Stardust by Neil Gaiman

When Tristran Thorn is sent on a quest to find a falling star by his ladylove Victoria Forrester, little did he know of the magical adventure that would ensue.

After falling in love with the film, and being acquainted with other Gaiman works over the past year, I had high expectations for this novel. But sadly, I must confess, I actually liked the film better - which was quite a surprise to me. Don’t take me wrong, I enjoyed this book immensely, but the film just left out some of the irrelevant characters (i.e. stepmother and sister storyline) and brought a more comedic side to some of the more obscure characters in the book (i.e. Captain Shakespeare, the dead brothers, etc.).

Mr. Gaiman’s writing style had a marvelous balance between melodic poetics and simplistic ease in his sentence structure and wordsmithery.

Stardust swept me away on a magical journey full of dark humor, love and adventure. It was a surprisingly modern and moving fairy tale about finding the missing part of ourselves hidden "behind the wall". Witches, pirates, and a love story... what more can you ask for in a fairytale. It just goes to show that fairytales are definitely not just for children.

M is for Magic by Neil Gaiman

In this collection, we have a variety of short stories that go from funny, to creepy, to fascinatingly clever. Although M is for Magic is aimed at the YA audience I guarantee these stories are great for any adult to enjoy.

Here’s an overview of the stories:

The Case of the Four and Twenty Blackbirds
Little Jack Horner is hired to solve the mystery behind the death of Humpty Dumpty. - I personally loved this one. Detective stories always suck me in.

The Troll Bridge
Hands down this is my favorite of the bunch. Upon a stroll through the forest, a young boy encounters a troll under a bridge who wants to eat his life.

Don't Ask Jack
A very short and creepy tale of an old Jack-in-the-Box.

How to Sell the Ponti Bridge
Not one of my favorites but still a great crime story.

October in the Chair
Also one of my favorites. The months of the year hold a gathering to tell their stories.

Chivalry
Fine... this one is also a favorite. When an old lady finds the Holy Grail at her local thrift store a dashing stranger on a magnificent horse comes a knockin’.

The Price
Quite creepy really... this is the tale of stray black cat that fights the devil every night to protect the family that took him in.

How to Talk to Girls at Parties
ehhh... Didn’t do much for me. But nonetheless, it was still worthy. Two boys walk into a party where they realize the kids aren’t everyday average teens.

Sunbird
A gathering of Epicureans who have become bored having tasted everything there is to taste. They are enticed into seeking the legendary Sunbird of Suntown... for a taste that is to be richer than peacock and lusher than duck.

The Witch's Headstone
This is an excerpt from The Graveyard Book. It tells a story of Bod getting into trouble outside the graveyard while trying to help the ghost of a witch.

There's always something great about short stories; the satisfaction of being able to read something as a "whole" in a few hours. Yet, as always with short stories, I always want more.

Mr. Gaiman does not disappoint with this collection. This was quite an enjoyable read no matter what the age.

The Dream King Challenge

- Dream King Challenge will run from 1 January 2009 - 31 December 2009.
- You can join at any time during the year.
- This is a partial list of Neil's works that I've compiled. Use it to help you choose your level of participation.

There are four different levels:
Neophyte: Read one work and watch one movie
Acolyte: Read three works (from three different categories) and watch one movie
Devotee: Read six works (from six different categories) and watch one movie
Zealot: Read twelve works (from at least six different categories) and watch one movie

There will also be mini-challenges (with prizes!) and other fun activities during the year. Re-reads are okay - I'm sure a lot of us have already read a few of Neil's books before. This challenge can (and will!) overlap with other challenges.

Acolyte Level:
1 M is for Magic - Neil Gaiman (completed 2/25/09)
2 Stardust - Neil Gaiman (completed 3/22/09)
3 Neverwhere