by Michael Ende

isbn: 0140386335
subject: Fiction and Literature, Children's Books, SF
finished: 12/13/1997

Everybody knows that the book is usually better than the movie; in this case it's a lot better (also, the movie only covers the first half of The Neverending Story). It is about Bastian Balthazar Bux, an unpopular child who one day ducks into a used bookstore to escape some bullies. He is captivated by a beautiful book called The Neverending Story; he steals it and then hides out in the school attic all day reading it. His copy of the book is about the heroic efforts of Atreyu to save the magical land of Fantastica from The Nothing. As Bastian reads, it begins to display some very strange properties -- he eventually becomes a full-time participant in The Neverending Story (and you thought "interactive fiction" meant Zork and Enchanter). The best children's books are great reading for adults too -- this is one of them, and it's deeper than most. Recommended.