Stardust by Neil Gaiman

E-book extra: Neil Gaiman's "Writing and the Imagination."In the tranquil fields and meadows of long-ago England, there is a small hamlet that has stood on a jut of granite for 600 years. Just to the east stands a high stone wall, for which the village is named. Here, in the hamlet of Wall, young Tristran Thorn has lost his heart to the hauntingly beautiful Victoria Forester. And here, one crisp October eve, Tristran makes his love a promise -- an impetuous vow that will send him through the only breach in the wall, across the pasture ... and into the most exhilarating adventure of his life.

Such an amazing little book, and now I need to rewatch the movie for the 4th time. In honesty it's probably 4.5-4.75 stars, but I won't give Goodreads the satisfaction of a 4 star rating for this incredible book.

I would've liked this much better had I not already seen the lovely film, which is very different from the book. This is why I like to experience the book version of a story before the film version.

A well told tale of magic and adventure. And more of a starting point for its movie counterpart

The Stardust film is amongst one of my favourite of the modern films I've watched in my lifetime, and so I've seen the film a number of times and know it well. I was a little wary of pre-expectations but the novel did well to bring something new to the story of Stardust.

However, since the movie is so close to me, there's no other way for me to review the book other than in context of the movie (sorry to those who haven't seen or read either).

I will say I still probably enjoy the movie more (but movies are my jam and the movie got my affections first). However, the book on it's own merits is also really quite good.

The novel follows the movie (or rather the movie followed the novel) fairly closely for the 2/3rds of the story but the movie diverges significantly from the book for the ending, perhaps going for a wilder ending with more “movie going climax”. The book ends more in a way that wonders out into the sunset with a tidy, but kind, epilogue.

I can't honestly say whether the novel is split into acts (as a movie might be), but we follow Tristran Thorn as he promises to return a fallen star in exchange for “what his heart desires” of Victoria.

The prices of Stormhold are off to retrieve the topaz the 81st Lord of Stormhold threw into the night sky (inadvertently knocking Yvaine out of the sky) to claim their position on the throne of Storhold.

Whilst at the same time, The Lilim, three witches, get wind of the fallen star and send out the Witch Queen to retrieve her heart to bring them back to their young.

The story, in novel form, is a sort of travelling adventure slow moving story through the magical world of Faerie (which I'm sure I've read before in a Gaiman book...). In retrospect it does feel like some of the supporting characters are a little sidelined and certainly (probably because of the movie) expected more from the Witch Queen.

But a nicely told tale all the same (except perhaps when the Witch Queen slices off the head of a Unicorn that's already had a spike rammed through it's eye socket!).