I have to admit that I wasn't as blown away by this as I'd hoped to be, given how many people had recc'd this series to me. The going was a little muddled and slow at first, but definitely picked up steam as the story progressed. I guess even masters like Gaiman have to find their feet sometimes! Anyway, I'm glad I persevered, and the set up certainly left me curious enough to pick up the next volume, so I guess it did its job.I am glad to hear that random 'guest stars' from other comics series aren't going to play much of a role in Sandman in the future, because I thought that was a bit of a weak link in this volume.