Stardust…
It is billed as a fairy tale for adults. I don’t know what is really adult about it though (well besides from the two love scenes, but they were more pg-13ish anyway). Yes it’s more complicated and sophisticated then your normal run of the mill fairy tale. But the story is still at a level that most children would be able to understand. Harry Potter probably has more complicated and nuanced plot lines than Stardust.
With all that said I still like it very much. A very quick read thanks to its svelte 250 page length and large letter print, it is the perfect book for a trip or weekend. My only real complaints are that it starts off slow and ends rather weakly. The first 50 pages were somewhat of a hardship to get through, but once I did I was at page 225 before I knew it. And then with everything rolling all the plot lines resolve themselves relatively quickly and conveniently. Our main heroes are able to avoid any more confrontation for the latter third of the book.
So…quick read, enjoyable read, wish it was a better read, looking forward to the movie very much.
***
Review: Spider-Man/Black Cat: Evil That Men Do…
I originally remember this title when it came out in single issue from. But apparently Smith had writers block and then an even bigger case of “lazy fat ass syndrome.” But now the collected hardcover is out. The verdict? Well you can pretty much tell that Smith had no idea what he was going to write, and at the end just wanted to get it finished. The plot was never very interesting and had not been so short (only 6 issues) I would have never finished it.
I was really disappointed by it too. I’m a big fan of Smith’s writing, but this was just a pure let down.
*1/2