The Sandman: Act II

De: Neil Gaiman, Dirk Maggs

Narrado por: Neil Gaiman, James McAvoy, Emma Corrin, Brian Cox, Kat Dennings, John Lithgow, Bill Nighy

Please note: This content is not for kids. It is for mature audiences only. Just like the original graphic novels, this audio adaptation contains explicit language and graphic violence, as well as strong sexual content and themes. Discretion is advised.

Enter the Dreaming again as the blockbuster audio adaptation of “the greatest epic in the history of comic books” continues in The Sandman: Act II. James McAvoy returns to voice Morpheus, the Lord of Dreams, in this sequel to the number-one New York Times audio best seller. Journey into a world of myths, imagination, and terror based on the best-selling DC comic books and graphic novels written by Neil Gaiman (returning as the Narrator), and lose yourself in another groundbreaking, immersive drama adapted and directed by the award-winning audio master Dirk Maggs.

In the absolutely packed Act II, the dark fantasy resumes and the Sandman expands into the French Revolution, ancient Rome, 19th-century San Francisco, eighth-century Baghdad, and beyond. New and familiar characters abound, voiced by a bright mix of performers, including Kat Dennings, Regé-Jean Page, Emma Corrin, Michael Sheen, Kristen Schaal, Brian Cox, John Lithgow, Jeffrey Wright, and so many more, including fan-favorite narrators Simon Vance and Ray Porter.

Just close your eyes and listen again as the greatest epic continues.

Act II of the audio series The Sandman adapts collected volumes four (Season of Mists) and five (A Game of You) of the comics in their entirety, and most of volume six (Fables & Reflections).

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 DC. All Rights Reserved. The Sandman and all related elements are trademarks of DC Comics. (P)2021 DC Comics and Audible

The Graphic Novels Are Still Better, But--

The Sandman Act II (2021) is Dirk Maggs’ audio adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s graphic novels Season of Mists (issues 21-28, 1990-91), in which Dream tries to right a 10,000-years-old wrong done to a former lover and ends up becoming the reluctant new owner of Hell and A Game of You (issues 32-37, 1991-92), in which Barbie’s dream world begins merging with NYC, leading to some complications and adventures for her, her dream companions, and her real world neighbors. Both story arcs are moving, frightening, funny, imaginative, original, and unpredictable. Wanda is one of the first sympathetically depicted transgender characters in popular culture (though in the early 1990s Gaiman couldn’t get past biological gender as determining destiny).

Before and after A Game of You come seven of the fine stand-alone short stories from Fables and Reflections (issues 29-31, 38-40, 50, 1991-93):
“Thermidor”: Lady Johanna Constantine, Dream, the head of Orpheus, and Robspierre converge during the French Revolution’s Reign of Reason.
“August”: Augustus Caesar does some pleasant slumming and some unpleasant reminiscing, while planning the decline and fall of the Roman Empire.
“Three Septembers and a January”: Dream knows better than his siblings Despair, Delirium, and Desire what a failed entrepreneur in 19th century SF really wants.
“The Hunt”: the virtues of staying with your own people in/from the old country pale for teenagers in contemporary New Jersey.
“Soft Places”: young Marco Polo is lost in a desert where “the geographies of dream intrude upon the real” and meets Rusticello of Pisa--who is dreaming whom?
“A Parliament of Rooks”: Cain, Abel, Eve, and a special baby enjoy a storytelling tea party.
“Ramadan”: Haroun al Raschid wants to preserve Baghdad, the Heavenly City, the jewel of the Arabs, forever in dreams.

The long story arcs and short stories are imaginative, funny, moving, and unpredictable and express important themes (e.g., we carry our own hell with us; we should accept people who are different from us; the world of the imagination is real). To adapt the graphic novels to a radio drama, voice actors, sound effects, and music are employed. The text is virtually identical to that of the graphic novels, the main differences being that some descriptive text, especially at the beginnings of scenes, has been added to compensate for the lack of pictures in the aural medium, as when Loki’s wife is said to be “thin to the point of emaciation” and the Perth beach on which Lucifer is reclining is described.

Interestingly, some of the imagery in the audio adaptation is stronger than in the graphic novels, perhaps because of early 1990s censorship. For instance, the original picture of the total-body pierced demon of hell doesn’t reveal his pierced double penises, but Gaiman the narrator relishes relating that detail in the 2021 audiobook.

Most of the voice acting is excellent: James McAvoy as dry, wry, and gloomy British Dream, Kat Dennings as perky punky American Death, Michael Sheen as jaded Lucifer, and the demons of hell, Cain and Abel, Barbie and her friends, and Eve. (I do wonder why the Aesir have Gaelic accents.) As for Gaiman as narrator, I like his manner and voice, BUT I did notice that he tends to pause oddly (almost distractingly) in places where no commas appear in the text: e.g., “since his father [pause] left the country,” “reading a tattered copy [pause] of The Scarlet Pimpernel,” and “The school [pause] is in the south of England.”

There are plenty of effective sound effects: Thor smashing a boulder, Dream cutting off Lucifer’s wings, a mother bearing a baby, etc. But there is also plenty of overdone music, especially the Tim Burton movie-type synthesizer stuff that tries too hard to enhance moods and introduces each chapter.

One of the most visually impressive features of the graphic novels that the audiobooks cannot approximate is the varied fonts and balloons for different characters: Desire’s erotic font, Dream’s gloomy black speech balloons, Lucifer’s elegant demonic font, the angels’ angelic cursive fonts, Delirium’s giddy colored speech bubbles and font, Matthew the Raven’s jagged caw-like font and balloons, Order’s computer font text, the “Arabic” calligraphy of “Ramadan,” and so on.

Some other things are also more impressive visually than aurally, like the dramatic double page spread depicting the shattering of the Porpentine, with small figures dwarfed by a blinding blast of yellow aurora borealis and stars, or the page where a shooting star morphs into Morpheus’ eye close-up, and he’s there with Barbie et al in the Land.

Some things are better left to the imagination than physically heard, as when in the original “Thermidor” the story and pictures potently evoke the strange power of Orpheus’ song, while in the audio version, we hear a Greek voice singing a timeless kind of song, but then in the conclusion it’s replaced by soaring (overdone) synth movie score music. The song in the graphic novel is more marvelous in my imagination than actually hearing it is.

And *seeing* Wanda looking beautiful and natural and happy with a cheerful goth Death at the end of A Game of You moved me more than listening to the scene.

A last example: all the sound effects and pseudo-Arabic music of “Ramadan” can’t approximate P. Craig Russell’s beautiful art in the graphic novel, and the ending shift to present day Gulf War ravaged Baghdad is more potent visually than aurally.

All that said, imagining sublime or horrible things by hearing them described by excellent voice actors may be more affecting than seeing them depicted by mediocre graphic artists. The art quality in Season of Mists is not SO great, so some images of hell or of Dream’s castle, etc., don’t look awesome enough.

Finally, both versions are excellent in their own ways. Dream’s incantatory words to unmake the Land are left to readers’ imaginations in the graphic novel, as Barbie says, “I don’t know what language the words were in, but it felt like I ought to have understood them—or rather that part of me did understand them, on some deep, buried level.” In the audio version Dream directly says, “Land, I unmake you.” It’s a powerful moment, but the graphic novel leaves more to our imagination aurally while providing much visually. As the audio version leaves more to our imagination visually while providing much aurally. Why not read the original graphic novels first and then listen to the audiobook adaptations if you want to hear a visual medium adapted into an aural one?

A wonderful listen of grisly tales!

Any story recorded by a multiple cast never disappoints. That saying, this may be an easy excuse to give this series a high rating, but I don't care. I thoroughly enjoyed it despite all the grisliness. Although Neil Gaiman is a master of storytelling and description, I think his works are best in collaboration. The cast is full of brilliant actors, known and obscure, giving it their best along with creative artists writing songs, effects and music. I like how they understand this a collection of dark and gory stories told purely for honest enjoyment and meaning.

Mainly I wanted to write this review because some reviews I read from the previous performance of Sandman Act I annoyed me. I think it was just as fantastic as its successor but in some reviews, people claimed they didn't like the performance because it sounded too childish and corny. Comments like these, obviously tell me they didn't read the books because if they even bothered, they would've realized IT'S A COMIC BOOK PEOPLE!! It's supposed to be a little childish and corny! Honestly you have one movie director place Batman on a realistic plane and all of the sudden ALL comic books must conform to the same medium. No story should be ever be subjected to such mediocracy. Let these stories become what the creators meant them to be.

Give me a Dream

Dirk Maggs makes excellent audio full cast adaptations.

I do have some opinions.

James McAvoy is perfect as Morpheus. He could be a bit over the top at times.

I finally get to hear Delurium! Kristin Schaal is good pick. BUT, her voice is similar to Kat Dennings. So, in scenes with her, it could get confusing.

David Tennant was not a good choice for Loki. I know gods can speak with whatever accents they want. BUT, Scottish sounding Norse gods took me out of it.

I like that A GAME OF YOU was updated for the times. I was worried about a line that would now be considered transphobic.

Does the sequel deliver?

I loved the first book. A great and engaging story. This book started off as a sequel, a continuation of the story. But then it stopped. I turned 8nto a series of stand alone short stories.

perhaps the nature of comics these days. it was not expected. The stories were ok, but I felt like I want more Morpheus.

The sound quality was A+
The performances was A+

my reason for less than 5 stars was the short stories at the end.

Lastly - these two books have really got me hating Cain. I hope Able gets his due in the 3rd book.

😔 I binged on this while doing DNA extractions

I am a recent Neil Gaiman’s works fool, I excitedly waited this Act 2 release of Sandman, after listening to Act 1. I’m not a comic super fan, I usually listen to science-y podcasts and don’t really write up reviews. BUT, The fictional stories are so beautifully intertwined with history, and this incredible cast, seriously, can’t go wrong. All are incredible, who doesn’t love James McAvoy, maybe in dreams he really is Morpheus. Más por favor.

Absolutely Amazing 👏

I loved the comics when I was younger and simply feel in love with both the performances and also the now, for me atleast, age old stories of the exploits of Morpheus dream king.

A highly recommended book, both this and the first.

Even better than the first!

I bought this audio drama the moment it released, and binged it immediately. The stories were very engaging (some more than others), and the actors really brought these characters to life. The music and sound effects were perfect, though sometimes a little too loud for my liking.

If you loved Act 1, you'll love this sequel. If you didn't like Act 1, try Act 2, because it's faster-paced, in my opinion, and much more engaging. I would recommend this title in a heartbeat.

Amazing. Just amazing.

I never write reviews for books that I've read on fearing I am not well spoken. I'm making an exception. This performance and collection of stories is a good as the first series and so thoroughly enjoyable I was anxious with each chapter knowing I was that much closer to the end. Thank you for a wonderful escape into the dreaming.

So beautiful read beyond Gaiman, we need a 3rd

goin off the 1st part all people are just perfectly cast as the characters. Neil Gaiman needs to do more narration and James McAvoy as Morphius was a perfect casting. can't wait for a part 3

superb reenactment

After reading the original works, this production truly brought it out beyond the pages. Worth multiple listens.