Stardust
by Neil Gaiman
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Book Summary Information
Author: Neil GaimanEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-08-29
ISBN: 0061142026
Number of pages: 288
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Book Reviews of Stardust
Book Review: "Go, And Catch a Falling Star..."
Summary: 5 Stars
If you like fantasy stories filled with magic, adventure and romance, but are getting sick and tired of boring, long-winded fantasy epics, then look no further than "Stardust." There are no long histories, family trees or endless descriptions of culture, landscapes and back-story. This is just a sweet, simple fairytale told by a great storyteller. Though be warned - the original fairytales were not written for children, and "Stardust" follows in their literary footsteps, by including several violent, sensual and bittersweet scenes. It might be tempting to read this book aloud to children (particularly if you've seen the recent movie adaptation), but this is something I would strongly advise against!
Set in the Victorian Era out in the English countryside, the town of Wall is named so because of the simple-looking wall that divides our world from the realm of Faerie. The two worlds are kept strictly separate (or so the town officials would like to believe) except for a few days every nine years when a faerie marketplace crosses the wall, and Wall itself is turned into a bustling metropolis as travelers from around the world arrive to consort with the fey-folk. Gaiman pours delicious detail into this mingling of two worlds, describing the fairy markets with such obvious relish that you'll be surprised how long the book takes to get to the "meat" of the story in the quest narrative (not that this is a bad thing).
It is at one such meeting of worlds that young Tristian Thorn is conceived. Eighteen years later (and unaware of his faerie-heritage) Tristian has been raised by his father Dunstan Thorn and fallen in love with Victoria Forester, a girl hopelessly out of his league. However, he manages to wrangle an agreement with her: for her hand in marriage, he will fetch her the falling star that they've both just seen fall from the sky.
Little does he know, that the falling star has been witnessed by several others in Faerie: a witch that desires the star to rejuvenate her and her sisters to their youth, and the princely sons of the realm of Stormhold, who are after a gemstone to solidify their claim to the throne, which is currently worn around the star's neck. These various story threads gradually converge as the story goes on, though the tale mainly focuses on the tempestuous relationship that forms between Tristian and Yvaine the star (who naturally takes the form of a beautiful young woman).
There are little subplots and threads of other stories strewn throughout the book, quite reminiscent of Michael Ende's use of the phrase: "that is another story and shall be told another time," in The Neverending Story, or of the collected fairytales of the Brothers Grimm, whose stories have a variety of characters who pop in and out of their tales, seemingly at random. But Gaiman's range of characters and little "plot tangents" serve to give one the sense that there is more going on in the world than the trials and tribulations of our two main characters.
If anything, the ending is a little anti-climactic (especially when compared to the aforementioned movie version) and the final line of the book doesn't pack *quite* the bittersweet punch that I think Gaiman intended, but ultimately this is a lovely little story that wouldn't feel out of place next to Christina Rossetti's Goblin Market and Other Poems (Dover Thrift Editions) or the works of Lord Dunsany. If you've read anything by Lord Dunsany (a forerunner to Tolkien himself) then there's no reason not to enjoy "Stardust" - in fact Neil Gaiman himself pays homage to this early fantasy-author by quoting his famous "beyond the fields we know" phrase from The King of Elfland's Daughter (Del Rey Impact) (and mentions the author in his dedication).
"Stardust" has recently been adapted into a movie, which in many ways improves on several aspects of its source material, particularly in a more climactic finish and the fleshing out of minor characters (although others suffer, such as Victoria, who really isn't such a bad sort in the book, but is portrayed as a spoilt little snot in the film). But Stardust (Widescreen Edition) was filmed with a more tongue-in-cheek air, in the tradition of The Princess Bride (20th Anniversary Edition), and looses some of the mystery and delicacy that Gaiman infuses his story with: let's call it the "fey quality." And though the ending of the film was more satisfying, it's not quite as poignant or thought-provoking. In any case, I recommend both book and movie, and can attest that I own and enjoy both!
Summary of Stardust
Young Tristran Thorn will do anything to win the cold heart of beautiful Victoria?even fetch her the star they watch fall from the night sky. But to do so, he must enter the unexplored lands on the other side of the ancient wall that gives their tiny village its name. Beyond that old stone wall, Tristran learns, lies Faerie?where nothing, not even a fallen star, is what he imagined.
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman comes a remarkable quest into the dark and miraculous?in pursuit of love and the utterly impossible.
Stardust is an utterly charming fairy tale in the tradition of The Princess Bride and The Neverending Story. Neil Gaiman, creator of the darkly elegant Sandman comics and author of The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish, tells the story of young Tristran Thorn and his adventures in the land of Faerie. One fateful night, Tristran promises his beloved that he will retrieve a fallen star for her from beyond the Wall that stands between their rural English town (called, appropriately, Wall) and the Faerie realm. No one ever ventures beyond the Wall except to attend an enchanted flea market that is held every nine years (and during which, unbeknownst to him, Tristran was conceived). But Tristran bravely sets out to fetch the fallen star and thus win the hand of his love. His adventures in the magical land will keep you turning pages as fast as you can--he and the star escape evil old witches, deadly clutching trees, goblin press-gangs, and the scheming sons of the dead Lord of Stormhold. The story is by turns thrillingly scary and very funny. You'll love goofy, earnest Tristran and the talking animals, gnomes, magic trees, and other irresistible denizens of Faerie that he encounters in his travels. Stardust is a perfect read-aloud book, a brand-new fairy tale you'll want to share with a kid, or maybe hoard for yourself. (If you read it to kids, watch out for a couple of spicy sex bits and one epithet.) --Therese Littleton
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