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Stardust by: Neil Gaiman

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Rating: - Started well but ultimately unsatisfying

This book started out well - reading it felt like I was chatting to an old friend. The characters were familiar, the writing style comfortable.

But then came the spot where the climax should have been, and a vast, empty chasm of nothingness stared out at me from the pages of the book. SPOILERS: Tristran blithely accepts everything that has happened (including the fact this his mother had just spent the last 60-odd years as a bird, and he is now the King of Stormhold), Tristran and Yvaine suddenly realise their undying love, and the witch turns about and absurdly reassesses her desire for Yvaine's heart without any repurcussions for her actions at all. The ending was so lack-lustre and unimpressive that I honestly expected to see the lines, "And then I woke up, and it was all a bad dream." Maybe I'm being a bit harsh and expecting the novel to be something that it's not - after all, it is a fantastic fairytale and draws upon many elemental aspects of the genre. However, all I can say is thank goodness that the book was only a short one, because if I'd invested substantial time and emotion into these characters I'd be REALLY barking mad about Gaiman's apparant disregard for his readers. Perhaps he got bored and tried to wrap things up as quickly as possible so he could move on to his next (hopefully more satisfying) offering. I don't know, and by the end I hardly cared any more.

My conclusion is that anyone wanting the best bits of Stardust, only better, should go see the movie instead. Now THAT was great storytelling, and made my reading of this book so much more disappointing because I knew how much wasted potential was hidden in these pages.

Rating: - What a wonderful fairy tale - a joy to read

Oh, what a lovely fairy tale for adults this is! I'd already seen the film (which I absolutely loved) before reading the book, but it certainly didn't ruin it for me. Neil Gaiman's use of language is exquisite. I found myself sighing dreamily, and reading and rereading certain sentences just to marvel at how they'd been constructed.

A classic hero's journey, Stardust tells the tale of Tristan and his quest to prove his love for the most beautiful girl in the village of Wall. His journey takes him through the magical world outside of Wall's walls (!) to fulfil his destiny. Despite it being a fairy tale, it's definitely not for children. There are liberal sprinklings of sex as well as some rather violent and descriptive scenes. I heartily recommend you read this book and lose yourself in the magical world Neil Gaiman has created.

Rating: - Is it a good fantasy novel?

Neil Gaiman's style is a kind of combination of modern motifs and traditional English novel traits. Gaiman's books, which are full of unclear symbolism, are probably inspired by the nineteenth century gothic novel or Lewis Carroll's prose. The author frequently mixes fantasy with magic.

Stardust is only one of the numerous examples of Gaiman's books which contain references to cultural motifs as well as archetypes. Despite the various references, the aim of this book is, first of all, to entertain. On the one hand, the plot of Stardust is confidently written and keeps the readers in suspense, but on the other hand, it sometimes lacks the profundity, because of the comic conventions.

By introduction of supernatural and fantastical elements, Gaiman tries to make the simple adventure, love story more interesting. In my opinion, there are too many things for simple housewives, such as princesses, witches, brothers fighting with each other or a dandy who turns out to be a king. What works in Sandman (Gaiman's comic series) fails in Stardust. The 2007 movie based on Gaiman's story perfectly illustrates that Stardust can be easily replaced with a trivial story which would be ideal for The Valentine's Day. I think that the story is not only a fantasy novel, but, above all, a novel for those who like love stories with happy endings. The supernatural elements are diminished by the love motif.

It isn't the best Gaiman's story and it definitely does not match up to other fantasy books, such as The Lord of the Rings or The Chronicles of Narnia, on which Gaiman grew up. Moreover, the style is worse than the prose of Susanna Clark whose short story The Duke of Wellington Misplaces his Horse takes place in the same, created by Gaiman, world (the town named Wall). In spite of the similar location, Clark's setting is not as modernized and pop cultural as its prototype. In my opinion, Gaiman's novel is only a light reading which is on the one hand charmless, but on the other, excessively delightful. All in all, Stardust is a good introduction to the following, better, Gaiman's writings.

Rating: - Better than the movie,

It's only a little book but perfect for getting lost in, Can't wait to read others by Neil Gaiman :O)

Rating: - Stardust

I have really enjoyed reading this book. However, I really wish I had read this first before seeing the film. (Images from the film kept interrupting my train of thought.)
The book is delightful and rather different from any other titles from the fairy tale/fantasy genres. Do give it a try. I know I shall be looking out for other books by Neil Gaiman.

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