Key themes
- The fairy tale and the young man who must earn his happy ending
- The world beyond the Wall — what lies on the other side of civilisation
- Love as the thing that changes what you are
About this book
A young man crosses into a fairy realm to fetch a fallen star; a charming, grown-up fairy tale.
Published in 1999 as an illustrated novel and reissued without illustrations in 2006, Stardust has sold millions of copies and was adapted into a 2007 film. Gaiman described it as an attempt to write the kind of fairy story that no one seemed to be writing any more.
Discussion questions
- The novel begins as what seems like a straightforward fairy tale quest and becomes something more complicated. How does Gaiman develop the conventions — does he follow them, subvert them, or both?
- Tristran is not initially heroic — he is ordinary, vain and in love with the wrong person. How does Gaiman develop his transformation — and what specific experiences change him?
- The Wall divides the ordinary English town of Wall from the fairy kingdom of Stormhold. What does this border represent — and what does crossing it do to those who pass through it?
- Victoria, the woman Tristran seeks to impress, is a deliberate disappointment. What is Gaiman saying through her — about romantic idealisation and what lies behind it?
- Stardust was written as a fairy tale for adults and adapted into a beloved film. What does the novella do that the film cannot — and what does each version add?
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