In the tranquil fields and meadows of long-ago England, there is a small hamlet that has stood on a jut of granite for 600 years. Just to the east stands a high stone wall, for which the village is named. Here, in the hamlet of Wall, young Tristran Thorn has lost his heart to the hauntingly beautiful Victoria Forester. And here, one crisp October eve, Tristran makes his love a promise -- an impetuous vow that will send him through the only breach in the wall, across the pasture...and into the most exhilarating adventure of his life.
Stardust is an utterly charming fairy tale in the tradition of The Princess Bride and The Neverending Story. Neil Gaiman, creator of the darkly elegant Sandman comics and author of The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish, tells the story of young Tristran Thorn and his adventures in the land of Faerie. One fateful night, Tristran promises his beloved that he will retrieve a fallen star for her from beyond the Wall that stands between their rural English town (called, appropriately, Wall) and the Faerie realm. No one ever ventures beyond the Wall except to attend an enchanted flea market that is held every nine years (and during which, unbeknownst to him, Tristran was conceived). But Tristran bravely sets out to fetch the fallen star and thus win the hand of his love. His adventures in the magical land will keep you turning pages as fast as you can--he and the star escape evil old witches, deadly clutching trees, goblin press-gangs, and the scheming sons of the dead Lord of Stormhold. The story is by turns thrillingly scary and very funny. You'll love goofy, earnest Tristran and the talking animals, gnomes, magic trees, and other irresistible denizens of Faerie that he encounters in his travels. Stardust is a perfect read-aloud book, a brand-new fairy tale you'll want to share with a kid, or maybe hoard for yourself. (If you read it to kids, watch out for a couple of spicy sex bits and one epithet.) --Therese Littleton
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
The movie was actually better:
I will be honest - this is not Gaiman's best work. Mind you, I am not trashing him. I love his Sandman series, and have several of his novels... American Gods, Neverwhere, Smoke and Mirrors and loved them all, this one was lacking. I will admit that I watched the movie first before I read the book, but it was startling to see that the movie had wonderful scenes in it that were not here in the book. The pirates, for one. I had been hoping to have a fun scene with them in the book, but they were... more info
Stardust in my heart:
Read this a while ago, and the story is still fresh in my mind Every time I read it, I have such a a great visit to the town of Wall and behind the wall. There is magic in this story. I have yet to find a Neil GAiman book I dislike- and his style is so varied. I actually am a fan of the movie as well, and followed Gaiman's adventures in script writing and movie making from his blog.
charming fairy tale:
I'd started reading this one years ago, then put it down for some reason, and my daughter picked it up. She's nagged me on and off ever since to read it. Stardust is a fairy tale, with all that implies. There's an impossible quest, true love, things that aren't what they seem, and the triumph of Good and cleverness over Evil. Tristran Thorn, the product of a human father and, unbeknownst to him, a fairy mother, ventures into Faerie to capture a fallen star and bring it back to win his true love... more info
I don't speak Spanish:
I guess I should of read the fine print better. When It arrived and I opened it up, I was disappointed that it was in Spanish, not English. I bought this for my Mother. I had seen the movie, and thought the book would be even better. Learned my lesson the hard way.
Buyer beware.
