I chose this audio book based on the cover and based on Neil Gaiman's reputation. I loved his Newberry Award winning children's novel, The Graveyard Book. I liked Stardust even better.
Gaiman is what I would call a master storyteller. He takes a format that readers are already comfortable with, in this case the quest story or fairy tale, and makes it fresh and alive.
Stardust is set in an English town called wall, for the stone wall that separates the town from Faerie. For the most part, the one opening in the wall is well watched, keeping the two populations separate, but every seven years the Faerie folk hold a festival just beyond the wall and the mortals and magical mingle.
The author reads the story for audio version, and at first I thought his reading a bit formal, but that impression lasted all of about three minutes. Soon I was swept in by his voice and adjusted to his British accent.
I looked up the story later to learn that the book is also available as a graphic novel and the story has been made into a movie with Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Robert De Niro. I watched it last night, not expecting much as I new the plot details had been changed, but was pleased that the spirit of the story was for the most part intact. The special effects and scenery were awesome.
EM--Reference Desk
