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Stardust | 
 enlarge | Author: Neil Gaiman
Publisher: Headline Review
Category: Book
List Price: £7.99
Buy New: £2.97
You Save: £5.02 (63%)
New (14) Used (5) from £1.24
Rating:  67 reviews
Sales Rank: 2458
Media: Paperback
Pages: 224
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.1
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5 x 0.9
ISBN: 0755322827
EAN: 9780755322824
ASIN: 0755322827
Publication Date: September 19, 2005
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New. Shipped from UK Mainland. Delivery is usually 2 - 3 working days from order by Royal Mail, International Delivery is by Airmail.
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Amazon.co.uk Review
There is a way into Faerie, beyond the fields we know, and it lies in a village called Wall, somewhere in the early Victorian era. Every nine years there is a fair on the other side of the wall, where Faerie sells its wares to the mundane. Farmer Duncan Thorne had his moment of mad love with a witch's bondservant; Tristan, his son, turned up in a basket nine months later. Now Tristan is old enough to fall in love, and promises Victoria a falling star... This is a fairy story in the tradition of George MacDonald and Hope Mirlees; a book of passion and terror and wit which reminds us that Faerie is not a safe place, or a fair one. And at its edges there lurk other stories--Neil Gaiman's work in comics and television has previously shown his capacity to evoke mystery and glorious magic by telling us just enough and no more, but he excels himself here. Charles Vess's illustrations, (Vess collaborated with Gaiman on key episodes of The Sandman), have charm and occasionally more--the stars dance, Pan looms from the forest, a witch queen rides a chariot driven by goats and Tristan journeys by candlelight leagues at a step. --Roz Kaveney
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| Customer Reviews: Read 62 more reviews...
 Enchanting October 4, 2008
N. Bailey (London)
Fantasy quests can often outstay their welcome, but Gaiman paces this just about right; more than a novella but the right side of epic. Reminiscent of several of his Sandman stories, this is lovingly told if a little predictable in its structure. Inventive and always entertaining, never overly whimsical. The resolution's all a bit too tidy, but I recommend it for those who enjoy the author's lighter work in other media.
 Spellbinding and magical tale.... August 22, 2008
Aphrodite
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This was the first Neil Gaiman book I had read and I found it to be a wonderful, enchanting adult fairy tale.
The novel opens with magical descriptions of the village called Wall, and introduces us to the main character Tristan Thorn. One day, during the fair that they hold every 9 years, Tristan Thorn goes through the wall into the land of faerie to search for a falling star and bring it back so that his one true love will grant him his heart's desire. The story unravels from here and proves to be a book of traditional love and passion, mixed with the magic and macabre that Gaiman does so well. The darker side of the novel does prove to be a good balance to the love and 'fairydust' side, and there is a mediocre amount of sex and passion which definitely reminds you that this is an adult fairy tale! I think teenagers would be just fine reading this too though.
Gaiman describes the characters so vividly I almost felt that I was there, you can really imagine the stars dancing, Tristan's journey by candlelight through the wild forests, the funny little man he meets along the way.....
This book is so spellbinding that I am planning to read other Gaiman novels and hope they will be just as good. Pat on the back to him for this one though!
 Disappointing August 4, 2008
Elizabeth Shedden
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
I admit, I saw the film first. Normally I'm a firm beleiver in reading a book before seeing a film but for once I got it the wrong way round. But I'm rather glad I did because, despite its insanely cheesy and cutesy Hollywood touch, I actually enjoyed the film and in comparison was bored by the book.
Its true Gaimon was a nack which makes prose flow unlike any author I've ever read before but I found the story deeply unimpressive. It was very short and highly anticlimatic. I realise Gaimon has quite the following and he's probably just not my thing (which is a pity cos fantasy is my favourite genre) but in my opinion, if you enjoyed the film, you'll be deeply disappointed by the book.
Into the Land of Faerie July 14, 2008
Lleu Christopher (Hudson Valley, NY)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I only recently discovered the writings of Neil Gaiman and am glad to add him to my list of favorite modern fantasy authors. I listened to the audio version of Stardust, which was narrated by Gaiman himself. While I'm a fan of audio books in general, I think a tale like this is especially appropriate to listen to, as it evokes the distant past of folk tales that predate the widespread use of written language. I have not seen the movie which recently came out, and, from what I've heard, am not anxious to see it. It sounds like a typical Hollywood approach. I read in a review of the movie that Robert Deniro plays the captain of a pirate ship who likes to dress in women's clothes. While the novel does have the pirate ship, this eccentricity on the captain's part is not in the book. This may not be very important, but the fact that they invented this for the film seems to imply that the novel is not sufficiently interesting on its own, which is far from the case.
Stardust is a fantasy that quite openly draws on many older tales, including traditional fairy tales, Celtic tales of faery, and even Shakespeare. In the audio version, there is a quite interesting interview with Gaiman, where he mentions the early, not very well known fantasy author Lord Dunsany. I actually recognized a passage in Stardust that was taken in tribute to this older author -referring to "the fields we know" (an often repeated expression in Dunsany's King of Elfland's Daughter), which denotes the everyday world as opposed to the lands of faery. This division between worlds is an important part of Stardust. The tale starts in the town of Wall, a rather ordinary town except for the fact that it is surrounded by an actual wall -on the other side are the magical lands. This idea of crossing into the Otherworld is a common theme is older tales, especially in the British Isles. What I like about Stardust is that Gaiman evokes many familiar themes from these traditions and still comes up with a very original story.
The hero of Stardust is a young man named Tristan who, it turns out, has faery blood himself. He ventures to the other side of the wall to fetch a falling star in order to win the love of a young woman named Victoria. The star turns out to be another young woman, named Yvaine, who does not appreciate Tristan's plan to capture her. Further complicating matters is the fact that others are also looking for Yvaine for their own purposes -a particularly unpleasant witch and a group of brothers who are seeking a charm the star possesses. Tristan must win Yvaine's love and also protect her from these others. Along the way, they meet various magical creatures, including a unicorn, and overcome a myriad of life-threatening dangers, as you might expect in such a tale.
Neil Gaiman has a diverse writing background; he has done comic books, short stories and what are usually categorized as urban fantasies (e.g. Neverwhere). Stardust is not quite a traditional fairy tale. It is not set in the distant past or in a completely mythical world, but in Victorian England. Early in the novel, Gaiman mentions that Wall still exists, which implies that the faery world does as well. Neil Gaiman makes an excellent guide to magical lands.
truly enchanting July 12, 2008
Mrs. K. A. Wheatley (Leicester, UK)
As a devotee of Gaiman I have to say that this novel does not disappoint. Though not as dark as Neverwhere or Coraline it still has that neat, macabre edge that makes what would otherwise be a children's fairy tale into something splendid. If you are buying this for children because you have seen the film, be aware that this has some sex in it, and though not graphic, it is not necessarily kid friendly.
Tristan Thorn goes through the wall into the land of faerie to search for a falling star and bring it back so that his one true love will grant him his heart's desire. It is a real, old fashioned adventure story with great villains, a totally non-soppy heroine (Gaiman's heroines are always fantastic) and a rip snorting plot with lots of wonderful twists and turns.
It is definitely worth reading the book and seeing the film. The book came first and has its own special magic, and the film is just as wonderful in its own way. It's one of those rare times when the two complement and enrich each other. A fantastic story.
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