I don't like fantasy, but I think I've talked about that already. I don't like dragons and fairies and elven folk.
I know that a lot of people do, but it's just not my thing.
I have this large contingent of friends who love Neil Gaiman. They think he is a brilliant writer and that his stories are fantastic. I ended up with a copy of Stardust and, with the movie out right now, I decided to read it.
It was fabulous. I cried.
Gaiman's tale isn't so much about magic as it is the relationship between the characters. Magic is certainly involved, obviously, but it isn't what makes Stardust special.
Tristran Thorn lives in Wall and falls in love with Victoria Forester. When the two see a star fall, Tristran vows to retrieve the star for her. True to his word, Tristran leaves Wall to find the star. It turns out, though, that he isn't the only one after the star. There is much excitement, adventure, and danger in the story and, in the end, Tristran is forever changed.
Gaiman's prose is, for lack of a better word, lovely. I read the book quickly, feeling transported to another world.
It turns out that my friends were right about Gaiman and his writing. I intend to read something else by him.
1 comment:
Anansi Boys is almost as good as Stardust, IMO.
It's another one with the focus being not so much on magic, but on family and myth and love.
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