4.5/5
If this book had only consisted of what had been covered in the movie, it would have earned no more than three stars. But then I read the rest of it. To sum it up, this is a case of a writer having a great number of fantastic ideas, but not being able to deliver them as effectively as they could be. So, no five stars, but I do feel that this should be made required reading for children. I can't remember any other children's book delving so deeply into what it really means to be happy, especially concerning satisfaction with oneself.
In the movie, Bastian Balthazar Bux read along with Atreyu's adventure, and other than that did no more than give the Childlike Empress a new name. In the book, he is pulled in and set on a journey of his own, one that involves much more danger and character development than Atreyu's ever did. Being able to make wishes in exchange for one's memories of the real world is nothing to scoff at. He may have made himself strong, brave, and everything a small bullied boy could dream of, but those traits alone do not make a person whole. Of course, he comes to realize this and starts to wish for wisdom and the like, but even this isn't enough. What are these wishes worth if in the end they will be stripped away as a lie when he returns to the real world?

Spoiler

Eventually, his all-powerful status makes him a monster, and it takes the complete sacrifice of his memories, as well as his identity, to cure him of this state and bring him back from Fantastica.

I also have to say that the Childlike Empress gave me the chills.

Spoiler

As the book continued, I began to suspect that she was the persona of the first human to have obtained the AURYN and gained complete control over Fantastica. Among other things, it's a bit of a coincidence that the last memory taken from Bastian was his name, something that the Childlike Empress repeatedly needs renewal of. Is this her way of beating the system? If that's the case, what kind of person she was before all the self-augmentation, and how much of that shows up in her current state of absolute neutrality?

Not a pleasant thought.

I've seen this movie countless times and finally decided to read the book. It was great fun. It was like reading all the bonus features of the movie. The first movie stops about half way through the book and true to most movies (and book series) the second half wasn't as quick. But it was still up to snuff and I only hope Luca will want to read something like this one day.

Beautiful, meaningful. Second half was frustrating, but the end made up for it.

I read this first in 1985 and was completely enchanted with it. In my journal from that time, I said, "I loved it. It's a once in 10 years story," I think meaning that I only expected to like a book that well once every 10 years. That's pretty funny in retrospect since I was 12 at the time, lol.

I re-read it as an adult with my husband, and loved it the second time around. Don't base your opinion on the movie. The movie is okay and has its cult following for a reason, but the book is deeper and better in every way.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a friend's favorite childhood book and they recommended that I read it. I was hesitant at first because I thought it would be too young for me, but really that just meant it was a quick read. It is better than the movie (aren't they always?) and it had more depth to it than I thought it would.

3.5