6 February, 2003
Stardust
Neil Gaiman
1999
336 pp, MMPB
This is my second-favorite work of Gaiman's, after Neverwhere. This isn't too surprising, since, they have fairly the same general plot: young man enters a magical world, explores it, finds true love, and discovers that he's more at home in the magic world than in the "real world." In Stardust, the magical realm isn't the London Underground, but the more-traditional world of Faerie, with witches, magic charms, gnomes, and changelings. Of course, Gaiman's practically made a career of portraying Fairy-land in a compelling and imaginative fashion, so we're on solid ground.
The book reads like a deliberate homage to the pre-Tolkien fantasy of William Morris and Lord Dunsany, although if you're not familiar with that literature, it'll probably be more reminiscent of traditional fairy tales. Either way, it's good stuff. In this day and age of giant, meandering fantasy series, I truly appreciate how Gaiman managed to pack a thoroughly satisfying plot into a mere 336 pages. (That's 336 pages, in an abnormally large font, even.)
This book was originally published as an illustrated novel, with lavish artwork by Charles Vess. A lot of people will tell you that you should only read the illustrated version, or even that the book isn't worth reading without the pictures. This is absolutely not the case. The story stands on its own, and Gaiman's descriptive writing conveys the imagery perfectly. So much so, that I don't particularly care for the illustrated version. That's not to say that Vess' paintings aren't gorgeous, 'cause they are. It's just that they don't match the pictures in my head in the least.