The Sandman: The Dream Hunters Graphic Novel

by Neil Gaiman, P. Craig Russell (Illustrator)

Overview

THE SANDMAN: THE DREAM HUNTERS is a comics adaptation of Gaiman's original prose novella by the same name illustrated by Yoshitako Amano. This graphic novel was illustrated by the legendary P. Craig Russell. A humble young monk and a magical, shape-changing fox find themselves romantically drawn together. As their love blooms, the fox learns of a devilish plot by a group of demons and a Japanese emperor to steal the monk's life. With the aid of Morpheus, the fox must use all of her cunning and creative thinking to foil this evil scheme and save the man that she loves.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781401224288
Publisher:	DC Comics
Publication date:	10/05/2010
Series:	Sandman Series
Pages:	144
Sales rank:	504,310
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	17 Years

About the Author

Originally from England, Neil Gaiman now calls the United States home. He is the author of numerous New York Times bestselling novels—including Neverwhere, Stardust, American Gods and Coraline—as well as the Sandman series of graphic novels. His work has been honored with many awards internationally, including the Newbery and Carnegie Medals as well as the Hugo, Bram Stoker, and World Fantasy awards.

See our definitive ranking of Neil Gaiman's best fiction books on the B&N Reads blog.

Hometown:

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Date of Birth:

November 10, 1960

Place of Birth:

Portchester, England

Education:

Attended Ardingly College Junior School, 1970-74, and Whitgift School, 1974-77

Website:

http://www.neilgaiman.com

Editorial Reviews

Gaiman's novella The Sandman: The Dream Hunters, previously illustrated by acclaimed Japanese artist Yoshitako Amano, has been reimagined by award-winning artist Russell. This new release celebrates the 20th anniversary of Gaiman's Sandman and turns the original prose from 1999 into a graphic novel. The original blended Gaiman's mythology of the Dreaming with traditional Japanese myths and legends to tell the tale of a fox who makes a wager to dislodge a young monk from his home, losing her heart in the end and causing the intervention of the King of All Night's Dreaming. The pairing of Gaiman and Russell—previous collaborations between the two have won four Eisner Awards—is as strong as ever; together they develop the tale further, visually expanding upon Amano's original designs. The hardcover—sure to please the legions of Gaiman and Sandman admirers—also includes commentary and a cover gallery including variant covers by Russell, Yuko Shimizu, Mike Mignola, Paul Pope, and Joe Kubert. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

Gaiman's enormously successful Sandman monthly comic book (1989-96), which won eight Eisner awards in a row for comic book excellence, has been collected in a series of equally successful graphic novels. This book, representing Gaiman's first Sandman story in three years, retells Japanese folk tale "The Fox, the Monk, and the Mikado of All Night's Dreaming." The central characters are the Fox and the Monk, and the Sandman only plays a peripheral role. The book isn't really a graphic novel, as there are roughly 60 pages of typed prose and 60 pages of illustrations. It is an illustrated novel that remains true to both the Japanese tale and the motifs that made the Sandman series so popular. The illustrations are reminiscent of Japanese brush work and gently push the text along. Not the best first Sandman purchase for any library, this book is a necessary purchase if your patrons are Sandman readers, or if your world folk tales collection needs strengthening--Stephen Weiner, Maynard P.L., MA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

Gr 9 Up—A fox and a badger wager to see who can drive a monk from his temple. After they both try and fail, the badger departs in disgrace and the fox falls in love with the monk. When she learns that his life is in danger, she calls upon the King of All Night's Dreaming to help her save his life. If the story sounds familiar, that's because this book retells Gaiman's 1999 award-winning novella as a graphic novel. While the original story was illustrated with breathtaking watercolors by Yoshitaka Amano, this new adaptation looks more like the rest of the original "Sandman" series. It is divided into panels, characters speak in word balloons, and the artwork (especially that of the fox) is more cartoonlike. There are several advantages to this new approach—readers can see the characters and the action in better detail, the graphic-novel format may attract reluctant readers, and readers get to see Dream speak in his white-on-black word balloons again. But the disadvantage of this version is that its presence eclipses the awe-inspiring beauty of Amano's work. The Dream Hunters is equally powerful as straight text or broken up into panels, but hopefully readers will be inspired by this book to seek out the earlier version (which thankfully is still in print) and enjoy another interpretation of the artwork for this story.—Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Library

School Library Journal

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