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The Sandman and the War of Dreams The Guardians William Joyce 9781442430549 Books

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The Sandman and the War of Dreams The Guardians William Joyce 9781442430549 Books

I love William Joyce’s Guardians of Childhood series. The picture books, the novels, the movie… they’re all a lot of fun. I’m sad that the movie—which is really good—didn’t seem to get much attention, and I’m sad that it appears that the next novel looks like it’s the last one. Still, they’re all quick enough reads that I can go back and read them all over again.

This latest novel brings the character of Sanderson Mansnoozie, the Sandman (geddit?) into the fray, after having had his origin told in a picture book. While each book in the series builds from the last, this one is very much an installment in a serialized tale. Following the capture of young Katherine in the previous volume, the Guardians search for their friend. Along the way, we learn more about the evil Pitch, his daughter, Mother Nature, and we see the Guardians begin to set things up for what may be the final battle.

As with previous books in the series, I really enjoy the mythology Joyce is building. It’s an epic adventure featuring Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and Mother Goose, but it neither feels silly nor overly serious. The books have the tone of an oral folktale, one that has been told again and again over generations. And yet, they also feel focused and detailed. While this time around, we don’t get too much insight into most of the characters, we do learn a great deal about Pitch, Sandman, and Nightlight.

Unfortunately, it felt as if this volume had fewer illustrations than previous ones. I really enjoy Joyce’s artwork, so that was a shame. Also, this feels less like a complete installment than setup for what will come next. Having said that, the background information this book provides more than makes up for that. And since I am totally enjoying the series as a whole, I’m okay with installments that expect me to read what came before and what will come next.


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The Sandman and the War of Dreams The Guardians William Joyce 9781442430549 Books Reviews

Let me preface this review by first saying that I'm a little out of the age range that Mr. Joyce had in mind while writing. The story itself retained the whimsical tone that had been established in the previous three novels. As an adult reader it is nice to return to a style that isn't overly concerned with the rules of conventional writing. It's a children's book and the writing is meant to capture the imagination. And capture it the writing does.

The story itself is where the bulk of my enjoyment and my disappointment lies. Let's start with the pros. The story Mr. Joyce tells is enchanting. Childhood figures brought to life as heroes is a fantastic tale of adventure. Not only does it portray characters that we grew up with, but it also deals with many life lessons that are common everyday themes such as the love of a parent and trusting others. All are excellent lessons for young and not so young alike. This book also deals a great deal with growing up and the changes that entails such as giving up some things in order for change to happen.

However I was greatly disappointed by two things. The first was the pacing. The story was rushed. It felt like I was reading part of a story rather than an entire book. Many things were glanced over and not really developed. Some of these things were fairly important such as the building of North's workshop. There was also some confusion about the passage of time. It doesn't seem like the actual search for Katherine takes that long; however, it is long enough for North to get fat and for Katherine to grow taller. I needed some more clarification when it came down to the passage of time.

I might have been able to overlook the pacing issues if it weren't for the second gripe. My biggest complaint was the lack of the character Jack Frost. Mr. Joyce promised at the end of book 3 that he would appear in this book. I wasn't expecting his part to be huge but I can't even begin to fully articulate how upset I was that his introduction was promised but not delivered. I almost feel as though it was a cheap gimmick to entice people to buy the next book. I think that Mr. Joyce has several loyal fans and didn't need an unfulfilled promise to draw them in. Perhaps at the time the third book was published there was an intention to introduce Jack Frost (again maybe not as a main character) but was somehow lost in the shuffle of editing. Had it not been for that simple promise I would have been less disappointed in the story and a little more forgiving in my other complaints.
In many ways, this book gives us a lot of more exploration on some parts. We learn a lot more about Pitch Black and Mother Nature's tragic backstory, but it feels as if it comes at a price, which is that the story feels far too fast paced, while it at the same time is lacking some important points that seemed incredibly important in the other books (such as a locket that was rather vital in the second book and a bit in the third book). The theory behind this, might be the rush there has been, and possible a couple of editings that doesn't seem to quite fit. Another is that Mr. Joyce might be rushing to try and fit the universe of his books together with the universe of the Rise of the Guardians film, which shouldn't be necessary.

Aside from that, some parts of this book still continue to rise more questions, which will hopefully be resolved in what seems to be the final book of the series. We will just have to wait and see.

On a more positive note, the book did have some cute moments, as well as some really funny ones. Despite the negative points that I have already mentioned, I enjoyed the book and I hope others will too.
Let's face it, the third book ended on a nasty cliffhanger. Thankfully it's resolved, but honestly, the whole thing feels somewhat rushed. A friend of mine said it felt like watching a movie on TV, that had been edited for time, and parts were missing. It's obvious that time is passing (and has passed), and while the writing is delightful, there's just the nagging sense that there should be more. Now, I'm not part of the targeted age group for this series. In fact, I love how 'retro' the storytelling and the illustrations are. But there is something about the concept that caught my interest and brought me into the world that Joyce has created. There's one more chapter book to go, but I'm going to hope for some short stories and picture books to further expand upon the Guardians.
I love William Joyce’s Guardians of Childhood series. The picture books, the novels, the movie… they’re all a lot of fun. I’m sad that the movie—which is really good—didn’t seem to get much attention, and I’m sad that it appears that the next novel looks like it’s the last one. Still, they’re all quick enough reads that I can go back and read them all over again.

This latest novel brings the character of Sanderson Mansnoozie, the Sandman (geddit?) into the fray, after having had his origin told in a picture book. While each book in the series builds from the last, this one is very much an installment in a serialized tale. Following the capture of young Katherine in the previous volume, the Guardians search for their friend. Along the way, we learn more about the evil Pitch, his daughter, Mother Nature, and we see the Guardians begin to set things up for what may be the final battle.

As with previous books in the series, I really enjoy the mythology Joyce is building. It’s an epic adventure featuring Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and Mother Goose, but it neither feels silly nor overly serious. The books have the tone of an oral folktale, one that has been told again and again over generations. And yet, they also feel focused and detailed. While this time around, we don’t get too much insight into most of the characters, we do learn a great deal about Pitch, Sandman, and Nightlight.

Unfortunately, it felt as if this volume had fewer illustrations than previous ones. I really enjoy Joyce’s artwork, so that was a shame. Also, this feels less like a complete installment than setup for what will come next. Having said that, the background information this book provides more than makes up for that. And since I am totally enjoying the series as a whole, I’m okay with installments that expect me to read what came before and what will come next.