Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Stardust Review

Quick Points:

-333 pages

-copyright year: 1999

-there is a battle between a unicorn and a lion in it. 

Told you.

The Vaguest of Overviews:

Stardust is about a young man named Tristran (that isn't a typo with that "r" that just kinda comes outta nowhere) Thorn, who ventures into a mysterious kingdom to find a fallen star.  He isn't the only one looking for it, however, and before he knows it his seemingly simple mission turns into quite the toughie. 

What I Thought:

I hate to say it, but any previous desire I had left in me to be an author was vanquished after reading this book.  Of course, I mean that in the most compliment-y way I possibly can.

Chapter after chapter, I would stumble upon brilliant and accurate observations so profound that I'd have to stop and think about them for awhile. Here's the deal, with this book, Gaiman doesn't give you time to stop and think.  You cannot stop reading this book because you want to know what happens and discover everything you can about the world you just found yourself in.

Therein lies the reason I don't want to be an author anymore.  I'm inadequate!  How can Gaiman write such cool moments and move on in the book like nothing happened? Where does one find an imagination so big that it seems to manufacture brilliant insights and ideas and just slap them down so frequently? My of-average-intelligence mind could never do that.  

So I guess I'll just stick to blogging...

I'm being pretty general.  That's probably because there isn't just one thing that I liked.  It's a brand new world that isn't bogged down by heavy amounts of lore and introduction.  You are gradually shown the world of Faerie, because that's exactly how the main character experiences it.  You will meet evil people with resources and magic that at first doesn't seem fair, but as any good fantasy author knows, there are always limits or consequences for things like that.

You may be looking for a fast read rooted in fantasy, or maybe just an adventure filled book with memorable characters and a plot that won't leave you long after you read it.  Whatever the case, I cannot recommend Stardust enough.   

The Verdict

I give Stardust by Neil Gaiman a solid three Babylon Candles... of three.

Before you go!

Stardust was also a motion picture released in 2007.  Gaiman himself was a producer.  Personally, I saw the movie before reading the book, and cannot vouch for having it one way or the other.  They have major and minor differences but nothing that I could throw a fit about.  I highly recommend the movie.

Thanks for reading.  Let me know what you think via a comment below or an email.  I'm always open for book suggestions and would love to hear from you.