Neil Gaiman & Charles Vess' Stardust [Hardcover]

De Féerie, le pays magique, les habitants du petit village de Wall savent peu de choses. Il faut dire qu'un grand mur les en séparent. Un mur dans lequel est ouvert une brèche, une brèche bien gardée, par laquelle ils n'ont droit de passer qu'une fois l'an, le jour de la grande foire de Wall. C'est ce jour-là, justement, que le jeune Tristram Thorn, décidé à conquérir le cœur de sa belle, part pour le pays de fée afin de lui ramener une étoile filante. Mais dans un pays magique, rien n'est comme ailleurs. Les distances sont immenses, on y croise nains et licornes, des chasseurs d'éclairs naviguent sur des bateaux volants et l'on est jamais à l'abri d'un mauvais sort qui pourra vous transformer en arbre, en chèvre ou en rat. Un monde plein de dangers et de merveilles que Tristram est loin d'imaginer, comme il est loin d'imaginer que son étoile filante est une belle et pure jeune fille, dont la présence ici-bas va éveiller la concupiscence des sept seigneurs de Sromhold comme de quelques vilaines sorcières...

Neil Gaiman est aussi à l'aise dans la BD (Sandman), que dans le roman (Neverwhere). Un talent inépuisable qu'il confirme une fois de plus ici en revisitant avec bonheur l'univers des contes de fées. À la fois drôle, merveilleux et volontairement naïf, Stardust est une réussite. --Georges Louhans --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Starred Review. 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.
Copyright© American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

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
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Gaiman, author of Neverwhere (LJ 6/15/97) and the graphic novel series The Sandman, has created an original and well-written fairy tale. Young Tristran Thorn has grown up in the isolated village of Wall, on the edge of the realm of Faerie. When Tristran and the lovely Victoria see a falling star during the special market fair, Victoria impulsively offers him his heart's desire if he will retrieve the star for her. Tristran crosses the border into Faerie and encounters witches, unicorns, and other strange creatures. What he does not know is that he is not the only one searching for the fallen star. This is a refreshingly creative story with appealing characters that manages to put a new twist on traditional fairy-tale themes. Appropriate for almost any age and a good bet for the medium-to-large public library.
-?Laurel Bliss, New Haven, CT
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Wall is a whole night's drive from London. The town is named for a rock barrier on its eastern side, with a narrow break in it through which a meadow, a stream, and a forest are apparent, and over which two townsmen always stand guard to prevent entry, except for a few days every nine years. That is when there is a fair in the meadow, put on by people who aren't strictly human, one of whom, in the middle of the nineteenth century, seduces 18-year-old Dunstan Thorn. Nine months later, a baby is delivered to newly married Dunstan, its name written on a card pinned to its blanket: Trystran Thorn. Stardust is primarily Trystran's story. When he is 17, he pledges to fetch for his beloved, the star that has just fallen on the other side of the wall. Of course, first he has to be allowed on the other side, but that proves easy when Dunstan whispers something to the guards. Then Trystran's adventures really begin, for on the other side is Faerie. Once there, Trystran discovers he knows the locations of places he cannot remember ever having heard of before. He knows exactly where the star has fallen, too, and readily finds it--or, actually, her. Nothing thereafter is as easy for Trystran, much to any reader's delight. Gaiman gently borrows from many fine fantasists--for starters, from Andersen, Tolkien, Macdonald, and, for the framing device, Christina Rossetti in her "Goblin Market" --but produces something sparkling, fresh, and charming, if not exactly new under the sun. Superb. Ray Olson --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

The multitalented author of The Sandman graphic novels and last year's Neverwhere charms again, with a deftly written fantasy adventure tale set in early Victorian England and enriched by familiar folk materials. In a rural town called Wall (so named for the stone bulwark that separates it from a mysterious meadow through which strange shapes are often seen moving), on ``Market Day,'' when the citizens of ``Faerie'' (land) mingle with humans, young Dunstan Thorn makes love to a bewitching maiden and is presented nine months afterward with an infant son (delivered from beyond the Wall). The latter, Tristran, grows up to fall in love himself and rashly promise his beloved that he'll bring her the star they both observe falling from the sky. Tristran's ensuing quest takes him deep into Faerie, and, unbeknownst to him, competition with the star's other pursuers: three weird sisters (the Lilim), gifted with magical powers though still susceptible to ``the snares of age and time''; and the surviving sons of the late Lord of Stormhold, accompanied everywhere by their several dead brothers (whom they happen to have murdered). Tristran finds his star (in human form, no less); survives outrageous tests and mishaps, including passage on a ``sky-ship'' and transformation into a dormouse; and, safely returned to Wall, acquires through a gracious act of renunciation his (long promised) ``heart's desire.'' Gaiman blends these beguiling particulars skillfully in a comic romance, reminiscent of James Thurber's fables, in which even throwaway minutiae radiate good-natured inventiveness (e.g., its hero's narrow escape from a ``goblin press-gang'' seeking human mercenaries to fight ``the goblins' endless wars beneath the earth''). There are dozens of fantasy writers around reshaping traditional stories, but none with anything like Gaiman's distinctive wit, warmth, and narrative energy. Wonderful stuff, for kids of all ages. (Author tour) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

“A twisting, wondrous tale full of magic that only Neil Gaiman could have written.” (Chicago Tribune )

“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 )

“Eminently readable---a charming piece of work.” (Washington Post Book World )

“Beautiful, memorable . . . A book full of marvels.” (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel )

“A charming comic romance.” (Dayton Daily News )

“A wonderful novel . . . A pleasure to read.” (Denver Post )

“Delightful...a strange yet wonderful story.” (Grand Rapids Press )

“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 )

“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] tale about love, danger, friendship, magic, and adventure . . . a short novel that delivers big-time satisfaction.” (Detroit Free Press )

“A wonderful tale . . . mythic.” (Denise Hamilton, Romantic Times BOOKclub )

“[A] beautiful book, and most of all, perfect for all ages.” (Desicritics.org on STARDUST ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Stardust is an utterly charming fairy tale in the tradition ofThe Princess Bride and The Neverending Story. Neil Gaiman, creator of the darkly elegant Sandman comics and author of The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish, tells the story of young Tristran Thorn and his adventures in the land of Faerie. One fateful night, Tristran promises his beloved that he will retrieve a fallen star for her from beyond the Wall that stands between their rural English town (called, appropriately, Wall) and the Faerie realm. No one ever ventures beyond the Wall except to attend an enchanted flea market that is held every nine years (and during which, unbeknownst to him, Tristran was conceived). But Tristran bravely sets out to fetch the fallen star and thus win the hand of his love. His adventures in the magical land will keep you turning pages as fast as you can--he and the star escape evil old witches, deadly clutching trees, goblin press-gangs, and the scheming sons of the dead Lord of Stormhold. The story is by turns thrillingly scary and very funny. You'll love goofy, earnest Tristran and the talking animals, gnomes, magic trees, and other irresistible denizens of Faerie that he encounters in his travels. Stardust is a perfect read-aloud book, a brand-new fairy tale you'll want to share with a kid, or maybe hoard for yourself. (If you read it to kids, watch out for a couple of spicy sex bits and one epithet.) --Therese Littleton

D'un côté, il y a Wall, paisible village niché au sein d'une calme forêt anglaise. De l'autre, le Pays des Fées, univers d'enchantements, de sorcières, de licornes et de prince sanguinaires. Où jeunesse, pouvoir et amour se gagnent à force de sortilège, de larmes ensorcelées et de fioles de poison. Et où l'espace et le temps se traversent de bien des façons. Entre les deux, il y a le Mur, l'infranchissable et épaisse muraille qui ceint le hameau et le sépare de Féerie. Infranchissable ? Pas tout à fait, puisque tous les neuf ans s'ouvre la Foire des Fées qui, durant un jour et une nuit, permet aux deux mondes de se rencontrer.

Dans certaines circonstances cependant, attendre la prochaine Foire est impossible. Car quand on s'appelle Tristan Thorn et que l'on a promis à sa belle, pour prix d'un baiser - on peut-être plus -, l'étoile filante tombée du firmament de l'autre côté du Mur, aucun obstacle ne saurait nuire à l'amour...

Neil Gaiman né en 1960 en Angleterre, est un artiste aux multiples facettes : scénariste de bandes dessinées (The Sandman), auteur d'ouvrages pour la jeunesse et de plusieurs romans graphiques avec Dave McKean, co-créateur du concept de l'album rock The Last Temptation d' Alice Cooper... Lauréat du World Fantasy award de la nouvelle en 1991, il s'est rapidement imposé comme l'un des meilleurs écrivains de la nouvelle vague du fantastique anglo-saxon avec De bon présages; écrit en collaboration avec terry Prachett, son recueil Miroir et fumée et son roman Neverwhere, dont il a lui-même signé le scénario de l'adaptation cinématographique à venir. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Neil Gaiman is the author of many highly acclaimed and award-winning books for children and adults, including the New York Times #1 bestselling and Newbery Medal-winning novel The Graveyard Book and the bestselling Coraline, Stardust, and Odd and the Frost Giants. He is also the author of the picture books Blueberry Girl and Instructions, illustrated by Charles Vess; The Wolves in the Walls, The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish, and Crazy Hair, illustrated by Dave McKean; and The Dangerous Alphabet, illustrated by Gris Grimly. Originally from England, he now lives in the United States.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

In an enchanting fairy tale for adults, Tristran Thorn sets out to fetch a fallen star in order to win the heart of his true love. But the star turns out to have a personality all her own and leads Tristran into adventures and discovery. Gaiman captures the magic and ethereality of his own work with a light touch and tender tone. He infuses the minor characters with larger-than-life accents that stop short of over-performance while imparting depth and wonder to the story's protagonists. One senses the book flowing through his voice and his pen, as though he were telling it for the first time in this performance. The effect works perfectly. R.L.L. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.