Stardust by Neil Gaiman Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Stardust
Book Review: Excellent
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a wonderful book. It doesn't just tell the story of a trip from the mundane world into faerie, it tells the story of a boy becoming a man, and how he gains knowledge of himself and his world while doing so.
Some reviewers have complained that the story could have been longer. In the hands of a less-gifted author it could have been a fantasy trilogy still going after ten books. That Gaiman left so much to the reader's imagination is a good thing in my opinion. Leaving so much out underlines just how vast and mysterious faerie is.
Highly recommended.
Book Review: FUNNY, FASCINATING, UNEXPECTED
Summary: 5 Stars
THIS MOVIE, THOUGH IT'D SEEM A "REGULAR" FAIRY TALE, MANAGES TO PRODUCE A FRESH PLOT WITH ENOUGH TWISTS TO KEEP YOU WONDERING UNTIL THE VERY END. ACTING BY DENIRO AND PFIFFER IS COMMITTED, PROFESSIONAL AND YET FUNNY ENOUGH TO BRING UP SPONTANEOUS APPLAUSE - WHOLE HEARTED RECOMMENDATION TO KIDS OF ALL AGES!!!!Book Review: Fantastic fantasy
Summary: 5 Stars
When you grow up, you tend to find that the fairy tales that you enjoyed as a child are, well, strictly kids' fare. For the adult reader, the shallow characters, simple narrative and implausible plot twists are a little much, yet even for the grown up, there is an affection for the fairy tale genre. A few writers have been able to tap into this fondness with good adult fairy tales, with probably the most well-known case being William Goldman's Princess Bride. As good as that book is, however, Neil Gaiman's Stardust is even better.
Stardust starts off in the town of Wall during the time of Victorian England. The town has, on one side, an ancient wall which in one place has a hole that people can cross through, though this is rarely allowed except for one day every nine years when the mortals of Wall can meet with the Faerie on the other side at a special bazaar. Dunstan Thorn of Wall has a brief but meaningful encounter with a beautiful slave girl from the other side and a year later, the infant Tristan appears at Dunstan's doorstep.
Seventeen years later, Tristan is a young man in love with the beautiful but shallow Victoria. To put to rest his efforts to woo her, she tells him that she will only marry him if he brings to her a star that has fallen in Faerie. Rashly, he decides to do just that, but in that magical land, the star has taken the form of a beautiful girl who fell out of the sky after being struck by a topaz gem.
Tristan is not the only one interested in the star girl. There is also a trio of witches who want to consume her heart to restore their youth and power. There are also the sons of the Lord of the Stormhold who seek the topaz as it represents the power of their domain. Both of these groups will threaten the progress of Tristan and the girl as they make their way back to Wall, but there are also powerful magic elements that are willing to assist them, and Tristan's half-faerie nature will also help.
In my opinion, Stardust does nothing but cement Neil Gaiman's reputation as the best adult fantasy writer around today. He writes well, he avoids the cliches of the genre, and he is that exceptional fantasy author who writes single volume stories. If Stardust has any flaw, it is that it is a mere 248 pages (in my edition); when a book is as much fun as this one, it ends much too quickly.
Book Review: Gaiman is a natural storyteller
Summary: 5 Stars
I saw the movie before I read the book, not my usual order of operations. Loved the movie and the book was perfect. Some story lines were updated for a theatrical delight in order to tell a smoother story in the timeframe, but the book on its own is a stand alone winner. Cuddle up and read it under the blankets with a flashlight and you are sure to enjoy the adventures of Tristran over the Wall!Book Review: Good Movie, Better Book
Summary: 5 Stars
I love Gaiman's style of writing, witty though quite serious at times. He remains descriptive without boring you with unneccesary details. His imagination is fantastic- this is a fantasy story unlike any other I've read!