Sandman Update: World's End

[sawyl]

It's been a while since last wrote about a Sandman collection, so here are a few thoughts on volume 8, World's End.

A group of travelers are stranded in the World's End Inn by a reality storm and, like Chaucer's pilgrims, they pass they time by telling stories. The stories include a tale about the dream life of cities, a Melvillesque yarn about the last days of the great sailing ships, a story about the rituals of the dead, a description of the rise to power of the youngest American president, Prez Rickard, assisted by nothing more than clean living and a talent for watch repair, and a swashbuckling account of the derring-do heroics of Cluracan the feckless fairy.

There's even a nice non-story from of the characters from the 1990s. She complains that, thanks to a life full of minor disappointments, "I joined a local theatre group for long enough to realise I'd never be an actor, and joined a writing circle long enough to realise that I don't have anything to say", she doesn't really have a story to tell, despite having just told it...

As might be expected, there are plenty of nods to historical and literary events, including a reference in Cluracan's tale to the Donation of Constantine. There are connection to both past and future events in the Sandman series, with a hint that the reality storm was caused by events that are due to occur at the end of The Kindly Ones, and in the funereal collection, a completely circular set of links with a story within a story referring to a group of travels trapped in an inn during a storm, telling tales to pay for the cost of their shelter.

In summary then, an enjoyable set of short stories that illuminate some of the dustier corners of the Sandman Universe and expand on the background of some of the recurring characters, like Hob Gadling and Cluracan.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Can I borrow the first volumes of Sandman,
the first four seasons of Alias and the first six seasons
of Buffy ?

Please.

[doctor-squale.livejournal.com]

I should have signed.

[sawyl.livejournal.com]

Have you ever thought it might be easier simply to do an SWF (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105414/) number on my life? You might as well — it's not like I'm using it...

[doctor-squale.livejournal.com]

Ok.

Do you have to stop eating calf liver too ?

[sawyl.livejournal.com]

Yes. The only allowed foods are: cottage cheese (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottage_cheese), jacket potatoes, hummus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hummus) and wholemeal bagels. Everything else is strictly forbidden.