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The Sandman
Leila: a girl destined to marry a man she despises. She is disobedient, kind, shameful, smart, and everything a girl like her shouldn’t be.
The Sandman: your imagination; your conscience; your free will.
In a terrible desert of pain and self-discovery, the two shall meet.
Truths shall be revealed...
The Sandman: your imagination; your conscience; your free will.
In a terrible desert of pain and self-discovery, the two shall meet.
Truths shall be revealed...
- GenresFantasyShort Stories
22 pages, ebook
First published April 18, 2014
About the author
Alex Stargazer
8 books21 followersAlex Stargazer is an author of dark, fantastical tales that snare you in with epic world-building—and keep you reading with funny anecdotes and beautiful love stories. Since publishing his first novel—the Necromancer—at 14, Alex has released a new series comprised of two books: Fallen Love and Fallen Desire. Featuring demons and magic in a strange, scifiesque Ireland, the Fallen series blends contemporary fantasy with LGBT romance.
When not establishing the finer points of magecraft or the peculiarities of dragons, Alex is working hard for his dayjob in machine learning. In his spare time, Alex enjoys exploring the wilderness of Scotland—though Austria, Italy and the Nordic countries fascinate him most
Alex can be found on Twitter @AlexStargazerWE or on Facebook at Alex Stargazer Writes Books. You can get a FREE short story on his website: www.alexstargazer.com
When not establishing the finer points of magecraft or the peculiarities of dragons, Alex is working hard for his dayjob in machine learning. In his spare time, Alex enjoys exploring the wilderness of Scotland—though Austria, Italy and the Nordic countries fascinate him most
Alex can be found on Twitter @AlexStargazerWE or on Facebook at Alex Stargazer Writes Books. You can get a FREE short story on his website: www.alexstargazer.com
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 16, 2019
Free will. Does it truly exist? Wherever you choose to go on this planet you will find human civilizations which create and enforce laws, norms and values. The population in these societies are expected to follow the prescribed standards. While some nations are stricter in the creation and enforcement of these norms, the bottom line is that they do exist across the globe. Therefore, it can be reasonably argued that in such conditions, "free will" many not truly exist anywhere. I find this concept to be provocative. So when I came across the story The Sandman by Alex Stargazer, I was intrigued. After all, the main character is a young woman who is betrothed to a man she cannot stand. Part of the norms of her society dictate this even though it goes against her wishes or free will. While all of this has the earmark of a great story, the actual product is unable to match the potential.
Essentially, the book focuses upon the main character Leila's encounter with a strange entity known as the Sandman. Leila is being forced into a marriage against her will with a man she hates. She is a boiling pot of anger and despair when she encounters the Sandman. In a series of riddles and statements, he encourages Leila to question her life and the rules governing it...and to take action to enact change. That is the story in a nutshell.
Once again, the story has potential. The ideas are dogmatic and sure to generate controversy and passion. Whatever side of the coin you are on- at the very least it should get people talking. However, the story events and ideas are just not properly executed. For instance, the actual plot involves no more than a conversation between Leila and an entity which may or may not be human. There is no real opportunity for the reader to become captivated or engrossed in the story events. Unfortunately, on the traditional story map diagram, this tale would flatline.
In regards to character development, it is very limited. For example, there is little background given about Leila and I am still struggling to figure out who the Sandman is. There is no opportunity for the reader to develop any type of connection or empathy with the characters. Without feeling an authentic connection to the characters, the reader will just not get engaged in the story. They are neither believable or memorable.
While the plot and character development needs work, I am afraid so does the actual writing. There is not a natural flow and it comes across as quite pedantic. A number of complicated words are thrown into the short story which block any type of smooth progression of ideas. It seems such words are put there for their own sake as opposed to having the mission of actually enhancing the tale.
Overall, a good idea with potential which fails in the execution. I understand it was written as part of an assignment, but once something is published it becomes subject to scrutiny and analysis. The author does explain his story at the conclusion, but this is not a tactic which will appeal to many readers. Part of the enjoyment of reading is trying to get into the author's head. When this is already neatly laid out for the reader it removes any type of challenge or mystery.
2.5 out of 5 Sandy Stars for this one!
Essentially, the book focuses upon the main character Leila's encounter with a strange entity known as the Sandman. Leila is being forced into a marriage against her will with a man she hates. She is a boiling pot of anger and despair when she encounters the Sandman. In a series of riddles and statements, he encourages Leila to question her life and the rules governing it...and to take action to enact change. That is the story in a nutshell.
Once again, the story has potential. The ideas are dogmatic and sure to generate controversy and passion. Whatever side of the coin you are on- at the very least it should get people talking. However, the story events and ideas are just not properly executed. For instance, the actual plot involves no more than a conversation between Leila and an entity which may or may not be human. There is no real opportunity for the reader to become captivated or engrossed in the story events. Unfortunately, on the traditional story map diagram, this tale would flatline.
In regards to character development, it is very limited. For example, there is little background given about Leila and I am still struggling to figure out who the Sandman is. There is no opportunity for the reader to develop any type of connection or empathy with the characters. Without feeling an authentic connection to the characters, the reader will just not get engaged in the story. They are neither believable or memorable.
While the plot and character development needs work, I am afraid so does the actual writing. There is not a natural flow and it comes across as quite pedantic. A number of complicated words are thrown into the short story which block any type of smooth progression of ideas. It seems such words are put there for their own sake as opposed to having the mission of actually enhancing the tale.
Overall, a good idea with potential which fails in the execution. I understand it was written as part of an assignment, but once something is published it becomes subject to scrutiny and analysis. The author does explain his story at the conclusion, but this is not a tactic which will appeal to many readers. Part of the enjoyment of reading is trying to get into the author's head. When this is already neatly laid out for the reader it removes any type of challenge or mystery.
2.5 out of 5 Sandy Stars for this one!
August 4, 2014
This book sounded so good. I mean, an unconventional heroine, a mysterious entity (the Sandman), the two meeting. It had the trappings of a good bildungsroman. But, the book really disappointed me.
Now this book grew out of a an English GCSE paper. Nothing wrong with that, stories have come from stranger places, and I remember enjoying writing stories during my O Levels. But, this story is just too short.
First, is Leila an unconventional person ("everything a girl like her shouldn't be")? All we have as proof is that she doesn't want to marry an odious man in her village. Name me one girl who will gladly marry a man she doesn't like. This shows nothing about her. After all, did she take any concrete steps to get out of the marriage? No. She just followed the sound of a child's voice and got lost. All we have to know that Leila is unconventional is that the author has told us. Even though this story is short, the character building could have been so much better if Leila started her journey by defying her father rather than just getting lost. She does end by resolving to tell her father that "life was for people. Money was for cowards", but resolve is fine and dandy. Many people resolve to do things. Then they break them. We call these New Year Resolutions. Again, it shows nothing.
Second, is the Sandman the symbol of critical thought? All we have to go is by his own self-description and one statement about Adam and Even (that Adam was afraid of Eve because she knew things he didn't). I'm going to leave aside the theology criticism because the Bible (and I suppose the Q'uran as well) doesn't give us a clear motive. If you're interested in the topic, you can read this article.
To me, this isn't enough. I can call myself "the modern day Helen of Troy", but that doesn't mean I'm beautiful. Or, I can call myself "the biggest book blogger" and cite one tiny award I win, but that doesn't mean anything. To put it simply, the Sandman suffers from the same problem as Leila - they are not fully explored.
At the end of the book, the author analyses his own paper and tells you "what to take away from this." This, in my view, is a no-no. Books are meant to inspire questions, not have the authors tell you exactly what they mean. As a former Literature student, I'm pretty sure that my interpretation of any text would have been hampered if the author came out and told me "I wrote this book with this message." In my view, the author should have used the extra pages to build on the story, instead of expounding his message. Curious readers can do the interpretation and analysis for themselves, thank you very much.
To sum, the failing of this book is that it over-reaches itself. As a short story, it might work if the characters were given a bit more character, or the issue explored more fully. But, it tries to do both, and that's where the book fails - it doesn't get the chance to explore anything fully. Add that to an unnecessary analysis, and the book goes from a "short story with potential" to "a story that tries to be deep but comes across as pretentious (at least to me)."
Disclaimer: I received this book from the author through BookBlogging in exchange for a free and honest review.
This review was first posted to Inside the mind of a Bibliophile
Now this book grew out of a an English GCSE paper. Nothing wrong with that, stories have come from stranger places, and I remember enjoying writing stories during my O Levels. But, this story is just too short.
First, is Leila an unconventional person ("everything a girl like her shouldn't be")? All we have as proof is that she doesn't want to marry an odious man in her village. Name me one girl who will gladly marry a man she doesn't like. This shows nothing about her. After all, did she take any concrete steps to get out of the marriage? No. She just followed the sound of a child's voice and got lost. All we have to know that Leila is unconventional is that the author has told us. Even though this story is short, the character building could have been so much better if Leila started her journey by defying her father rather than just getting lost. She does end by resolving to tell her father that "life was for people. Money was for cowards", but resolve is fine and dandy. Many people resolve to do things. Then they break them. We call these New Year Resolutions. Again, it shows nothing.
Second, is the Sandman the symbol of critical thought? All we have to go is by his own self-description and one statement about Adam and Even (that Adam was afraid of Eve because she knew things he didn't). I'm going to leave aside the theology criticism because the Bible (and I suppose the Q'uran as well) doesn't give us a clear motive. If you're interested in the topic, you can read this article.
To me, this isn't enough. I can call myself "the modern day Helen of Troy", but that doesn't mean I'm beautiful. Or, I can call myself "the biggest book blogger" and cite one tiny award I win, but that doesn't mean anything. To put it simply, the Sandman suffers from the same problem as Leila - they are not fully explored.
At the end of the book, the author analyses his own paper and tells you "what to take away from this." This, in my view, is a no-no. Books are meant to inspire questions, not have the authors tell you exactly what they mean. As a former Literature student, I'm pretty sure that my interpretation of any text would have been hampered if the author came out and told me "I wrote this book with this message." In my view, the author should have used the extra pages to build on the story, instead of expounding his message. Curious readers can do the interpretation and analysis for themselves, thank you very much.
To sum, the failing of this book is that it over-reaches itself. As a short story, it might work if the characters were given a bit more character, or the issue explored more fully. But, it tries to do both, and that's where the book fails - it doesn't get the chance to explore anything fully. Add that to an unnecessary analysis, and the book goes from a "short story with potential" to "a story that tries to be deep but comes across as pretentious (at least to me)."
Disclaimer: I received this book from the author through BookBlogging in exchange for a free and honest review.
This review was first posted to Inside the mind of a Bibliophile
May 4, 2014
I finished this story and I swear the first thing that crossed my mind was Little Red Riding Hood. Which meant the following ensued:
Me: "My Alex Stargazer, what big words you use!"
AS: "All the better to get you to open a dictionary my dear."
But I digress.
I kinda wished this story was a little longer and had a little more backstory. I realize this was supposed to be a short story but Leila's situation could've used a little more depth so that the message of the story could've been a little more pronounced at the end.
Other than that, it was a quick and easy read. It kept me engaged. It had a message within. It wasn't spectacular by any means but I think it accomplished what it was trying to.
Me: "My Alex Stargazer, what big words you use!"
AS: "All the better to get you to open a dictionary my dear."
But I digress.
I kinda wished this story was a little longer and had a little more backstory. I realize this was supposed to be a short story but Leila's situation could've used a little more depth so that the message of the story could've been a little more pronounced at the end.
Other than that, it was a quick and easy read. It kept me engaged. It had a message within. It wasn't spectacular by any means but I think it accomplished what it was trying to.
May 4, 2014
I was lucky enough to be asked to beta read this fantastic first publication from a writer with a lot of promise. I loved the storyline and the characters and honestly, I want to know more. I am hoping for a sequel (hint, hint).
I recommend this for the eloquent telling of a story with complex ideas in a short format.
I recommend this for the eloquent telling of a story with complex ideas in a short format.
April 21, 2015
I am offended beyond belief
i don't think any human deserves the torture that is this "Book"
I am deeply hurt by the content . i'll just leave it at that
i don't think any human deserves the torture that is this "Book"
I am deeply hurt by the content . i'll just leave it at that
June 22, 2014
*I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review*
This isn’t the type of book I’d normally read, but since it’s quite short I agreed to give it a chance.
I have to admit that I’m not quite sure what I read. If I had to guess, my interpretation would be that Leila got high and went on one hell of a trip. There’s just so much in and out that it’s like trying to put together a puzzle without having all the pieces.
I did however like the interaction between Leila and the Sandman, but it just seemed to be missing something…and I have no idea what that is, but the hole was there nonetheless.
The writing style reminds me of a poem with dialogue. It’s a vague story touching on love, magic, and religion.
This isn’t the type of book I’d normally read, but since it’s quite short I agreed to give it a chance.
I have to admit that I’m not quite sure what I read. If I had to guess, my interpretation would be that Leila got high and went on one hell of a trip. There’s just so much in and out that it’s like trying to put together a puzzle without having all the pieces.
I did however like the interaction between Leila and the Sandman, but it just seemed to be missing something…and I have no idea what that is, but the hole was there nonetheless.
The writing style reminds me of a poem with dialogue. It’s a vague story touching on love, magic, and religion.
August 16, 2014
I personally rather enjoyed writing it, though then again: I'm not the best judge of things...
It's a pity I had to do it in two hours though. I could have turned it into something more intriguing--I had plans for an Order of Darkness, trips to historical cities (e.g. Constantinople), lots more plot, and magic--but alas I had to leave them for another book. It didn't help that the wonderful GCSE specification required me to write on 'community' (however vaguely I chose to define it), and so I was limited by both fate and autocracy.
But I digress. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.
It's a pity I had to do it in two hours though. I could have turned it into something more intriguing--I had plans for an Order of Darkness, trips to historical cities (e.g. Constantinople), lots more plot, and magic--but alas I had to leave them for another book. It didn't help that the wonderful GCSE specification required me to write on 'community' (however vaguely I chose to define it), and so I was limited by both fate and autocracy.
But I digress. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.
April 30, 2015
I would write my own review of this, but I just echo everything Eustacia said - her review is brilliantly accurate - so, just a short summary; sexist and racist, and even then, still dull as every sentence sounded like a pretentious 12 year old who'd been given access to a thesaurus and thought they sounded amazing and oh-so-clever.
Don't waste your time reading this. Life is too short for bad books, and I think the fact that the most common rating is a 1 speaks volumes. I wish I'd taken the other commenters' advice.
Don't waste your time reading this. Life is too short for bad books, and I think the fact that the most common rating is a 1 speaks volumes. I wish I'd taken the other commenters' advice.
May 15, 2014
Really not a fan of short stories for many reasons. This book was written well, it kept me engaged and then I was disappointed when it ended. Wish there was more it has the potential to be a great book.
May 8, 2014
I am offended beyond belief
i don't think any human deserves the torture that is this "Book"
I am deeply hurt by the content . i'll just leave it at that
i don't think any human deserves the torture that is this "Book"
I am deeply hurt by the content . i'll just leave it at that
December 2, 2014
It was pretty good but to short
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews