Book Review: Stardust

We listen to too much news. This is what I've been thinking this week as I listen to story after story about economic downturn, Iraq, the right to build mosques in a free country (don't even get me started on this issue), the latest shootings in Baltimore, and on and on.

The news is depressing. And you end up hearing the same thing over and over. We think we're getting more information, but we're not.

If you ever just step away from the news for awhile, the change can be refreshing.

That's one reason I'm a big fan of this Neil Gaiman book that I'm reviewing this week, Stardust. It's basically an adult fairy tale- and while not a light read, it will take you far away from the real world. It's a wonderful escape. Enjoy the review!

Summary from Goodreads: uh, there pretty much isn't one. But it's about this guy, Tristran, who is from the "real world" and his adventures into the land of Faeries to bring back a fallen star to prove to this girl that he loves her. Apparently there's a movie, but I haven't seen it yet.

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


What a beautifully written book. I just loved how creative the story was- an example is in this passage:

"They sat side by side on a thick, white cumulus cloud the size of a small town. The cloud was soft beneath them, and a little cold. It became colder the deeper into it one sank [...:]. The interior of the cloud felt spongy and chilly, real and insubstantial at once."

Okay, any fairy tale that includes riding on a cumulus cloud is going to be a fan of mine. And the description is just delightful- it's just how I would picture riding on a cloud would be (in fairy tale land. In the real world, you'd just be in for a nasty fall).

The main character, Tristran, is a bit goofy and naive, but kind and good-hearted. You definitely root for him all the way. He's up against two (sometimes more) evil-doers, who are rotten to the core (as in all fairy tales) but do have their motivations.

There were just great lines like this as well: "He could never remember feeling so alive as he did at that moment. There was a skyness to the sky and a nowness to the world that he had never seen or felt or realized before."

The ending had several unexpected surprises and was tied up nicely- very sweet.

I'm now a big fan of this writer- while I'm not sure how memorable this particular story will be years from now, it's definitely worth reading, and I'll be looking for chances to read other books by Neil Gaiman.

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