King Arthur Movie Tristan

title: Stardust

author: Neil Gaiman

published: 1999

genre: fantasy

pages: 333

first line: There was once a young man who wished to gain his Heart's Desire.

rated: 4 out of 5

In the tranquil fields and meadows of long-ago England, there is a small hamlet that has stood on a jut of granite for 600 years. Just to the east stands a high stone wall, for which the village is named. Here, in the hamlet of Wall, young Tristran Thorn has lost his heart to the hauntingly beautiful Victoria Forester. And here, one crisp October eve, Tristran makes his love a promise -- an impetuous vow that will send him through the only breach in the wall, across the pasture... and into the most exhilarating adventure of his life.

Stardust starts off in the English countryside in a little town called Wall. Everyone who lives in Wall knows about a nearby high stone wall leading to a meadow, which no one is allowed to pass. Two guards are stationed at this wall night and day, only once every nine years the villagers of Wall are allowed to pass into the meadow beyond, into the land of Faerie, when the May Day fair arrives.



Sixteen year old Tristran Thorn is in love with the beautiful Victoria Forester and he wants to marry her one day.
When he asks her to marry him, Tristran tells Victoria that there is nothing he would not do for her. He will go to the ends of the Earth to get her jewels and gold. Victoria laughs it off, then they see a falling star, beyond Wall. Tristran tells her he will bring her that fallen star. She tells him that is what she wants, the star. And if he can get it for her, she will do whatever he wants of her.

"Kiss me", he pleaded. "There is nothing I would not do for your kiss, no mountain I would not scale, no river I would not ford, no desert I would not cross."

He gestured widely, indicating the village of Wall below them, the night sky above them. In the constellation of Orion, on the Eastern horizon, a star flashed and glittered and fell.

"For a kiss, and the pledge of your hand," said Tristran, grandiloquently, "I would bring you that fallen star."

Tristran soon sets off beyond the wall and into the land of Fairie in search of the star. He encounters a magical land where there are witches, fairies, gnomes and all kinds of other fairytale creatures and where nothing is what it seems.




I found Stardust to be a wonderful read. I liked the storyline and characters. It's a fairytale, geared more towards adults, I didn't expect that. I was quickly sucked into the plot and didn't want to put the book down.
I like how Gaiman wraps everything up in the end. This is my second time reading Neil Gaiman and it won't be my last.

He imagined he could see the very faces of the stars; pale they were and smiling gently, as if they had spent so much time above the world, watching the scrambling and the joy and the pain of the people below them, that they could not help being amused every time another little human believed itself the center of its world, as each of us does.

Click here for an excerpt at the author's website: http://www.neilgaiman.com/works/Books/Stardust/in/199/




Stardust was made into a movie, but seeing the trailer, it looks like they changed it...alot. Swordfighting?? Huh? *sigh* the magic of Hollywood.






About the author:

Neil Richard Gaiman born November 10, 1960 is an English author of science fiction and fantasy short stories and novels, graphic novels, comics, and films. His notable works include The Sandman comic series, Stardust, and American Gods. The extreme enthusiasm of his fans has led some to call him a "rock star" of the literary world.


He lives near Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, in an "Addams Family house". He is married to Mary T. McGrath and has three children, Michael, Holly and Madeleine.

Special thanks to Serena, for giving me a copy of this great book.