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.

Cover of Stardust
by Neil Gaiman

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.

Cover of Smoke and Mirrors
by Neil Gaiman

Cover of Smoke and Mirrors
by Neil Gaiman

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

Stardust and Smoke and Mirrors Reviews

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman