Big News from Lucy Anne

He is also about to start writing the pilot episode of a new TV series for IMAGINE (Felicity, Sports Night), negotiations are still underway with an undisclosed director to adapt his and Terry Pratchett’s apocalyptic comedy GOOD OMENS, and the PRINCESS MONONOKE anime blockbuster he adapted into English is expected to reach U.S. theaters on July 9th. [Puck’s note: Nope, it’ll be October 29th)

*****
From the Washington Post
Science Fiction and Fantasy
The Washington Post; Washington; Mar 7, 1999; David Streitfeld;

Neil Gaiman made his mark with the Sandman graphic novels, then branched out into pure prose with short stories and a children’s book. Stardust (Avon Spike, $22) is his second solo novel, and it’s a charming piece of work. That’s its virtue, and also its downfall.

The tale starts perhaps a century ago in the English town of Wall, named after its distinguishing feature. The wall has one gap, which is guarded day and night to prevent anyone from slipping in or out. Beyond lie the fields of Faerie; the townspeople know better than to get mixed up with any of those folk.

Except for Tristan Thorn, that is. He has a little faerie blood in him, which makes him fearless; besides, he’s on a mission. Victoria, the most beautiful young woman in Wall, will be his bride if he fetches a star that has fallen in the East.

“Few of us now have seen the stars as folk saw them then — our cities and towns cast too much light into the night — but, from the village of Wall, the stars were laid out like worlds or like ideas, uncountable as the trees in a forest or the leaves on a tree. Tristan would stare into the darkness of the sky until he thought of nothing at all, and then he would go back to his bed, and sleep like a dead man.”

A hero, a quest, a style alternately sprightly and melancholy; so far so good. Gaiman has a gift for humor. Tristan describes Victoria to a stranger.

“Her face is — ” he begins.

“Usual complement of bits?” interrupts his listener. “Eyes? Nose? Teeth? All the usual?”

“Of course.”

“Well then, you can skip that stuff. We’ll take it all as said.”

The trouble is, Gaiman keeps breaking his own spell. As Tristan enters Faerie, he passes “beyond the fields we know.” The phrase is Dunsany’s, but the association is jarring because it’s unnecessary. Another description of Victoria is introduced by the words “A description.” Tristan meets a helpful peddler, who introduces himself: ” `Charmed,’ he said. He tapped the side of his pack: on it was written: `Charmed, enchanted, ensorcelled and confusticated.’ `I used to be confusticated,’ he confided, but you know how these things go.’ ” Stardust is eminently readable but not memorable, a Disney re- creation of a castle rather than the real thing.

David Streitfeld writes the Book Report column for Book World.

*****
From the Dallas Morning News:
In Martin’s ‘Clash of Kings,’ the delight is in the details
The Dallas Morning News; Dallas; 02-21-1999; Dorman Shindler;

Stardust by Neil Gaiman (Avon, $22) is the fantasy story of young Tristran Thorn and his adventures in the land of Faerie. Tristran promises his sweetheart that he’ll retrieve a fallen star for her from beyond a wall built between their rural English town and the Faerie realm. Venturing beyond the wall (except to attend an enchanted flea market held every nine years) is unheard of, but, full of ignorant bravery, Tristran sets out to fetch the star and win the hand of his love. His adventures – involving witches, goblin gangs, animated trees and the sons of the dead Lord of Stormhold – are thrilling and even a little goofy, in a fun sort of way. Stardust reads like a mix between L. Frank Baum, the Brothers Grimm and a Tim Burton movie script. Though it contains a few racy scenes that might have to be skipped, you could enjoy this one at bedtime with your children. ***** There’s a two page interview/discussion about Neil’s involvement with the Princess Mononoke film, in the Summer 1999 AnimeFantastique. A bit from it (by Paula Vitaris):

“Gaiman, who has enjoyed viewing anime but admits he is no expert on the subject, knew nothing about Miramax’s plans for PRINCESS MONONOKE until he received a call from Miramax president Harvey Weinstein, who asked him if he would be interested in writing an English-language script for the film. Gaiman’s name had been suggested by Quentin Tarantino, whose mother was a fan of Gaiman’s. Gaiman wasn’t particularly interested at first, but when he was told that Leonardo DiCaprio had been approached to voice Ashitaka, he felt it was his duty as the father of a 13-year-old daughter and TITANIC fan to check it out. (The role eventually went to Billy Crudup.)”