STARDUST by Neil Gaiman

I received a review copy of this special edition published by HarperCollins' William Morrow which includes an early Wall story called Wall: A Prologue. The edition I received has a blue cover and gold-embossed art by Charles Vess.

I'm usually not the kind of person who can go to a bookstore and pick out a book I like.  Typically, I will see a movie I really like and will want to read the book, or I may buy a book at my wife's suggestion.

Stardust is one of the former.

Just like any young man in love, Tristran Thorn made a promise to a girl he loved (who didn't entirely love him back) that he would go so far to find a falling star for her, if it would mean her hand in marriage.  On his journey, he runs across many of the things you would find in fairy tales: unicorns, witches, human transformations, teleporting, etc.

From Goodreads:

In the sleepy English countryside of decades past, there is a town that has stood on a jut of granite for six hundred years. And immediately to the east stands a high stone wall, for which the village is named. Here in the town of Wall, Tristran Thorn has lost his heart to the hauntingly beautiful Victoria Forester. One crisp October night, as they watch, a star falls from the sky, and Victoria promises to marry Tristran if he'll retrieve that star and bring it back for her. It is this promise that sends Tristran through the only gap in the wall, across the meadow, and into the most unforgettable adventure of his life.

Stardust was made as a fairy tale for adults, so it ends up being very fun for any adult reading.  The movie left me with high hopes for the book, and I ended up loving the book even more.  There were scenes that were told so much better in the book than Hollywood could portray.  Also, the book never had many of the scenes that I didn't like in the movie.

The plot was very well done.  Any tension the author creates during the book is finally put at ease as you get near the end of the book.  The characters were also very unique, including Prince brothers that would literally kill one another, but have an unwritten obligation to seek revenge for another's death if done by someone other than family.

 I wanted to see how the book compared to the movie and in this case, the book was much better than the movie. I recommend it.