Gaiman, Neil (2003). Stardust. New York, New York: Avon.ISBN: 9780380804559
288 pages
Classification: Fiction
Genre: Fantasy
Age Level: 15-19
Stars: 5 stars
Subjects: Romance, Fantasy, Relationships, Identity, Magic
Reader's Annotation
Tristran Thorn, in love with the most beautiful girl in town, goes on a quest across the boundaries of his world to bring back a fallen star to prove his love, and on the way he learns a thing or two about love, life, and his mysterious past.
Summary
Tristran Thorn lives in the town of Wall, England, and he lives a fairly mundane life at that. He is in love with the most beautiful girl in town who barely pauses to notice him, but if he goes beyond the wall and into the land of Faerie to retrieve a fallen star and prove his love for her, she will accept his hand in marriage. He sets out on this quest and has help along the way from talking animals, gnomes, and magic trees as he avoids evil witches and a power struggle he inadvertently becomes the center of in his quest to find the star. It is an engaging fairy tale with just enough light-heartedness to pull of what would otherwise be an unbelievable romantic tale.
Notes
This was originally created as a "story book with pictures" to be published by DC Comics. Once Charles Vess came onboard to do illustrations, it was released in 1997 as a four-issue miniseries, after which it was then released into single book format. In 1999 Gaiman decided to release the book as a conventional novel without illustrations, and that is the version reviewed here.
Other Information
This was made into a movie starring Claire Danes and Robert DeNiro. Information on the film can be found here.
Author Information
