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The Sandman Vol. 7: Brief Lives
The Sandman Vol. 7: Brief Lives | Neil Gaiman
39 posts | 79 read | 12 to read
NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Neil Gaiman's transcendent series SANDMAN is often hailed as the definitive Vertigo title and one of the finest achievements in graphic storytelling. Gaiman created an unforgettable tale of the forces that exist beyond life and death by weaving ancient mythology, folklore and fairy tales with his own distinct narrative vision. Older and more powerful than the gods themselves, the Endless are a dysfunctional family of cosmic beings that have ruled over the realms of dream, desire, despair, destiny, destruction, death, and delirium since the beginning of time. But three hundred years ago, one of the mythical beings gave up his duties and left his realm, never to be seen again. BRIEF LIVES tells the tales of Delirium and older brother Dream on a mission to find their missing sibling, as they encounter immortal humans and various deities while trying to locate the prodigal Destruction. But as their adventure draws Dream into a final, tragic confrontation with his son Orpheus, the eternal being learns the true meaning of fate and consequences. This new edition of BRIEF LIVES collects THE SANDMAN # 41-49 of the classic title.
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Emilymdxn
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Pickpick

My literature hot take is that the sandman comics should be read alongside great epics from every period of history as the best modern answer/version/equivalent of a great complex epic myth cycle. Rereading the series again is just making me more and more sure this is one of the best things ever written like it‘s just sublime (and sad and dark and spooky)

#scarathlon #skeletoncrew

AshleyHoss820 I accept this take and adopt it! Such a master class in storytelling! 5mo
kwmg40 Agreed! I need to reread this series! 5mo
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booklover3258
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Pickpick

Continuing with this great series, in this issue, Dream and Delirium (my favorite endless character) go on a mission to find their brother, Destruction. Strange things happen along the way and a price is to be paid in order for them to find their brother. Wonderful sad story and the graphics were ok but the story outshines the graphics in this one.

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AshleyHoss820
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Pickpick

Delirium misses Destruction and tries to recruit her siblings to find him and bring him home. Dream is the only one who joins her. At first, it‘s for selfish reasons. The trouble is, Destruction does NOT wish to be found. This volume covers their journey and reveals more of the Endless‘ backstory. It‘s interesting to see the changes in Dream. Poor little Delirium. I love her character.

DaveGreen7777 If the Netflix series makes it to this story, I really hope they cast Tori Amos as Delirium, since Neil has confirmed he originally based the character on her! 👩🏻‍🦰🎹🎶 1y
AshleyHoss820 @DaveGreen7777 Oh, yes! I always forget she is one of his muses! If I remember right, she either inspired or asked him to write short stories that went with one of her albums? Anyway, that would be really cool! I need to watch the series, but I want to finish my re-read first. 😄 1y
26 likes2 comments
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AnneCecilie
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Pickpick

Delirium wants to find her brother Destruction who has been missing some hundred yrs. She asks several of her siblings before Dream agrees to go on the search with her. This is their journey to try and find their brother.

2nd book finished for #20in4 @Andrew65
#BookSpin September @TheAromaofBooks

Andrew65 Great 👏👏👏 1y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 1y
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wideeyedreader
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ this might be my favorite volume so far!

AmandaBlaze I just started Premises and Nocturnes again. 2y
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rwmg
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Pickpick

Delirium and Dream go looking for Destruction, who doesn't want to be found.

I loved Delirium's reactions to our world and am intrigued by the headstone on the island. I remember her from the French Revolution story in “Fables & Reflections“ but do we know anything more about her?

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Leniverse
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Oh no...

julesG Famous last words. 😂😂😂 3y
Nute Never say those words!😕 3y
Leniverse @julesG @Nute Right?! You'd think Dream was old enough to know better, since he basically predates the planet. But he does have that emo teen thing going on, so I guess maybe it takes a lot for him to learn. 😆 3y
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Enchanted_Bibliophile
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This is definitely my favourite to date.
I LOVE Delirium, her character just makes me happy. Her crazy, colourful composition awakes some child-like spirt in me that squeal with delight every time she appears on a page.
We also get to know "the prodigal" and see what he's been up to, something I've been curious about ever since we first learned about his existence.
??Cont.??

Enchanted_Bibliophile This journey also changed big things in and for Morpheus; and that's ultimately why we read these comics.
I can't wait to see were Neil will take us next
3y
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Enchanted_Bibliophile
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Day 2 of #20in4 was an excellent day for me.
I read a total of 8h15m and finished all the half read books I had.
I'm taking the next few minutes to add a few more books to my stack, and then I'm off to bed.

@Andrew65

Andrew65 You are doing great 👏👏👏 3y
Linsy Nice! I loved Educated!! 3y
Enchanted_Bibliophile @Linsy I was actually a bit surprised at how much I connected with it 3y
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watermelontaco13
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Panpan

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘷𝘰𝘭. 7: 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘧 𝘓𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 follows Dream and Delirium as they try to find their brother, Destruction. This volume was incredibly boring. I had no desire nor care about the plot, I just finished for the sake of finishing for the series. Delirium is annoying especially when she goes around whining and begging her siblings to help her find their brother. Maybe he doesn‘t want to be found! Leave him alone!

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Legendofcool
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Legendofcool
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Legendofcool
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Emilymdxn
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My boyfriend has lots of work calls to make in our flat again so it‘s another day of socially distant loitering in the foyles cafe. I‘m playing the age old game of ‘how long can one pot of tea last before I admit I need to pay for another one?‘ I feel less bad about it when it‘s so empty that I‘m not taking the seat away from anyone though, and I have bought a book. Spent the morning doing stressful life admin, now chilling with Neil Gaiman.

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Legendofcool
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Legendofcool
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Starting another great Sandman book in front of the new fish tank 😃

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TK-421
Brief Lives | Neil Gaiman, Jill Thompson
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“The stuff you bring back from dreams is free.” #stuff #QuotsyFeb20

JanuarieTimewalker13 Oooh,I love that! 4y
Geenie ❤️ 4y
55 likes2 comments
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SconsinBookyBadger
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Perusing my limited collection of graphic novels I found mad sans the -ness suffix.

#maymadness #minichallenge #speechbubblesearch

@Clwojick @TheReadingMermaid @RadicalReader

BeansPage Nicely done 👍😃👍 5y
SconsinBookyBadger @TheReadingMermaid thank you much! 😄 5y
Clwojick 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 5y
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TK-421
Brief Lives | Neil Gaiman, Jill Thompson
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“I like the stars. It's the illusion of permanence, I think. I mean, they're always flaring up and caving in and going out. But from here...I can pretend that things last. I can pretend that lives last longer than moments. Gods come and gods go. Mortals flicker and flash and fade. Worlds don't last; and stars and galaxies are transient fleeting things that twinkle like fireflies and vanish into cold and dust. But I can pretend.” #Star #QuotsyMay19

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Read66
Pickpick

Another in this series completed...enjoyed the “family” dynamics laid out in this one.

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archaeolibrarianologist
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archaeolibrarianologist
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xicanti
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My cousin took me for a hike and my first White Spot experience (they brought our food to the CAR, on a LONG, SKINNY TRAY that hooked onto the windows), and when I got home a bunch of people had tagged me about today's Sandman Universe news.

I have a lot of emotions. THOSE WRITERS. I can't wait to learn who the artists are, and to read everything, and to just FEEL over this whole thing.

Please, creators. Give me material over which I can FEEL.

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SpeculativeFemale
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Thank you fellow Littens for all the support.

DrexEdit Such a beautiful quote. 💜 6y
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xicanti
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Pickpick

BRIEF LIVES is my favourite volume. Maybe. Ask me again after I've reread THE KINDLY ONES.

I mean, it's a sibling road trip story. It corrals together all these tendrils that've been swirling around for hundred and hundreds of pages. It answers questions, then raises more.

We meet Destruction, and he's pretty great.

I sound calm and rational about it all. I'm not. This is fucking wonderful, profanity 100% necessary. #comics

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xicanti
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I'm too tired to stay upright, so I've tucked myself into bed with some reading material. I'll also tackle a few issues of X-MEN FOREVER if I can stay awake long enough.

TK421 You have totally convinced me that I need to do a Sandman reread next year. 6y
xicanti @TK421 👍👍👍 6y
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xicanti
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I love most everything about BRIEF LIVES, but I think the thing I love the very most is how Destruction's just hanging around with a talking dog, creating stuff even though he's really frickin bad at it. #comics

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xicanti
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I've always loved these panels. #comics

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xicanti
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I think about this a lot, because I smell and taste things in dreams all the time. #comics

Knightingale I last read Sandman many years ago. And one of the small little scenes I still think about is when the kids tasted fruits in their dreams that they remembered the rest of their lives. I should go back and read them again. 6y
Debiw781 I haven't read Sandman in ages. You're making me want to see if I still have my old graphic novels. 6y
xicanti @Knightingale @Debiw781 do it! Sandman rereads are the BEST. 6y
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xicanti
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The thing about BRIEF LIVES is, there're about a million little MOMENTS that hit me. Like Destruction being all sweet with Despair during the plague. #comics

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xicanti
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Neil Gaiman came to my city a few years back, and it took me all of forty-five seconds to realize which book I had to bring to the signing.

My friend and I spent over seven hours in the store, listening to him speak and waiting in a twisty-ass line and talking to other fans. (They were all like, "Why don't you have ABSOLUTE SANDMAN?" And I was like, "Because I already shelled out $200+ for NON-ABSOLUTE SANDMAN.") It was wonderful.

xicanti (But really, a part of me absolutely wants ABSOLUTE SANDMAN. I'm pretty sure it's been recoloured, and this reread has reminded me how many of the early issues cry out for that treatment.) 6y
GrilledCheeseSamurai It is recolored...its surprising how much of a difference it makes. The absolutes are expensive...but IMO it's worth the money if you are a fan. Which you are. Still 100 bucks a pop or more is alot to part with (Canadian prices anyway). 6y
xicanti @GrilledCheeseSamurai here's a terrible thing: I once saw the first volume at my local charity book market for $20 and I didn't buy it because it was so big. 6y
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GrilledCheeseSamurai @xicanti they are rather unwieldy buggers. 😅 6y
TricksyTails 😍😍😍 6y
35 likes6 comments
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TobeyTheScavengerMonk
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In the Brief Lives arch, Dream and Delirium are hunting their retired brother Destruction. The look up all his know acquaintances. This leads them to an awesomely named strip club where Ishtar, the Babylonian goddess of love and war, works.

After Dream leaves, Ishtar decides to really dance and the whole place crumbles around her.

Ladies dancing - Day 9 - #12DaysofChristmas

GrilledCheeseSamurai Best. Comic. Ever. I am obsessed with Sandman! 😍 6y
LibrarianRyan Love it 👍🏻🤓🎅🏼🎄 6y
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Seshat
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#allthefeels is it? I tried to choose between this bit in Sandman: Brief Lives, the end of Lord of the Rings, the end of Cloud Atlas, the end of The Book of Lost Things, and the end of "Jacob de Zoet." #fiestyfeb #day22 @RealLifeReading

TobeyTheScavengerMonk That scene after Morpheus washes his hands and is sitting in the chair gets me every time. 7y
Seshat Indeed, @TobeyTheScavengerMonk . Me, too. 7y
night_shift I really need to get through the rest of this series. Only have the first two volumes 😅 7y
RealLifeReading Love this series 7y
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Clare_Riley
Pickpick

I suppose this is all about change - Delirium looking for her brother, Destruction; Dream resolving his relationship with his son, Orpheus. Have I said I love this series? Every time I review one of them, you say? Well, sod it, I love it anyway!!

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Seshat
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"And perhaps his spirit will move into the cherry tree, and in spring the new blossoms will be his, and in summer the cherries will taste of true poetry and song."

The tree on Orpheus' island. #trees #tree #12daysofXmasPhoto #day8 @LibrarianRyan

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Chris
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"I like the stars. It's the illusion of permanence, I think. I mean they're always flaring up and caving in and going out. But from here I can pretend. I can pretend that things last. I can pretend that lives last longer than moments. Gods come and gods go. Mortals flicker and flash and fade. Worlds don't last; and stars and galaxies are transient fleeting things that twinkle like fireflies and vanish into cold and dust. But I can pretend."

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KCorter
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"Wisdom is in the celebration and memorialization of the temporal." - Peter Straub, from his afterword in Sandman: Brief Lives.

KCorter I've refrained all election season from saying *anything* on social media that could be interpreted as political. Social media has been an arena of hate, prejudice, and divisiveness. It is an extension of our community, so no surprise there. Not often can you find a group of like-minded, accepting, understanding individuals who truly want to discuss an issue instead of spewing opinions and insults at their fellows in lieu of true conversation. 7y
KCorter From what I've seen of Litsy today, you are the exception. I feel grateful to see individuals focused on hope and togetherness and peace. No matter who is named leader of our country, WE THE PEOPLE determine how we interact with each other.

@Litsy, please never change. #ImWithYou
7y
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LauraBeth ❤️❤️ 7y
KVanRead 💕💕💕 7y
54 likes6 comments
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Vexingcircumstance
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Tonight's recommendation is my favorite of the Sandman series, Brief Lives. I will also always believe that this is the book that should be adapted into a movie. It is the only one in my opinion that is easily accessible to a wide audience. #brieflives #sandman #neilgaiman #graphicnovels #comics

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triskeleseeker
Pickpick

❤️