The Sandman [Audiobook, 2020]

By Neil Gaiman and Dirk Maggs

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

DC Comics/Audible

Complete with an all-star cast, a feature-film worthy soundtrack [by Academy Award-winning composer James Hannigan], sound effects, and narration by none other than the original writer of the comic series, Neil Gaiman, Amazon/Audible truly spared no expense on this, the first part of a multi-part epic audiobook experience - and an experience it is.

True to the original comics and graphic novels, the series opens with the background of the Lord of Dreams, the Sandman, who is also known as Morpheus; he’s been stripped of his power and trapped by a cult, left to agonize for centuries in a state of awareness, but unable to move. After a series of events eventually leads to his release, he embarks on an odyssey to retrieve three artifacts that hold his power.

He approaches characters form the land of the living through their dreams in various decades as he tries to solve the mysteries of the lost artifacts. Some of these characters are classic DC Comics staples, like Doctor Destiny, Scarecrow, patients and staff from Arkham Asylum, John Constantine, and more, and there are mentions of some classic heroes, including the Justice League of America/Justice League International and Swamp Thing - which would appeal to fans of other  comics from the publisher.

The story itself is gripping, weaving through impossible landscapes, familiar locales throughout the world, horrors, interactions with demons, witches, powerful beings and villains, and even the Lord of Light, Lucifer himself. All of this is done in a unique style of narration with snapshots of dialogue that lead the listener to imagine him or herself floating as a watcher through time and space, through realms and dimensions, then stopping for brief moments to listen in on occasional conversations or to witness certain scenes of action and intrigue.

It is unlike any other audiobook I’ve ever listened to [and I’ve listened to hundreds of them at this point], with the closest one being “The Black Cat Murders” by Karen Menuhin, which also features a full cast and is more like a play than a book.

Truly epic in scope and imaginative and fantastical as anything you can pick up at a bookstore, the story takes the reader by the hand through 11 hours of grandiose production. At times it becomes difficult to keep track of who is who and what is happening, much like Lovecraft’s “The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath”, but eventually everything falls together and makes sense.

Some of the reviews I’ve read complain about the sound effects or the main theme, which plays at the beginning of each chapter [like a TV show], while others simply don’t like the production format because they prefer a straight narration, like reading a book. However, I have to say that an epic comic like The Sandman deserves this treatment from Audible, and I couldn’t be happier with the result.

If you are a fan of the comics you will love this, because it is accurate to the finer details, and if you are unfamiliar with the Sandman Universe or its stories, this is a great way to get into it. This is my favorite audiobook so far, and it easily earns 5 stars out of 5.

NOTE: Contains adult themes and language

This is an Audible exclusive, and can thus be purchased through Amazon.com, Audible.com, or the Audible app.