Customer Reviews

Never-ending Story

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3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"Die Unendliche Geschichte"

Michael Ende's novel first came to my attention after I had seen the wonderful Warner Bros film in 1984. Just a teenager at the time, I sought out the book and read it. It was fantastic, a book I intended to keep for the rest of my life. But it was a yellowing, cheap paperback re-released off the back of the movie. So one day trawling through the catalogues at Amazon, it occurred to me to check out if the book was still in print. It was. And how.

When my copy arrived, I hadn't realised the effort that had been put into its print. The cover art is crisply reproduced with firm hardbacking, but the real surprise was to be found inside; the text is printed in alternating purple (for Bastian's story) and green (for the events within the storybook itself). It's one of those books you want to stick on the shelf and never touch again because you want to preserve its beauty, although well-thumbed books take on an appreciated beauty of their own. I love this book, I would've paid twice the price for it.

Hope you enjoy it as much.

NOTE: Michael Ende's novel is longer than the film, which was based only on the first half of the book. The translation is the original one by Ralph Manheim. For trivialists, Ende died in 1995, Manheim in 1992.

This truly is a breath-taking book! If you've seen the movie, you'll know that this story has a variety of wonderful characters that will inspire the imaginations of those who hear it! I was a little leary when I picked it up (I'm 13)I was afraid that it would be too hard- it does carry a higher reading level, but don't let that discourage you. This book includes the entire story of the first two movies- but it's done correctly! If you hated the 2nd movie as much as I did, you'll be glad to know that this book will stir your imagination more than the original movie did! If you've never seen the movie- now's your chance to get in on the fantastic story of what happens when a young boy takes a book from a bookstore- and enters the world of Fantastica! Breathtaking work, detailed! I'm having trouble figuring out where the author got so many wonderful ideas! Take the journey to Fantastica with Bastian, Atreyu and all their friends, and you'll never regret it!

Great for children, as well as adults ages 10+ up!

The Neverending Story is truly an outstanding book. First published I believe in German, it has been translated into English quite adeptly, although there are a few cases of awkward wording resulting from this. Other than that, this is a nearly perfect book. Bear in mind one thing while you're reading though -- while it is great, it is also a children's book, so don't go looking for really challenging vocabulary and adult themes.

I picked up this book in Zany Brainy maybe seven years ago, and I have read it quite a few times since then. I find something new in it every time, and it never gets old. It stays just as beautiful and perfect each time.

If you've seen the first two movies, they are both based on this books, the second only nominally, but even the first hardly does the book justice. This, despite being a children's book, has themes that apply all throughout life, and its simplicity is wonderfully refreshing after so many other books which try to impress you with their incredibly flashy wording and daunting size. The pictures at the beginning of each chapter are skillfully sketched, and this is just overall an amazing work of art.

No matter what your age, buy this book. Buy it for yourself. Buy it for your kids and read it to them. You won't be dissapointed.

Another fascinating book is Ende's Momo, which unfortunately only seems available in spanish at the moment, but keep your eyes out for it.

"The book of books!" This quote from The Neverending Story says it all, as I've never come across another book like it! Its engrossing plot (told using two different colors of ink in hardcover editions!) follows the story of poor unwanted Bastian Balthazar Bux (printed in red) who is "found" by a copper-colored, silk-bound book, titled The Neverending Story, which he begins to read while locked up in his school's attic. As Bastian reads the story of the heroic Atreyu (printed in green) and a Great Quest to save his dying world of Fantastica and its Childlike Empress, he has no idea that he is also a character in a book! (It makes you wonder, huh?) The Neverending Story is filled with unbelievably imaginative characters such as Grograman the Fire Lion, the Old Man of Wandering Mountain, Querquobad the Silver Sage, and Ygramul, "the horror of horrors!" to name just a handful! And not only are the characters and plot creative, but the book itself is as well! It is printed entirely in colored ink as I have mentioned, plus it has 26 chapters - each one beginning with a letter of the alphabet! Each chapter begins with a magnificent illustration (also in only red and green ink in the hardcover edition) around the first letter! How did he think of that?! But perhaps the best thing about The Neverending Story is what you get out of it. You cannot read it without looking at the nature of wishes, imagination, and love differently from that point forward, no matter what your age is. The Neverending Story is, as you shall see, your story as well. And that of course (to quote the book again,) "shall be told another time!"

Until recently, I was blissfully ignorant that the popular movie I had seen several times (in my younger days) was actually based on a book.

Judging from the cover illustration of Bastian Balthazar Bux doing his "King of the World" thing aboard the Luck Dragon, you get the feeling that this is no ordinary fantasy book, and indeed it isn't.

I did get the feeling that some aspects of the story were lost in translation (which is another story altogether), as it has some abrupt swings in tone, the dialogue sometimes seeming clumsy and childish compared to the rest of the book - but that's nitpicking.

This is truly a Neverending Story, most of which springs from the imagination of the unlikely human hero, the aforementioned Master Bux, who steals the titular tome, and flees with it to the safety of his school attic, where he becomes much more than a casual onlooker of the worlds of Fantastica.

Michael Ende's imagination works overtime in creating Fantastica and all its inhabitants, and for each thrilling chapter, he introduces another story to be told at another time.

The main story however, is the metamorphosis of Bastian Bux from a frightened, insecure child, and the new relationship he was able to forge with his father after his great learning adventure.

Be wary in your reading of the adventures of The Childlike Empress, Atreyu, Morla, Ygramul, Falkor, Grograman, Hero Hynreck and Xayide, among others, beware the Nothing, and be careful what you wish for, least you also become a part of the Neverending Story, and forever lose your memories of this life.

Amanda Richards, December 19, 2004

Like everyone else, my remembrances of childhood contain hazy memories of Atreyu doing battle with Gmork, and a young Barrett Oliver as Bastian yelling "I will do what I dream!" So, in a mood to reaffirm my youthful fantasies, I picked up a copy of Michael Ende's 1979 novel upon which the movie was loosely based, "The Neverending Story". I was not surprised that the largely dark tone of the movie was, of course, much darker, deeper and much more sustained in the novel. But I am not here to compare the book to the movie, both of which are classics in their own right. Like the best of what is considered children's literature, "The Neverending Story" has an appeal and a depth that literally begs for continued readings as one grows older. A novel about growth, maturity, the power (fraught as it is) of imagination, and the necessity of books to provide us with different perspectives on our world, "The Neverending Story" is a challenging children's novel which respects its readers enough to not treat them like children.

"The Neverending Story" begins as Bastian Balthazar Bux, a fat little ten year old, picked on by his classmates and teachers, and ignored by his father, runs from the torments of his classmates one rainy November morning before school. Ducking into Mr. Coreander's vintage book store, Bastian suddenly finds himself in a state of mind that portends that he has come here for a reason. Following a brusque chat with Mr. Coreander, Bastian is drawn to a book the old man was perusing, titled "The Neverending Story," bearing a logo of two snakes in an ourobouros pattern. Grabbing the book and ditching school, Bastian hides in the school's attic and begins to read a book that will change his (and our) life. The book's world, Fantastica is in grave danger - a blinding force called The Nothing is slowly eating away at Fantastica - ambassadors of all Fantastican nationalities are sent to the heart of Fantastica, The Ivory Tower, to appeal to the Childlike Empress, the impartial ruler of Fantastica, only to find that she is dying. By the time the green-skinned youth, Atreyu, is sent to discover the cause of the Childlike Empress's illness, Bastian, (and the reader) are hooked.

"The Neverending Story" is a novel that deals heavily with epistemological self-discovery - Atreyu's Great Quest, and Bastian's, test the limits of physical and mental endurance. Atreyu and Bastian represent two approaches to self-knowledge - Atreyu, the Socratic questioner, and Bastian, the experimental deductive reasoner. Both have their pitfalls, but the novel does not fault these two boys for the risks they take or the execution of their schemes. Success and blame are best judged by the self in retrospect, the novel suggests, and it is only through experience (as opposed to book learning only) that we understand who we are and our places in the world and in relation to others.

Ende doesn't spend much time developing minor characters - most of the strange beings we encounter throughout "The Neverending Story" are rarely present for more than a chapter or two, but the ones who do stick around are impressive, though sometimes simultaneously distant and welcoming presences. Morla the Aged One, the gnome Engywook, and the Three Deep Thinkers illustrate the ruts we can get ourselves into when we are apathetic, or obssessive, but detached. Gmork and Xayide are our tormentors, the nay-sayers, the opportunists, the manipulators. Falkor the luckdragon, Grograman the Many-Coloured Death, the Childlike Empress, Yor, and Dame Eyola are the signposts of encouragement that we meet, especially in our childhood, but also thorughout our lives, guides who provide love, knowledge, and life experience. In short, though most of the minor characters flit in and out of the novel like symbols in dreams, each serves a purpose in the lives of Atreyu, Bastian, and the reader.

As I said earlier, this is a novel which respects the intelligence of its readers - there are long stretches of not only joyous fantasy, but also intense political and psychological trauma. Written in the late 70's in Germany, we should really pay attention to Ende's focus on "the borders of Fantastica" - the focus thoughout the novel on crossing borders, climbing walls, and passing gates all serve as a powerful comment on a split Communist/Democratic Germany represented by the Berlin Wall, and a dream for post-national fluidity. "The Neverending Story" is not just a novel, but a challenge - for us to mitigate the power of power, to reevaluate our relationships to people and to literature, to be individuals, and not the "weak-minded" followers that Gmork lusts after. This is really a terrific book, and one that no doubt will continue to enthrall and delight.

It is difficult to find words equal to the task of praising this novel. I first received it as a gift when I was thirteen. I have read it two or three times a year since then, and I am now thirty. Ende uses the adventures of a fat, nerdy little kid launched into an imaginary world of fantasy to expose the mysteries at the heart of the human soul. Although a simple and action-packed tale you could read to a child of nine or ten at bedtime, this story is in fact an intricate and elegant allegory about the nature of life, love, divine inspiration, the written word and the joy and dangers of reading. It is a book that exalts the soul and has enriched my life immeasurably. You will not regret reading it.

I remember seeing the Neverending Story when I was 6, and it became one of those films I watched again and again. It wasn't until I was in College that I found a copy of the original Michael Ende story. I was amazed! It was incredible to find how Ende had crafted the world of "Fantastica" (In the film, it is called "Fantasia"). The story begins with Bastian Balthazar Bux, a 10-year old boy who is bullied at school for being somewhat overweight, and for his vivid imagination. One day, he stumbles into Mr. Coreander's Book Store, where he finds the book "The NeverEnding Story." Bastian takes the book without Coreander seeing him, and runs with it to his school's attic, where he proceeds to read it. In the pages of the book, he learns that Fantastica's ruler, The Childlike Empress, has fallen ill. Even moreso, the land is being swallowed up by a blackness that can only be described as "Nothing." The Empress sends a messenger to find Atreyu, a young warrior who she deems worthy to help her. Given the Auryn (the symbol of a servant for the Empress), Atreyu begins his quest that takes him to the Southern Oracle, to the clutches of the hideous Ygremal, and more. Pretty soon, Bastian finds that the story is so engrossing, that at certain points, he seems to be becoming intertwined into it! There is so much more to tell, but I recommend this book! If you like books such as the "Harry Potter" series, with it's inventive cast of creatures, people and lands, "The NeverEnding Story" should feel right at home with you. There are such creatures as Rock-Eaters, Tinys, Luckdragons, and many too numerous to list. By the time you finish reading it, you'll want to read it again.

I have been an avid reader since I was a small child, and I have always loved fantasy stories. When I was 12, I went to see "The Neverending Story II" in the theater, and I was instantly entranced and intrigued. I'd watched the first movie when I was about 8 and images from it never left my mind. When I realized that both were based on a book, I knew I had to read it. And so began my quest to find it. Once I finally did, my hands shook as I took the book home and read it. I couldn't stop. From the very first line until the last, I was hooked. The characters, the images, and the story stayed with me long after the last page was turned. There were even times when the characters were so real to me, I felt as if I could literally see them!

I won't go into a description of the plot since so many have done so already. Suffice it to say that this is truly a bibliophile's dream! And you simply MUST get the hardcover with the red and green text. When the book was originally published in Germany, that's how it was printed, and even to this day, German versions are still printed with the colored text.

Now, at 26 and beginning my career as a children's/young adult librarian, I have made it my mission to purchase the hardcover version of this book for every library I ever work at. (Unless they have it already, of course.) It is an essential and classic work of children's literature that has had a profound effect on my life. It encouraged me to think, to dream, and to wonder, but also to remember that while books are important, one shouldn't forget to live life in the "real" world as well. Good fantasy, like this book, encourages children to stretch their imaginations and grow. And that is a truly wonderful gift.

Whenever anyone asks me about my favorite books, this one is always on the tip of my tongue. I love it dearly and am thrilled that so many share my passion for it as well. Read it and remember: truly great books defy age categories and touch us no matter how old, or young, we are.

The Neverending Story provides for its main character exactly what it provides for its readers; an escape from reality in order to take a look at their lives. There lives inside the most timid of all human beings a strong and corageous warrior. Every failing student has the right answer. Every bully has a soft spot. Michael Endes fantasy is targeted towards young adult readers, but young and old alike respond to the most incredible story ever told.

Bastian Balthazar Bux, the main character, feels his life is not worth living. His mother is dead, his father is disconnected from reality, his fellow students hate him, he's not happy with his appearance and it seems that his only escape is through literature. Only when he is at his lowest point does fate step in to point him in the right direction. He steals a book called the Neverending Story from a back alley book shop for some unexplained reason. All he knows is that he is compelled and meant to read the book. Hiding in the attic of his school, he reads the story as if he is a character himself... until at last he finally is. His life will never be the same again.