For those of you who are taking part, and those who may still like to, this is the first of two discussion posts for the group reading of Neil Gaiman’s wonderful fairy tale, Stardust. I cannot recall the exact year I first read this book though I do know it was not long after it came out in paperback form. Over the years I have read it many times, including aloud to my wife, and have listened to the audio version many times over. If you haven’t tracked down a copy of Gaiman reading this story it is something I highly recommend. The story itself is magical, Neil reading it makes it more so.

For this read-along I decided to forgo the audio version and do it old school and it has been a tremendous pleasure to journey through the pages again, allowing Neil’s words to ignite my imagination and memories of Charles Vess’ illustration in the original version to inform the visions in my head.

For this read through I am reading the small slip-cased signed Gift Edition that I purchased from Subterranean Press. It is my first time reading this particular copy of the novel and I am loving the size of it. In the Introduction Neil points out that he asked his editor if they could make the book look like a “much loved book from 1922” and they have, and it is lovely.

I hope that all of you participating are enjoying the story, but I look forward to hearing from you even if that is not the case. Following the jump there will be a spoiler-filled discussion of the first five chapters of the book. Anyone who would like is welcome to participate in the conversation, even if you are not reading along with us at this time. I only ask that you limit the conversation to the first five chapters so as not to spoil anything for those reading Stardust for the first time.

Below are the questions I came up with to guide the discussion. As I told everyone in the email, these can be dismissed entirely in favor of sharing what you want about the first five chapters of the novel, can be used in part or used in entirety. Those of you who don’t have blogs, or don’t want to post about this on your site, please feel free to answer any or all of the questions in the comments section of this post.

1. We have spent a little time with Tristran and even less time with the star. What are your initial thoughts/impressions of our two protagonists?

Tristran is an easy character to fall in step with. We learn of his origins before he does and thus upon meeting him we already have some expectations that this seemingly ordinary boy in a seemingly-but-not-quite-ordinary village is bound to have adventure in his future, and make no mistake. The Tristran we meet early on is not complicated and I like that fact. He is a likeable character with the annoying habit of being attracted to someone who seems to be toying with his affections, not unlike the experience many a young man goes through.

It was curious for me as this is the first time I have ever read Stardust and found myself thinking of Tristran and comparing him to Richard Mayhew from Neverwhere. Richard had the sometimes annoying tendency of wanting to get back to Jessica, who did not ever seem right for him, and Tristran makes repeated mentions of Victoria Forester even though the reader has been given little indication that Miss Forester is worth pining over.

I remember the first time I read the story how surprised, and pleased, I was to discover that the star was a person. I love how Gaiman introduces her with an exclamation and an expletive. So very Neil Gaiman and so perfect for the story. I won’t share much about her now because we barely spend any time with her in this part of the book. I will have much more to say in next week’s discussion.

2. There are some very interesting potential villains introduced in this first half of the book. Do any of them particularly stand out to you? If so why or why not?

All the brothers from Stormhold are great. I like that we are given a sense of history, of time having passed, by the fact that four of the brothers are already dead and yet their ghosts remain to watch the proceedings. I also like the intimation that the living brothers can see them and yet do what they can to ignore their presence. As would I were I to have to look at siblings that I had taken part in dispatching to the next life. Despite the numerous times I have read this book I never fail to get tense and on alert whenever any of the living brothers are together, wondering who may do who in at any time. As they approach the window to answer their father’s question about what they see I always get that eerie feeling in the pit of my stomach that you do when nearing an edge at a great height, knowing for sure that this time one will give another a shove.

The Lilim are fantastic! There is SO much being said and artfully not-said in Gaiman’s description of the three crones and the three beautiful women who inhabit the world reflected in their mirror. I want to know so much more about them than we are given and I delight in that kind of storytelling. Again I am loathe to say much more until we get to part two, other than to say that I look forward to re-experiencing their actions as the story progresses.

3. In Chapter Three, just after the section with the brothers in Stormhold, Neil Gaiman gives us a description of Faerie that includes “each land that has been forced off the map by explorers and the brave going out and proving it wasn’t there…”. What imaginary lands do you then hope are a part of Faerie?

I love that description, and again it reminds me of Gaiman’s description of London Below in Neverwhere in that there pockets of time and history have been swallowed up and are part of that world, an urban Faerie, if you will. I certainly cannot help but think of the maps Gaiman mentions in this part of the book, those old ones that had monstrous sea creatures and the words “here there be monsters” or some such statement. There is something comforting and yet terribly disappointing about growing up to discover there are no enormous kraken in the sea, nor sea-serpents or leviathan. I imagine those places, with those creatures, exist in this realm.

And I cannot help but imagine some Lovecraftian gothic horrors exist here too. Gee, I’m in a dark mood! Must be two consecutive nights of thunderstorms and lost sleep. 🙂

4. We do not get to spend a great deal of time in the market but while there we are given a number of interesting descriptions of the wares being bartered or sold. Which if any of them caught your eye, either as items you would like to possess or ones you would most certainly hope to avoid.

I imagine I won’t be the only one who would like to have a storm-filled eggshell and given that Neil Gaiman has only revisited this world once (in a short story) to my recollection, I would love to pay money to hear that town-crier tell me all of the stories that he shouts out headlines for. I could spend many a night listening to those.

The market is one of those places that lovers of this kind of literature cannot help but want to visit and I couldn’t imagine living in Wall and only being able to attend it once every nine years. I cannot imagine ever wanting to go back through the Gap once I passed through to see all the wonders.

5. If you have read much of Gaiman’s work, particularly his short fiction, then you have come across some rather graphic and disturbing portrayals of sex. Gaiman offers up something very different in the way of a sex scene early on in Stardust. What are your feelings of the scene either in general or as a contrast to other Gaiman-penned scenes involving sex?

I debated about asking this question at all, thinking “do I really want to talk about sex?”. The answer turned out to be “Yes, I do!”. The reason being isn’t so much in contrast to other stories Gaiman has written, although it does make for an interesting discussion, but because of the scene itself.

I’ve written in the past my dislike for Neil’s short stories, or at least the majority of them, that have a darker and more disturbing view/usage of sex. They are not stories that I enjoy and I recommend the collections they are in with the caveat that my recommendation is because of the presence of other great stories. It is nice to see Neil Gaiman write about sex in a way that isn’t disturbing or deviant.

I really like the scene between Dunstan Thorn and the bird/woman. You can certainly look at it one way and believe that she enchanted him or seduced him but she herself mentions this is not so and I am always torn between what the reality in the story is. What I do know is that I find the scene itself one of the more beautiful descriptions of sex I have ever read in a novel. It is passionate and lovely and describes the act in a way that reflects just how beautiful and wonderful sex can actually be. And so really the whole idea of this question is my own need to just say “Well done Neil Gaiman!”.

6. I suspect Neil Gaiman is influenced by a number of fairy and folk tales in Stardust. Are there any elements of the story that made a particular impression and/or reminded you of other fairy stories you have read or are familiar with?

I have mentioned Neverwhere several times (refraining from doing so yet again in the Faerie Market question), but that isn’t exactly what I meant. I certainly think the Lilim are inspired by old tales about the Fates, and in thinking about that the witches in Macbeth come to mind. I also see them as something similar to the Fate characters in Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series.

The serewood reminds me a lot of Fangorn Forest from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, although the serewood seems much more pro-actively aggressive whereas Fangorn appears to me to be more of a wood that will enact vengeance but will leave peaceful passersby be.

7. And finally, which of the many side characters introduce have caught your eye and why? Or what else about the story thus far is of interest to you?

I am so attached to the little…man?…that we first encounter in a dark barn with Dunstan Thorn and who later meets, briefly travels with, and helps Tristran. He is such an interesting little creature and the way he talks tickles me. His going on about the ‘mushrumps’ and use of the word “skellingtons’ alone makes me want to pack him along for the entire journey. I like that he has a bit of Old Bailey (again, Neverwhere) about him with perhaps some of the cunning of the Marquis de Carabas. We learn so much about Faerie through him and in the course learn much more about Tristran that he is as yet unaware of. And he generally seems like a nice creature who would make for an interesting travel companion. I would go on a journey with him. And I guess, in a way, I already have. 🙂

Please share with us the links to your discussion posts below. I look forward to joining in the discussion myself later this evening.