The Sandman: Act II by Neil Gaiman, Dirk Maggs Narrator: Neil Gaiman, James McAvoy, Emma Corrin, Brian Cox, Kat Dennings, John Lithgow, Bill Nighy
Series: Sandman Audible Original #2
Published by Audible Original on September 22, 2021
Source: Purchased
Genres: Fantasy
Length: 13 hrs 47 mins
Format: Audiobook
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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 #1 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, 8th-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 4 (Season of Mists) and 5 (A Game of You) of the comics in their entirety, and most of volume 6 (Fables & Reflections).
A reminder – I have never read the original Sandman comics. I rarely read comics or graphic novels, mostly because I’m not good at it and so don’t enjoy them as much as I could. I tend to read the dialogue and miss the pictures. I can’t tell how faithful the audio is to the original, but others say it’s very close.
I enjoyed this second act, which consists of two main arcs and several smaller stories.
The Season of Mists was excellent. Dream travels back to hell to save Nada whom he had condemned for 10,000 years of torment… because she rejected him. Surprising twists and turns make it impossible to see where this one is going until it actually gets there.
A Game of You was kind of blah for me. Barbie and some friends have to go on a quest to save a land but still manage to stay alive in our world. It was skippable.
Fables & Reflections are the shorter in-between stories, some of which were fabulous, especially the one involving Baghdad and the one about Joshua Abraham Norton, the self-proclaimed Emperor of the United States.
The voice acting is amazing and the production was again well done, more of a radio play than an audiobook. I’m actually surprised by how much I enjoyed this one and the first act. I don’t know why the Norse gods had Scottish accents though.
About Dirk Maggs
David George Dirk Maggs (born February 1955) is a British freelance writer and director. He is principally known for his work in radio, where he evolved radio drama into “Audio Movies,” a near-visual approach combining scripts, layered sound effects, cinematic music and technology. He pioneered the use of Dolby Surround in BBC Radio. He was among the first nominees for the Directors Guild of Great Britain Outstanding Achievement in Radio Award, and in 2005 he was invited to become one of the first Honorary Fellows of the University of Winchester for his work in the dramatic arts.
About Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, nonfiction, audio theatre, and films. His works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book. He has won numerous awards, including the Hugo, Nebula, and Bram Stoker awards, as well as the Newbery and Carnegie medals. He is the first author to win both the Newbery and the Carnegie medals for the same work, The Graveyard Book (2008). In 2013, The Ocean at the End of the Lane was voted Book of the Year in the British National Book Awards.
Not a fan of this author to begin with , I’ve yet to read a graphic novel and I’m not keen on audio books so it will be no surprise that this isn’t high up on my wanna read list, my husband on the other hand had been looking forward to its release for some time.
My husband barely reads at all, maybe one book a year, and hates audiobooks.