Neil Gaiman is the NEW YORK TIMES best-selling author of AMERICAN GODS and CORALINE. His other books include the novels ANANSI BOYS, NEVERWHERE and STARDUST (winner of the American Library Association's Alex Awards as one of 2000's top ten adult novels for young adults) and the short fiction collections M IS FOR MAGIC, FRAGILE THINGS and SMOKE AND MIRRORS. With Roger Avary, he is the screenwriter of the motion picture BEOWULF (Paramount, November 2007), directed by Robert Zemeckis. His illustrated novel STARDUST was released as a major motion picture Summer 2007 starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert De Niro. With Terry Pratchett, he is the author of the novel GOOD OMENS. He is also the author of the children's books THE WOLVES IN THE WALLS and THE DAY I TRADED MY DAD FOR TWO GOLDFISH. Among his many awards are the Eisner, Hugo, the Nebula, the World Fantasy and the Bram Stoker. Originally from England, Gaiman now lives in the United States.
Tristran Thorn falls in love with the prettiest girl in town and makes her a foolish promise: he says that he'll go find the falling star they both watched streak across the night sky. She says she'll marry him if he finds it, so he sets off, leaving his home of Wall, and heads out into the perilous land of faerie, where not everything is what it appears. Gaiman is known for his fanciful wit, sterling prose and wildly imaginative plots, and Stardust is no exception. Gaiman's silver-tongued narration vividly brings this production to life. Like the bards of old, Gaiman is equally proficient at telling tales as he is at writing them, and his pleasant British accent feels like a perfect match to the material. Gaiman's performance is an extraordinary achievement-if only all authors could read their own work so well. The audiobook also includes a brief, informative and enjoyable interview with Gaiman about the writing of the novel and his work in the audiobook studio. Available as Harper Perennial (Reviews, Nov. 23, 1998). (Sept.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
YA‘An old-fashioned fairy tale full of mythic images, magic, and lyrical passages. The town of Wall has one opening, which is guarded day and night. On one side of the stone bulwark is England; on the other, Faerie. Once every nine years, the guard is relaxed so that the villagers can attend a fair held in a nearby meadow. There, as a young man, Dunstan Thorn is seduced by a strange woman, and not quite a year later a child is left at the wall. His name is Tristran Thorn. When he grows up, he falls in love with Victoria Forester, and to win her affection, he vows to bring to her the fallen star that they see one night. The star has fallen in Faerie, and though Tristran soon finds her (for in Faerie a star is not a ball of flaming gas, but a living, breathing woman), he has a hard time holding on to her. The sons of the Lord of Stormhold also seek the star, for it is said that he who finds her can take his father's throne. In addition, the oldest of three evil witches seeks the star, for her heart can grant youth and beauty. While the bones of the story‘the hero, the quest, the maiden‘are traditional, Gaiman offers a tale that is fresh and original. Though the plot begins with disparate threads, by the end they are all tied together and the picture is complete. The resolution is satisfying and complex, proving that there is more to fairy tales than "happily ever after."‘Susan Salpini, Kings Park Library, Burke, VA
Much-lauded fantasists Gaiman (Anansi Boys) and Vess (The Book of Ballads), who together won a World Fantasy Award for the "Midsummer Night's Dream" issue of Sandman, first published this thoroughly enchanting fairy story in 1997-98. Tristran Thorn grows up in the English village of Wall unaware that his mother was from the Fairy land beyond the town's titular barrier. But when the girl he loves laughingly promises him anything he desires if he can bring her a star that has just fallen from the sky, Tristran gallantly and rashly ventures into the Fairy land upon this quest. He finds wonders and dangers, witches and magical creatures, and eventually learns what it is he genuinely desires. The story is told not in comics form but in Gaiman's sparkling prose, with nearly every page featuring an exquisite painted illustration, rich in detail and color, by Vess. This oversized hardcover, released concurrently with the Stardust film, features 30 pages of supplementary material, including new illustrations and the original Stardust proposal. There's also a paperback edition with fewer extras and a text-only version published by Harper. Spiced with blood, sex, and genial humor, this wonderful tale is highly recommended for fantasy-loving older teens and adults.-S.R. Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.
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