Neil Gaiman's Stardust was really an enchanting read for me, keeping my attention for most, if not all the 250 pages. The story tells of a boy named Tristran who wanders from his village of Wall to find a falling star, in order to win the affections of the girl he loves. What ends up happening is beyond his comprehension as he's trust into a journey and a number of revelations along the way.Stardust, for me, was a simple but elegantly woven journey in the fantasy realm. I genuinely liked the characters. Tristran was a funny and sometimes clumsy, but likable lead, while the star he meets in his travels (Yavaine) is savvy and quick-tongued. I felt it easy to walk along with them in the scope of the journey. I thought for the way in which it was presented, it was appropriately paced and the action and romantic scenes were interesting. Granted, the violence and sexual scenes are few, but graphic, just as a forewarning.The set up of the accompanying cast makes sense as you read though the book. At first I didn't know how the points would converge, but when it did, it made sense. I would only argue that some who might read it might long for further character expansion, because the accompanying cast does seem very interesting, but we only see them as they help (or hinder) Tristan along his journey. I'll make a constructive critique on the novel, however. It felt like it could've been expanded more to improve the characterization and for a fairy tale aimed at adults. True, one could cite many original fairy tales as being simple, to the point, and yet graphic in detail (Many of Grimm's Fairy Tales have this quality), but I feel there's an element that could've made it so much more in retrospect. It captured my attention (and ultimately is one of my favorite stories), but I do see some measure of how this story could've been more just from reflecting upon it.I haven't seen the movie adaptation to Stardust, but from reading this over two days time, it's a story that stuck with me, and I'm likely to come back to it and remember it well for what it offered.Overall score: 3.5/5
