Like most fables, the story begins with a wager between two jealous animals, a fox and a badger: which of them can drive a young monk from his solitary temple? The winner will make the temple into a new fox or badger home. But as the fox adopts the form of a woman to woo the monk from his hermitage, she falls in love with him. Meanwhile, in far away Kyoto, the wealthy Master of Yin-Yang, the onmyoji, is plagued by his fears and seeks tranquility in his command of sorcery. He learns of the monk and his inner peace; he dispatches demons to plague the monk in his dreams and eventually kill him to bring his peace to the onmyoji. The fox overhears the demons on their way to the monk and begins her struggle to save the man whom at first she so envied.

Dream Hunters is a beautiful package. From the ink-brush painted endpapers to the luminous page layouts--including Amano's gate-fold painting of Morpheus in a sea of reds, oranges, and violets--this book has been crafted for a sensuous reading experience. Gaiman has developed as a prose stylist in the last several years with novels and stories such as Neverwhere and Stardust, and his narrative rings with a sense of timelessness and magic that gently sustains this adult fairy tale. The only disappointment here is that the book is so brief. One could imagine this creative team being even better suited to a longer story of more epic proportions. On the final page of Dream Hunters, in fact, Amano suggest that he will collaborate further with Mr. Gaiman in the future. Readers of Dream Hunters will hope that Amano's dream comes true. --Patrick O'Kelley

Product Description
Sandman: The Dream Hunters won the 1999 Bram Stoker Award for Best Comic Book, Graphic Novel, or Other Illustrative Narrative as well as the 2000 Eisner Award for Best Comics-Related Book. Sandman: The Dream Hunters was also nominated for the 1999 Hugo Award for Best Related Book.

However, once I started the book, all my fears vanished. Gaiman has outdone himself with his lyrical retelling of the Japanese folk tale of the fox and the monk. The story retains the serene bittersweetness that often characterizes Asian stories, and Amano's mysterious illustrations lend a depth and elegance that is simply breathtaking. THE DREAM HUNTERS, though a rather short piece, is an outstanding addition to the Sandman oeuvre that is not to be missed.


Another Excellent Story   November 17, 1999
 33 out of 34 found this review helpful

Personally, I was dissapointed that this book was not told in traditional comic fashion (a technique he has not utilized since the Sandman series itself ended several years ago). However, DREAM HUNTERS is an excellent addition to the Sandman mythology; though it is not quite substantial enough to constitute an "Eleveth Volume" of the story (it is more approximate to one comic-sized issue). This is a moving story, which works on several levels; it is complex, with many details all the more exciting when caught, yet is simple, as a folk tale should be. This story reminds of previous Sandman tales, especially "Dream Of A Thousand Cats," "Ramadan," and "The Kindly Ones," sharing several dramatic parallels with each. After reading this story, I found myself immediately turning back the book to page one to begin again. Vintage Gaiman, DREAM HUNTERS should not be missed.


A wonderful folk tale   November 30, 1999
 20 out of 28 found this review helpful

As ever Neil Gaiman is fascinated with the craft of story telling. Here he retells an old Japanese folk story.

The major trick is to tell the story with a very light hand as its quite slight material. Once again Neil understands the material he is working with and does so.

Its wonderful to see the Endless and the Dreaming done as Japanese myth. The characters and humour are captured perfectly.

The illustrations by Amano are wonderful. They are very abstract and impressionistic. So fans of Final Fantasy may be disappointed.

Casual readers beware however. This is a standalone fable involving the Sandman universe but is not an actual part of the comic series itself.

However taken for what it is, a richly illustrated fable. Its terrific.


A rich and elegant addition to your Sandman collection.   November 20, 1999
 17 out of 19 found this review helpful

If you loved the way Gaiman told "Tales in the Sand," "The Hunters," and "Ramadan," this book is a must for Sandman collectors. Gaiman and Amano, an absolutely stellar partnership, each lend an astonishingly poignant perspective to this Japanese folktale. Rich with subtlety and evocativeness, with laudably appropriate references to the Sandman series. The artwork shows an exotically elegant side to Dream. Please read this and begin to see what is exquisite, in beauty and in pain, about utter devotion and unconditional love.


The Realm of the Fox   October 18, 2002
 14 out of 14 found this review helpful

I found this book while searching for Yoshitaka Amano's illustrations. One of the most notable of living Japanese illustrators, he is still much under-represented in American publications. This is truly a shame, for many are completely unaware of the flowing grace and color of his images. He has a great breadth of style, subject and media, including theater design and stained glass work among his many credits. He is equally at home doing echoes of old Japanese and Chinese prints as he is with bright colors and Impressionism. This is part of what makes 'The Dream Hunters' a treasure.

Neil Gaiman, of course, is much better known here, and in Europe. His 'Sandman' series, of which this technically a part, has achieved a certain legendary status among graphic novels, and such novels as 'Nevermore' and 'American Gods' have proven that he was a writer worthy of respect. The story here is a derivative of a little-known Japanese legend called "The Fox, The Monk, and the Mikado of All Night's Dreaming." This Gaiman retells, placing his own creation, Morpheus, as The King of Dreams.

The tale is about a young Monk living in an isolated temple, who makes a great impression on a fox who lives nearby. She gradually comes to love the monk, but always maintains her distance. One night, she overhears a group of creatures discussing the plans of their master to kill the monk in his dreams. Determined that the monk should live, she sets out to save him. The ensuing story is both touching and unique. And Amano's illustrations rest gemlike within it.

The volume is sumptuously printed, and really deserves a slipcase. Suffice it to say, it will occupy a treasured place on my shelves. Both a love story and a teaching fable, it stays in the mind for some time. In the end, you will agree with the King of All Night's Dreaming: "Lessons were learned. Events occurred as it was proper for them to do. I do not perceive that my attention was wasted."