Death: The Time of Your Life [Paperback]

Neil Gaiman (Author), Chris Bachalo (Author), Mark Pennington (Author), Mark Buckingham (Author), Clare Danes (Author)

Book Description

Series: Death

From pages of The Sandman graphic novels, Morpheus' sister, Death, returns for a second solo outing in a haunting tale of music, mortality, friendship and the power of love in the face of death. Fan favourite author Neil Gaiman reintroduces and expands upon the characters introduced in his acclaimed and best-selling graphic novel Death: The High Cost of Living in this all-new collection. This lushly illustrated and thought-provoking volume comes complete with three brand new story pages to flesh out the story's conclusion and a gallery of favourite renderings of Death by the likes of Dave McKean, Bill Sienkiewicz and many others.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Vertigo (December 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563893339
• ISBN-13: 978-1563893339
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 0.2 x 10.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #85,611 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Toward a more complete world, April 8, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death: The Time of Your Life (Paperback)

Neil Gaiman continues to impress with his sharp attention to creating a wholly developed world of characters. _Death: The Time of Your Life_ is a welcome spotlight on two characters that have traveled through several "Sandman" novels, as well as Death's previous novel, _The High Cost of Living._ While their appearance was brief in _The High Cost of Living_ (Foxglove taking center stage for one song, then fading into the background with a second) both the songs and the characters have a far deeper lineage within the Sandman series. Indeed, if you begin to trace the origins of Foxglove and Hazel, you will be treated to one of the richest, most complex story lines in the Sandman universe.

Begin with _A Game of You,_ and you will learn what Foxglove meant when she said, near the end of _The Time of Your Life,_ "We'd had a bad night once, in Manhattan, years ago. Bad dreams, people died." You will also discover the origin of the song "George's tongue." You will meet the friend, Wanda, to whom Foxglove refers when introducing her second song, back in _The High Cost of Living._ So many details. Keep looking and you will find more.

Follow the story arc backwards to _The Doll's House,_ where Foxglove's "small world" is perhaps at its tightest. You will meet someone who knows Donna Cavanaugh, before she turns into Foxglove. You will meet someone who will later share an apartment building with Foxglove and Hazel. You will find several allusions to, and a newspaper clipping of, a defining moment in Foxglove's life.

"24 Hours," perhaps the single most riveting story in the Sandman series, can be found in _Preludes and Nocturnes._ Foxglove sings about this event ("My name is Judy and I died/on a bad day in eighty-nine") in her debut. This story is like a rock thrown into a pond, waves rippling in all directions. Shortly afterward, same novel, "The Sound of Her Wings" will be Death's first appearance.

_Death: The Time of Your Life_ is, on it's own, a terrific short novel. It should also server to punctuate Mr. Gaiman's tremendous abilities as a storyteller. This story is woven into his existing tapestry with care, subtlety, and expert craftsmanship.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Do you have someone you'd die for?, December 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Death: The Time of Your Life (Paperback)

In the hands of most ordinary writers, this book would be a disaster. It juggles a myriad of complex issues, such as sexuality, the fleeting nature of fame, the multiple meanings of love, desire, and committment, and the value of friendship and life. Each of these concepts would be enough for a book on its own...
Aren't we lucky that Neil Gaiman is definitely no ordinary writer? And his character of Death is extraordinary too; she cares.
Foxglove is struggling personally even as her fame shoots through the roof - she wonders whether she should stay in the closet, and whether she should stay with Hazel and their son Alvie or go it alone. Hazel is struggling too; she wants to know the value of her relationship, and to save her son's life, most of all. Death listens. Understandingly. Patiently. And because of her, Hazel and Foxglove realize what matters most to them.
Though it lacks the immediacy and emotional power of Death: The High Cost Of Living, this is still a captivating companion piece. It carries through the same message as D:THCOL - the most important thing in life is to remember to live.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not as cool as Sandman, but definitely worthwhile., March 11, 2000

By 

Thessaly - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death: The Time of Your Life (Paperback)

Despite the title, Death isn't the central character in this graphic novel; but that's fine with me, as I find Hazel and Foxglove equally interesting. I don't know what people are talking about--I *like* the art. It's not like Sandman art, it's very slick and airbrushed-looking. But still cool, especially the scenes with the neat checkered borders. You should probably know that you're unlikely to get the version you can see a photo of on this website--the black-and-white cover with Death drinking coffee. My version has quite a different cover--some person who doesn't look like Death. Still, it should be the same story.

I liked this just as much as The High Cost of Living, maybe more. Death is less bubbly, more subdued...still not as cool she is in _Sandman_, but fine. This is more human and moving, I think, than THCOL. I love Death's "Nobody's creepy from the inside..." speech. I think the reason she's so melancholy in this book is because...well, this is just after The Kindly Ones and The Wake, right? You know what I'm talking about, if you've read them.

Like High Cost of Living, this isn't quite up to the standards of Sandman, but quite worthwhile. If you want my opinion, it's best to read both _Death_ series one after the other, between A Game of You and Fables and Reflections. Earlier, you wouldn't recognize certain of the characters; later, you won't appreciate the _Death_ books so much because they can't come close to the beauty of the later issues of Sandman.