Stardust

Tristan Thorn was born in the town of Wall - so named because of the giant wall that separated the village from the mystical land of Faerie. His father was a mortal in Wall and his mother was a magical woman from Faerie.

As a young man, Tristan fell in love with the beautiful Victoria Forester. To win her love, he promised to bring back the star they saw falling into the land of Faerie. So Tristan set out on his quest across the forbidden land.

But Tristan was not the only one seeking the star. Just before he died, the Lord of Stormhold (a Faerie kingdom) promised his throne to whichever of his sons could retrieve the star. And three ancient witches sought the star because its heart would bring them eternal youth. 

Tristan finds the star, which we discover is actually a young Faerie woman named Yvaine, who has broken her leg in the fall from the sky. He sets out to bring her back to Victoria, loses her, finds her again, and encounters a number of adventures as he crosses the magical lands.

In "Stardust", Neil Gaiman creates a world of beauty and wonder and characters both real and magical. The writing style is one of epic fantasy and the prose is beautiful.

Stardust is a fairy tale for adults and I enjoyed it immensely.