About the Author

Neil Gaiman is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels Neverwhere, Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, Anansi Boys, The Graveyard Book, Good Omens (with Terry Pratchett), The Ocean at the End of the Lane, and The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains; the Sandman series of graphic novels; and the story collections Smoke and Mirrors, Fragile Things, and Trigger Warning. He is the winner of numerous literary honors, including the Hugo, Bram Stoker, and World Fantasy awards, and the Newbery and Carnegie Medals. Originally from England, he now lives in the United States. He is Professor in the Arts at Bard College.

Reviews

[A] beautiful book, and most of all, perfect for all ages. --Desicritics.org on STARDUST"

[A] tale about love, danger, friendship, magic, and adventure . . . a short novel that delivers big-time satisfaction. --Detroit Free Press"

A charming comic romance. --Dayton Daily News"

A twisting, wondrous tale full of magic that only Neil Gaiman could have written. --Chicago Tribune"

A wonderful novel . . . A pleasure to read. --Denver Post"

A wonderful tale . . . mythic. --Denise Hamilton, Romantic Times BOOKclub"

Beautiful, memorable . . . A book full of marvels. --Milwaukee Journal Sentinel"

Delightful...a strange yet wonderful story. --Grand Rapids Press"

Eminently readable---a charming piece of work. --Washington Post Book World"

His finest work yet...Sometimes sparse, sometimes witty, often lyrical...prose as smooth as 12-year-old scotch. --St. Louis Post-Dispatch"

Marvelous adventures . . . magical and fun. --Cleveland Plain Dealer"

Sparkling, fresh, and charming. Superb. --Booklist"

Strange...marvelous...Stardust takes us back to a time when the world was more magical, and, real or not, that world is a charming place. --Philadelphia Inquirer"

The multitalented author of The Sandman graphic novels and last year s Neverwhere charms again, with a deftly written fantasy adventure tale set in Victorian England and enriched by familiar folk materials. --Kirkus Reviews (starred)"

Thrilling . . . Stardust reads like a mix between L. Frank Baum, the Brothers Grimm, and a Tim Burton movie script. --Dallas Morning News"

"[A] beautiful book, and most of all, perfect for all ages."--Desicritics.org on STARDUST

"[A] tale about love, danger, friendship, magic, and adventure . . . a short novel that delivers big-time satisfaction."--Detroit Free Press

"A charming comic romance."--Dayton Daily News

"A twisting, wondrous tale full of magic that only Neil Gaiman could have written."--Chicago Tribune

"A wonderful novel . . . A pleasure to read."--Denver Post

"A wonderful tale . . . mythic."--Denise Hamilton, Romantic Times BOOKclub

"Beautiful, memorable . . . A book full of marvels."--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

"Delightful...a strange yet wonderful story."--Grand Rapids Press

"Eminently readable---a charming piece of work."--Washington Post Book World

"His finest work yet...Sometimes sparse, sometimes witty, often lyrical...prose as smooth as 12-year-old scotch."--St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"Marvelous adventures . . . magical and fun."--Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Sparkling, fresh, and charming. Superb."--Booklist

"Strange...marvelous...Stardust takes us back to a time when the world was more magical, and, real or not, that world is a charming place."--Philadelphia Inquirer

"The multitalented author of The Sandman graphic novels and last year's Neverwhere charms again, with a deftly written fantasy adventure tale set in Victorian England and enriched by familiar folk materials."--Kirkus Reviews (starred)

"Thrilling . . . Stardust reads like a mix between L. Frank Baum, the Brothers Grimm, and a Tim Burton movie script."--Dallas Morning News

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.

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

[A] beautiful book, and most of all, perfect for all ages. --Desicritics.org on STARDUST"
[A] tale about love, danger, friendship, magic, and adventure . . . a short novel that delivers big-time satisfaction. --Detroit Free Press"
A charming comic romance. --Dayton Daily News"
A twisting, wondrous tale full of magic that only Neil Gaiman could have written. --Chicago Tribune"
A wonderful novel . . . A pleasure to read. --Denver Post"
A wonderful tale . . . mythic. --Denise Hamilton, Romantic Times BOOKclub"
Beautiful, memorable . . . A book full of marvels. --Milwaukee Journal Sentinel"
Delightful...a strange yet wonderful story. --Grand Rapids Press"
Eminently readable---a charming piece of work. --Washington Post Book World"
His finest work yet...Sometimes sparse, sometimes witty, often lyrical...prose as smooth as 12-year-old scotch. --St. Louis Post-Dispatch"
Marvelous adventures . . . magical and fun. --Cleveland Plain Dealer"
Sparkling, fresh, and charming. Superb. --Booklist"
Strange...marvelous...Stardust takes us back to a time when the world was more magical, and, real or not, that world is a charming place. --Philadelphia Inquirer"
The multitalented author of The Sandman graphic novels and last year s Neverwhere charms again, with a deftly written fantasy adventure tale set in Victorian England and enriched by familiar folk materials. --Kirkus Reviews (starred)"
Thrilling . . . Stardust reads like a mix between L. Frank Baum, the Brothers Grimm, and a Tim Burton movie script. --Dallas Morning News"
"[A] beautiful book, and most of all, perfect for all ages."--Desicritics.org on STARDUST
"[A] tale about love, danger, friendship, magic, and adventure . . . a short novel that delivers big-time satisfaction."--Detroit Free Press
"A charming comic romance."--Dayton Daily News
"A twisting, wondrous tale full of magic that only Neil Gaiman could have written."--Chicago Tribune
"A wonderful novel . . . A pleasure to read."--Denver Post
"A wonderful tale . . . mythic."--Denise Hamilton, Romantic Times BOOKclub
"Beautiful, memorable . . . A book full of marvels."--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"Delightful...a strange yet wonderful story."--Grand Rapids Press
"Eminently readable---a charming piece of work."--Washington Post Book World
"His finest work yet...Sometimes sparse, sometimes witty, often lyrical...prose as smooth as 12-year-old scotch."--St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"Marvelous adventures . . . magical and fun."--Cleveland Plain Dealer
"Sparkling, fresh, and charming. Superb."--Booklist
"Strange...marvelous...Stardust takes us back to a time when the world was more magical, and, real or not, that world is a charming place."--Philadelphia Inquirer
"The multitalented author of The Sandman graphic novels and last year's Neverwhere charms again, with a deftly written fantasy adventure tale set in Victorian England and enriched by familiar folk materials."--Kirkus Reviews (starred)
"Thrilling . . . Stardust reads like a mix between L. Frank Baum, the Brothers Grimm, and a Tim Burton movie script."--Dallas Morning News