Tolog Review: Stardust

Stardust
by Neil Gaiman
reviewed by Christine Grimes

In the book, Stardust, by Neil Gaiman, it is a romantic fantasy, full of surprises. I liked this book because the author is very descriptive about everything, written in such detail, so readers can clearly imagine what he is describing and wants us to “see”. For example, “It was then that they looked down, and saw the basket at their feet. There was a bundle in the basket, a bundle of oiled silk and woolen blankets, from the top of which protruded a red, bawling face with screwed-up little eyes, a mouth, open and vocal, and hungry. And then there was, attached to the baby’s blanket with a silver pin, a scrap of parchment, upon which was written in an elegant, if slightly archaic, handwriting the following words: Tristran Thorn.” His descriptions are so vivid and give us, the readers, a great understanding and make us imagine what he pictures the two different worlds are like.

Neil Gaiman tells us how there are two worlds, the normal world and the magical world. In the normal world, everyone does the same things, but, they try to get over the wall and into the magical world. The magical world is called the “Land of Faerie”. A wall separates these two worlds and very very few people get over the wall. The main character, Tristran Thorn, grows up, and is searching for a fallen star to marry and fall in love. He hopes the star will fall in love with him too. Tristran and the fallen star happily find each other. Three witches, though, also have an interest in that star and want her heart so that the three witches can have their youth and strength back, since they are old. Tristran and the star go on many adventures together. Will the witches get their way? Will something different happen in the end with this fairy tale, or will the ending be the same type of ending just like all of those other fairy tales?