The Sandman Vol. 5: A Game of You

At first this may not seem like much, but the whole tale of Barbie's quest is inherently feminine. The dream world she inhabits is not a boys world. The questors are female (well, most of them and the last one is trying hard), and the ending turns around the whole notion of being a girl (even more than merely a child) that one of my female friends was convinced that someone TOLD Gaiman what to write!

This is also a tale of loyalty. When it all comes down, each of the characters has to make a decision based one what has happened, a decision that could ultimately change each of their lives. Surprising decisions are made, but they are understandable if you stop and think about them.

I love this volume, as I love the Sandman series in general. I only wish (as many did) that Gaiman had written some more. Like any good story, we hate to see it come to an end.


A great story of identity and finding your inner child   August 13, 1999
M. Salvati (Neshanic, NJ USA)
21 out of 23 found this review helpful

Neil Gaiman does it again! He takes Barbie, a marginal character in the "Doll's House" storyline and makes her into a 3 dimensional character. He also introduces some other great characters like Hazel, Foxglove, Clarissa, and my personal favorite in this volume, Wanda. After reading this tale, I was struck by how the characters matter so much in Sandman stories. How Neil cares about them so much that they keep popping up again and again in unlikely places. Even when someone mentions another person, I can tell that Neil has a character description written up for that person and they will appear in another story. Clarissa will appear again in "Kindly Ones", while Hazel and Foxglove are in both "Death" mini-series. (Also Foxglove is mentioned by another character in the "24 Hours" chapter in "Preludes and Nocturnes.")

That aside, "A Game of You" is probably the most personal story of the entire Sandman oeuvre. It's primarily the story of Barbie and her childhood dreams that become very real. The heart of the story is Barbie's relationship with Wanda which is both funny and touching. Dream doesn't appear much in this one, but the story is so good and the main characters so interesting that you won't mind at all.


One caution...   October 28, 1999
9 out of 11 found this review helpful

Of course it's good. All Sandman is good.

In this one, though, I'd suggest you not read Samuel Delany's foreword until you've read the book. He analyzes things as if you've read them, gives some surprises away, and generally kills the mood. It's a fine commentary; it's just that it should be an afterword.


Fabulous   March 2, 2000
Thessaly
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

I really don't know what to say about this volume of Sandman. It's one of the most--different. Dream is hardly in it; instead, it's about Barbie and the other tenants of her apartment in New York. And it's about identity. One of the (many, many) things I love about Sandman is that it's very deep, with important themes and so on, but the symbolism and deeper meanings will not go over your head--you like (adore!) the story enough that you want to think about it for a long time, teasing out all the meanings and "what-was-he-trying-to-say-here", and you can actually come to understand what he *was* trying to say. I love how Neil Gaiman always treats his themes so subtly, letting you understand what he means (and even when you don't, you don't feel stupid and you still follow what's going on) while never shoving things in your face.

A Game Of You is disturbing, moving, and very thought-provoking at the same time. Wonderful stuff. Also, it's got Thessaly in it. I mean, Thessaly! What more do you want? I LOVE this character. I really, really want to know more about her past...That's just me, though; if you don't like her you'll still find a lot to like in this story. The art isn't my favorite, although it's never ugly. (Like...I don't know, "Calliope" maybe, or "Passengers". Come to think of it, some Sandman art is worse than others, but it's rarely downright ugly.) And the depiction of Dream is quite beautiful.

What else to say? Don't start with this volume. It wouldn't be as bad to start with as, say, The Kindly Ones or The Wake, but still, as a new reader you'd get more of a feel for the series with Preludes and Nocturnes or The Doll's House; or, for less disturbing stuff, Dream Country or Fables and Reflections. If you haven't read Sandman, do so now. Oh yeah; as another reviewer said, don't read the introduction until after you've finished the story. (For that matter, better not to read any Sandman introduction until you've finished the story; the authors tend to give away plot points. But especially don't read this one.)


One of my favorites of the series   March 8, 2003
D. Sippel (Chicago, IL United States)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

I really enjoyed this TPB. I've read the first four volumes, and this is right up there with Vol. 1 Preludes and Nocturnes, and Vol. 4 Season of the Mist. The defining strength of A Game Of You lies within the distinctive, well developed cast of characters. Because I cared about each of these characters in turn, the mildly epic storyline captivated me as it effortlessly moved along. The whole nature of the journey reminded me in some ways of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, albeit on a smaller scale.

The art always varies throughout the Sandman series because of the use of different artists, and A Game of You continues that practice, with some consistency, thanks to Shawn McManus. McManus contributes the majority of the art here, and his style is perfectly suited to this tale. The guest artists are competent, but not quite as masterful as McManus.

A Game of You is a fine tale, and a great addition to the Sandman series. It certainly makes me look forward to reading the next volume.