one I will want to listen to again, and again, and again.

There is a lot of death or passing in this audiobook, but it is done with such grace and care that it takes the sting out of it and makes the experience seem fitting and right for the characters involved. The cast of actors/actresses in this audiobook hail from vast places across the media but their voices have been cast so rightly in the characters that they play.

I am on the home stretch now, Episode 19, only 1:17mins left. This audiobook is as much about Morpheus as it is about the characters he interacts with. I think people, especially now, forget the power of dreams and just what someone can accomplish when dreaming.

The last 30minutes of the audiobook see Shakespeare performing a Midsummer Night’s Dream performed in front of real fairy folk. It was an odd choice for an ending, in my opinion, because it didn’t really sum up Morpheus’s story, but I suppose that it did sum up certain aspects if I squinted really hard.

This was definitely one of those audiobooks that lingered long after I had come to the end of it and I’ve already recommended it to five other people. Usually, when I come to the end of an audiobook, I return it to get the credit back. But in the case of this audiobook, I think I’ll hand on to it for a while longer, I might want to read it again and I might discover more bits that I missed or wasn’t aware of the first time I listened.

Cross genres/crossovers can be daunting to read or listen to but I wouldn’t be put off by this if you haven’t a great working knowledge of Greek Mythology or the DC comic universe because you’d still be able to follow along with the story, understand the characters, and be aware of what was happening.

This was the kind of audiobook where I wish I scored out of ten, because I enjoyed the journey so much. If you have audible, and you haven’t listened to this, you should. I promise, you won’t regret it.