stardust

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: I wasn't that enthusiatic when I picked up Stardust; I was pretty disappointed by the sloppy ending of Neverwhere.. but anyway, I loved it! On the back of the book, Gaiman thanks CS Lewis, Lor Dunsany.. but I think Stardust is actually closest in flavour to the original Grimms Fairly Tales, complete with talking hares and a leaf that doles out excellent advice. Highly, highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: Sorry I wasted my time.
Review: Neil Gaiman wrote a fairy tale in a fairy tale vernacular, a huge deviation from other works (that I actually enjoyed) like American Gods and Neverwhere and even the Sandman comic series. I realize it's probably a typical fairy tale, but I can't help comparing it with the likes of Tad Williams and Gregory Maguire and Gaiman's other books. This one was written as though it was for small children (and then you get a sex scene and once a well-placed four-letter word, which were both just weird). It was as episodic as The Wizard of Oz, and the coincidences were so unbelievable that they had me rolling my eyes in places. Gaiman is usually a creative genius. What happened?

Rating:
Summary: Shimmering "Stardust"
Review: Fairy tales tend to lose their sparkle when they're made into books for adults. But Neil Gaiman creates his own sparkling fairy tale in "Stardust," an entrancing fantasy tale that never loses its magic. With beautiful prose, likable characters, and a mesh of the grotesque and the ethereal, this is a magnificent story.

Years ago, Dunstan Thorn fell in love with a beautiful slave from across the Wall. Nine months later, he got a baby boy on his doorstep. His son Tristan grows up unaware of his heritage. He longs for the beautiful, frosty Victoria Forester, and when she rejects him, he makes a rash promise -- he'll pursue a fallen star over the Wall and bring it back to her, if she gives him her hand.

But when he finds the star, he learns that it is a beautiful young girl, a daughter of the moon named Yvaine. The dying Lord of Stormheld threw a gem to the distance and accidently knocked her from the sky. Now his sons are trying to get the gem back, since the one who gets the gem will be the next Lord. What is more, an ancient witch is pursuing the star, determined to cut out her heart so she and her sisters can be young again. To protect the lovely star, Tristan is called on to be a hero, and to learn who he really is...

Few fantasy stories are as well-done as "Stardust." Gaiman mixes humor, romance, grisly realism and airy-fairiness in a tight little plot. It only really picks up two-thirds of the way into the book, but what a trip it is. It slides rather than explodes to a conclusion, where everything slips into place and all the loose ends are neatly tied together, in a way that makes perfect sense.

His writing is a mix of beautiful details and fast-moving plot. Gaiman frequently pauses to describe the creepy Stormhelm, where murdered ghosts watch their brothers compete, to the beautiful forests of Faerie where little sprites mock people. Some scenes -- like a unicorn's skewering a witch -- are breathtakingly vivid.

Everybody loves an everyman hero, and despite his mystery background, Tristan definitely qualifies. He's a little goofy and a lot clueless, but his earnestness makes him lovable. Yvaine is a bit off-kilter in a good way, sharp-tongued and a little naive, but a good match for Tristan. And supporting characters like the evil Septimus and youth-hungry witch are solidly written; even Victoria is shown in a new light.

The beautiful adult fairy-tale "Stardust" is an entrancing read, wonderfully written and full of intriguing characters. An outstanding, timeless story, and sure to enchant fantasy readers. (Yes, even the ones who don't like unicorns)