Since Stardust didn’t grab me in the least, making that the second of Gaiman’s books that I abandoned in the early goings, I went back to the well that hadn’t failed me yet: The Sandman. I guess it was inevitable, given his track record with me outside of it, that I would find disappointment in the series eventually. So better it come now, early on, than later when my expectations have been built up to a much more considerable height.
A Game of You, the fifth volume in the series, is what occurs when Gaiman makes things up on the fly. You end up with a contrived and slapdash plot that strains the reader’s suspension of disbelief until it, at least for me, snaps. When you’re writing within the fantasy genre, that’s saying a lot, don’t you think?
On top of that, A Game of You doesn’t even try to be subtle about its references and inspirations, ham-fisting more than a few in just for the sake of doing so, and focuses on a group of characters, each duller than the last. Even Morpheus himself, who doesn’t appear until the end, where he serves as one, grand deus ex machina, is not his usual likable self.
He’s overly argumentative and takes issue with things I don’t see why he couldn’t forgive, his dialogue cyclical due to his general stubbornness. Still, he’s a welcome presence compared to the others, Wanda in particular. She’s a pre-operative trans woman, which should provide ample dramatic tension, and yet I felt as if it was hardly touched upon.
That is, until Gaiman uses it rather manipulatively at the end in a transparent attempt to make his readers cry for a character that he’d given them no reason to care about prior to that.
Honestly, I’m just glad to read that the events of A Game of You have little bearing on the rest of the series, and that it’s generally agreed upon that it’s the worst entry. With it out of the way, I feel the chances are good that I’ll make it through the remaining six installments without finding another stinker. Well, one can only hope.
Travis Smith’s blog, containing this review, as well as others, photography, and more, can be found here.
Cannonball Read V 