Book Review: Stardust

Title: Stardust

Author: Neil Gaiman

Publisher: Spike Books

Genre: Fantasy/Adult

Page Count: 235

Rating: 4.8 out of 5

Cover Rating:

Inside flap:

In the sleepy English countryside, at the dawn of the Victorian Era, life moves at its leisurely pace in the tiny town of Wall, so named for an imposing stone barrier that divides the village from an adjacent meadow. Armed sentries guard the sole gap in this wall, in order to keep the curious from wandering through. Only once every nine years do they relax their vigil, when a market fair unlike any other comes to the meadow.
   Here in Wall, young Tristran Thorn has lost his heart to beautiful Victoria Forester. But Victoria is cold and distant--as distant, in fact, as the star she and Tristran see fall from the sky on a crip October evening. For the coveted prize of Victoria's hand, Tristran vows to retrieve the fallen star and deliver it to his beloved. It is an oath that sends the lovelorn swain over the ancient wall, and propels him into a world that is strange beyond imagining.
   But Tristran is not the only one seeking the heavenly jewel. There are those for whom it promises youth and beauty, the key to the kingdom, and the rejuvenation of dark, dormant magics. And a lad compelled by love will have to keep his wits about him to succeed and survive in this secret place where fallen stars come in many guises--and where quests have a way of branching off in unexpected directions, even turning back upon themselves in space and time.

My expectations: High. I love books by Neil Gaiman.

I am happy to say I wasn't disappointed.

About the book: Some books are plot-based, some books are character-driven, some books have a beautiful setting. But there are fewer books out there that are just, simply, a really good story that you want to hear over and over again. This happens to be one of them. Stardust is a well-written novel with a great set of characters, lots of adventure, and good amount of romance, too. It's rather fairy-tale-ish, with people romping about trying to find falling stars in a the English countryside for love and youth and power, but it's wonderfully told.

• Plot:

Great pacing, a good number of twists throughout, and the adventure just carries you along. The ending is excellent--it was one of my favorite parts of the book, tying things up well but into something not exactly perfect, either.

• Characters:

Tristran was sweet. He's young, he's innocent, and his motives are purely for love. He's nice to the people he meets, means well, and tries to do his best. How much sweeter can you get?

Yvaine was feisty, independent, and a great female character. I loved her spunk.

Tertius, Secundus, and Septimus, and their brothers (alive and dead) were excellent antagonists. Dark, evil, cunning; it was easy to rally on the side of the protagonist against them.

• Setting/Elements:

The world in Stardust would have to be one of the places I'd want to visit. It's magical, a blend of this world and the world of Faerie--but not the cold, sinister sort of setting a lot of Faerie books seem to present these days. It's a realistic mix of good and bad.

Other: Language, sex.

I wish my library had the movie, because I really want to see how they did it, but they don't. (Have any of you seen it? Is it good?)

Do I recommend this book? Yes!

-----The Golden Eagle

Twisted Fairy Tale Blogfest: Skylar Brose

This post is part of Francine's Twisted Fairy Tale Blogfest!

(I went a little over the word count *ahem*)

My name is Skylar Brose.

   Never heard of me, right?

   Allow me to explain.

   During my coronation, a witch appeared. Think dangerous, and beautiful. She loomed over the event and cursed me, for she hadn’t been invited to the coronation, and that made rather furious.

   The curse was that I would prick my finger on a needle on my 26^th birthday—the day that I can officially become heir to my father’s throne. Then I would fall into an everlasting sleep until the love of my life kissed me to wake me up.

   Romantic?

   I don’t think so.

   My dad—the King, I might add—was enraged. He ranted and railed, and ordered the Secret Service and the CIA and the FBI to all go after the witch and shoot her dead.

   They found her all right, and she killed all the special ops that were thrown her way.

   Before you ask about the security, let me tell you I live in a modern age. There are spaceships, computers, hyperspace drives, and other technology you can’t even think of.

   I don’t know what I would do if there weren’t computers, and if I had to wear a corset. That’s what those idiot princesses wore, wasn’t it, back in the old days?

   But to the present.

   It’s the day of my 26^th birthday, and I’m standing in a foyer near the door to a balcony.

   There are guards all around, specially trained against magic, and if I can just walk outside at the right time—exactly 26 years after I was born—I’ll have avoided the curse and can claim victory over the witch.

   I’m nervous. Today is, after all, the day that I’m supposed to prick myself on a needle and yada yada yada. Please. Let’s not get into the issue that I have positively no say in who Mr. Skylar Brose is going to be.

   “You okay, Skylar?”

   I turn around and face my friend, Karl Novikov. He smiles at my expression.

   “Fine. Dandy. I’m only supposed to collapse dead.”

   “And find your true love—“

   I manage to resist punching him. He’s one of my best soldiers; calm under pressure, decisive, etc., etc. That means I have to tolerate his insubordinate behavior.

   “I don’t plan on that,” I growl.

   “It doesn’t seem like you planned for much of what’s happened to you.”

   Karl seems sympathetic. I shrug.

   “You look smart,” he says next.

   I look down at my clothes. They're the usual black-and-silver that represents the monarchy's family.

   “Um, thanks,” I say, glancing out the balcony. My dad’s giving his classic “Today is a momentous day” speech which people always watch with enraptured expressions.

   Maybe they’re trying to be polite.

   “There are only a few minutes left.”

   “I know.” Karl’s right; there are only—hang on, let me check my watch—2:31 left to go before it’s been exactly 26 years to the minute, and I can finally attempt to break this curse.

   He steps closer. “If you do break the curse, what are you going to do afterwards?” His voice is quiet—soft, even.

   “My dad will probably start searching for suitable husbands.”

   I am not looking forward to meeting all those princes and whatever just so I can be married to one of them. And if any push too hard, I swear I’ll kick their butt. I am a Space Corps Captain, after all.

   “Oh,” Karl says, and he sounds . . . well, disappointed.

   I look at him closely.

   He’s handsome, and the fact strikes me in one second.

   I shift and almost turn away, but for some reason part of my brain is busy taking in every detail, like the way his hair falls across his forehead, the way the light reflects off his—gosh, I never realized how just how green—eyes, and the way his nose is slightly crooked. (I bet he broke it during training.)

   “Skylar,” he says, even more softly.

   Look. I’m a princess. It’s NOT protocol to be kissing people right before it’s announced you’re the heir to the throne.

   But before Karl (or I, actually) can make a move, the speech ends. My dad is walking toward the door that leads to the balcony, so he can gesture me outside. And so I can finally break the curse.

   I really like Karl. Seriously. In fact, I wouldn’t refuse him if he proposed. But you know, there’s a little catch—I’m about to be pricked by a needle. And the rest—well, you have the rest of this story memorized, don’t you?

   I hate to do it, but time is ticking, so I slowly reach up like I’m going to touch him—

   —And I knock him out.

   Karl slumps to the ground and my dad starts to open the door to the balcony.

   I whip a needle—oh, the irony—out of my pocket and jam it into a stun gun. The needle goes flying and hits my dad’s arm. He collapses, and from the outside, there’s a cry of horror.

   The guards in the room move fast, but not toward me. They haul the King’s unconscious self over to a chair and bind him to it firmly.

   I look down at Karl. He’s still handsome, lying like that . . .

   Focus!

   I haul him over to a chair. I don’t bind him, though, I just prop him against the back and arrange him so it looks like he fell asleep.

   A cloud of black smoke appears behind me. I turn around, and look at the witch who cursed me.

   “Well done,” she says, and turns into a teenage girl.

   “Would you remove the curse now?”

   She waves a hand, and suddenly I feel lighter.

   I grin to myself.

   “Let’s take the crown for ourselves, shall we?”

   I reach over to my father, and pluck the crown off of his head. He doesn’t move. I hand the crown over to the witch, who smiles again and puts it onto her head.

   The guards move close around us, and we head for the balcony.

   I’m still the princess and heir to the throne, but now there’s a new monarch in power.

Footnote: In case you think her name is strange, say it next to Briar Rose. ;)

Second Footnote: If you are participating in this blogfest, tell me so I can check out your entry! Ignore the link ban, too, if you want.

-----The Golden Eagle

Book Review: Spindle's End

Title: Spindle's End

Author: Robin McKinley

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons

Genre: Fantasy

Page Count: 422

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Cover Rating: 2 out of 5. It would be good hanging in a museum, and I like it well enough, but it just isn't a cover, you know? It fits the book's plot, but it's not very dynamic.

Inside flap:

"We will keep her safe."

All the creatures of the forest and field and riverbank knew that the infant was special. She was the princess, spirited away from the evil fairy Pernicia on her name-day. But the curse was cast: some unknown time in the future Rosie would prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and fall into a poisoned sleep from which no one could rouse her.

   Katriona had whisked Rosie away from her lethal name-day and disappeared into the countryside with her. Katriona is a young fairy, apprenticed to her aunt, who is known to be the best fairy not only in their small home village of Foggy Bottom but in all the wild backland of the Gig. The two of them raise the princess as if she is their own in order to protect her. No other human, not even Rosie herself, knows her true identity.

   But Pernicia is looking for her, and Pernicia is formidably powerful and tirelessly intent on on revenge for a defeat four hundred years old. Two village fairies and all the animals in the realm may not be able to save Rosie.

My expectations: High. I loved Chalice and Dragonhaven so I was really looking forward to reading this book.

It did not let me down.

About the book: Robin McKinley is like the ultimate in Fantasy literature. Her writing is superb, and she manages to do it with long sentences; I much prefer long sentences as opposed to short ones. This book, Spindle's End, lives up to that reputation. The world that's created in this book, from the magic to the small town life, is very well set up, the characters are great for the book, and while the plot is based on Sleeping Beauty, it's not the usual overused idea--she's elaborated on it until it's much more original than any other retelling.

• Plot:

We all know the story of Sleeping Beauty, right? Princess gets cursed, lives with fairies, finds handsome guy in the woods, (if I were her, I would have kicked him and told him to take a hike) falls in love with said handsome guy, finds out she's a princess and can't marry the man she met, sobs her heart out, goes to castle, she's cursed by the evil fairy, and back comes the handsome guy to--ta-da!--and he wakes her up with a kiss.


Spindle's End is nothing like that. First of all, while there is a good-looking boy who starts working around Rosie, nothing happens between them. Second of all, the way the curse is set and they way Rosie starts living with fairies is different than the Disney version. Third of all, the ending--


Right. Don't give it away! Although once Peony came into the picture I could guess what was going to happen. It's a bit in the open, but the action is a little distracting from it. There is a lot more action than in the typical Sleeping Beauty. The romance is also much better; there are all sorts of complications, mis-beliefs, the usual things, but it's all put together very well and quietly; it's important for the plot and certainly adds, except  it's not like LOVE TRIANGLE and I'LL DIE WITHOUT HIM.

• Characters:

Rosie. One of the best female protagonists I've met up with, I've got to say. She's no Katsa or Fire, but she is tough underneath the curly head of hair, while at the same time she's not nasty or spiteful and enjoy to talk to poeple. And no, she's not the sweet, singing, dancing Beauty either--instead, she'd much rather hang around the smithy and work with the animals. She hates all those domestic duties that she'd been blessed with--sewing, knitting, etc., and a perfect complexion just makes her more irritable. (Girl, do you know how much some teenagers would give to be completely zit-free?)


Peony is the opposite of Rosie in all but appearance. She's sweet, she's tender, she's just the perfect image of what Rosie is not. She likes to sew, embroider, loves beautiful things, and doesn't have the gumption that Rosie has. However, she was an excellent character--the perfect foil against her best friend's temperament.


Katriona was strong when she had to be at the start. I liked Katriona; I missed her narrative when it shifted away from Rosie to her, but that was all right for the plot.


Narl was your typical strong and very, very silent type. He doesn't speak much at all and deals a lot with iron, that metal fairies hate and usually stay away from. He's no father for Rosie, but he takes her on and teaches her about animals. I really, really liked him as a character.


Aunt was strong, powerful, and smart when it came to what to do with Rosie when Katriona came home with her; a good character.


There are a lot of minor characters as well, but suffice it to say they're all about as good as the ones mentioned above.

• Setting/Elements:

I love the world in this book. Magic! Fairies! Animals! Forests! It's all described very well. I have to say that occasionally the animals' names got me confused, since there are dogs and foxes and mice and other creatures all running around they've all got titles. That confused me sometimes, but I got it organized eventually.

Other: D-word and the the term "bloody". It's nothing serious, and while there is some romance it's not in your face and screeching.

Do I recommend this book? YES. Yes, yes, yes.


-----The Golden Eagle