Stardust

By: Neil Gaiman

Narrated by: Neil Gaiman

Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

In the sleepy English countryside of decades past, there is a town that has stood on a jut of granite for 600 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 the 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.

Fantasy fan? Don't miss more from Neil Gaiman.

©1999 Neil Gaiman (P)2006 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Eminently readable, a charming piece of work." (Washington Post)
"An original and well-written fairy tale....This is a refreshingly creative story with appealing characters." (Library Journal)
"The resolution is satisfying and complex, proving that there is more to fairy tales than 'happily ever after'." (School Library Journal)

This is an ADULT fairytale

This book was listed in the top ten downloads for the kids and young adult section. Many people had recommended the movie so I downloaded the book for my kids who are 9 and 11. In the first hour of the narration there is a complete sex scene including gasping, writhing and slipperiness. I am not a prude but this book is not appropriate for this age group so please be aware. I personally think that there should be some sort of warning on Audible about adult content when a book is listed in the children's section.
I agree with other reviews that this is a beautifully written book. The prose carries you off into a magical dream and I am amazed by the excellence of the author's narration. However, I will be listening to it when my kids are not in the car.

Better than the Movie

Sadly, I wasn't familiar with Gaiman before I saw the movie Stardust.

Gladly, I started reading Gaiman after I saw Stardust without realizing that he was the original author.

I loved the movie. But the book, as usual, had elements which just wouldn't have worked in the movie, even though the movie did follow the basic plot of the book rather well.

In theory a book *should* be narrated by its author, after all who knows best the inflection and attitudes of the characters in the book? In practice, a professional narrator does a better job, even though the inflections may not always be exactly what the author intended, sometimes the interpretation is actually better!

Exception: Neil Gaiman. Gaiman is an astute reader of his own work. His voice is clear and he really does understand his characters well enough to keep the reader believing them.

Fantastic book. Contemporary fairy tales make me smile.

Witty and magical

I'm a big fan of Neil Gaiman after listening to American Gods and The Anansi Boys. This book is even better! Mr. Gaiman's lyrical voice makes the story come alive in a way I haven't yet encountered in audio books. This book was definitely meant to be read aloud. After the first 20 minutes I began to dread its ending. Every minute was a treat and I am thinking seriously of starting back now at the beginning. A masterpiece!

Best described as a smooth experience

I generally have something critical to say about any audio book - even if it's only that it isn't being read the way I, my own perfect self, would read it. Stardust, however, doesn't have anything for me to be critical OF, except its designation as a children's book. There's a sexual encounter in there that is definitely NOT child appropriate. If I had bought the book for a child, I'd be very angry, but I bought the book for myself, so that didn't cause me any problems, just some surprise - although parents should be forewarned.

Leaving that aside, however, the experience with this book was the smoothest I've ever had with an audio book. Neil writes beautifully, and the reading just blends so well with his writing that it's seamless. I wasn't once aware of a voice not fitting the character, or oddly constructed, or any of the usual issues I encounter - not even that I would've read it differently. This is a perfectly executed audio fairy tale FOR ADULTS.

Outstanding, but with unnecessary sexual content

This was truly an incredible tale, amazingly read by the author himself. Truly, it's a breath of fresh air to hear such an original fable.

The pros: incredible story, and even more incredible narration. Very well developed characters, definitely scoops you up and carries you along with the story, never letting you down.

The cons: I am NOT a prude at all - I love a good sensual and sexy story. However, there is one scene in this book that was totally unnecessary and was even distracting to the story in my opinion. There was no need to have such a detailed sexual encounter in the middle of what is a fairy tale. It could have easily been written differently and the idea of what transpired would still have been conveyed. In my opinion, it took away from the story. It was the only thing that I found to be negative, but you do get over it soon after and are sucked right back into the plot and excellent narration.

My only regret is that it ended too soon - I definitely wanted more.

I *highly* recommend this book.

wonderful high fantasy

first let me say audible provides a valuable service to the visually impaired ,being, a visually impaired person myself i need to listen to the books I "read". Gaiman is a masterful storyteller, and his narration is spot-on you get his intentions for the book right away wonderful work.

beautiful and fun

I listened to this book as an audible.com download, and it was gorgeous. Neil Gaiman narrates as well as he writes. The voices and tone are perfect. Stardust is a fairytale for adults. The village of Wall sits on the edge of Faerie, and every 9 years there is a fairy market on the border. One day a boy from the village vows to get a fallen star to win his true love’s favor. Problem: the star fell on the far side of the wall. There are airships and evil witches and cat girls and talking badgers. What’s not to like? In the audible version, there’s also an interesting interview with Neil Gaiman at the end.

A Charming Story Narrated by a Master Storyteller.

As a recording engineer, produce, writer and self-styled coniseaur of audio books myself, I tend to be on the critical side. Very few productions achieve five star ratings by my hand, as, in order to earn such an accolade, they must excel equally in the fields of writing style, production quality and narrative performance. On the subject of the latter, because I have worked with voiceover talent for several years, I know how rare it is for an author to effectively and forensically deliver his or her own work. In fact, it is rare for an individual to be truly talented in one, let alone both of the disciplines involved. That said, it is without any reservation whatsoever that I recommend Stardust. There are few authors who can claim peership with Gaiman's narrative brilliance. Add to that his superb delivery and you cannot deny him the title of "Master Storyteller."

-P. M. Selman

ABSOLUTE MUST LISTEN

Although short and a fantasty (which I usually do not like), this fairy tale and its wonderful narration nearly brough tears to my eyes from its sheer beauty. ENCHANTING. Probably one of my top 10 books I have everly listened to out of over 400 (member since 1997 - with the original Audible player to prove it).

Absolutely Delightful!

I adore this book more than I can say.
Read by the author, Neil Gaimen gives his fairytale to life with both his words and his voice.
There is an intimate quality, in the same way as when a family member used to read stories aloud to children.
It lights up magic of the heart.
Dive in! Delight! Then do it all over again!

Could not stop listening!

After having watched the movie years ago, I was surprised by the darker tone in the book. I loved Gaiman's performance for his fantastic novel.

Pure pleasure.

So lovely to enter into this fairy tale with it's creator. I enjoyed every minute.