So if you follow me on twitter or goodreads, you’ll have spotted I finally finished a book this month.  I had a little annual leave from my day job to use up and with the restrictions I wasn’t going anywhere so I plonked myself down and finished a book.  So below I have reviewed Stardust by Neil Gainman.  

I will admit that the film of the book is one of my favourites so I did have high expectations of the book but luckily Neil Gaiman didn’t disappoint me.  The book Stardust is even more magical than the film and despite how short the book is (which shocked me when I bought it) I truly felt that I knew a lot about the world it was set in. 

The plot is written in a similar way to the Terry Pratchett books I have read, and I can understand why these two writers teamed up to write Good Omens. The plot follows some characters for a while before moving to another set of characters, all of which get tied up in a nice bow at the end allowing you to understand all the facets of the important journey.  

It is really nice to see the characters grow and develop through the book, some of them in ways you weren’t expecting.  The way the witches characters develop to allow you to understand what is driving them is lovely to watch it unfurl. As expected though Tristen Thorn is the character who develops most, he changes from a shop-boy to a young man through the journey he has been on and the things he has seen.

I loved the writing of Stardust.  The third person writing did not detract from a highly character driven story, and it provided enough information to allow the reader to picture the world but did not overwhelm the text with long winding descriptions. Stardust is not written in the same way as many of the books I read is,  it is written in a sedate way, it made me feel that I could put it down and when I was ready the story would still be there waiting for me. Neil Gainman trusted the story to drag the readers back in, and the story is all the better for it. 

One of the main themes in this book is the centuries old battle of good vs evil. It comes in a few different guises in the book, from the key internal battles of Tristen Thorn to the kindness that those who are good share with those around them. Everyone could do with a little more kindness in the world especially in these uncertain times. Sometimes sharing a kindness with one person can completely change their life.

Stardust was both comedic and in places incredibly poignant.  It brought a smile to my face sometimes while bringing a tear to my eye.  By the end of the book my faith in humanity was restored, the ability to do something good and the truth that sometimes a little bad can come to bite you on the bum. 

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I am giving this four stars as I did manage to put it down for a few days without the need to read it (though that may have been due to me having watched the film).  But I do thoroughly recommend that you read it, it may bring a smile to your face during this troubling time. 

Let me know if you have read this and what you thought of it.