Stardust: BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

by Neil Gaiman

Aisling Loftus (Narrator), Alex Macqueen (Narrator), Blake Ritson (Narrator), Bryan Dick (Narrator), Charlotte Riley (Narrator), Frances Barber (Narrator), Maggie Steed (Narrator), Matthew Beard (Narrator), Neil Gaiman (Narrator), Nicholas Boulton (Narrator), Sanjeev Bhaskar (Narrator), Sophie Rundle (Narrator), Tori Amos (Narrator), and Full Cast (Narrator)

Matthew Beard and Sophie Rundle star in a brand new BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of the bestselling novel by Neil Gaiman, narrated by Eleanor Bron.

Challenged to retrieve a fallen star, Tristran Thorn leaves the sleepy English village of Wall and crosses into the land of Faerie and the realm of Stormhold. Locating the star, he discovers it is no meteorite, but a young woman, Yvaine.

When Yvaine evades him and escapes, Tristran discovers he is not the only one in pursuit of the star: there are dark forces in this magical land, and he must find Yvaine before she falls into their clutches. As he does so, Tristran will uncover the secret to his own identity and a fate beyond his wildest dreams.

Directed by Dirk Maggs and Heather Larmour, and featuring over 35 minutes of unbroadcast material, this stunning new dramatisation boasts an extensive cast including Frances Barber, Maggie Steed, Nicholas Boulton, Blake Ritson, Bryan Dick, Charlotte Riley, Aisling Loftus, Sanjeev Bhaskar and Alex Macqueen. There are also cameo appearances by Tori Amos and Neil Gaiman. Duration: 2 hours 30 mins approx.

• ISBN10: 1785295632
• ISBN13: 9781785295638
• Publish Date: 2 February 2017 (first published 26 November 1998)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: BBC Audio, A Division Of Random House
• Edition: A&M
• Format: Audiobook (WAV)
• Duration: 2 hours and 30 minutes
• Language: English

Reviews

[alindstadtcorbeax]

Star Rating: —> 5 Stars

Goodness I love me some Gaiman. I love me some STARDUST!

This was as magical as any great fairytale should be, & so, so, so much more. Stardust is one of my forever favorites... it is so expertly written that you are left enraptured the entire time you read it, every single time you read it. This book really is, as you would expect from Gaiman, a marvel.

✨

[abookishblether]

Another re-read from my younger years, which I enjoyed. The audiobook elevated the experience as it was a full cast production. I really enjoyed the performances and the story while being short has proven to be memorable as I could still remember the plot fairly well after 10 years.

[leahrosereads]

5/3/18
Re-read and re-loved.

8/23 - 8/26/2014
A quest to find a fallen star. Really, I didn’t need to know anything else, but that, to want to read this novel. I was not disappointed in what I read.


STARDUST follows Tristran Thorn, a lad who is in love. In stories like this, is there ever any other type of protagonist? His one true love, Victoria Forester, has told him that if he can retrieve the star that they saw fall, then she would give him whatever he desires. And like any young man in love, he pounces on that opportunity, because what he desires most, is Victoria’s hand in marriage.

And so his journey begins.

The reader gets to see not only Tristran’s journey, but several other characters’ as well, including a wicked witch who wants the fallen star for herself and heirs to a throne, needing to prove themselves (and take out their competition) and find an heirloom that would show their rights to the throne.


When Tristran finally finds his fallen star, he discovers that it’s not an inanimate object, diamond like and exquisite, but a young girl who’s quick to temper and despises him for his quest. However, Tristran wants Victoria, so he bind the Fallen Star to him, and makes his way back to his town.

They’re adventures are just getting started, because the evil witch still wants the Fallen Star, and the heirs to the throne are on a similar journey, but for very different reasons.

Tristran must protect his Fallen Star (whether she likes it or not) and get them safely to his home.

It was one magical adventure, and I really loved it, through and through.


While there was a lot of predictability to this story, it didn’t take away (at least for me) the fantastical adventure that Tristran went through. Overall, I really loved STARDUST, and I’m definitely looking forward to reading other novels by Neil Gaiman.


I would definitely recommend this to anyone who’d want a quick, fantasy read where good beats evil, and the main character discovers himself and grows into a hero.

[mitabird]

3.5 stars

[wcs53]

I really enjoyed this book. It took me ages to get around to reading it, but I'm glad that I finally did. I had heard mixed things about the book, but it didn't disappoint me in any way. At one point I thought it was going to be fairly predictable, but in the end there were some interesting twists that made it not so. As usual, Gaiman included some very strong characters and he described the world of the book so well that it almost seemed that at times I was there also. If you enjoyed The Graveyard Book or The Ocean at the End of the Lane, then this one is for you. If you haven't read anything by Gaiman before, then this would be a good place to start.

I haven't seen the movie version of this yet, but I'll need to seek it out now and see how it matches up to the book. I'll also need to get around to reading the unread Gaiman books on my shelf such as American Gods and Neverwhere.

[thepunktheory]

Book vs. Movie:
As I mentioned before, the movie is amazing. It's one of those films that are simply magical without being a big cliché. The characters quite different from your usual fairy-tale stuff. They got together and A-list cast to portray all of them!
What I enjoyed most about the adaptation is the humor. It's not an outright comedy film, but there are some very funny remarks along with a lot of situational comedy.
So, you can guess I was pretty excited to get my hands on the book. But to be honest, I was slightly disappointed. Gaiman's world isn't nearly as colorful or magical as the adaptation is. (That came as a surprise to me - usually it's the other way round)
Furthermore, the movie's plot is actually very close to the novel but there are some additional scenes. Thus, some things simply make more sense and have more depth than in the book. (I never thought I would ever write those words)
But what disappointed me the most was that Neil Gaiman's piece of work lacked almost all the humour I cherished so much about the film! There are a few funny remarks but the novel is by far not as charming as the adaptation.
Don't get me wrong here, Gaiman's book isn't bad. It is a nice and decent read. However, I had hoped for a bit more after such a lovely movie.

This time I have to say that the adaptation outshines the novel all the way. It's far more magical, colorful and definitely funnier!

[adamfortuna]

A few years ago, the Stardust movie floored me. It was one of the most surprisingly great stories I'd heard in a long time. In wanting to learn a little more about the world, I decided to check out the book. To my surprise, the movie really did the book justice. There are marginal changes, but nothing serious. Like the movie, it had me enthralled throughout.

[KitsuneBae]

My first Neil Gaiman book and it didn't disappoint! Despite its shortness, Stardust managed to stir a lot of feelings in me. It's certainly a nostalgic ride!

[boghunden]

I read this at Dewey's Readathon, fall 2013. What a mistake that was! And here's why: The writing was absolutely amazing and beautiful. Only problem was that it took some time getting used to and I also had to take a lot of breaks to think about it and let it sink in.

This is a modern fairytale, and when you mix that with the beautiful writing of [a:Neil Gaiman|1221698|Neil Gaiman|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1234150163p2/1221698.jpg], you get this:


That being said, I felt like the beginning was a bit slow, and I would've liked for it to pick up a little faster. At the same time, I didn't really enjoy the story of the brothers, so that's a negative as well.

Now, this being a fairytale, you know how it'll end, but that's okay. It's what makes them special, right? Happily ever after etc.

[chymerra]

https://readwithme2018.com/2018/07/19/throwback-thursday/