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#215 ~ Stardust
by Tristran Thorn has an interesting background. His father was born in Wall, behind it’s wall. His mother was born in Faerie and has never been to Wall. The closest she came was to the Market that resides just outside of Wall every nine years. When Tristran was born, he was left by the wall with only his name. His father and his new wife took Tristran in and raised him. Tristran grows up in Wall not knowing of how he got there. On the brink of adulthood, he falls in love with the most beautiful girl in Wall and, in an attempt to win her love, he vows to go out into the world in search of the star they saw fall from the sky. Stardust is the story of Tristran’s journey through Faerie and back.
Stardust did not capture my imagination and heart the way that The Graveyard Book, Neverwhere, or even Coraline did. I liked Tristran’s character and what woman wouldn’t want a man to promise to go out and bring back a fallen star to her as proof of his love and worthiness? For whatever reason, something was missing for me with this novel. It had such imaginative people and places. I thought the sub-plot with the nasty sons of Lord Stormhold was interesting and I liked how that story and others were weaved into Tristran’s travels. It even contained the tree that Neil wrote for Tori Amos. It isn’t that I didn’t like the book. I just never got into it the way I had hoped. There isn’t one concrete thing I can point to that explains this. Perhaps it’s just that I don’t typically read four books by the same author in such quick succession or that I’m tired in general. All in all Stardust may not have been the strongest Neil Gaiman I have read this month, but it is as good if not better than much of what I have read this year.
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November 23, 2009 | Filed Under book review, fantasy, fiction, male author
Comments
15 Responses to “#215 ~ Stardust”
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Sandy
Posted: Nov 23rd, 2009 at 8:28 am1Reply to this comment.Oh well, it is bound to happen I guess! I hope this is the only one that falls flat…
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Pam R.
Posted: Nov 23rd, 2009 at 9:58 am2Reply to this comment.I haven’t read any of his novels yet…I would love for a man to bring me a fallen star as proof of his love though – how romantic!
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Zia
Posted: Nov 23rd, 2009 at 10:35 am3Reply to this comment.I enjoyed this book also but if given a choice it wouldn’t be my top Gaiman book.
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Kathy R (Bermudaonion)
Posted: Nov 23rd, 2009 at 10:46 am4Reply to this comment.All of your Gaiman reviews really have me itching to read another one of his books!
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Tracie Yule
Posted: Nov 23rd, 2009 at 11:50 am5Reply to this comment.I loved the movie Stardust! Once I found out that it was originally a Gaiman novel, I’ve been interested in reading it…but not quite interested enough to buy it. I think it’s because I thought the movie was so visual that it would not at all be the same in book (since it’s not visual).
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A Bookshelf Monstrosity
Posted: Nov 23rd, 2009 at 1:53 pm6Reply to this comment.I suppose author burnout is inevitable…
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Kathleen
Posted: Nov 23rd, 2009 at 2:58 pm7Reply to this comment.Given that I have still not read any Gaiman I will probably hold off on this one a bit longer. Based on reviews I have read from other bloggers it seems that The Graveyard Book is the one to read!
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Fyrefly
Posted: Nov 23rd, 2009 at 4:06 pm8Reply to this comment.Oh, that’s sad! Stardust is one of my favorite Gaiman books – I’m sorry it didn’t work so well for you. Have you seen the movie?
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Mystica
Posted: Nov 23rd, 2009 at 8:20 pm9Reply to this comment.Havent read this book yet but would like to. Please count me in.
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Veens
Posted: Nov 23rd, 2009 at 9:17 pm10Reply to this comment.I saw the movie and loved it
Maybe you should watch it and see if u like it better!
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Kim (Sophisticated Dorkiness)
Posted: Nov 24th, 2009 at 6:09 pm11Reply to this comment.I enjoyed the movie more than I enjoyed the book, which is odd since that rarely happens! I think the book is just so short things get left out, and the movie does a nice job of filling some of those things in.
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Lisa
Posted: Nov 25th, 2009 at 1:58 am12Reply to this comment.That’s high praise for Gaiman if you didn’t care as much for this one as some of his others if you liked this as well as or better than the other books you’ve read this year.
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Donna S
Posted: Nov 26th, 2009 at 12:16 am13Reply to this comment.Great review. I had mixed feelings on this one myself.
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Michael Herdegen
Posted: Nov 26th, 2009 at 10:53 pm14Reply to this comment.doesnt sound great, graveyard still the best.
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carol
Posted: Dec 3rd, 2009 at 2:45 pm15Reply to this comment.Just wanted to say that I didn’t really care for Stardust, even though I have enjoyed some of Gaiman’s others.
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