Rating: 
Summary: Could not put this book down
Review: Although I had to wait several (ok, more than several) years for Nicholas Christopher to write A Trip to the Stars, the wait was well worth it. Christopher obviously spent the time wisely, researching numerous topics, ideas and folklore. He let his fabulous imagination run wild.
A Trip to the Stars is the fantastic (and fantasy) journey of Loren (who is renamed Enzo) and his aunt Alma (who renames herself Mala). As Amazon has done a wonderful job trying to encapsulate the beauty, wonder and joy of this book in their description above, I won't waste my time trying to do the
same. Christopher has a melodic voice and an imagination that does not quit. Readers will find themselves transported from New York, to the desert outside of the Las Vegas, to New Orleans and Vietmam and to the mysteries of the extraordinary Hotel Canopus and somewhere in between they will fall in love with Enzo and the unique characters that inhabit his world, a world
that the reader will not want to return from.
Much like Neil Gaiman, Christopher is unique with his novels, not an easy feat in this day and age where a good idea gets reproduced in a hundred different ways. I highly recommend this book - it can be read over and over again and the reader will still feel the excitement and wonderment that they felt the first time they discovered A Trip to the Stars. If you purchase
this book - I promise that you will not regret it.
Rating:
Summary: Could not put this book down
Review: Although I had to wait several (ok, more than several) years for Nicholas Christopher to write A Trip to the Stars, the wait was well worth it. Christopher obviously spent the time wisely, researching numerous topics, ideas and folklore. He let his fabulous imagination run wild.
A Trip to the Stars is the fantastic (and fantasy) journey of Loren (who is renamed Enzo) and his aunt Alma (who renames herself Mala). As Amazon has done a wonderful job trying to encapsulate the beauty, wonder and joy of this book in their description above, I won't waste my time trying to do the
same. Christopher has a melodic voice and an imagination that does not quit. Readers will find themselves transported from New York, to the desert outside of the Las Vegas, to New Orleans and Vietmam and to the mysteries of the extraordinary Hotel Canopus and somewhere in between they will fall in love with Enzo and the unique characters that inhabit his world, a world
that the reader will not want to return from.
Much like Neil Gaiman, Christopher is unique with his novels, not an easy feat in this day and age where a good idea gets reproduced in a hundred different ways. I highly recommend this book - it can be read over and over again and the reader will still feel the excitement and wonderment that they felt the first time they discovered A Trip to the Stars. If you purchase
this book - I promise that you will not regret it.
Rating:
Summary: a trip to the stars:a novel by nicholas christopher
Review: i am entranced by the authour's subtle touch as he introduces small pieces of infomation.then,some chapters later,he touches upon the simple image again to make it a final piece in complex portrait of a character.i love the burst of emotion that i experience when recognizing that final piece.
the every day becomes magical/mysical and belivable with the intertwining of fact and fiction.i often find myself wanting to research his arcana!such enjoyable complexities.
Rating: 
Summary: An entertaining tale well constructed and executed
Review: I like to think that this is the novel that Joseph Cornell would have written, if he had been inclined towards literature. The two threads of the novel are a coming of age novel and a love story, with the protagonists of each thread separated at the beginning, and just missing each other throughout the story. Some of the other reviewers have covered the story pretty well, but it's hard to do it justice, because it meanders through so many pleasing substories, all on themes related to the stars, and how they guide us. And there's a happy ending!
Rating:
Summary: Fantastical Lives Grounded in Realism
Review: I picked up "A Trip to the Stars" on a fluke, then discovered that I couldn't put it down. It's filled with interesting characters doing interesting things with their lives. Mala's life in particular is interesting and rich, but stemming from her own decisions, some even seeming faulty-- making one feel like any of us could have an adventure, if we just threw aside what we felt we ought to do. Chock-full of interesting facts about everything from stars and asteroids to spiders and the Cook Islands, this book is highly researched and hyperintelligent.
While the characters of "A Trip to the Stars" are mostly smart, attractive people who are over-the-top flowing with mystery, romance, mysticism, and mythology, they still have the same problems everyday people have. Lack of true friends (or indeed any friends at all) at times, drug abuse, bad decisions in dating, and being forced to live hand-to-mouth. It's a perfect blend of fantasy and real-life, of dream and waking: wild lives and a few magic abilities never leaving our own planet, or the day-to-day problems of that planet (like needing a job and money, or people taking advantage of you). An escape while keeping you on this planet that, despite the book's fascination with space, you will realize by the end of the book that you love it all the more for its possibilities.
Rating:
Summary: "Somewhere to sink a stone"
Review: Magic realism that's truly magic. Nicholas Christopher's stunning novel has none of the overweening cuteness that is often found in this genre. Instead, you'll encounter in "A Trip to the Stars" a lush, shimmering novel--its prose hypnotic, its characters and settings unforgettable--that you won't want to come to an end. It's the story of Alma and Loren, separated by a kidnapping at a planetarium in New York, who become Enzo and Mala and spend 15 years wondering what happened to each other--she needs an island, he thrives in deserts--all the while having adventures and meeting interesting people (among them an eight-fingered piano-playing arachnophile, a woman who turns into a vampire, and a wheelchair-bound pool hustler). And the tale is instructional too: you'll learn something about the habits of spiders, go behind the scenes at a mentalists' act, and you'll also be presented with two differing theories on the fate of Atlantis. The tale is told in first-person narratives by Enzo and Mala, in alternating chapters (plus an epistolary interlude that evokes Conrad). The two are writing at some unspecified time in the future of events that take place between 1965 and 1980. A few of the characters turn up in both Enzo's and Mala's narratives, which helps unify the tale. It's a long trip, but it's one that charms as it thrills, and you'll not quickly forget it. And of course if you find that you are forgetting parts, you can always read it again. So the advice here would be: do _not_ loan this book to anyone who isn't likely to return it. Notes and asides: the sun _does_ shine on the dark side of the moon (it's the earth that doesn't); Alfred Hitchcock's wife was named Alma Reville; there was never a planetarium at Manhattan's northern end. Best read outdoors as spring turns into summer, with Heather Nova's "Oyster" on your portable CD player.
Rating:
Summary: A storyteller blending scholarship, imagination and flair...
Review: My introduction to Mr Christopher's writings was VERONICA. That book embodied what I look for in fiction writing...unique style, vocabulary, characterisation and drama/humor. A Trip to the Stars just takes it further. I almost disqualified myself from writing a review because I haven't quite finished the book. However, I am compelled to say that for fun, fantasy, flair and sheer imagination Mr Christopher is the REAL DEAL.
Rating:
Summary: A Trip to the Stars is Well Worth Taking
Review: This beautiful, powerful book, is certainly a masterpiece in adult fictional literature. Every person in my family (ranging in ages from 13 to 47) read it for themselves, and found it simply delicious. Christopher litters the page with exquisite, well-placed words, and plot twists that blew my mind. Though the fantastical aspect of the novel may seem a bit too accentuated (and un-believable) for some adult readers, one can overlook that fact by falling head over heels into the plot-line. Christopher maintains an ambiance throughout the book that is so palpable, I nearly salivated over his wonderful words. He portrays the longing of the main characters Enzo, Mala, and Cassiel, with a reality that tugged at my heart and mind. I thought the book the best adult fictional literature that I have ever read, thanks to its beautiful description, thought-provoking ideas, and real emotions that emanated from the book.
Rating: 
Summary: A good start, but...
Review: This book got off to a resounding start. Its strange blend of magical realism, esotirism, and a compelling style, as well as some interesting characters, drew me in quickly. But about halfway through the book, I started having one of those "so what?" moments. I plodded on for another few chapters, and finally gave up. Perhaps the problem is that Christopher tried to put too much into this book; he tried to have too many talismans, strange characters, weird situations, and it all finally collapsed under its own weight. He's a talented author, though, and I'll look for other books of his. But without any great expectations.
Rating:
Summary: A Magical Journey
Review: This book is pure magic. The characters are compelling and the story is enchanting. I loved these people and their situations - however unlikely they proved to be. Nicholas Christopher paves a trail that will keep you turning from page to page wondering what will happen next. Subsequent readings - if you are so inclined, will show you connections you missed before. This book is set in so many places that I love that for me that only adds an extra dimension. This is truly one of my very favorite books.
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