Stardust and Smoke and Mirrors Reviews
The following are reviews of Stardust and Smoke and Mirrors by author Neil Gaiman. You can read more about the books in our interview with the author.Stardust by Neil Gaiman
William Morrow, February 1999.Hardcover, 256 pages.
ISBN: 0380977281.
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
In Victorian England, there is a tiny town in the countryside
called Wall, so named for its large stone wall which keeps the
inhabitants in and the intruders out. Every nine years, vigilance
is relaxed sufficiently to allow the wonderful market fair to take place in the meadow
outside Wall. In the town of Wall young Tristan Thorn adores
the remote Victoria. Impulsively, one evening he swears to
Victoria that he will bring her the falling star they both see in order
to prove his love. With a bit of help from his father -- who's never let
on that there is something quite odd about Tristan's parentage -- Tristan
goes through the barrier into the dangerous and exciting realm
of Faerie which lies outside Wall. From the beginning, Faerie doesn't
seem as strange as it should and he seems to know which direction
to travel in order to find the star. But dangers surround him on
all sides and he immediately falls into one adventure after another.
He finds the star -- but it turns out to be a young woman who
is not the least bit interested in journeying to Wall and gives
him no end of trouble. To make matters worse, he is not the
only one on the trail of the star -- some very nasty personages indeed
also are on her trail. There is love, danger, excitement and
laughs for the reader as Tristan determines to complete his quest
and find his heart's desire.
Gaiman is at his best when his stupendous imagination is bent towards his full-length novels, such as the brilliant fantasy Neverwhere, and Stardust proves this to be true. A richly imagined world with plenty of adventure, true love and some truly hilarious throw-away lines make Stardust a darkly comic treat for fantasy lovers. If you haven't discovered Neil Gaiman yet, rush out to buy his latest book immediately. You won't be disappointed. Highly Recommended.
--Claire E. White
Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman
Avon, November 1998.Hardcover, 339 pages.
ISBN: 0345409337.
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
Smoke and Mirrors is an anthology of short stories, poems and
musings from the brilliant author of the graphic novel series Sandman
and the bestselling dark fantasy Neverwhere. An eclectic mix,
the narratives include "Chivalry" in which an elderly woman
finds the Holy Grail in a London second-hand shop,
"Bay Wolf," a story poem which is a cross between Beowulf
with Baywatch, "Murder Mysteries," which explores the real
reasons Lucifer became a fallen Angel, the shocking
modern day fable "Tastings," "Snow, Glass and Apple,"
a really inspiredly twisted version of the classic fairytale Snow White,
"The Price," a tale any cat lover will appreciate, and
"Wedding Present" told in the friendly introduction,
in which a married couple gets a shocking glimpse at what could
have been. The themes of love, loss, death and the end of the world
are all here, explored in Gaiman's dark, witty and satirically
funny style. Highly Recommended.
--Claire E. White
Return to the January 1999 issue of The IWJ.
More from Writers Write