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So that was it? Okay, uhm, sure, not bad. But why all this praise? It's... good. But not five stars good for me. Yeah, funny how a lot of things tie together in the end, but I've seen better (at least in books, maybe not comic books). ( )

I'd like to say The Wake was a good end to the series, but it looks like there are more volumes after it, so Gaiman must have changed his mind. From the last Shakespeare story in this volume, it felt like he was saying, "I'm done, people. Really done." Which leads me to wonder, if Shakespeare represented Gaiman, then is there a Ben Jonson in his life? I hope not-he was kind of a jerk in the story.

The chapters that took us through the end of the wake (I liked that there were at least three meanings for that word in this volume) were enough for me. A fine ending. I can see why he added the story about Gadling and the one about Shakespeare, but that middle one with the guy and the kitten? I don't know. There's probably a very good reason which was beyond me. But all three of those stories still felt like they didn't belong where they were, and I wish this particular volume had ended with the new Dream meeting his family. I liked the difference in color of body and speech to depict the new Dream too.

I'm glad I finally got around to reading this series and that I have a few more still to look forward to. For people starting the series, I would recommend reading them one right after another. I took breaks in between, and there were so many characters and references to previous volumes that I had to periodically do refreshers on wikipedia. Even if you don't find the art particularly appealing (which I didn't most of the time), if you like Gaiman, you should read The Sandman. ( )

Reactions of various characters from earlier episodes to the death of the Sandman ( )

The first part of this, the actual wake, was excellent.

I also enjoyed the Hob story.

It was the Shakespeare one at the very end. I understood why it was there, and I also understood the point it made between Shakespeare's The Tempest and Sandman himself, but I felt, for whatever reason, that the order was slightly misplaced.

A minor quibble. I'd say it's a fine end to the series, but with two more collections on my bookshelf waiting to be read, I'll hold off on that judgement. ( )