stardust

Rating:
Summary: Mythpoeic Award-winning fantasy
Review: "Stardust" won the Mythpoeic Award for best adult fairy tale. After all, fairy tales are not just for kids. And they're not for wimpy adults, either. Just read "The Hard Facts of the Grimms' Fairy Tales" by Maria Tatar if you don't believe me. "Stardust" has some pretty Grimm stuff in it too, however the only people who might not enjoy it are those who take Unicorns very very seriously. Or are extremely fond of billy goats.

Gaiman's story begins and ends with a fair that will remind you of Christina Rossetti's "Goblin Market":

"Backwards up the mossy glen/ Turned and trooped the goblin men,/ With their shrill repeated cry,/ "Come buy, come buy.".../

As Laura of "Goblin Market"-fame learned, it is better not to sample the merchandise at such Unseelie gatherings. Dunstan Thorn, who "was not romantic" learns this lesson too, when nine months after the "Stardust" fair, a baby is abandoned at the boundary between Faerie and the English village of Wall with his name pinned to its blanket. Thus begins the story of Tristan Thorn who is raised as a proper Victorian lad until age seventeen. Unlike his father, Tristan is romantic and at the bequest of the most beautiful girl in Wall, he sets out on a quest through the Land of Faerie to fetch her a fallen star. Not just any fallen star, but the one Tristan and Victoria both saw on the night she refused to kiss him.

"Stardust" is stuffed with stock fairy tale creatures who have been blown loose from their moorings and brought to life in the most wildly imaginative way. Some of them make only token appearances, but all are memorable. Two of the most poignant are the boy who is turned into a billy goat, and a billy goat, turned into a boy. There are three truly evil witches, and one who is only so-so wicked. There are...well, read the book. Even if you aren't drinking while you read it, you'll feel drunk by the time you finish.

If ever there was a book that could be labeled, 'Drink me!', "Stardust" is that book.

Rating:
Summary: An Adult's Fantasy
Review: Coming from a 23 year old that currently keeps a book of Grimm's FairyTales on his nightstand - "Star Dust" is an essential novel for one's fantasy collection. Neil Gaiman altogether is an inspiring writer, who has written several books that combine fantasy/mythology with reality. This time, the novel has been reintroduced with the fantastic art of Charles Vess. Though to some, the added illustrations may seem trivial - they really do give off a feeling that one has discovered a copy of an lost enchanted book from another era.

"Star Dust" follows the journey of Tristian Thorn, of the Old English town of Wall, who promises a falling star to his love in exchange for her hand in marriage. Though she remarks this as a fool's quest, Tristian is determined to follow the star past the the boundaries of Wall and into the realm of Faerie and bring it back to her.

This certainly becomes a fairy tale novel for adults - told in a delightful style of storytelling, reminiscent of C.S. Lewis's "Chronicals of Narnia". Throughout Tristan's journeys, he befriends several colorful characters of fantasy: witches, gnomes, talking trees, man-eating trees, pixies, unicorns, etc. Throughout these random encounters, the reader is also delightfully given a glimpse on the realm of Faerie itself, its history and some of the politics between its own inhabitants.

The story moves quickly and the writing is almost lyrical. Fans of fantasy will find this a bedtime treat, while other readers can appreciate the light-hearted world of the imagination in this one dose, while art fans can appreciate the beautiful illustrations throughout. All the people I have recommended this story to have thanked me afterwards.

In addition to this book, Gaiman's graphic novels, "The Sandman Series" are also amazing collections - bringing in magical beings of great proportion into our present everyday life. Both collections belong properly displayed on your bookshelf.

Rating:
Summary: An old fashioned Fairy Tale without the PC nonsense
Review: Okay, maybe not the kind of Fairy Tale you would read to your very young children, but after delving through horror and dark fantasy, I found Stardust to be a refreshing, childlike break; minus the hangover of feeling like I was exposed to an excess of sugar and cotton candy. After all, Fairy tales used to be a bit brutal in their own right, and taking away all of the blood and violence in order to conform to today's "Politically Correct" standards also takes away from the lesson to be learned. IMHO.

This tale is told with a simple exuberance, yet manages to hold up under the scrutiny of all us die hard Neil Gaiman fans, showing us that he has the talent to lead us along gentler slopes of the same deadly peaks and chasms he has taken us to in his other works. His playfulness shows through in Stardust as a novel, the way his chapbooks "Wolves In The Walls" and "The Day I Swapped My Dad For 2 Goldfish" did with his graphic novels.

Tristin Thorn lives in the English town of Wall, right next to, well, the Wall. There is only one way through the Wall, a gap which is constantly guarded by the village folk of Wall; not to keep people from coming in, but to keep the inhabitants of Wall from crossing over into the land of Faerie. Once every nine years there is a huge fair within the field beyond the gap, and only then do the peoples from each of the lands mingle. Tristin is not aware that half of his lineage is from across the Wall, and when the day comes that he watches a falling star with the girl he wishes to marry, and promises to bring her back that very same star, his father Dunstan helps him to cross the gap into Faerie.

Over in Faerie, it is time for the Lord of Stormhold to die, and pass along his Reign to one of his sons. Unable to determine which of his surviving sons is worthy, the old Lord tosses the Power of Stormhold (a topaz set in an amulet) up into the air and tells his sons that whoever finds the amulet will rule after him. This won't be easy for the offspring of the old Lord, for already four of his seven sons were dead, killed off by the living brothers in order to eliminate their claim to Stormhold.

Also in Faerie live the Lilim, three ancient women who have lived on and on for forever, revitalizing their youth by eating the hearts from fallen stars. When the star falls, one of the ancient crones makes herself young again and sets out after the star.

Tristin is helped along in his quest by some, and treated rudely by others, but always manages to get along by determination and, surprisingly, innocence. When he is transported by a magic candle to where the star had fallen, he is shocked to see that the Fallen Star is a girl, and she has a broken leg to boot.

The adventures of Tristin in his journey back to The Wall and the market within the field are magical, fantastical, and sometimes just a tiny bit scary. Though the plot really does have a transparent ending, it still does not take away from the total enjoyment of Tristin's adventures and the predicaments he falls in and out of. All of the main characters coalesce in the ending, but the side characters we meet along the way are just as fleshed out and real to me as Tristin, Yvaine the Star, and Madame Semele with her mysterious bird.

Go ahead and step through the Gap with Tristin, you won't be sorry you tagged along. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Crystal Snowdrops and Decapitated Unicorns
Review: I read this book in hardcover, and as a physical book, it's lovely, with ornate chapter pages and the author's signature embossed on the cover. The book's plot, happily, matches its binding beautifully. A very fresh, light, pretty story with magical characters, an engaging premise, and a humorous edge. There are one or two swear words, and a sex scene that was a little shocking, considering the childlike feel of the story, and probably could have been accomplished a bit more implicitly (but Gaiman's never been one to do things conventionally). Overall, Gaiman produced a very magical, amusing, enjoyable book. It's a relatively short novel, so go ahead: treat yourself.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, and Full of Wonders
Review: Having read a couple of Neil Gaiman's previous novels, I wasn't sure about picking up Stardust---I've always admired his writing, but I'm not into the horrific---but I'm very glad I did. It's a quieter fantasy, intricate, charming (in the old sense), resonant with intimations of myth and legend, striking some very deep chords of memory---or something like memory. Eerie. Odd. Numinous. It reminds me somewhat of Peter Beagle's The Last Unicorn, in its austere, antique simplicity of plot combined with unexpected and unclichéd twists of magic.

A deceptively-simple tale: in early Victorian days, a young man has a brief-but-life-turning experience at the once-every- nine-years Market at the town of Wall,which is one of the very last places in this world where the realm of Faerie can be accessed. Many years later his son makes his own way to Faerie, pursuing a fallen star and a secret destiny.

And it all comes down to: just simply wonderful, full of wonders, and some of it quite funny, commenting on Victorian mores and the endlessly-rehashed genre of the fairy story itself. I prefer the regular novel to the graphic novel, myself, because I like to make up the story's pictures in my own head...

Rating:
Summary: Fairytale for grownups
Review: Tristan Thorn's journey across the Wall is a beautiful lyrical tale of a young boy who vows to win his love by retrieving a fallen star from across the Wall into the land of Fairie only to find that the journey itself is more important than the object of his affection. Many surprises await him including a dwarfish aide, a flying ship, witches, princes, and unicorns and of course, a damsel in distress. The side plot of the Lord of the Stormhold and Tristan's though initially unrelated, coincide in the manner only the best of fairytales can, by fate, destiny, and love. The ending is a mix of happiness, triumph, and melancholy. Curiousity peaked yet? Good. No other spoilers needed.

To say that "Stardust" is "an outline" or in some way incomplete is to miss the essence of a fairytale. Young hapless human + journey + magical realm + good + evil + happy ending = fairytale. Suffice to say, Neil Gaiman's scores on all accounts in creating a successful tale and adds a bit more complexity for the adult reader. Overall the plot, characters, and world ARE simple. The themes, however, are not: The journey is more important than the goal, the goal one desires in youth is not the same in adulthood, after a life-changing journey, how can one return home, and so on and so forth.

(...). Furthermore, with only one minor scene, it seemed superflous. But don't let that detract you from reading. "Stardust" reads like an oral tale that has just been written down for the first time. It carries the history and weight of a classic. Give it a whirl!

A+

Rating:
Summary: a creative, enjoyable yet strange fairy tale for adults
Review: Neil Gaiman is certainly a writer of unusual fiction. His works are a mixture of reality, fantasy and fairy tale. 'stardust' is no exception. It is best described as a blend of 'Gormanghast' and 'Harry Potter'. The former is a fantasy novel for adults, the latter more for children. All take place in England, or someplace sort of resembling England. All are about the dreams and fantasies of young men. And thankfully, all are worthy reads in their own special way.

'stardust' is a romance story, chronicling the adventures of a young man seeking to retrieve a fallen star as a gift for his young love. He embarks on a journey into a land of witches, unicorns, and other marvellous beings. No spoilers here, but I will say the book is somewhat ruined by one fairly explicit (but not vulgar) love scene. I say spoiled because beyond this scene 'stardust' would be perfect reading material for young teenagers. As it is I would advise parents not to place it on their children's reading list.

Bottom line: classic Gaiman, which means very good fantasy reading material. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: The Master does it again
Review: Neil Gaiman is amazing. The ease with which he moves from on genre to another makes you wonder if there is any style he can't write. While everything he does has somewhat the same feel, it seems each work is completely independent from another.

The first thing I read by Gaiman was the Sandam series and then his novel, Neverwhere. Stardust in no way disappointed me. Gaiman is a true storyteller. The world he creates is so complete that it seems like the places described could be right outside of any city. This book takes on even more of a fantasy twist than Neverwhere. The story centers around Tristran, a boy from the city of Wall. He sets off on a journey to find a jewell that would surely win the heart of the one he wants, but along the way his journey takes on added dimensions he never imagined and quickly changes his life.

I think that even for people who are not huge fans of fantasy, the adept manner in which Gaiman spins this tale will win anyone over. I can't say enough how talented Gaiman is at telling a story.

Rating:
Summary: Perhaps the most heartwarming story I've read in ages
Review: This is the second Neil Gaiman book I've had the pleasure of reading - the first was American Gods. While I found American Gods interesting and quite entertaining, Stardust I found I could not put down until I finished it.

Like American Gods, Stardust would make a great graphic novel (I would be surprised if it has not already been done) or movie. Gaiman is very graphic in his descriptions of situations and although I am no poet by any measure, I felt that there was almost a poetic quality about the whole story - the definitely is a good dose of poetic justice (of sorts)in the story itself.

The story itself is uncomplicated. One, of course, cannot help but liken it to a fairy tale, but I think I would be better classified as a story about every young man's journey into adulthood and all its attendant heartaches, magic and lessons. That it was set in the realm of folklore and legends only makes it all the more interesting. I won't go into the details of the story (many reviewers here have done that already), but I would like to say that I must have cheered aloud when the hero won over the damsel (who was not in so much of distress as he probably was) and in true fairy tale tradition they lived happily thereafter (not ever after, since the story is also quite well grounded in a logic - of sorts).

I would strongly recommend this book!

Rating:
Summary: A delightful fairytale for adults
Review: This story was a delightful fairytale, perfect for an older audience (though appropriate for young ones as well) looking for a great story full of fantasy and magic, yet compelling enough to keep older readers hooked. It's hard to find good fairytales that aren't either slow paced or childish. Stardust is an excellent fairytale. Definately worth buying!