Audiobook Review: 'The Sandman: Act I' by Neil Gaiman & Dirk Maggs

I've often cited 'The Sandman' as one of the comic series that got me into reading and collecting comics, way back in the 1990s. The surreal cover art by Dave McKean, the darkly fantastical stories inside by Neil Gaiman, and the interior art from various artists over the course of the original 75 issue comic run, hooked me in from the first issue I read.

Flashforward to 2020, and Dirk Maggs' adaptation for Audible. Wow! It had been a long while since I read the comics, but listening to this full cast recording brought the memories back, and it was great to be back in The Sandman universe again.

Beginning at the beginning, the Audible Original Drama starts with issue #1; 'Sleep Of The Just', with Roderick Burgess, magician and occultist, attempting to gain immortality by capturing and imprisoning the embodiment of Death. But instead, he binds Death's brother, Morpheus, Lord of Dreams, instead. After many decades, he eventually escapes his confinement and seeks to restore his power that has waned during his years of imprisonment, and reclaim his possessions that were stolen from him. This task takes him into hell to face Lucifer, chasing downrogue nightmares, visit a serial killer convention and crosses paths with characters from the DC comics universe, as well as from ancient myths, and real-world history.

Covering volumes 1-3 ('Preludes and Nocturnes', 'The Doll's House', and 'Dream Country'), and running for around 11 hours, 'The Sandman: Act I' features a stellar cast that elevates this into a must listen. James McAvoy is Dream, Kat Dennings is Death, Taron Egerton is John Constantine, Riz Ahmed is The Corinthian, with Michael Sheen, Andy Serkis, Samantha Morton, Bebe Neuwirth, Arthur Darvill, and more, plus Neil Gaiman as the narrator, and a musical score by James Hannigan, the adaptation is brought to life and into your ears and imagination!

Listening to the 20 episodes, I had forgotten how dark, disturbing and horrific some of the issues were. Like '24 Hours', where the whole episode is set in a diner where the patrons go mad over the course of a day; the whole 'Doll's House' storyline, where Rose Walker searches for her younger brother and somehow ends up at a convention for serial killers; and 'Calliope', where one of the nymphs from Greek mythology has been captured, imprisoned and abused, while her presence provides the inspiration for an author's successful novels, before she is passed on to another frustrated writer until Dream intervenes.

But with the darkness, there is also light and hope, like 'The Sound Of Her Wings' where we're first introduced to Dream's sibling Death, where she persuades her brother to explore the world to get him out of his post-imprisonment depression as she's doing her rounds; 'A Dream Of A Thousand Cats', where a Siamese cat tells a story of the time she met the Dream Lord; and 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' which depicts the premiere of Will Shakespeare's play in front of an unusual audience.

'The Sandman: Act I' is an immersive trip into the dark fantasy universe of Neil Gaiman's original comics, superbly adapted by Dirk Maggs (who has also adapted several of Gaiman's books into audio format, which are also all worth checking out), boasting top drawer voice cast and production values, it's all too easy to lose yourself in the stories. Recommended!

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Book Review: 'Carnival Row: Tangle In The Dark' by Stephanie K Smith

I enjoyed the first season of Carnival Row and was hoping that there were more stories to bring me back to this alternative world of the human and the fae, so when there was an offer of a free audiobook set in the 'Carnival Row' universe, I snapped it up!

'Carnival Row: Tangle In The Dark' by Stephanie K Smith, who was also staff writer on series one, is a prologue set before the main events of the show, narrated by Karla Crome who plays Tourmaline Larou in the show, and serves as an introduction to Vignette Stonemoss, Cara Delevingne's character in the show, as she first meets Tourmaline and tries to fit in to society.

It dives straight into the world of Carnival Row, adding more depth to the world building and the societies and people that inhabit it, which was great. But if you've not seen the show then you could get a little lost. The dive could be a little bit too deep for the uninitiated as it assumes you already know the who, what, where of the show, as there is not a lot in way of introduction to the various fae races, the looming war and class societies, so going in blind could be a little confusing. But if you have seen the show, like myself, then you will already be familiar with the world and can relive it again through the audiobook.

The narration feels straight from the show, with Karla slipping back into character as Tourmaline, and her blunt and sometimes bristly personality definitely shining through, making it a delight to revisit a character that was more of a background character in the original show, but is the main focus of the story here. The show's themes of society elitism and racism are very much present here, as is the rude and crude nature of some of characters (listener discretion is advised), but they aren't delved into as much as the show does, being more of just a peek behind the curtain into the world, as we follow Tourmaline and Vignette in the days before the series.

'Carnival Row: Tangle In The Dark' is very much for fans of the show, but I would recommend watching the series first before picking this up, as I feel a familiarity of the world and of Tourmaline could add to the enjoyment of listening to this audiobook. I hope there will be more stories that delve into the back stories of the characters of the series, as I enjoyed the series and although brief at just over 3 hours, I also enjoyed this short audiobook as well.

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'Game Of Thrones' The Complete Audio Collection from Audible

If you can't wait for the new 'Game of Thrones' TV series in April, Audible has you covered with the complete audio collection.

The collection includes the complete unabridged adaptations of the five books in George RR Martin's 'A Song Of Ice And Fire' series - from 'A Game Of Thrones to 'A Dance With Dragons' - all narrated by Roy Dotrice, as well as 'The World of Ice and Fire: The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones', 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' and the recent 'Fire & Blood', a look at the definitive history of the Targaryens in Westeros set 300 years before the main books.

I've been a subscriber for a for a number of years now and really enjoy listening to them mostly on my commute and on my travels. But if you haven't joined Audible yet, you can give it a go with a 30 day free trial, with thousands of titles to choose from and narrated by some of the biggest names in entertainment.

There are some excellent benefits to subscribing; any book you choose are yours to keep, even if you cancel the subscription, but if you don't like an audiobook for any reason, you can exchange any book, any time. Plus you can also listen online or offline to your audio books, enabling you to listen anytime and anywhere without having to rely on wifi or an internet connection.

There are also free Audio Shows of original podcasts for members, and exclusive deals throughout the month, with up to 80% off selected audiobooks.

Sign up to Audible today!!

Audible 'Black Friday' 50% Off Membership Offer

Amazon has slashed the price for new listeners on Audible for the first 4 months!

Sign up to Audible through this offer and you will pay £3.99 per month for 4 months, instead of the regular £7.99 per month. Membership includes one credit every month, applicable to ANY audiobook, regardless of price or length, and will be yours to keep for life, even if you cancel.

With over 200,000+ titles to choose from including best sellers, the latest releases and more including 'Audible Originals', original and exclusive content only available on Audible, there’s something for everyone.

Personally I love listening to audiobooks on my work commute or on long journeys. The perfect companion! I'm currently listening to 'The Poppy War' by RF Kuang and narrated by Emily Woo Zeller, and some of my favourites include 'The Witcher' series by Andrzej Sapkowski and narrated by Peter Kenny, 'Circe' written by Madeline Miller and narrated by Perdita Weeks, 'The Mistborn' and 'Stormlight Archives' series by Brandon Sanderson and narrated by Michael Kramer and Kate Reading.

The 50% offer runs until 11.59pm UK on December 14 2018.

Go here for the Black Friday offer.