By Ben Wright (@iamzavagno | www.xgeeks.co.uk)
This review is spoiler-free.
Synopsis:
In Act III, we follow Morpheus on a grand journey to take care of the family business. Accompanied by Delirium, he tracks down their estranged brother, Destruction, the only member of the Endless ever to abandon their post. And at an inn at the intersection of all worlds, a group of travellers are forced together by a storm that threatens to destroy reality itself, with grave repercussions for Morpheus and the rest of the Endless.
The third instalment of The Sandman saga on Audible has finally arrived, and once again, it does NOT disappoint!
The Sandman: Act III pulls from various comic runs including Brief Lives and Worlds’ End. While I have read the former, the latter was actually new territory for me and the format of the last two and half hours of the audiobook was really interesting! Gaiman also relinquishes hir narrator role and passes it on to Wil Wheaton for Worlds’ End! This was a very nice surprise and because it was a natural fit within the story framework of Worlds’ End, I think it was a successful approach to take. And, from a personal standpoint, as I hadn’t read this run it was really enjoyable to get these ‘new’ stories to experience.
The main cast returns, with the likes of James McAvoy (Dream), Kat Dennings (Death) and Jeffrey Wright (Destiny), but the familiar voices are joined by newcomers such as David Harewood (Destruction) and K.J. Apa (Prez). As always, McAvoy is simply flawless as Morpheus, but for the first time, thanks to the Netflix adaption, I found myself, at times, comparing the performance with Tom Sturridge! Personally, I won’t ever compare them as I think they are both so very similar, but also distinctive? If that makes sense? I appreciate both adaptions of the character. My favourite performer, if I had to pick one, was Kristen Schaal (Delirium). With a greater story presence in Act III, Schaal is phenomenal and really steals the production! Her portrayal of Delirium is perfection!
Dirk Maggs continues to work his magic, as you’d expect, with another tremendous audio production! The quality of the production and direction fits seamlessly with the previous two acts, so that consistency is there in every single element of the production. The involvement and influence of Neil Gaiman alongside Maggs cannot be overstated, as I think their obvious collaborative efforts can be experienced in the audiobook.
While there were many great stories and character performances, the one part of The Sandman Act III that really had me spellbound was the very first story, adapted from The Song of Orpheus. There is a three to four-minute song – sung by Orpheus during his mission in the Underworld – that brought me to tears! The song was so incredibly beautiful, and the composition and arrangement were simply divine!
The Sandman: Act III could easily be considered the strongest of the three audiobooks that Audible has offered so far! The cast is once again truly incredible, with a host of stories and production of the highest quality. The magic of The Sandman is alive and well on Audible and I’m already wandering in the Dreaming longing for Act IV!
X-Geeks 