Hopelessly crossed in love, a boy of half-fairy parentage leaves his mundane Victorian-English village on a quest for a fallen star in the magical realm. The star proves to be an attractive woman with a hot temper, who plunges with our hero into adventures featuring witches, the lion and the unicorn, plotting elf-lords, ships that sail the sky, magical transformations, curses whose effects rebound, binding conditions with hidden loopholes and all the rest.
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- Stardust
Stardust
Author(s)
Publisher
Genre(s)
Age Range
14+
Release Date
October 28, 1998
ISBN
0060934719
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Editor reviews
2 reviews
A Faerie Tale Romance
Overall rating
5.0
Plot
N/A
Characters
N/A
Writing Style
N/A
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
Would you do anything for your Hearts Delight? Catch a falling star, perhaps? Well, Tristran Thorn would do exactly that for his love, Victoria Forester. However, that means crossing the wall that separates Wall, the city, from Faerie. The wall is guarded day and night by two townspeople to make sure exactly that does not happen. However, Tristran has one thing going for him that he doesnt know&his mother was a faerie.
So, cross through the wall he does and along his journey he meets little people and big people and witches and princes. But he does find his fallen star.
Interwoven with Tristrans story are two other stories about the search for the fallen star.
The king of Stormhold is dying and must appoint an heir to the throne from his three surviving sons. (It seems they tend to kill each other off in order to reduce the competition.) His final request is to have his sons bring him to the window of his bedroom, whereupon he takes a topaz that is hanging around his neck, the source of his power, and flings it out the window. (Unfortunately, it was that same topaz that struck the star, causing her&yes her&causing her to fall.) The heir to the throne will be the son who retrieves the topaz.
In the middle of a wood so thick and deep it was very nearly a forest, was a small house& inhabited by three old hags&the Lilem or witch queens. Their mirror showed them as young and beautiful but their bodies told otherwise. One way to regain their youth is to eat the heart of a fallen star.
So, as you see, there are several seekers of this particular fallen star and they each have their own story. But, their stories intermingle and the result is a wonderful tale of love and romance and intrigue and vengeance and double dealing. Neil Gaimen is the ultimate fantasy writer and Stardust is a phenomenal work. My particular copy was illustrated by Charles Vess and the illustrations only enhance the story. The characters, plot, description all combine to make one great read.
I highly suggest you see the movie too, because the differences between Stardust the book and Stardust the movie are significant. (Hintthere is no Robert DeNiro character in the book!!!!!) Any way you want to do it, do yourself a favor and read Stardust by Neil Gaimen. Im sure youll be reading his other books as well. (Im reading his new book, The Graveyard Book, and it is wonderful.)
So, cross through the wall he does and along his journey he meets little people and big people and witches and princes. But he does find his fallen star.
Interwoven with Tristrans story are two other stories about the search for the fallen star.
The king of Stormhold is dying and must appoint an heir to the throne from his three surviving sons. (It seems they tend to kill each other off in order to reduce the competition.) His final request is to have his sons bring him to the window of his bedroom, whereupon he takes a topaz that is hanging around his neck, the source of his power, and flings it out the window. (Unfortunately, it was that same topaz that struck the star, causing her&yes her&causing her to fall.) The heir to the throne will be the son who retrieves the topaz.
In the middle of a wood so thick and deep it was very nearly a forest, was a small house& inhabited by three old hags&the Lilem or witch queens. Their mirror showed them as young and beautiful but their bodies told otherwise. One way to regain their youth is to eat the heart of a fallen star.
So, as you see, there are several seekers of this particular fallen star and they each have their own story. But, their stories intermingle and the result is a wonderful tale of love and romance and intrigue and vengeance and double dealing. Neil Gaimen is the ultimate fantasy writer and Stardust is a phenomenal work. My particular copy was illustrated by Charles Vess and the illustrations only enhance the story. The characters, plot, description all combine to make one great read.
I highly suggest you see the movie too, because the differences between Stardust the book and Stardust the movie are significant. (Hintthere is no Robert DeNiro character in the book!!!!!) Any way you want to do it, do yourself a favor and read Stardust by Neil Gaimen. Im sure youll be reading his other books as well. (Im reading his new book, The Graveyard Book, and it is wonderful.)
User reviews
4 reviews
Overall rating
3.0
Plot
4.0(4)
Characters
3.0(1)
Writing Style
2.0(1)
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A(0)
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Traditional Fairy Tale Style
Overall rating
2.7
Plot
3.0
Characters
3.0
Writing Style
2.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
This tradition-style fairy tale follows a young man named Tristan Thorn on his quest to retrieve a fallen star for the woman he loves. In a small village in England runs an enormous wall which gives the village its name of Wall. There is a gap in the wall which is guarded night and day by the villagers, preventing anyone from crossing to the mystical other side where the land of Fairy lies. However, every nine years a market his held in the field on the other side of the Wall where people from both sides can come together.
Tristan is attempting to win the heart of the most beautiful woman in the village, Victoria Forester. He finally has his chance when they witness a falling star and strike a bargain that if Tristan brings back the star to Victoria she will give him whatever he desires. Giddy with hope, Tristan starts off on his journey into the mysterious land beyond the wall. He makes fast friends with a little hairy creature who gives him a magical candle which allows him to walk a mere four steps to the location of the star.
Little did he know that the star was really a beautiful, though difficult woman. A dying king had enchanted a gem to determine which of his sons would retrieve it, becoming his heir and the King of Stormhold. The enchanted gem rose into the sky and struck a star, making her fall from the sky. Due to the beliefs of her people the star must now carry the gem until someone asks her for it.
This is a good story but the tradition style of it means that it doesn't allow for deep characters or character development. In many novels you read about what a character is thinking or feeling but not in this one. You read about what they are doing and in rare instances, it talks about how they are feeling but not often. Due to this, I found I liked the novel less than I could've.
Even so, it was a good read, a fun fairy tale with witches, flying ships and magical creatures.
Tristan is attempting to win the heart of the most beautiful woman in the village, Victoria Forester. He finally has his chance when they witness a falling star and strike a bargain that if Tristan brings back the star to Victoria she will give him whatever he desires. Giddy with hope, Tristan starts off on his journey into the mysterious land beyond the wall. He makes fast friends with a little hairy creature who gives him a magical candle which allows him to walk a mere four steps to the location of the star.
Little did he know that the star was really a beautiful, though difficult woman. A dying king had enchanted a gem to determine which of his sons would retrieve it, becoming his heir and the King of Stormhold. The enchanted gem rose into the sky and struck a star, making her fall from the sky. Due to the beliefs of her people the star must now carry the gem until someone asks her for it.
This is a good story but the tradition style of it means that it doesn't allow for deep characters or character development. In many novels you read about what a character is thinking or feeling but not in this one. You read about what they are doing and in rare instances, it talks about how they are feeling but not often. Due to this, I found I liked the novel less than I could've.
Even so, it was a good read, a fun fairy tale with witches, flying ships and magical creatures.
Magical..
Overall rating
4.0
Plot
4.0
Characters
N/A
Writing Style
N/A
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
Reader reviewed by an_d
Stardust is pitch-perfect. Period. The story flows nicely and pulls you in very quickly. It's somewhat of a fairy tale, but at the same time, it's very adventurous and romantic. Neil Gaiman weaves tales that will twist your imagination and pull you in. You will feel like you've stepped into his magical world. It's a quick and easy read and I highly suggest it for reluctant readers.
Stardust is pitch-perfect. Period. The story flows nicely and pulls you in very quickly. It's somewhat of a fairy tale, but at the same time, it's very adventurous and romantic. Neil Gaiman weaves tales that will twist your imagination and pull you in. You will feel like you've stepped into his magical world. It's a quick and easy read and I highly suggest it for reluctant readers.
stardust is great
Overall rating
4.0
Plot
4.0
Characters
N/A
Writing Style
N/A
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
Reader reviewed by sara
this stroy starts out inn a little town by the name of Wall. Tristran is madly in love with a young woman named victoria and would do anything to win her heart. In order to marry victoria he makes a deal with her, he will go and retrieve a fallen star. To get to this fallen star tristran has to get through a gap in a wall thats gaurded 24/7 close to his town. The place across from this wall is not of our world it has magic and many other new things for tristran to discover. he also discovers the truth about himself along the way. a good romance and fantasy novel.
this stroy starts out inn a little town by the name of Wall. Tristran is madly in love with a young woman named victoria and would do anything to win her heart. In order to marry victoria he makes a deal with her, he will go and retrieve a fallen star. To get to this fallen star tristran has to get through a gap in a wall thats gaurded 24/7 close to his town. The place across from this wall is not of our world it has magic and many other new things for tristran to discover. he also discovers the truth about himself along the way. a good romance and fantasy novel.
Fairy Tale for Adults
Overall rating
5.0
Plot
5.0
Characters
N/A
Writing Style
N/A
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
Reader reviewed by Booked Books
Love fairy tales as a child but believe you're too old for them? No worries. Neil Gaiman delivers a spectacular adult fairy tale in Stardust. This isn't the typical fairy tale with simple and predictable plot twists. Gaiman manages to conjure a spellbinding story though admittedly, it isn't exactly suitable for children. Once you get past the mature stuff, it really is a fantastic read.
When Dunstan Thorn crossed the Wall and visited the Faerie Market in order to purchase a gift for his lover, Daisy, he never would have predicted that he would fall in love with a beautiful, gypsy slave. Still, he did, and she ended up giving birth to his son, Tristan Thorn.
Years later, good-natured Tristan grew up and fell in love with beautiful Victoria Forester. In order to win her heart, he sets out to find a star that had fallen in Faerie. Upon meeting the star, he realizes that stars take on the form of humans in Faerie. Unfortunately, he also realizes that he is not the only one who's searching for the star.
What I loved about this beautiful fantasy was that it was thrilling (despite the fact that it was a fairy tale) and humorous at the same time. The characters are so complex, well-defined, and charming that I became absorbed in them. Every part of the novel was necessary for the ending, though you don't know it until you reach the end. Gaiman's style is so natural yet deep and effective. I have to say that this is one of the best books I've ever had the pleasure to read.
reposted from: booked-books.blogspot.com
Love fairy tales as a child but believe you're too old for them? No worries. Neil Gaiman delivers a spectacular adult fairy tale in Stardust. This isn't the typical fairy tale with simple and predictable plot twists. Gaiman manages to conjure a spellbinding story though admittedly, it isn't exactly suitable for children. Once you get past the mature stuff, it really is a fantastic read.
When Dunstan Thorn crossed the Wall and visited the Faerie Market in order to purchase a gift for his lover, Daisy, he never would have predicted that he would fall in love with a beautiful, gypsy slave. Still, he did, and she ended up giving birth to his son, Tristan Thorn.
Years later, good-natured Tristan grew up and fell in love with beautiful Victoria Forester. In order to win her heart, he sets out to find a star that had fallen in Faerie. Upon meeting the star, he realizes that stars take on the form of humans in Faerie. Unfortunately, he also realizes that he is not the only one who's searching for the star.
What I loved about this beautiful fantasy was that it was thrilling (despite the fact that it was a fairy tale) and humorous at the same time. The characters are so complex, well-defined, and charming that I became absorbed in them. Every part of the novel was necessary for the ending, though you don't know it until you reach the end. Gaiman's style is so natural yet deep and effective. I have to say that this is one of the best books I've ever had the pleasure to read.
reposted from: booked-books.blogspot.com
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