The Sandman volumes 1-3

The Sandman volumes 1-3 by Neil Gaiman, various artists, 632 pages total

For 60 years, Dream/Morpheus/The Master of Dreams/the titular Sandman has been locked away by some occultists who were trying to trap Dream's sister, Death. Slowly, he figures out a way to escape and return to his neglected realm of Dreaming. In his absence, the sources of his power have been scattered across the universe, nightmares he created have escaped, and his powers have weakened.

These first few volumes (Preludes & Nocturnes, The Doll's House, and Dream Country) set up the series beautifully, though also horrifically, with plenty of nightmare fuel to be found in diners and remote motels.

Neil Gaiman has long been one of my favorite authors, and my reread of his seminal horror/fantasy comic series is LONG overdue. It actually makes me sad to think that it took the new Netflix series to get me to read these again (because OF COURSE I have to read them again before watching).

Anyway, these are amazing, and wonderfully creative and just as relevant today as they were when they were first published more than 30 years ago.

Recitatif

Recitatif by Toni Morrison; introduction by Zadie Smith, 82 pages

Two girls meet and live together for a few months in an orphanage before returning to their families. Over the course of their lives, their paths cross again and again. One of these girls is black, the other is white, though the reader never learns which is which.

Originally published in 1983, Recitatif is Morrison's only short story. But wow, could she pack a punch in that one story, which has such a simple premise that it's profound. It forces the reader to confront our own assumptions, as well as the way in which race plays a part in both society at large and in individual relationships. The story itself accounts for less than half of the page count mentioned above, which is why I noted the lengthy introduction by Smith. If you haven't read Recitatif before, I'd recommend flipping to the back and reading the story first, then checking out the introduction, which provides a deep analysis of the story and Morrison's writing. If you have read the story, proceed normally through the book. Either way, read the story, as it's one that simply cannot be missed. Wow.