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Stardust (1998)

by Neil Gaiman

Other authors: See the other authors section.

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingConversations / Mentions
22,587567189 (4.03)2 / 812
Fiction. HTML:

In the sleepy English countryside of decades past, there is a town that has stood on a jut of granite for six hundred years. And immediately to the east stands a high stone wall, for which the village is named. Here in the town of Wall, Tristran Thorn has lost his heart to the hauntingly beautiful Victoria Forester. One crisp October night, as they watch, a star falls from the sky, and Victoria promises to marry Tristran if he'll retrieve that star and bring it back for her. It is this promise that sends Tristran through the only gap in the wall, across the meadow, and into the most unforgettable adventure of his life.

.… (more)
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▾Member recommendations
  1. 401
    The Princess Bride by William Goldman (norabelle414, Morteana)
    norabelle414: Both are hilarious, imaginative fairy tales.
  2. 142
    The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle (aslikeanarnian, MyriadBooks)
    MyriadBooks: For, "There is no immortality but a tree's love."
  3. 121
    The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente (aarti, Jannes)
    Jannes: Gaiman might be inspired by Dunsany and Mirrlees while Valente leans slightly more toward Carroll and Baum, but both of them are modern authors tackling the classic fairytale, both are great stylists, and both books are highly enjoyable.
  4. 102
    The King of Elfland's Daughter by Lord Dunsany (ghilbrae, Haltiamieli, wisemetis)
    Haltiamieli: "Perhaps this book should come with a warning: it is not a reassuring, by-the-numbers fantasy novel, like most of the books with elves, princes, trolls, and unicorns 'between their covers.' This is the real thing." – Neil Gaiman
  5. 81
    The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly (flissp)
  6. 81
    Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees (twilightnocturne, moonstormer, isabelx)
    isabelx: Villages on the borders of Faerie.
  7. 71
    The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander (Medicinos)
  8. 127
    Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll (keristars)
    keristars: Though Alice is less of a traditional fairy tale type than Stardust, it shares a style and many narrative and plot elements.
  9. 94
    Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke (GreenVelvet, GreenVelvet, GreenVelvet)
    GreenVelvet: Both Stardust and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell are detailed, well-written and riveting explorations of the world of fairie.
  10. 31
    Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones (infiniteletters)
  11. 10
    Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett (LiteraryReadaholic)
  12. 10
    The Starthorn Tree by Kate Forsyth (bloop)
    bloop: Village boys on an adventure into magical unknowns.
  13. 21
    Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (Anonymous user)
  14. 22
    Peter & Max: A Fables Novel by Bill Willingham (WildMaggie)
    WildMaggie: Stardust is not as dark, but these book share a similar feel and tone.
  15. 00
    Song in the Silence by Elizabeth Kerner (infiniteletters)
  16. 00
    The City in the Lake by Rachel Neumeier (MyriadBooks)
    MyriadBooks: For stories both darker and lighter than they appear; for original works that feel like a fairy tale.
  17. 00
    Sparrowdance by Anne Lewis (TeaWren)
    TeaWren: Quite different really, but along similar general lines. There's a quest, and fairy tales aren't quite what they seem, and it's funny and sad and rather clever.
  18. 00
    The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (LiteraryReadaholic)
  19. 33
    Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett (norabelle414)
  20. 11
    American Gods by Neil Gaiman (LiteraryReadaholic)

(see all 23 recommendations)

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▾Conversations (About links)

» See also 812 mentions

▾Member reviews
English (549)  Spanish (5)  French (4)  Swedish (3)  Finnish (2)  Danish (2)  German (1)  Macedonian (1)  Dutch (1)  All languages (568)
date ▼ | votes
Showing 1-5 of 549 (next | show all)
This is my favorite Neil Gaiman book--a beautifully written and imaginative fairy tale with original characters. Yay! ( )
  word.owl | Nov 12, 2024 |
Oh, this book was so wonderful! I was worried at the beginning, but I'm glad I got proven wrong. While I miss some of the more intimate details of the movie, this was also a good story with a pleasant narrative. ( )
  flickering.lights | Nov 12, 2024 |
Excellent fantasy. ( )
  crsyshfr21 | Nov 11, 2024 |
4.5 stars

A gorgeous, charming ode to faerie that introduces a unique world which manages to feel ancient and familiar and strange and new all at once.

This book captures some of the joys and the sorrows and the beauties and the limits of both faerie and life with sweet and vivid poignancy. ( )
  asterodia | Oct 4, 2024 |
Just, wow.

This is a fairy tale for adults, he says in the end interview. And it really is.

Some books, you know where they're going, and when they go there, you're satisfied. Others, they take vast left turns, and you're on edge, wondering where the hell they're going to go, because the expected ending sure isn't happening now.

This one, it meanders in ways that are unexpected but really interesting and lovely (ok, and upsetting at times, too). You let go of the reins and let Neil take you on the journey and it's thoroughly satisfying.

That's all I can say without massive spoilers. If you're comfortable with fantasy fiction, this is a wonderful little jaunt. ( )
  jennievh | Sep 13, 2024 |
date ▼ | votes
Showing 1-5 of 549 (next | show all)
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▾Published reviews
While the bones of the story (the hero, the quest, the maiden) are traditional, Gaiman offers a tale that is fresh and original. Though the plot begins with disparate threads, by the end they are all tied together and the picture is complete. The resolution is satisfying and complex, proving that there is more to fairy tales than "happily ever after."
added by Shortride | editSchool Library Journal, Susan Salpini
 
This is a refreshingly creative story with appealing characters that manages to put a new twist on traditional fairy-tale themes.
added by Shortride | editLibrary Journal, Laurel Bliss
 
Gaiman gently borrows from many fine fantasists--for starters, from Andersen, Tolkien, Macdonald, and, for the framing device, Christina Rossetti in her "Goblin Market" --but produces something sparkling, fresh, and charming, if not exactly new under the sun. Superb.
added by Shortride | editBooklist, Ray Olson
 
a comic romance, reminiscent of James Thurber's fables, in which even throwaway minutiae radiate good-natured inventiveness. There are dozens of fantasy writers around reshaping traditional stories, but none with anything like Gaiman's distinctive wit, warmth, and narrative energy. Wonderful stuff, for kids of all ages.
added by Shortride | editKirkus Reviews
 
▾Other authors

» Add other authors

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Gaiman, NeilAuthorprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Bartocci, MaurizioTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Boucher, Frédérique LeTraductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Dick, BryanNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Gaiman, NeilNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Hunt, RobertCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Kivimäki, MikaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Klein, ToddCover designersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Knudsen, SverreOvers.secondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Krošetskin, MeelisKujundajasecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
McGinnis, RobertCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Pék, ZoltánTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Spångberg, YlvaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Vess, CharlesIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
▾Series and work relationships
▾Awards and Honors
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▾Common Knowledge
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Canonical title
Original title
Stardust
Alternative titles
Original publication date
1998
People/Characters
Tristran Thorn
Yvaine
Victoria Forrester
Dunstan Thorn
Madame Semele (Ditchwater Sal)
Important places
Wall, England, UK
Faerie
London, England, UK
Stormhold, Faerie
Mount Huon, Faerie
Important events
May Day
Related movies
Stardust (2007 | IMDb)
Epigraph
Go and catch a falling star,
Get with child a mandrake root,
Tell me where all past years are,
Or who cleft the devil's foot,
Teach me to hear mermaids singing,
Or to keep off envy's stinging,
And find
What wind
Serves to advance an honest mind.
If thou be'st born to strange sights,
Things invisible to see,
Ride ten thousand days and nights,
Till age snow white hairs on thee,
Thou, when thou return'st, wilt tell me,
All strange wonders that befell thee,
And swear,
No where
Lives a woman true and fair.
If thou find'st one, let me know,
Such a pilgrimage were sweet;
Yet do not, I would not go,
Though at next door we might meet,
Though she were true, when you met her,
And last, till you write your letter,
Yet she
Will be
False, ere I come, to two, or three.
- John Donne, 1572-1631
Dedication
For Gene and Rosemary Wolfe
First words
There was once a young man who wished to gain his Heart’s Desire.
There was once a young man who wished to win his Heart's Desire.
Quotations
Have been unavoidably detained by the world. Expect us when you see us.
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Disambiguation notice
The illustrated and unillustrated versions of Stardust are, in fact, substantially the same text. The most notable differences are that some single paragraphs in the illustrated version are separated into two or three in the unillustrated version.

The only reason to consider the two versions to be separate works (though it is not a bad one) is that Charles Vess's many illustrations are a substantial part of the original version.
Publisher's editors
Blurbers
Clarke, Susanna
Clark, Susan
Straub, Peter
King, Stephen
Original language
English
Canonical DDC/MDS
Canonical LCC
▾References

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (1)

▾Book descriptions
Fiction. HTML:

In the sleepy English countryside of decades past, there is a town that has stood on a jut of granite for six hundred years. And immediately to the east stands a high stone wall, for which the village is named. Here in the town of Wall, Tristran Thorn has lost his heart to the hauntingly beautiful Victoria Forester. One crisp October night, as they watch, a star falls from the sky, and Victoria promises to marry Tristran if he'll retrieve that star and bring it back for her. It is this promise that sends Tristran through the only gap in the wall, across the meadow, and into the most unforgettable adventure of his life.

.
▾Library descriptions

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Book description
An enchanting fairy tale by master storyteller Neil Gaiman, full of unexpected adventures, true love, whimsy, wonder, and plenty of magic.

Tristran Thorn will do anything to win the cold heart of beautiful Victoria Forester—even fetch her the star they watch fall from the night sky. But to do so, he must enter the unexplored lands on the other side of the ancient wall that gives their tiny village its name. Beyond that stone barrier, Tristran learns, lies Faerie...and the most exhilarating adventure of the young man's life.
Standard blue edition of Stardust with 9 illustrations by Charles Vess and signed by illustrator. Cloth and marbled paper with buckram slipcase.
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WorldCat

Genres

Melvil Decimal System (DDC)

823.914Literature › English & Old English literatures › English fiction › 1900- › 1901-1999 › 1945-1999

LC Classification

PS3557.A3519Language and Literature › American literature › American literature › Individual authors › 1961-

Rating

Average: (4.03)
0.5 6
1 37
1.5 14
2 234
2.5 45
3 1085
3.5 268
4 2550
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5 1954

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