stardust

Rating:
Summary: a book of true beauty suitable for Lord Dunsany
Review: If you are weary of violent, negative punk fantasy/sci fi and long for a book of wit, grace and breath-taking beauty, "Stardust" is the book for you.

Gaiman's perfect book has the charm of Lord Dunsany's best. An adult fairy tale - be careful reading it to the kids! The changeling hero is sent on a fool's errand to Faery to retrieve a fallen star in hopes of giving it to the girl of his dreams and making her his wife. And his adventures along the way.

Very British. This book shows why Albion will always be the Magic Island. Rule Britannia!

This book you should buy in hardbound and give it to your heirs in your Will.

It's beauty will bring tears to your eyes!

Cannot be too highly recommended

Rating:
Summary: an engrossing story, highly recommended
Review: Sandman comicbook author Neil Gaiman turns his skills to prose. The result is a fairy tale in the tradition of Narnia, but for adults. I lent this book to 3 friends, and 2 of them are planning to buy it.

Great reading if you like Grimm's fairy tales, CS Lewis' Narnia books, or the Never-Ending story. Enough said.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Fantasy
Review: Tristran Thorn is living a seemingly normal life in the tiny hamlet of Wall, in 19th century England, when that normal life is turned upside down by his love for a young girl. He must leave the little hamlet for the mysterious land of Faerie to find the falling star, which he has promised to the beautiful and lovely Victoria Forester. Miss Forester has promised, in return for the star, her hand in marriage. On his adventure he meets exciting new creatures with wondrous powers, and discovers unexplained powers of his own. When Tristran finds the star, he is astonished to discover that it is a beautiful young woman. Danger surrounds her, and it doesn't take Tristran long to realize she is more important than just a gift to his future bride. They fight to escape the traps of an evil witch looking for eternal youth and three men literally killing to become the next Lord of Stormhold. Tristran's adventure begins slowly, but escalates into a full blow fantasy tale that no one can put down. You'll love the talking animals, gnomes, trees and other strange but hilarious creatures of Faerie. Neil Gaiman is a master of fantasy literature and is the author of the national best seller Neverwhere. Both are highly recommended and are great reads for all ages.

Rating:
Summary: Fairy Tales
Review: The world nowadays is so devoid of fairy tale crafters that it is a wonder we are graced with Neil Gaiman's work. Mind you, this is not the watered down stuff put out by Disney, but something with depth and character.

In this book, Neil Gaiman take us into a journey into a world of magic and wonder, of delicate beauty and blood-freezing horror. But what, perhaps, most impresses me is the way the events of the story have a sense of rightness, a feeling that they were destined to be, but, at the same time, without being brought by fate. And this is done with such an apparent ease that one is never bereft of the suspension of disbelief.

It is my personal belief that Neil Gaiman is one of greatest crafters of tales in humanity's history, a name that will be remembered by our descendants long past our time, if they are any lucky. While Stardust is not his greatest work, it is a great work, unlikely to leave anyone disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: A failure.
Review: There are only so many things to say about this book. It is a trivial little story about nothing. Though it may have some value as a multi-part comic book, it has no value as a true book. Having read most of Gaiman's works (Neverwhere, Sandmans [as the came out, mind you, not one of those who came later and thought they were in on it], his short fictions in multiple collections, etc.), I was looking forward to reading this book, which I had passed over when it came out (annoyed by the many reprintings of Sandman). But finally monthes ago I got to it and it was wretched. There is nothing good about this book, no nothing at all. It is a childish pulp book. Though it may be better than that fool Harry Potter and Oprah's book club, it is not good for Neil Gaiman.

Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put it down!
Review: I walked into a book store to get some coffee and maybe read a magazine. I saw Stardust, picked it up, and didn't stop reading it till I reached the end, two and a half hours later.

Neil Gaiman is a master. This fairy-tale sweeps you away into the world of the Wall. Gaiman has the story planned out from the first page. The characters and plots fit together perfectly, there is not a hair out of place in the words. Everything that is said is important, but don't let this overwhelm you: this is defeinetly the kind of book that you can read over and over and find something new and different each time. It is certainly a treasure, and, leaving out the single curse and a few racy scenes, would be an amazing read-aloud book to a kid. The book is great for them, as well as the lucky person who gets to read it to the child. It is easy to understand and they can say "Oh, wow, I get that!" and help the other reader understand what is going on (sometimes kids pick up on the little things ;)

I highly reccomend this book. It is worth the price and so much more.

Rating:
Summary: Stardust in My Eyes
Review: Fairy tales have been told for years, but few have come along that touch me. Stardust is the one for me. It touched that little 5 year old in me again. People compare Neil to Mr. Baum, the Grimm Brothers, and others, but I feel that it is all in his own unique voice. Especailly making singer Tori Amos into the copper beech tree. That was only the genius of Neil Gaiman.

Rating:
Summary: A quest in faerieland
Review: In fantasy writing, the quest is an established cliché. Neil Gaiman has the enviable ability to rise above clichés, presenting the story of a real man in bizarre circumstances. Although born of a faerie mother, Tristran's only power is persistence, a quality any human can emulate. He seeks a fallen star, which any of us would assume would be but a bit of iron rock. This one, when finally retrieved, turns out to be an astral nymph of very human temperment. Along his way, Tristran skirts a dispute over a royal inheritance, encounters a witch of supremely wicked deviousness and helpful gnome. The cast is as complete as any fantasy tale. Gaiman manages to breathe fresh spirit into this array of characters, lifting them from the common images often found in such tales.

My introduction to Gaiman was his collaboration with Terry Pratchett in Good Omens. Without prior experience of his work, it was difficult to separate the input of each author. This book demonstrates PTerry's wisdom in choosing Gaiman to relate that tale of Armageddon. Gaiman has a fine prose style and draws his characters with skill. His wit is excellent, demonstrated in his resolution of the problem of how to have a week of two Mondays. This is a fine read for young and older alike.

Rating:
Summary: Well-Written Fantasy with Humour
Review: With some warped fairy tale conventions, Stardust is a wonderfully escapist story that effortlessly dances into your heart. The cast of peripheral characters and scheming villains are all funny, colorful, nasty, or unusual, in that trademark Neil Gaiman way. This is a quest story; Tristan Durst undertakes one to win the love of a village maid. Quests are supposed to be difficult, of course, but Tristan's single-minded determination in the complex plot makes for some very funny situations. It's a cheerful story, with just enough darkness around the edges to keep it interesting. Perhaps because Gaiman did such a great job of creating characters and side plots, I felt something was lacking in places where we don't learn more about them. Over-all, it has a familiar enough feel to make for comfy fantasy reading, but with ingenious differences that keep you from getting too sure about what's coming next.

Rating:
Summary: half blooded elf - seeking fallen star
Review: beautifully characterized, two entirely different realms seperated by one bodunk town, only coming together once every ten years for "the market" gaiman has lived up to his previous works.