The Neverending Story

by Michael Ende

Ralph Manheim (Translator)

Read the book that inspired the classic coming-of-age film before it's back onscreen in select theaters this September!

From award-winning German author Michael Ende, The Neverending Story is a classic tale of one boy and the book that magically comes to life. 

When Bastian happens upon an old book called The Neverending Story, he's swept into the magical world of Fantastica--so much that he finds he has actually become a character in the story! And when he realizes that this mysteriously enchanted world is in great danger, he also discovers that he is the one chosen to save it. Can Bastian overcome the barrier between reality and his imagination in order to save Fantastica?


"An instantaneous leap into the magical . . . Energetic, innovative, and perceptive"—The Washington Post

"A trumpet blast for the imagination."—Sunday Times

• ISBN10: 0525457585
• ISBN13: 9780525457589
• Publish Date: 1 March 1997 (first published 1 December 1976)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: E P Dutton & Co Inc
• Edition: Revised ed.
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 400
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780525457589

Reviews

Naturally, I have a lot of favorite books. But when I think of my childhood favorites, “The Neverending Story” is the first one that comes to mind. After all, this book was *THE* book that sparked my first love for reading. That’s not the only reason why I’ll forever own this book though. It’s genuinely a fantastic story, and if you haven’t read this book at least once in your life - you are really missing out.

Interestingly, many people have seen the movie 🎬 but very few have actually read the book. 📖

Michael Ende was supportive of the movie’s production and worked as the advisor for the screenplay script but later became the movie’s biggest critic. He claimed that the movie’s Director, Wolfgang Peterson, secretly rewrote the script after his final review and denounced the movie during a press conference in Stuttgart. Ende demanded his name to be removed from the credits, stating, “The makers of the film simply did not understand the book...they just wanted to make money.” Ende later filed a lawsuit against the production company claiming a breach of contract in an attempt to halt the making of the movie’s sequel. “My moral and artistic existence is at stake in this film.”

He subsequently lost the case. The underlining meaning of the story is lost in the movie though, and many of the major scenes were kept out. We hear it a lot, but in this case it’s true: The book really is better than the movie!

I adored the creativity in Michael Ende’s books during my childhood years but I also have an abundance of appreciation for his work as an adult today. Im still fascinated that no matter how many time I read these books - I still walk away with something to ponder. 🤔

[cornerfolds]

Let's just be real with each other for a minute... who didn't love this movie as a kid? Better yet, who didn't love Falcor as a kid?!



Because I did. Falcor was my favorite flying dog! Er... dragon. Luck dragon? Anyway, I loved Falcor and I thought Atreyu was just the cutest ever. But seriously, I never realized this was based on a book. So when I realized there was a book earlier this year, I knew I had to have it! I even splurged on the hardcover when I read that the text was color coded based on where the action was taking place. How cool is that?!

So then I started reading The Neverending Story. It.Was.MAGIC. Reading one of my favorite childhood movies was absolutely magical... in the beginning. I loved every second of meeting all of the same characters all over again and remembering things I'd forgotten. I also loved finding out all the new tidbits that didn't make it into the film.



I'm going to try really hard to include as many details about the actual book as possible since I realize a lot of you might never have seen the movie. I know that I'm old. It's just so hard not to fangirl...

This is (partially) the story of Bastian, an apparent fat kid who can't play sports and sucks at absolutely everything. At the very beginning of the book, Bastian stumbles into a bookstore and finds a book he thinks looks nice. It does not look like this:



What does Bastian do? Well, he steals it, obviously. And then he seals himself into the school attic. Because he hates the bullies, he hates his school, and he hates his dad. He thinks his dad hates him too, so he decides not to go home (Bastian is really unlikeable, to be honest). Bastian decides to spend the entire day and night reading this cool-looking book that he stole from a bookstore. And then, thank goodness, the real story begins....

...because this book is also the story of Atreyu and Fantastica (no, not Fantasia), the amazing world he lives in inside the book. He's the hero, the good guy. It's Atreyu's mission to save Fantastica from the Nothing - a quest he's given by the Childlike Empress, Fantastica's ruler.

Atreyu's story is the one that I absolutely adored. As he travels through the world of Fantastica in search of the solution to the Nothing, he travels to amazing lands and meets a completely unique cast of characters. But as the story unfolds, Bastian starts to realize that he's the only one who is able to save all of them. And the Childlike Empress spends pages begging him to DO SOMETHING!



After taking ENTIRELY too long to finally work up the courage to speak the single word that will save Fantastica, the entire story shifts into unfamiliar territory.

The Neverending Story movie ends halfway through the book and that was not something I expected. What I found was that the second half was totally unnecessary. Part two follows Bastian as he rebuilds Fantastica with his... brain. Or something. Throughout his journeys he also meets many cool characters. Unfortunately, he's a totally unlikeable jerk. I literally had to force myself to finish the book.



This is honestly the first time I have ever completely hated a character. Bastian had literally no redeeming qualities and I found myself not caring at all whether he lived or fell off the earth or if his brains turned to mush.

If The Neverending Story had ended halfway through the book I would have given this five stars, no questions asked. Michael Ende did add on an entire second act though, which left me no choice but to bring that down. I would totally recommend the first half of The Neverending Story to absolutely everyone because, like I said, it's pure magic. Just, please, stop before you get to Bastian's "journey."

[ladygrey]

I didn't dislike [b:The Neverending Story|27712|The Neverending Story|Michael Ende|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266454227s/27712.jpg|1122661]. In many ways the plot wasn't fascinating because the first half of the book is the movie (though it adds some sense and explanation to the movie and reveals the story to be stronger and more interesting). I liked the tangents of stories, the way he broadened his narrative by telling you all the stories that went off on in their own direction (though, having articulated that out loud, I realize it's not as artfully done as Tolkien who evoked a largely mythology in his stories without the need to tell you that's what he was doing).

What it was lacking, for me, was depth. It had a lot of the elements of myth, but without the resonance or power of a story that truly reaches deep within us and evokes something beyond the walls of this world. Bastian's journey was a fine examination of a boy growing into dignity and strength and maturity and all of the things required for that like bravery and sacrifice and nurturing and love and friendship. But it's a simple myth, lacking the depth of significance (where luck stands in for fate or providence which are more deeper, more powerful things).

I'd probably be kinder to it if it were lovelier. But it's full of harsh consonants and awkward words and strange creatures. I'm partial to the of wonder and grandeur Tolkien or the nobility of Lewis.