Book Review: Stardust

Stardust
Neil Gaiman
Avon Fantasy
ISBN 0-380-80455-7

Warning: SPOILERS

Stardust is an original fairy tale set in Victorian England. Tristran Thorn, son of Dunstan Thorn of Wall and Lady Una of Stormhold (Faerie), goes on a quest to retrieve a fallen star to get his heart's desire, only to discover no heart is what it seems, even his own.

The dying Lord of Stormhold throws the stone representing his power and knocks the star from the sky. Tristran learns the star has become a woman with a broken leg and an obligation. He used a babylon candle to reach the star, but they have to reach Wall on foot. A witch tries to trap the star and take her heart as a way to gain youth, but Tristran rescues her, burning his hand while they escape. His rescue obliges her to stay with him as they travel to the place where Faerie meets England. By the time they reach Wall, Tristran must decide whether he wants to seek Victoria's hand in marriage or stay in Faerie with Yvaine, the star.

There are subplots about Lady Una's enslavement, Septimus and his brothers seeking the stone of Stormhold, and the obligations created by taking or saving a life. Gaiman's tale has witches, ghosts, a unicorn, animal transformation, revenge, skyships harvesting lightning, and magical lore.

This is Tristran's story. He is the main protagonist and most of the novel is written in his point of view. In my opinion, the most interesting character in the story is not the hero but the object of his quest, the star Yvaine.

What I find most intriguing as a writer is how little the story reveals about Yvaine. When I first read Stardust, I was enthralled by the setting and magical exposition. I felt sympathy for Yvaine’s pain and bitterness over being captured. I laughed when she insulted Tristran. I was afraid when she walked into the witch’s trap and did not know it. I admired her bravery and stoicism as she recovered from her injury and learned about life on the ground. I shared her sadness at meeting Victoria and her joy at seeing Tristran return to her. Even the epilogue was bittersweet, in that she was happy with him until he died and she carried on as ruler, but still walked to the highest peak to look at the stars still in the sky.

When I read it again to review it, I was surprised to find Yvaine on less than one hundred pages of Gaiman’s novel. Sentences from her POV add up to less than five paragraphs. Was I reading something in Stardust that wasn’t really there? I looked at other reviews, for the book and the motion picture, and found Yvaine to be one of the most popular characters. How could this be? The reader knows more about Tristran and the witch who wants to eat Yvaine’s heart than we do about Yvaine.

I read it again. The sparkle of magical lore was a little dim because I had just read it; instant replay is never as good as the first sight. I discovered during the first 2/3 of the novel, I was shown Yvaine’s pain and resentment over her capture by Tristran, with a casual mention that she seems more human and less ethereal during the day. She shares her obligation to return the stone to its rightful owner (she just knows), tells Tristran she plans to work against his plan every way she can while throwing mud at him and calling him every name in the book. Later, after Tristran saves a unicorn at her request and she has a chance to ride, she offers him a seat on the animal and shares the knowledge that she eats only darkness and drinks only light. She also admits to being scared, lonely, and miserable in a momentary lapse lasting less than one page.

At the next plot point, she escapes and ends up at an inn created by the witch who wants to cut out her heart. The witch provides most of the information about the star’s state of physical, mental, and emotional well-being. After all, a healthy and happy star provides youth and strength for a longer period of time. I, the reader, see Yvaine through the witch’s eyes, but my sympathy grows.

Tristran rescues her, injuring his hand by making it a temporary wick for the Babylon candle, and sends them to another setting for the last 1/3 of the story. Yvaine tells Tristran they now have a mutual responsibility/obligation to one another according to the laws of her people. Once she stops fighting Tristran, she starts healing and learning about the world around her. She makes friends with the only woman aboard the airship, tries on dresses, has the splint removed, and limps without crutches. Yvaine notices the bird/woman chained to a witch’s caravan, actively takes care of Tristran when he is transformed into a dormouse for the last leg of the trip to Wall, and she sings every chance she gets.

Once they reach Wall, Yvaine expresses emotions, from her misgivings about crossing to her sadness when speaking to Victoria. She does not hide her relief at Tristran’s return, her happiness at being with him, or her sadness when he finally dies. At this point, she may not age, but she has become human by loving one. Gaiman shares this with me, the reader, in lines dropped throughout the story, like chocolate chips in cookie dough, making the story more sweet and rich.

I loved reading this modern fairy tale and I highly recommend it to fantasy lovers everywhere.