Book Review - 'Stardust' by Neil Gaiman, Illustrated by Charles Vess

This review could be considered to have spoilers if you’re unfamiliar with how fairy tales play out.

I first read the novel a couple of years after it was originally published in 1997 and remember enjoying it very much.

Although I’d read the novel at least a couple of times then, I haven’t read it recently.

When I discovered this illustrated version – I adore Charles Vess’ art – I put it on my ‘wish’ list.

Oh, the excitement when the boys got it for me for my birthday last year!

‘In the sleepy English countryside at the dawn of the Victorian era lies the village of Wall – a secluded hamlet that derives its name from an imposing stone barrier that surrounds a fertile grassland. The leisurely pace in Wall is disrupted only once every nine years as the mortal and magical meet upon the meadow for a market fair like no other.
It is here in Wall that young Tristran Thorn loses his heart to the town beauty – a woman who is as cold and distant as the star she and Tristran see fall from the sky on a crisp October evening. To gain the hand of his beloved, Tristran rashly vows to fetch the fallen star and embarks upon a lover’s quest that will carry him over the ancient wall and into a world beyond his wildest imaginings.’

This is very much an adult fairy tale with ‘adult’ scenes and Charles Vess’ art elevates the story beautifully.

The descriptions are very reminiscent of fairy tales…
‘The town of Wall stands today, as it has stood for six hundred years, on a high jut of granite, amidst a small forest woodland…’

There are hints of what can sometimes be seen beyond the wall that separates the town from what lies to the east…
‘There is only one break in the wall: an opening about six feet in width… Through the gap… can be seen a large green meadow… a stream… trees. From time to time shapes and figures can be seen, amongst the trees, in the distance. Huge shapes and odd shapes and small, glimmering things which flash and glitter and are gone.’

Our hero, Tristran Thorn, 17 years old, ‘was halfway between a boy and a man, and seemed equally as uncomfortable in either role; he seemed to be composed chiefly of elbows and Adam’s apples, with a constellation of acne-spots across his right cheek. His hair was the brown of sodden straw, and it stuck out at awkward… angles… He was painfully shy, which… he overcompensated for by being too loud at the wrong times.’

He, along with every boy in the town, was in love with Victoria Forester. She had ‘grey eyes… heart-shaped face… curling chestnut hair. Her lips were red, and perfectly shaped. Her cheeks blushed prettily when she spoke. She was pale, and utterly delightful.’

Victoria and Tristran

A typical fairy tale beauty.

In a typical fairy tale scenario, on spying the falling star and desperate for a kiss from Victoria, Tristran declares, ‘“For a kiss, and the pledge of your hand… I would bring you that fallen star.”’

And off he goes.

But he’s not the only one interested in the fallen star.

In the land of Faerie, on the other side of the wall, we first meet the dying Lord of Stormhold and his sons.
‘The Stormhold had been carved out of the peak of Mount Huon by the first Lord of Stormhold… It had been expanded, improved upon, excavated and tunnelled into by successive Masters of Stormhold, until the original mountain peak now raked the sky like the ornately carved tusk of some great, grey, granite beast.’

To decide which of his three surviving sons will succeed him, he sends them on a quest to retrieve the fallen star.

We then find ourselves in ‘the middle of a wood so thick and deep it was very nearly a forest…’ where there is a small house.

Inside the house are ‘three old women… the Lilim, the witch-queen…” They also desire the fallen star.

Here and there are enchanting fairy tale references…
‘A field mouse found a fallen hazel nut and began to bite into the hard shell of the nut with his sharp… front teeth, not because he was hungry, but because he was a prince under an enchantment who could not regain his outer form until he chewed the Nut of Wisdom.’

Tristran, meanwhile, makes his way through Faerie, where he meets ‘a hairy little man’ who ends up helping him.

We discover that, in Faerie, nursery rhymes are more than just rhyming words strung together.

When Tristran asks the little man how far it is to the star, the man replies, ‘“How many miles to Babylon?”’

To which Tristran absently quotes the rhyme and says ‘“It’s only a nursery rhyme…”’
‘“Only a nursery…? Bless me, there’s some on this side of the Wall would give seven years’ hard toil for that little cantrip…”’

As the story progresses, the usefulness of nursery rhymes becomes apparent.

When Tristran finally finds the star, it’s not a cold lump of rock but a young woman.

‘She was sprawled, awkwardly, beneath the hazel tree, and she gazed up at Tristran with a scowl of complete unfriendliness…
Her eyes were red and raw. Her hair was so fair it was almost white, her dress was of blue silk which shimmered in the candlelight. She glittered…’

Tristran’s only thought is to get the star back to Wall, to Victoria. But the star, upset at having fallen out of the sky, and furious at the predicament she finds herself in, refuses to cooperate with him.

Their journey is far from straightforward and Tristran finds himself in the midst of all kinds of adventures, at one point wondering ‘why none of the heroes of the penny dreadfuls he used to read so avidly were ever hungry… “Adventures are all very well in their place… but there’s a lot to be said for regular meals and freedom from pain.”’

Over halfway, there’s an intense action scene, which gets quite bloody.

Then, gradually the story becomes more telling than showing. And, for me, it lost its magic.

Reading it this time, I wasn’t convinced by what felt like a sudden change in the relationship between Tristran and Yvaine, the star. Gaiman could have easily shown it happening, imbuing it with emotion and making it real.

As the ending hove into view, I found the way things were wrapped up with the characters, especially the Lilim and a couple of others, came across as convenient and unsatisfying.

However, I loved the imagery of the very last scene. Wish I could share it but that would be a huge spoiler.

Maybe it’s my age, but I was left feeling underwhelmed by ‘Stardust’.

There’s a distinct lack of emotion, especially near the end between Tristran and a couple of people who should be important to him.

Having said that, I love this book because of the artwork.

The paper is of exceptional quality, which does Vess’ art justice. At the back of the book are extra pieces of art, including his preliminary sketches.

While I may not be re-reading the story anytime soon, I will most definitely be returning to this book purely to enjoy the art.