The Sandman Book of Dreams

[gaffa@ozemail.com.au (Graham Dombkins)]

G'day all,

I've finally remembered to write to the list to let you guys know of a 
new KaTe sighting. I hope I'm not repeating something already posted BUT 
I don't remember having seen this yet so... There is a new book out (in 
hardcover only as yet) called "The Sandman Book of Dreams" It's edited by 
Niel Gaiman and Ed Kramer and is basically a heap of short stories based 
around concepts and ideas from The Sandman comic. I've enjoyed it a lot 
so far (still a few stories to go but I'm saving them) :-) The final word 
in the book goes to Tori Amos with a reprint of her introduction to 
"Death : The High Cost of Living".

Anyway, in one of the stories, "Escape Artist" by Caitlin R. Kiernan we 
look into the early life Alvin Mann or as we all know her Wanda from the 
"A Game of You" Sandman story arc. It's a very moving story about Alvin's 
attempt to escape from his impossible life. His only friend is a girl 
Charlotte who, it turns out, is a huge KaTe fan! We are told that as soon 
as she heard the new Kate album "she had skipped school, hitched all the 
way to Junction City and pocketed the cassette at Kmart". The album was 
The Dreaming and the important song (for the story) is Houdini. The theam 
of escaping is key in all this. Caitlin Kiernan weaves KaTe's lyrics from 
Houndini into the story. Charlotte is very much a rebel and would do 
things like lie in front of oncoming trains to scare the driver. They 
listen to Houdini and wait in the path of an oncoming combine harvester, 
except this time "this in no trick" and you realise that they mean to 
die. I wont give the story away fro those who want to read it. :-)


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