The Dreaming

In the village of Wall is a wall. And on the other side of the wall is a mysterious meadow, which leads to another land very different from a quiet English village at the dawn of the Victorian era. Guards from the village bar entrance to the meadow except for once every nine years when the Faerie Market is held and traffic passes between the two worlds. Young Tristran Thorn will follow his dreams into the land beyond Wall and find magic and more. Neil Gaiman is a fantasy author whose work includes the SANDMAN graphic novels and the bestseller NEVERWHERE. In STARDUST he pays homage to writers like Cabell and C.S. Lewis who showed the world that there was an adult audience for fantasy. STARDUST follows Tristran as he searches for a fallen star to present to Victoria Forester, the loveliest girl in Wall. He will do this because he has sworn to perform this quest for Victoria and because if he does, she has promised to give Tristran anything he desires from her. The supporting characters of STARDUST are drawn with a deft touch.

The people of Wall represent all that is good and not so good about a small English village in the mid-19th century. But it’s in the land of Faerie that Tristran will learn much about kindness and helping and honor.And of course, of the true nature of love: “I am the most miserable person who ever lived,” he said to the Lord Primus… “You are young, and in love,” said Primus. “Every young man in your position is the most miserable young man who ever lived.” STARDUST is an absolutely delightful book, enhanced by stunning page designs. It has true love, quests, unicorns, witches and kingdoms lost and won. If you like Robin McKinley, Patricia McKillip and Goldman’s THE PRINCESS BRIDE you’ll love STARDUST.

STARDUST
By Neil Gaiman (Avon Spike, 256 pages, $22).

Here is a really strange anecdote: On the night of Dec. 13, I finished reading Stardust, Neil Gaiman’s marvelous new fantasy about what happens when a backwoods adolescent captures a personified fallen star in the land of faerie. On Dec. 14, I went for a run (see also “shuffle’ ‘ and “stumble”) at 5 a.m., which I do almost every day. In a period of 45 minutes, I saw 13 meteors. In all the years I’ve staggered about in the dark, I’ve never seen more than three in one day, and that only once. Most days I don’t see any. Is this some kind of omen or what? I don’t know, but I thought it was worth sharing. The story starts out in Wall in rural England. The village is so named because of a wall that borders it. There is only one opening in the wall, and that is guarded night and day by the menfolk of the town. For one day every nine years, the gate is open for the market that is set up by the faeries, elves, dwarves and other supernatural folk that live on the other side. What young Tristan Thorn, raised in Wall by his father and a woman he thinks is his mother, doesn’t know is that he is the result of the dalliance between his human father and a faerie queen at one of those market gatherings. He is sent away to visit relatives and misses the market when he is nine. Eight years later, he falls in love with Victoria Forester, the most beautiful girl in the village. One night he and Victoria witness a falling star, and Victoria promises him his heart’s desire if he will find the star and return it to her. Tristan is first shocked when the guards at the gate allow him to pass into the forbidden area where the star must have landed.

But his shock is even greater when he discovers that the “star” is not a hunk of rock or metal, but a beautiful young woman whose leg has been broken in the fall. After he captures her, treats her leg and begins the arduous journey back home, he learns that he is not the only one who wants the “star.’ ‘ It seems that her heart is the secret of youth for three evil witches, and a precious stone she wears is the symbol of rule for the seven murderous brothers of Stronghold. In the adventures that follow, Tristan comes of age and learns what love is really all about. I looked up “classic” in the dictionary and couldn’t find how long it takes for a work of literature to become one. One definition is “a standard of excellence.” In the world of fantasy, Stardust certainly qualifies.