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Stardust

BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

#3 in series

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

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.

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  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      In an enchanting fairy tale for adults, Tristran Thorn sets out to fetch a fallen star in order to win the heart of his true love. But the star turns out to have a personality all her own and leads Tristran into adventures and discovery. Gaiman captures the magic and ethereality of his own work with a light touch and tender tone. He infuses the minor characters with larger-than-life accents that stop short of over-performance while imparting depth and wonder to the story's protagonists. One senses the book flowing through his voice and his pen, as though he were telling it for the first time in this performance. The effect works perfectly. R.L.L. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from February 1, 1999
      Wallace Stevens believed that in order to see the actual world, it helps to visualize a fantastic one. For more than a decade, Gaiman has been helping readers grapple with reality by offering fantastic worlds in visionary graphic novels like The Sandman, occasional short stories and his bestselling first prose novel, Neverwhere. Here, Gaiman extends his range by offering a novel-length fairy tale, one that abounds in wonder and lessons. The story begins in the Victorian-era English village of Wall, a place that touches the world of Faerie. There, every nine years, a fair is held where the magic folk commingle, occasionally in intimate ways, with those who live in the mundane world. From such a union is born Tristan Thorn. Raised without knowledge of his fairy blood, Tristan falls in love with a local beauty, Victoria Forester. When a star falls from the sky, a disdainful Victoria promises Tristan his heart's desire if he will bring her that star. Tristan sets out on his quest, entering the realm of Faerie, and soon encounters a variety of fantastical denizens, both good and evil. Tristan is not the sole seeker of the star; a powerful witch-queen and the dark Lords of Stronghold also have their designs upon the fallen celestial body. This novel is at once a magical adventure, a charming love story and a fable about attaining one's heart's desire--which, in Gaiman's world, is seldom what one thinks it to be. Grounding his narrative in mythic tradition, Gaiman employs exquisitely rich language, natural wisdom, good humor and a dash of darkness to conjure up a fairy tale in the grand tradition. Major ad/promo; author tour.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Setting out to capture a star he sees fall in the distance, a young man crosses the wall between his village and a fairyland. Little does he know that the star is enchanted. With plenty of moxie and cheek, young English actors Sophie Rundle and Matthew Beard portray the, literally, star-crossed lovers in one of Neil Gaiman's breeziest confections. As he does with all of his many BBC productions, award-winning director Dirk Maggs has created a rich landscape of sound effects and close recording techniques that will make listeners feel as if they're right in the middle of the action. As an extra bonus the wonderful Eleanor Bron, who appeared in the Beatles' movie HELP in 1965, narrates with a storyteller's ease and generosity. B.P. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:970
  • Text Difficulty:5-7

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