In Review: The Sandman: Act III (Audible)

Synopsis: In Act III, we follow Morpheus on a grand journey to take care of family business. He visits with his son Orpheus. This act brings with it profound consequences. 

Accompanied by Delirium, he then tracks down their estranged brother, Destruction. Destruction is the only member of the Endless ever to abandon their post. 

And at an inn at the intersection of all worlds, a group of travelers are forced together by a storm that threatens to destroy reality itself. There are grave repercussions for Morpheus and the rest of the Endless.

Review: The Sandman: Act III is superb! I daresay I prefer the Audible adaptation to the Netflix one. While I don’t normally do this with ongoing stories that aren’t finished yet, I’m giving Act III a perfect 10 out of 10.

Story

As with previous reviews, I’m not going to regurgitate plot. For one thing, hardcore fans don’t need that. For another, newbies like myself deserve to discover without spoilers.

I’ve come to The Sandman after experiencing a number of Neil Gaiman’s other stories first. As a result, I understand that The Sandman is an encapsulation of everything that makes Gaiman’s work what it is. 

Indeed, I think Gaiman handles the tropes he’s known for more effectively here than in any of his other writings. And yes, I realize that’s saying quite a lot.

Act III will be difficult for some new fans. Listeners have to pay attention to story structures and themes, as well as plot. Gaiman foreshadows Act IV throughout.

Because theme and structure do more heavy lifting, plots may seem repetitive and self-indulgent. They’re not. Gaiman is reinforcing the ideas of death, loss, and change throughout every arc in the third act.

Acting

Again, Gaiman narrates his own material wonderfully. Additionally, James McAvoy continues to lead the marvelous supporting cast perfectly.

For his part, Regé-Jean Page gives an extremely layered performance as Orpheus. He grounds an extremely heightened myth by conveying raw pain. Of course, his singing continues to be sublime.

David Harewood makes some lovely performance choices as Destruction. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the prodigal sibling.

All that said, Kristen Schaal walks the trickiest and most memorable performance path as Delirium. She has to portray a literal giddy whirl.

Overall

Thank you, Neil Gaiman. Thank you, Audible. Bring on Act IV.

You can purchase The Sandman: Act III here.