Graphic Novel Review - The Kindly Ones (Sandman, Book 9) by Neil Gaiman (5/5 stars)

Reading level: Adult
Genre: Graphic Novel
Size: 352 pages
Publisher: Vertigo
Release Date: September 1, 1996
ISBN-13: 978-1563892059
Stand Alone or Series: Ninth in the Sandman series
Source: Bought
Rating: 5/5 stars

This is the ninth book in Gaiman's Sandman series.  It was a wonderful installment, many things from the previous volumes come together and come to a climax.

This story mainly focuses around a woman name Lyta (Hippolyta) was had her son kidnapped and then enlists the help of the Furies in revenging him.  She has been led to believe (wrongly) that Morpheus is responsible for her son's fate and swears to revenge her son.  This touch's on Nuala's story and Thessaly plays a main role too (the witch from A Game of You).

This was a great story and really brought together a lot of threads introduced in previous novels.  Morpheus is depressed by the outcome of his search for his brother Destruction and the Dreaming is suffering.  In its depleted state the Dreaming is vulnerable to the attack of the Furies and many of the key characters in the Dreaming face their demise.

This isn't the most uplifting book in the Sandman series, but it was a complex and interesting story.  Morpheus is more human in this story than any others and you get to see deeper into his character.  I loved it and continue to absolutely love this series.  The stories are so well told, so creative, and so engaging.

The artwork throughout is varied, as many different artists contribute to the Sandman installments.  In general it is high quality and matches the mood of the novel; although it is definitely 80's-ish at points.

Overall another excellent addition to this series.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I can't wait to see how the series is wrapped up in the final Sandman volume, The Wake.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Graphic Novels Challenge List
- 100+ Reading Challenge