This is for several reasons. Firstly, the story brings the resolution of the series' biggest mystery: the identity of the lost sibling in Morpheus' family (a group of mystic beings called the The Endless who all rule over some "realm" of consciousness) and his reason for disappearing. Yet, the collective little scenes in each Sandman story arch are always just as important as the underlining storyline itself and Brief Lives has many of the series' best little scenes: Delirium (one of Gaiman's most unforgettable characters) trying to remember the proper name of eye-gunk; Barnabas, Destruction's talking dog, slamming his paintings and poetry; Mervyn, a pumpkin-headed nightmare of Morpheus' creation, explaining why his boss is a flake.

Another reason why this may be the definitive best Sandman volume is that Jill Thompson may be the definitive Sandman artist. Thompson's simple, cartoon-ish pictures and her flair for telling facial expressions have a way of tenderly assisting the story without letting overly detailed imagery get in the way (a major problem in the Jim Lee era of comics).

But the best reason why this is the best Sandman story arch is what is at the heart of the story. Brief Lives is, godlike entities and talking animals aside, a simple, touching story of love and family. There is something about Delirium's naive attempt to make The Endless "one big happy family again" and the tenderness and grace by which Gaiman writes it that makes Brief Lives an exceptional part of an exceptional series.


My favourate of the series   July 25, 2000
 3 out of 3 found this review helpful

Delirium, the youngest of the Endless, who was once Delight, needs a change. She decides to find her missing "prodigal" brother. She begs Dream to accompany her and surprisingly, (for reasons we don't discover til later) he agrees. But their prodigal brother is none other than Destruction, and as Dream and Delirium soon learn, few can seek Destruction unscathed. One of Gaiman's many skills is the use of doublespeak, and this story is no exception. It is a brilliant interplay of past accounts and current journeys, mirroring each other.

"What's the name of the word for things not being the same always.....there must be a word for it. The thing that let's you know time is happening. Is there a word?"

"Change" replies Dream, and that is the basis for this story. It marks the realization of what Dream boths needs and yet cannot accomplish - he must change to survive, or cast about the seeds of his own future destruction.

"Brief Lives" is the glory of an already impeccable series. It is for me, the jewel in the crown of the entire Sandman saga. It manages to be haunting, thrilling and hysterical all at the same time.


Brief encounter with Omnipotence   November 16, 2000
 3 out of 4 found this review helpful

Oh, yes! Change is indeed the topic debated throughout Neil Gaimans masterpiece volume in the highly thought-stimulating saga of the Dreamlord. It is the book that sees Gaiman making his main character emotionally vulnerable (whereas "Preludes & Nocturnes" portrayed his "physical" weakness), thus more human in action, thought and word. By doing this Gaiman's genious sends this fascinating, somewhat inexplicable dark and mute, "human" incarnation of dreams from the rather easily awoken sense of a "sympathetic" prothagonist in action, to the empathetic core of our hearts. His clumsy approach at establishing a dialogue with the elf-housemaid Nuala on his return to the dreamcastle, stands out as proof of change - actions and reactions within this brief conversation bear witness to the Dreamlords waking will to take other beings welfare into consideration, within the limits of all realms.

The turning points are, due to the non-linear narrative, generally spread out through most of the volumes of the Sandman story, but to me the ultimate change of the storyline occurs as Morpheus initiates a final rendez-vous with his human son, as described in this wonderful, and not least powerful, collection of beautiful stories. In short a powerful set of thoughts on the nature of "the word for things not being the same always".

The presence of the Almighty is felt briefly through actions, beyond the control of even the Endless Seven, and dialogues reflecting an inevitable masterplan that will seal the fate of Morpheus as we have come to know him.


A Priceless Story About Change and all things Ending.   July 13, 2001
 3 out of 3 found this review helpful

This is my first Sandman book, and it has not only hooked me onto the series, it's given me something I can't stop thinking about. The story begins with a slightly lost Delerium wandering the streets, talking to homeless people, going to night clubs, and trying to recall what the "gunky stuff in people's eyes" is called. At this night club Desire makes a very poetically laid-out first appearance, and kindly takes Del back to her/his realm. And that's when Delerium gets a funny little idea: she wants to look for Destruction. And she wants someone to come with her... The answer from Desire is very blunt: "No." And then she asks Despair: "No." Then, very reluctantly, because her big brother can be VERY scary, she asks Dream. After much hesitation, Dream says yes. As their journey through the human world takes way, we watch what is possibly the oddest possible pairing of two of the Endless traveling together, and at first it is, surprisingly, very funny, just like all of the Sandman comics tend to sneak in a little humor here and there. Though possibly Dream and Delirium themselves are unaware of it, we know that there is some bonding between the two of them, even throughout a conflict they must overcome before continuing on the journey later. The last three or four chapters are the most touching, as Dream's son Orpheus, who he has before sworn to never speak to again, is brought into the ending for a very sad conclusion. The intriguing thing about the ending is that almost all of the characters, save Destiny and Death who have nothing to hide, show us a different part of them that we haven't really seen before. Particularly Dream, who swallows his pride and does the right thing in the end, a very selfless act on his behalf. To conclude, here's a quote-one of my favorites-from Brief Lives: "Your life is your own. Your death, likewise. Always and forever, your own. Farewell..."


Be carfeul what you search for; you might find it.   June 26, 2001
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

"You cannot seek destruction and return unscathed." This line spoken by Despair sums up this tale. Delerium decides to search for he missing brother, and after being rebuffed by Desire and Despair she convinces Deam to go with her. Originally Dream goes to escape the pain of another ill-fated love affair, but becomes more deeply involved much to his regret. The true nature of responsibility, family and mortality are all dealt with here, and in a fashion that truly makes the reader think.