Games of you
Nov. 5th, 2005 12:26 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gogmagogGIP, basically because I just read the entire archives of the webcomic Dominic Deegan and really enjoyed it. So i'm now up to, what, like twelve webcomics I read regularly? x_x
But anyway, so this entry isn't completely contentless, I've been reading The Sandman Companion (I got it from the library) and was surprised to learn that apparently A Game of You is the least popular Sandman storyline. That kinda surprises me, because it's completely my favorite. XD
I suppose the fact that it's almost exclusively about women means that some guys might have trouble identifying with the characters (though, really, if that's the problem then why are you reading Sandman?). It might also be that a transsexual is one of the main characters, which might make some folks uncomfortable.
But see, I loved it. It came out of a scene in an earlier collection, The Doll's House, where we see the dreams of Barbie, this vapid doll who has a boyfriend named Ken, ha ha whatever. But the funny thing is, this woman who seems so brainless has these elaborate Mary Sue dreams about how she's a magical princess in this other land on a quest to save the world using a magic necklace along with her faithful companion, the giant mammoth-dog-thing Martin Tenbones. And it's funny and laughable in that context.
But then A Game of You centers around Barbie and her dream world, and suddenly you find yourself drawn into this world and caring about it the same way Barbie does. See, two years later, she and Ken have broken up and she now lives in New York City as a kind of boho arty chick who paints her face a different way every day and who goes windowshopping at Tiffany's with her next-door neighbor/best friend Wanda (who, as previously mentioned, was born Alvin). She hasn't dreamed in two years, due to the events in the previous book, and has pretty much forgotten her dream world. But then Martin Tenbones shows up on a New York City street, bearing the Porpentine (the magical necklace), which he gives to her before being killed by cops who think he's some kind of freakish dog. Barbie uses the Porpentine to go back to the dream world to try and save it from the malicious Cuckoo that is threatening it.
However, the Cuckoo has agents in the real world as well, including George, one of Barbie's fellow tenants in her apartment building. He attempts to control the other tenants - Wanda, a lesbian couple named Hazel and Foxglove, and an art history student named Thessaly - through their dreams. All are easy prey for his attacks except Thessaly, who it turns out is actually a millennia-old witch who promptly goes up and stabs George and dumps his body in the bathtub, and then rounds up the other tenants to investigate. Thessaly gets the skinny from George by slicing off his face, nailing it to the wall and reanimating it; and it turns out that while Barbie is off in her dream world her body sleeps in a comalike state in the real world. So Thessaly, Hazel and Foxglove go into her dream world to go after the cuckoo (Thessaly doesn't take kindly to folks who threaten her), while Wanda stays behind to guard Barbie. And things just get more fun from there. :D
What I would probably have to say that I enjoyed the most about the book, though, was Thessaly. Because dude, she rocks! She's quite matter-of-fact and emotionless about the fact that she's just killed a man and dumped his body in the bathtub, and she has no qualms about skinning him and then biting off his tongue so that she can give his face something to talk with. And it's funnier because she seems like this nerdy girl with big glasses and long straight hair who's kinda boring and drinks soy milk. And then she starts in with the flaying. (While she's wearing a bathrobe and fluffy bunny slippers, even.) XD
So, in conclusion: A Game of You. Read it, love it. OR ELSE.
Er, and in my continuing efforts to ruin everyone's childhood memories, here's some traumatic horrible Dark Crystal smutfic (not worksafe, obviously), involving the crystal shard being used in new and uncanny ways! (You know I only do this because I love you.)
Edit: Oh, and I got the BPAL I ordered from![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
quikslvr today (as well as some extra surprises - thank you!), so reviews of those later. :D
But anyway, so this entry isn't completely contentless, I've been reading The Sandman Companion (I got it from the library) and was surprised to learn that apparently A Game of You is the least popular Sandman storyline. That kinda surprises me, because it's completely my favorite. XD
I suppose the fact that it's almost exclusively about women means that some guys might have trouble identifying with the characters (though, really, if that's the problem then why are you reading Sandman?). It might also be that a transsexual is one of the main characters, which might make some folks uncomfortable.
But see, I loved it. It came out of a scene in an earlier collection, The Doll's House, where we see the dreams of Barbie, this vapid doll who has a boyfriend named Ken, ha ha whatever. But the funny thing is, this woman who seems so brainless has these elaborate Mary Sue dreams about how she's a magical princess in this other land on a quest to save the world using a magic necklace along with her faithful companion, the giant mammoth-dog-thing Martin Tenbones. And it's funny and laughable in that context.
But then A Game of You centers around Barbie and her dream world, and suddenly you find yourself drawn into this world and caring about it the same way Barbie does. See, two years later, she and Ken have broken up and she now lives in New York City as a kind of boho arty chick who paints her face a different way every day and who goes windowshopping at Tiffany's with her next-door neighbor/best friend Wanda (who, as previously mentioned, was born Alvin). She hasn't dreamed in two years, due to the events in the previous book, and has pretty much forgotten her dream world. But then Martin Tenbones shows up on a New York City street, bearing the Porpentine (the magical necklace), which he gives to her before being killed by cops who think he's some kind of freakish dog. Barbie uses the Porpentine to go back to the dream world to try and save it from the malicious Cuckoo that is threatening it.
However, the Cuckoo has agents in the real world as well, including George, one of Barbie's fellow tenants in her apartment building. He attempts to control the other tenants - Wanda, a lesbian couple named Hazel and Foxglove, and an art history student named Thessaly - through their dreams. All are easy prey for his attacks except Thessaly, who it turns out is actually a millennia-old witch who promptly goes up and stabs George and dumps his body in the bathtub, and then rounds up the other tenants to investigate. Thessaly gets the skinny from George by slicing off his face, nailing it to the wall and reanimating it; and it turns out that while Barbie is off in her dream world her body sleeps in a comalike state in the real world. So Thessaly, Hazel and Foxglove go into her dream world to go after the cuckoo (Thessaly doesn't take kindly to folks who threaten her), while Wanda stays behind to guard Barbie. And things just get more fun from there. :D
What I would probably have to say that I enjoyed the most about the book, though, was Thessaly. Because dude, she rocks! She's quite matter-of-fact and emotionless about the fact that she's just killed a man and dumped his body in the bathtub, and she has no qualms about skinning him and then biting off his tongue so that she can give his face something to talk with. And it's funnier because she seems like this nerdy girl with big glasses and long straight hair who's kinda boring and drinks soy milk. And then she starts in with the flaying. (While she's wearing a bathrobe and fluffy bunny slippers, even.) XD
So, in conclusion: A Game of You. Read it, love it. OR ELSE.
Er, and in my continuing efforts to ruin everyone's childhood memories, here's some traumatic horrible Dark Crystal smutfic (not worksafe, obviously), involving the crystal shard being used in new and uncanny ways! (You know I only do this because I love you.)
Edit: Oh, and I got the BPAL I ordered from
quikslvr today (as well as some extra surprises - thank you!), so reviews of those later. :D
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2005-11-05 04:06 pm (UTC)My least favorite is The Kindly Ones though. It's just a long story about the vindictiveness of the world. -_-
My favorites are probably the short story compilations (the World's End specifically) or the one where Dream and Delirium go on the road trip. Though that didn't have a happy ending at all. But oh wellz.
I think I like the short story compilations better because I think mr gaiman is better at short stories... I don't really like long arcs full of nonsense and angst and the cruelty of the universe and stuff. It's depressing. XD; When a short story ends messily I'm fine with that. Dunno why!
(no subject)
Date: 2005-11-05 05:00 pm (UTC)I tend to favor the longer arcs over the short stories because it feels like you get more characterization and the plot moves ahead more that way. But I will agree with you on The Kindly Ones. It was just depressing and grim and I swear, I wanted to kill Lyta Hall SO BAD. T_T
My big problem with Neil Gaiman is the fact that HE CANNOT WRITE AN ENDING FOR THE LIFE OF HIM. (Though that seems to have changed in Anansi Boys.) After the wake and the new Dream going in to meet his siblings, the series should have ended. Instead we then get a story about Hob Gadling which I didn't mind so much, it gave good closure; but then there was this stupid Orientalist sequel to "Soft Places" which was wholly unnecessary filler CRAP (and not even a particularly good piece of filler crap); and then finally a story about Shakespeare's last play which was good but should have come before that final story arc.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-11-05 07:33 pm (UTC)