Stardust by Neil Gaiman Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Stardust
Book Review: Courtesy of Teens Read Too
Summary: 4 Stars
Tristran Thorn would do absolutely anything to win pretty Victoria Forrester's heart. Even venture across The Wall into mysterious Faerie in search of a fallen star.
But once he enters Faerie, strange things begin to happen.
Tristran knows the location of every place in the land. He meets a strange, small man who gives him a candle that allows him to travel great distances. And when he finally finds the fallen star, Tristran discovers that it is not a lump of rock like he thought, but a young woman, who has quite the mind of her own.
Tristran, though, isn't the only one looking for the star. The witch queen and a group of three brothers all want something of it. For these brothers, it's the power she possesses. For the witch, it's her heart.
STARDUST was completely entrancing, charming, and a surprisingly quick read. The star's spunk and Tristran's humanity are both to be admired in this adventurous tale that will make you laugh out loud and break into tears. This is one book not to be missed.
Reviwed by: The Compulsive Reader
Book Review: Delightful Story
Summary: 4 Stars
Stardust is a delightful little story of a boy who, in order to win the hand of the girl he loves, goes on a quest to recover a fallen star. He's promised the girl that he will return with the particular star they saw together to prove his love, and she promises his heart's desire if he returns with the item. Seems like a fairly straightforward task, right? Of course it's not! Because the star has fallen into Faerie, the land beyond the gap in the wall of the town of Wall, and no one's gone through the gap except for the fair that comes to town every nine years. Undaunted, however, Tristran resolutely goes through on his quest into the strange land where gnomes, little hairy men, witches, talking trees, and who knows what else lives.
Gaiman has given this tale lots of twists and turns. It doesn't take long for Tristran to discover that he's not the only one looking for the fallen star; the would-be rulers of Stormhold need it to recognize which brother will inherit the kingdom, and a trio of witchly sisters covet the star in order to return themselves to their former youth and beauty. Tristran, whose own parentage seems to indicate he's from Faerie as well, is mightily surprised when he discovers what the fallen star actually is, and he finds himself outwitted and forlorn in his journey to return to Wall to capture his love's heart. Along the way he encounters and battles some strange creatures, and discovers that maybe what he desires most isn't what he thought it was.
This is a short book, and it really could have used a bit more fleshing out at times. Tristran is an engaging character, if a bit naive, and the other creatures he encounters are imaginative, often behaving in the least expected ways. The best part is the ending, when Gaiman gives us some very surprising, smile-inducing twists. Recommended!
Book Review: Dissapointing
Summary: 3 Stars
Several people recommended this author, and after seeing the previews for the movie I finally decided to read this book, and I had high expectations for it. Overall it was an interesting and original fairy tale, but I have to agree with some of the other reviews, except for a couple of sex scenes this read like a young adult book. He introduces many interesting characters but then doesn't tell you much about them. I felt like I was holding the magic candle that he describes in the book, it helped the holder cover vast distances with a few steps, I wanted to stop and get to know these characters and their backgrounds but instead I just got glimpses of them, until finally I reached the too easy to predict ending.Book Review: Doesn't Quite Make It
Summary: 3 Stars
It's hard to review a book after seeing the movie, especially if the book came first. Part of you keeps on wanting to read the same thing as the movie, only more of it.
This book is a fairly different animal. There are elements that Gaiman does much better, like not including that strange subplot of a gay cross-dressing sky pirate in the movie. There are other aspects that don't round out as well as the movie, particularly the epilogue.
Mostly, this is a fun romp, filled with magic and fairy tale life, that just doesn't have anything extra to offer it. Gaiman hasn't created new creatures as in the City of Dreaming Books, or created a new intricate land, as Tolkien did. His characters aren't ones that pull you into them, and there are elements of the plot that skip over days or months where you would want details.
If you're looking for something relaxing, this book is just fine. But it reads as if Geiman had a good idea, and then ran out of time before his next book, and couldn't be bothered with truly enfleshing this one out.
Book Review: Doesn't Quite Make It
Summary: 3 Stars
It's hard to review a book after seeing the movie, especially if the book came first. Part of you keeps on wanting to read the same thing as the movie, only more of it.
This book is a fairly different animal. There are elements that Gaiman does much better, like that strange subplot of a gay cross-dressing sky pirate in the movie. There are other elements that don't round out as well, particularly the epilogue.
Mostly, this is a fun romp, filled with magic and fairy tale life, that just doesn't have anything extra to offer it. Gaiman hasn't created new creatures as in the City of Dreaming Books, or created a new intricate land, as Tolkein did. His characters aren't ones that pull you into them, and there are elements of the plot that skip over days or months where you would want details.
If you're looking for something relaxing, this book is just fine. But it reads as if Geiman had a good idea, and then ran out of time before his next book, and couldn't be bothered with truly enfleshing this one out.