I loved the movie, but I never read the book before (though I guess I thought I had)…
Most Neil Gaiman stories are quite dark, but this one (mostly) was lighthearted and fun. Tristran Thorn thinks he’s ordinary, and sees a falling star on the other side of the Wall in his city, blocking their citizens from a world beyond. Nobody crosses the wall… but he vows to capture the falling star in order to win the hand of his love, Victoria. He gets far more than he bargained for, discovering that the fallen star is actually an injured woman, and there are a passel of warring princes and a witch after her too, for a variety of reasons. While she resents and hates Tristran at first, eventually he becomes protective of her, and later falls in love with her. (The film makes this part a much bigger deal… Gaiman is understated and almost blase on this point). Adventures ensue, and along the way, Tristran also learns his true identity.
It’s a fun story with a happily ever after ending, and (unlike most Gaiman books) no sordid sex or grisly murders, which is a nice change.
My rating: *****
Language: none
Sexual content: none
Violence: present but almost comical, very tongue-in-cheek
Political content: none
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