When Neil Gaiman is on song (and when isn't he?), he is a joy to read. And so it proves with Stardust, a fairy tale for the more grown up amongst us. Not much happens in the small town of Wall, except, that is, for every nine years, when the Faerie Market takes place in the meadow on the other side of "The Wall". It's the only time when humans mix with the Faerie Kingdom that they live next door to, but totally separate from, thanks to, yes, you've guessed it ... The Wall! During one such market, Dunstan Thorn meets the alluring Una, and one thing leads to another! Nine months later, a baby boy is left at the gap in The Wall and Dunstan raises the child - Tristran. Unaware of his mixed heritage, when Tristran is 18, he falls for Victoria Forester. One night, they see a shooting star fall into the Faerie Kingdom, and in an effort to win at least a kiss, and hopefully her hand in marriage, he vows to retrieve it for her. And so begins Tristran's adventure as he leaves everything behind in search of the star. When he finally discovers it however, it turns out to be a beautiful young woman named Yvaine, and she is not happy! Tristran may be put out by her attitude, but persists with his quest, which inevitably, leads them into all sorts of scrapes. However, there are others who want to find the star too, including the Lillim - ancient witches who know that if they can secure the heart of the star, it will restore their youth - and nothing and nobody is going to stand in their way! This book has a great mix of good and evil, as you would expect in a fairy tale. There are some deliciously evil baddies, some incredibly inept baddies and a fine array of goodies, but none of them are sickly sweet. As you would expect in any book by this author, there is plenty of humour, especially if you like it on the dark side. There is real heart too (no pun intended), with the relationship between Tristran and Yvaine developing in an interesting, but ultimately satisfying way. The characters are plentiful, and each have a part to play - although not all of them were as well drawn as I would have preferred. This isn't a long book and while it raced along, I sometimes felt that some sections raced along just a little bit too speedily. But I am probably being a bit too picky here ... it's just that I was enjoying the story so much that I wanted it to last a little longer! I've just downloaded another of his books, in audio format this time, and am already looking forward to delving into it, especially as it is being read by the author himself.
My STAR rating: 4 STARS.
Length: 224 print pages.
Price I paid: FREE OFFER.
Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, unabridged audio CD, ebook.
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