My first foray into Sandman... & it won't be my last!

I started reading Neil Gaiman novels because I fell in with Tori Amos-loving crowd, and the two are friends. After tackling novels and short stories, I decided to purchase _Death : The High Cost of Living_ from the Science Fiction Book Club. I devoured it completely as soon as it arrived in the mail.

Death has come to spend one day as a human young woman, and a boy contemplating suicide falls in with her adventures. She is a comforting concept of Death, and I'd prefer none other to greet me when I go. She marvels over simple things, like the smells of life and breakfast, and though dressed in black and looking quite goth, she's got a warm smile and takes her companion on quite a trip.

Tori Amos wrote the introduction, which in itself is an interesting read, mentioning conversations she has with Death now and then, with Death cheering her up overall, and I must admit I draw parallels between my impressions of Tori Amos and the character of Death as portrayed in _The High Cost of Living_. The story itself has some things to say about how people live and how LITTLE people live. I found it a satisfying read, though of course any tale involving Death itself/herself carries a little sadness with it. And after the story, there is an important comic about safe sex, with Death herself demonstrating proper condom use on a banana! It is insightful and amusing, while emphasizing the importance of the subject matter.

_Death : The High Cost of Living_ spurs me to explore other Sandman graphic novels, and affirms my belief that Neil Gaiman is an intriguing, amusing, and great writer.