Lord Primus: The oldest of the Lords of Stormhold. In comparison with his brothers, he is benevolent, compassionate and reasonable. Yet when Tristran returned to her, Victoria's reception was not what he had so idealized. For in his absence, the vain Victoria had foreseen that Tristran might indeed make good on his word, and came to regret making a drunken pledge of betrothal she had not truly meant. She confessed to Tristran that she never had faith that he would cross the wall and retrieve the fallen star, and that while she remained bound by her oath to marry, she rued having made it. My only complaint is that it was so short, that is why I must now read the book to get the full experience.

The world-building, the characters, the story - all absolutely amazing! He wondered how it could have taken him so long to realize he cared for her, and he told her so, and she called him an idiot, and he declared that it was the finest thing that ever a man had been called. There's the wonder, there's the intrigue, there's the titch of magic interspersed with ethereal. No, Neil, you write with one very powerful tool -distilled imagination. Escapism, unreality, creativity, novelty, and all their side effects. When the surrounding world seems unbearable, the ever-growing fetus of imagination is hope. In slavery, in misery, in poverty, in isolation, a person can escape into the brighter day of dreams, or the unknown future, or the magic of Faerie.

Note: I listened to the BBC dramatisation of this with a full cast. While my review is specific to that version of the book, the story, - and to my understanding - the dialogue and prose are the same as the original novel. The ending is predictable yet less than satisfying, since the evil witch queen escapes justice and ultimately the star faces a lonely immortality bereft of her love. Not exactly the stuff happy endings are made of.

That was an amazing firework of fantasy creativity. And readers want that, old wine in new skins, making Stardust an average, not that surprising experience. That´s a good example that the great art and illustration also Yvaine: A fallen star, which Tristran vows to find and bring to Victoria Forester. In Faerie, stars are living creatures. Yvaine appears to be immortal, but not invulnerable. She is pursued by the Lilim and the surviving sons of the Lord of Stormhold, who want her for their own reasons. When Tristran realises his love for her, he abandons his courtship of Victoria Forester, and Yvaine marries him despite their inability to have children. The characters were superficial. We didn't learn anything about anyone. They don't have personality.I was skeptical because I'm never been a fairy tail-type-of-child and I thought Mr Gaiman and I couldn’t get along - you don't read Stephen King if you don't like horror. Instead, I wish someone pushed me to read him sooner. Popular vote does not elect poor leaders in Faerie. Weapons are easily recognizable, not hidden in letters or water bottles. Death stands tall with his scythe and cowl instead of creeping behind health care bills and drug overdoses, and when he does come, death was either justified, or will be avenged. Villages in Faerie are rarely overrun with "revolutionaries" toting machine guns or skeletal toddlers with distended bellies. The old do not die alone there. Despite enchanted princes and disguised witches, Faerie makes more sense than our world, and if it doesn't, it's alright. It's Faerie. Stardust is unashamedly a romance. Not only because it’s plot chiefly concerns a fairy tale quest for a lady’s hand, but also because it has all the magic and mystery of Victorian romanticism behind it making it very much feel like George McDonald for grownups. That being said, there is far more here, far more by way of detail, plot and beauty than you’d find in a standard fairy tale, even most of the modern retellings, from probably the most likable incarnations of typical characters you could imagine, to the trademark Gaiman dark surreal humour and subtle convolution. Overall, I found this fairytale exceptional, and despite a few minor niggles, I enjoyed it immensely. Neil Gaiman’s wild imagination with his inventive stories never ceases to amaze me. I am excited to move on with more of his books.

But instead, I was born forty years too late, and your Faerie, Neil, -do you mind if I call you Neil? Your Faerie, like all of your creations, is a perfectly plausible reality, praised by literary critics, the literate's dollar, and even the behemoth Movie Adaptation. Your prose is simple, if you'll pardon my saying so, not elevated, with exotic adjectives, but simple and modern, easily accessible, solid, quality prose. This reflects nothing upon you, of course -your authorship is the perfect marriage of your own writing talent and our modern culture. Shakespeare's work seems ridiculously complicated to us now, but he wrote for the masses, just like you. Our masses do not value rhetorics, metre, or internal rhyme, or I'm sure you'd write with such tools. Acceptance Remarks – 1999". Archived from the original on 6 October 2012 . Retrieved 29 October 2012. Okay so I'm four starring this right now but honestly it might be higher. I DON'T KNOW. I FORGET HOW TO LIKE BOOKS. I have heard Stardust by Neil Gaiman described as a fairy tale told for adults, and I think Gaiman himself said something of the kind. That is as succinct a description as comes close to this very entertaining novel.

Musical comedian Tim Minchin expressed interest in the idea of adapting the story into a stage musical during a Facebook Live Q&A for The Guardian in October 2017 while discussing Matilda The Musical. [7] Cultural references [ edit ]