Rating: 
Summary: Pure Magic
Review: This book is pure magic, and it is a feast for the imagination. In The Neverending Story, Michael Ende has created a magical world in the Neverending Story that is a joyful journey to depart upon. Wonderful fantasy and characters, and also meaning and life lessons.
Bastien is a small picked-on boy with a lifesize imagination, who picks up a book called the NEVERENDING STORY, that takes him on a magical adventure. Written in a book within a book format, Bastien soon becomes part of the Neverending Story. Fantastical characters abound (this is Fantastica after all), Falkor, the luckdragon, Atreyu, the hero Greenskin. They are all special. There are even some scary beings in Fantastica, because Fantastica is the land of the imagination, and all beings are special within the imagination, all are equal because they exist.
Bastien is chosen for a mission to provide the Childlike Empress with a new name. With her the fate of Fantastica rests. Bastien is a human, and humans and Fantasticans have always had a precarious relationship. They need each other, but humans tend to take Fantastica for granted, and deny its existence, making room for lies and delusions in the human world. Fantastica needs and relies upon the human world, and is taken over by the NOTHING if humans stop believing.
Come along with Bastien on his adventures. You will get sucked in, trust me. And maybe you will come away a little bit braver, and a little more loving, and more apt to discover the adventures of everyday life, as a human, and also find the way to FANTASTICA!
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: This truly is a breath-taking book! If you've seen the movie, you'll know that this story has a variety of wonderful characters that will inspire the imaginations of those who hear it! I was a little leary when I picked it up (I'm 13)I was afraid that it would be too hard- it does carry a higher reading level, but don't let that discourage you. This book includes the entire story of the first two movies- but it's done correctly! If you hated the 2nd movie as much as I did, you'll be glad to know that this book will stir your imagination more than the original movie did! If you've never seen the movie- now's your chance to get in on the fantastic story of what happens when a young boy takes a book from a bookstore- and enters the world of Fantastica! Breathtaking work, detailed! I'm having trouble figuring out where the author got so many wonderful ideas! Take the journey to Fantastica with Bastian, Atreyu and all their friends, and you'll never regret it!Great for children, as well as adults ages 10+ up!
Rating:
Summary: I wish this story never ended!
Review: This was one of the first fantasy books I picked up (besides the Harry Potter series), and I fell in love with it right from he first page. Although there have been three decent movies, the book is far superior. An elementary school boy named Bastian Balthizar Bux runs into an old bookstore after some bullies chase him. He takes "The Neverending Story" out of the shop and returns home to read it (I'm not promoting skipping school) The ruler of the Empire of Fantastica, where all stories and dreams become reality) has been diagnosed with a disease that has baffled even the five hundred greatest doctors in Fantastica. It is up to Atreyu, a courageous warrior to find a way to cure the Empress. Bastian thinks that what he is reading is just a story, but when things start getting emotional, he starts having an inner conflict with himself. Later, Bastian finds himself in Fantastica, and learns that Sorceress Xayide, themost powerful in the realm is taking away his memories. Bastian must learn who he really is... What's so cool about the book vs. the movies i there are about 7 chapters in the book that aren't even mentioned in the movie. The book is very imaginative, with excellent imagery. The book also provides a wealth of opportunity for writing fan fiction (in many of the chapters, the words "but that's another story, and it shall be told another time" appear, stretching the imagination. The book is 400+ pages (my version was only 380), but it seems like there could have been a thousand. This book will go by so fast, because you will be absorbed in it. Kudos to Michael Ende! 5/5
Rating: 
Summary: An Adult-sized Fairy Tale
Review: Until recently, I was blissfully ignorant that the popular movie I had seen several times (in my younger days) was actually based on a book.
Judging from the cover illustration of Bastian Balthazar Bux doing his "King of the World" thing aboard the Luck Dragon, you get the feeling that this is no ordinary fantasy book, and indeed it isn't.
I did get the feeling that some aspects of the story were lost in translation (which is another story altogether), as it has some abrupt swings in tone, the dialogue sometimes seeming clumsy and childish compared to the rest of the book - but that's nitpicking.
This is truly a Neverending Story, most of which springs from the imagination of the unlikely human hero, the aforementioned Master Bux, who steals the titular tome, and flees with it to the safety of his school attic, where he becomes much more than a casual onlooker of the worlds of Fantastica.
Michael Ende's imagination works overtime in creating Fantastica and all its inhabitants, and for each thrilling chapter, he introduces another story to be told at another time.
The main story however, is the metamorphosis of Bastian Bux from a frightened, insecure child, and the new relationship he was able to forge with his father after his great learning adventure.
Be wary in your reading of the adventures of The Childlike Empress, Atreyu, Morla, Ygramul, Falkor, Grograman, Hero Hynreck and Xayide, among others, beware the Nothing, and be careful what you wish for, least you also become a part of the Neverending Story, and forever lose your memories of this life.
Amanda Richards, December 19, 2004
Rating:
Summary: The Neverending Story: An allegorical masterpiece!
Review: When I asked one of my German friends about their classical literature, she pointed me to "Die unendliche Geschichte" by Michael Ende. First of all, I would recommend anyone fluent in German to read "The Neverending Story" in its original German version. The story revolves around a young boy, Bastian, who feels himself an outcast of the real world. He steals a book -- surprise, surprise -- called "The Neverending Story." What Bastian discovers is a land created through the power of imagination and fantasy. To save Fantasia from destruction by the Nothing, Bastian must enter the world of his own fantasy. The price of creation, however, is high. For each wish grants Fantasia new life and takes from Bastian his memories of reality. Bastian is reluctant to seek a way back home but must travel through Fantasia in search of the Child Empress. Along the way, Bastian must learn to bridge the gap between reality and Fantasia or risk losing all of his memories forever. Only by bridging this gap is Bastian able to make reality and Fantasia fit for human compassion, dreams, and hope. Humanity is indeed defined by man's ability to perceive with idealism and practicality.
Rating:
Summary: The Unknown Genius of Michael Ende
Review: With a maximum of 1,000 words, I can hardly begin to translate the amazing quality of this novel into words. One must not be led astray by the poor movie counterparts, supposedly taken from this book. It is indeed a work for all to read. The story opens to young Bastian Balthazar Bucs stealing the Nverending Story from a nearby bookstore. He soon finds himself reading of the heroic Greenskin Atreyu on his mission to heal the kind Child-like Empress from her deadly disease, the illness threatening to kill her and all of Fantastica with her fall. Bastian is soon brought into the story, by means of crying out the Empress' new name. Bastian's adventures in Fantastica, as he utilizes the powers of the Auryn (a magic, wish granting pendant, blessed by the Empress) will send you through all of the wondrous domains of Fantastica. You will be enthralled, as the tale matures from a simple adventure with Atreyu, to Bastian's story of happiness, power, corruption, fear, and humility. You might even find an almost allegorical feel to the story. I would recommend this story to anyone, and I greatly grieve how unknown the amazing work of Michael Ende truly is. He must not be known for only a poor movie, but for an amazing story, deceivingly childish in its writing, yet almost profound in meaning. Creative is truly an understatement when attempting to describe Michael Ende's The Neverending Story.
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