Book Review: Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

After a tryst with a slave girl from Fairie, Dunstan Thorn marries his human sweetheart and they have a daughter. But not before a certain Tristan Thorn is delivered at the hole in the wall that separates the human town of Wall from the world of Fairie. Dunstan and his wife raise Tristan as their own. About twenty years later, Tristan has his own swoon-worthy human girl, Victoria, for whom he'd do anything. She's not so interested (she's the most beautiful girl in Wall and every guy is in love with her). They see a falling star and she asks him to get it for her to prove himself. The star has fallen on the other side of the wall, so he embarks on an adventure that will change many lives.

The whimsical premise is off-set by some harshness in the narrative. The tryst has a little too much description for my taste (I'd be uncomfortable if my kids read it) and the world of Fairie has a lot of violence and betrayal. I don't mind that so much (the original Grimm fairy tales were indeed grim) and liked the developing plot strands with other people in Fairie (including a royal dynasty and a coven of witches). On the other hand, making a fairy tale that adults can enjoy involves more than adding adult content or having only adult characters. The dramatic bits are good but too often predictable. I wanted something more from this book. It isn't terrible but is only passable.

Mildly recommended.