The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
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Book Reviews of The Neverending Story
Book Review: My all-time faveorite book. Ever.
Summary: 5 Stars
First off I am 19 years old, so I'm no kid, and this book is amazing in every way. As a book reader of many sorts, fantasy has been my main genre focus for years, and this book, which I stumbled upon, is a true gem that I wish more people knew about. Although, if it was a popular book then it wouldn't be the gem it is. Anyway, any reader of fantasy that wants a good, and may I add, a VERY original piece of work, should give this book a try.
The book itself is revolved around a young boy named Bastian, who is one of those alienated, overweight, bulled children who never fits in with anybody and feels very excluded. As not to give away any spoilers, I'll just say that he stumbles upon a book, and finds himself as part of the story itself. This book has monsters unlike anything you've seen, has an amazing storyline, and above all the characters are all unique and none are alike, making this story unforgettable and re-readable. Give this a try, you will not regret it!
Michael Ende, who I never heard of before this book, and whom I have only read The Neverending Story, although I am not sure if he has written anything else, is a very creative and intriguing author. Every chapter is graced with a beautiful illustration that involved something in the chapter itself, along with a huge letter, which is also the first letter in the first sentence. In other words, him along with this book, are very creative and original.
Also, I did see the first film, but if you read this book, like me, you may never want to see the film again. I did see the film after I read the book, and I hated it. So be warned, fans of the film reading this, do not expect it to be the same. Although, the book is much, much better, and when compared to the film, the film looks like a piece of work directed by a child who doesn't know the first thing about book-based movies. The book is better, no question or argument there.
All in all, this book is a masterpiece that I think every fan of truly great fantasy epics should read. It is my favorite fantasy novel, and book in general, and nothing quite surpasses it. Of course something like The Lord Of The Rings, or The Chronicles Of Narnia are the two greatest fantasy series of all time, The Neverending Story is better as a single book all it's own, and its so original that it can't be compared to any other book. Read this book, you will fall in love with it!
Book Review: To Find What You Truly Want
Summary: 5 Stars
If you've never seen the movie version of "The Neverending Story," then read the book first. If you have seen one of the movies, then read the book as soon as possible, since neither of the movies do the book justice.
The story starts out with young Bastian Balthasar Bux going into a bookstore and stealing a book entitled "The Neverending Story." For reasons he can't explain, Bastian felt that he had to have the book. Shutting himself up in the school attic, he reads about Atreyu, the chosen messenger to find a cure for the Childlike Empress and prevent The Nothing from destroying Fantastica. Atreyu discovers that the Childlike Empress needs a new name, and that only someone from the human world, the savior, can give her one. The savior turns out to be none other than Bastian himself! He thinks of a new name for her once he reads about her, but he must say her name out loud for Fantastica to be saved. Fearing what the Childlike Empress will think of him once she sees him, Bastian holds off saying the name aloud. Eventually, when Fantastica's destruction is imminent, Bastian says her new name out loud, and he is drawn into Fantastica, and transformed into a handsome, heroic-looking figure. The Childlike Empress tells Bastian that whatever he wishes for will come true, until he finds out what he truly wants. Unfortunately, he soon finds out that for every wish, he loses a memory of his life in the human world. I will leave off at this point, except to point out that Bastian journeys in his wishes from self-centeredness to self-giving.
"The Neverending Story" is a multi-layered work that people of all ages can enjoy. In addition to being a wonderfully readable fantasy/adventure story, it is rich in philosophy and symbolism. For example, The Nothing that is slowly destroying Fantastica could be symbolic of people losing their capacity for imagination and creativity. In addition, Bastian's quest to find out what he really wants is immensely rich in its philosophical implications, not to mention Campbell-ite hero quest overtones. Hopefully a movie will be re-made (possible as a mini-series) that will follow the book more closely and do this great work justice.
Book Review: one of the greatest novels of the fantasy genre in its most beautiful form
Summary: 5 Stars
My first experience with this treasure was through the film as a young child. The film is full of beautiful special effects and weird images (the crumbling Southern Oracle, the beautiful Ivory Tower, the cute/creepy Falcor) that imprinted my brain. Years later, in high school, I discovered that this was actually a German book by the son of a surrealist artist. After devouring the book, I realized that making this into a film was pretty ridiculous. It's like "dancing about architecture". Don't get me wrong, I love the film. But saying the book is better is beside the point. The medium is supposed to be a book. And this book is one of the most clever I've ever read, one of my absolute favorites of the fantasy genre because it is a treatise on the fantasy genre, while also being just a great tale. You're reading The Neverending Story, at the same time, Bastian (the main character) is reading The Neverending Story. In that story, Atreyu is fighting the Nothing that is destroying Fantastica because the Childlike Empress needs a new name from the human world. Through his adventures and journey, Atreyu brings Bastian into their world (*sigh*, the power of reading) to give her her new name. Bastian, now a character in The Neverending Story, must journey and adventure in order to grow and change, and eventually return to his world. Bastian risks being lost and escaping, rather than returning to his distant, heartbroken widower father. Full of extraordinary characters and unbelievably imaginative things, The Neverending Story is a perfect illustration of the inter-dependency of the real human world and that of our fantasy. One needs the other, and yet, it is a delicate balance. Too little, and we are empty and corrupted and powerless. Too much, and we lose ourselves in greed and selfishness and self-denial. Needless to say, this is a beautiful, ingenious, and insanely clever tale of the yin and yang of reality and fantasy. It's everything that I deeply love about the genre.
The hardcover version of the book is not only a beautiful presentation, but it includes the differently colored text and illustrations at the beginning of each chapter.
Book Review: My favorite fantasy book
Summary: 5 Stars
I have been an avid reader since I was a small child, and I have always loved fantasy stories. When I was 12, I went to see "The Neverending Story II" in the theater, and I was instantly entranced and intrigued. I'd watched the first movie when I was about 8 and images from it never left my mind. When I realized that both were based on a book, I knew I had to read it. And so began my quest to find it. Once I finally did, my hands shook as I took the book home and read it. I couldn't stop. From the very first line until the last, I was hooked. The characters, the images, and the story stayed with me long after the last page was turned. There were even times when the characters were so real to me, I felt as if I could literally see them!
I won't go into a description of the plot since so many have done so already. Suffice it to say that this is truly a bibliophile's dream! And you simply MUST get the hardcover with the red and green text. When the book was originally published in Germany, that's how it was printed, and even to this day, German versions are still printed with the colored text.
Now, at 26 and beginning my career as a children's/young adult librarian, I have made it my mission to purchase the hardcover version of this book for every library I ever work at. (Unless they have it already, of course.) It is an essential and classic work of children's literature that has had a profound effect on my life. It encouraged me to think, to dream, and to wonder, but also to remember that while books are important, one shouldn't forget to live life in the "real" world as well. Good fantasy, like this book, encourages children to stretch their imaginations and grow. And that is a truly wonderful gift.
Whenever anyone asks me about my favorite books, this one is always on the tip of my tongue. I love it dearly and am thrilled that so many share my passion for it as well. Read it and remember: truly great books defy age categories and touch us no matter how old, or young, we are.
Book Review: In the Realm of the Childlike Empress
Summary: 5 Stars
Years ago I inattentively watched the (first) movie of this on TV and found it too cute by half. This put me off reading the book for years. One weekend I happened to have a copy by me, so I picked it up and began to read. After 3-4 pages I wasn't that impressed. After 10-12 pages I was absolutely hooked.
When I had finished it, I stood up, sighed, put the book down on the chair, and felt a kind of startlement like being struck with a bucket of cold water. I looked down, picked up the book again, glanced at the cover... then I sat down and began to read it all over again. When I was through, the process repeated and I read it a third time. This is the only time in my life I have ever read a book three times in a row uninterruptedly.
Does anyone out there still need to be told that this is one of the best books ever written, and that not having read it is a truly tragic deprivation, like not liking music or never having eaten strawberries? If so, consider yourself told.
It is one of those rare children's classics that can be read by anyone, of any age. Once you've read it, you can no longer imagine the Universe without it. You don't feel that Michael Ende ever needed to write it; you feel that he must have just Found it somewhere.
His inventiveness is limitless, stupefying: enough material here for dozens of ordinary children's books. Certain scenes, like the part halfway through about the lion Grograman and the Night Forest Perilin, are so truly astonishing that you're left at a loss, not merely for words but for anything at all: your mouth hangs open and your mind goes blank.
At the same time this is the most profound investigation ever made into what a Story is, and what Imagination is, their value and their dangers. Just when you think the author has gone as far as he'll dare, he goes further, then even further, and then still further. At least one copy of this wonderful book should be in every home.