Fairy Tale Spotlight: The Neverending Story [Book Review]

"The Neverending Story" is a book written by German author Micheal Ende and published in 1979. It also may be my favorite book that I have ever read. This is not something I say lightly. Although I still come out of reading this very long book with some regrets, I cannot help but acknowledge that this book seems to connect on a personal level with myself, as if a stream of consciousness combined with my own for a period.

I, of course, saw the film which made me interested in the book. Apparently Micheal Ende hated all three films. It was a case where an author legally gave up rights to his property only to have it mishandled by people who had "better" ideas. He even tried to sue them to get them to cease making the film... but lost. That said, I do like the first two movies, but they are not the book and do miss the point. And perhaps this sort of book could not properly be translated to film without be being given the same treatment as Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings. It is, just as well, fine as a book.

"The Neverending Story" deals with many concepts that are not only of my interest but that are very dear to me in my own writing:

1. The concept of being a god.

2. "Fourth wall" concepts.

3. The idea that an entire reality can be "voided" out of existence.

4. "Meta narratives" where two entirely different stories are actually the same story.

5. Trans-dimensional gateways where one can enter into or leave a written universe.

6. Profound fairy concepts such as an Ouroboros that can create said gateways.

7. And lastly, the concept that imagination can restructure an environment.

There may be more, but I tried to get as much into this blog as I could. The truth of the matter was that, as I was reading this book, I realized that I was essentially exploring my own mind as I did so. I had actually already written a number of  these things into my books as T.K. Wade and through other nom de plumes. It was strange to read a book that fit snugly into my own mind.

"The Neverending Story" does heavily involve the reader in its story. It does so by manipulating him into thinking that he is reading two separate stories which are actually one. And despite the fact that I have spoiled it, it may actually still work. The story is very good at placing the reader in a headspace. There are technically three worlds here: The fairy world of Fantastica, Bastian's version of Earth, and the world you (the reader) live in. And it all comes together in a fairly convincing way that suggests that all three places do exist.

The book does extremely well to explain how imagination and love work together to keep reality in check. Imagination creates fiction and fiction inspires reality. The two places have a surprisingly symbiotic relationship. And when people stop caring (which can happen when the world convinces them to be cynical), both reality and fiction suffer for it.

The broad length of this book is important. For one, the book is called "The Neverending Story" for a reason. It feels like a huge journey that needs to be made from start to finish. There is also no padding. The book is basically split up into two even parts. Once you reach the exact middle of the book it feels as if you have reached the peak of the world's tallest mountain, but the path down is just as treacherous as the way up. It doesn't seem any easier just because you are going down, but it does, at least, feel like you are heading into the last leg of the journey. Micheal Ende designed this book that way on purpose. I'm fairly sure of this.

Another thing that will happen is that the author will place little hints of things in brief throughout the book. You may not think you can catch them all, but somehow I was able to remember them all. This struck me as odd because there were almost no redundancies of these little things. Small tidbits mentioned towards the beginning of this long book became vastly important towards the very end, and almost no mention of them through the whole body of the book. I was stunned that he went this route, but it worked. I was more surprised that I remembered them, but I suppose he just wrote them in such a way that it sat in the back of my mind, just waiting to be revisited again.

I know I have not really been spoiling the plot of the book, and that's because I think it speaks for itself well enough. If you have seen the movie, it does not replace the book at all, but it will give you an idea of the basic idea the book was going for. The book, however, is a perfectly executed engine powered by imagination. It is more than just a simple story, it is a fantastic experience that welcomes you to join in its magic. I whole-heartedly recommend this book, but just understand that, once you start, you may find yourself becoming a character in the book yourself.

Thank you, Micheal Ende, for giving this to us!

Thank you for reading my blog! Did you enjoy it? Either way, you can comment below, or you can email me at tkwadeauthor@gmail.com. You can also visit my website at www.tkwade.com. Check out my books! Thanks!