Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
The Sandman cover art

The Sandman

By: Neil Gaiman, Dirk Maggs
Narrated by: Riz Ahmed, Kat Dennings, Taron Egerton, Neil Gaiman, James McAvoy, Samantha Morton, Bebe Neuwirth, Andy Serkis, Michael Sheen
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £25.99

Buy Now for £25.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Limited time offer - 3 months of Audible for 99p. Start now at 99p for 3 months. First month 99p. Months 2 & 3 free. £7.99/month thereafter. Renews automatcially. Renew automatically. Terms and condition apply.

Just close your eyes and listen...

Occultists perform a ritual to capture Death
Dream readies himself for a visit to Hell
The Corinthian makes a phone call
Death isn’t happy with Dream
Dream identifies the demon he seeks
  • The Sandman
  • Occultists perform a ritual to capture Death
  • The Sandman
  • Dream readies himself for a visit to Hell
  • The Sandman
  • The Corinthian makes a phone call
  • The Sandman
  • Death isn’t happy with Dream
  • The Sandman
  • Dream identifies the demon he seeks

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Colour of Magic cover art
Slayers: A Buffyverse Story cover art
Dune cover art
Project Hail Mary cover art
Stardust cover art
Artemis cover art
The Martian cover art
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes cover art
We Are Legion (We Are Bob) cover art
Lovecraft's Monsters cover art
Don't Panic cover art
Columbus Day cover art
Storm Front cover art
New Earth Books 1 & 2 cover art
Snow Crash cover art
Red Rising cover art

They wanted the power of Death but got the nightmare of Dream

0:00

Summary

Please note: This content is not for kids. It is for mature audiences only. Just like the original graphic novels, this audio adaptation contains explicit language and graphic violence, as well as strong sexual content and themes. Discretion is advised.

Hailed by the Los Angeles Times Magazine as “the greatest epic in the history of comic books”, The Sandman changed the game with its dark, literary world of fantasy and horror - creating a global, cultural phenomenon in the process. At long last, Audible and DC present the first-ever audio production of the New York Times best-selling series written by acclaimed storyteller Neil Gaiman (who also serves as co-executive producer). Adapted and directed by multi-award-winner (and frequent Gaiman collaborator) Dirk Maggs, and performed by an ensemble cast with James McAvoy (It, Parts One and Two, X-Men: First Class, Split) in the title role, this first installment of a multi-part original audio series will transport you to a world that re-writes the rules of audio entertainment the way that The Sandman originally re-defined the graphic novel. 

When The Sandman, also known as Lord Morpheus - the immortal king of dreams, stories and the imagination - is pulled from his realm and imprisoned on Earth by a nefarious cult, he languishes for decades before finally escaping. Once free, he must retrieve the three “tools” that will restore his power and help him to rebuild his dominion, which has deteriorated in his absence. As the multi-threaded story unspools, The Sandman descends into Hell to confront Lucifer (Michael Sheen), chases rogue nightmares who have escaped his realm, and crosses paths with an array of characters from DC comic books, ancient myths, and real-world history, including: Inmates of Gotham City's Arkham Asylum, Doctor Destiny, the muse Calliope, the three Fates, William Shakespeare (Arthur Darvill), and many more. 

A powerhouse supporting cast helps translate this masterwork into a sonic experience worthy of its legacy, including Riz Ahmed, Kat Dennings, Taron Egerton, Samantha Morton, Bebe Neuwirth, Andy Serkis, and more. Setting the stage for their performance is an unprecedented cinematic soundscape featuring an original musical score by British Academy Award winner James Hannigan. Fans will especially revel in a new twist for the audio adaptation: Neil Gaiman himself serves as the narrator. Follow him as he leads listeners along a winding path of myths, imagination and, often, terror. Even in your wildest dreams, you’ve never heard anything like this.

©2020 DC. All Rights Reserved. The Sandman and all related elements are trademarks of DC Comics. (P)2020 DC Comics and Audible

Critic reviews

"James McAvoy leads an all-star cast in narrating this magnificent audio adaptation of Neil Gaiman's iconic graphic novel series, The Sandman.... As listeners are swept up in a saga in which cats talk and nightmares walk, McAvoy's steady characterization reminds them that it’s all in a day's work for him. While the cast members are exquisite, special mention goes to the production staff. The sound effects are immersive, and there is a wonderful cinematic score. This audio drama is compelling. Listeners won’t be able to pause once they hit play." (AudioFile magazine)

What listeners say about The Sandman

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    12,403
  • 4 Stars
    2,038
  • 3 Stars
    600
  • 2 Stars
    251
  • 1 Stars
    157
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    12,602
  • 4 Stars
    861
  • 3 Stars
    162
  • 2 Stars
    68
  • 1 Stars
    70
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    10,464
  • 4 Stars
    2,039
  • 3 Stars
    747
  • 2 Stars
    269
  • 1 Stars
    217

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

I don’t get this

I think you need to know or understand this genre to enjoy this book. It’s fragmented to me, just weird but obviously very much appreciated by folk with a better understanding.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

167 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

SO NOISY!!

Obviously this is a classic - as a huge Neil Gaiman fan I was excited to listen to it in Audible form. But a combination of manic sound effects, shrieking narration and terrible music made it intolerable. So disappointing.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

144 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome!

This is an awesome audio book. A must listen for anyone who likes the following things:
Neil Gaiman
DC Vertigo Comics
DC Comics
Sandman
The dreaming
Meta horror
Lucifer TV/ comic series
Constantine
Gothic genre
Fable stories

If you like one or all of these things; like me you’ll love it too.


Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

105 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

For graphic novel fans only

If you like graphic novels, you'll like this.
If, like me, you like a well written book, don't bother.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

83 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing, but...

As a long time fan of Gaiman and especially of The Sandman, i loved the adaptation, despite the fact that McAvoy it's not what i imagined as Morpheus, since i always imagined the Lord of Dreams with a very deep, rasp voice, bordering on the uninterested and inhuman, and James brings a tone of humanity to it. Not bad, but certainly not what many imagined for Morpheus.
Let's just be straight and be honest, I'm a huge admirer of Neil, but making him the full narrator of the audiobook, was it a good idea? Gaiman is a good narrator, mind you, but i think someone else would have been a good choice.
Overall i loved it. Good to see a new take on one of the most amazing histories ever created.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

68 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Unless you get Neil Gaiman, dont get this.

The performance is brilliant, 1st class. But the story is all over the shop, jumps from one thing to another sometimes without explanation and was too difficultly to understand and follow. Fragmented is maybe the best word to describe it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

62 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Blisteringly faithful

This is pretty much a faultlessly faithful adaptation - almost everything is recreated word for word, with the occasional bit of extra foreshadowing and added lines from Gaiman’s narrator to replace the comic’s visuals. So, if you’re wanting to hear the original graphic novel brought to exacting life, this is probably the thing for you - and although it is very good at doing the aforementioned, I sort of ended up wondering what the point of such a faithful adaptation was overall...?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

57 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic

Just brilliant, absolutely fulfils expectations. Cool, funny and terrifying as hell. Acting is second-to-none, and the adaptation to audio drama is wonderful. Music is great but can be a little intrusive and loud at times, but doesn't detract overall. Essential for Gaiman fans, highly recommended for everyone else.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

40 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

wonderful

this is the only book I've ever pre ordered and it was worth every penny

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

32 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

wow!!!

this is so well done, i knew it would be great but it has blown my expectations out of the water. amazing performance

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

30 people found this helpful