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A review by elderlingfool
A História Interminável by Michael Ende
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is a must read for everyone that loves reading, writing or simply creating stories in their head. It is especially essential for those who love fantasy as a genre.
Picture this, a self-loathing boy steals a magical book and becomes the saviour of a fantasy world. He then gets to wish for everything he wants and things don't go as expected. That is the basic plot of this book, but it's about so much more.
I was surprised to find so many themes about mental health (depression and anxiety mostly) and I enjoyed it immensely. I especially liked how it showed that depression can be an immense sadness or pure apathy. Besides this major theme, there are also the consequences of having too much power, identity crisis, the importance of creating stories and so much more. This book has so many layers that I could write an essay for almost every chapter. There are also untold stories within the story because there are so many characters varying in level of importance. The best thing about it is the fantastic designs and how they come into being, but I also like how it shows that their story isn't over, making it really a collection of neverending stories.
I watched the first movie adaptation of this book years ago and I remember finding it just okay even though I liked the theme of depression, but now I can't help being frustrated with it for leaving the best parts out. That first movie adapts only one third of the book, which is basically the beginning. I know that there are other movies, but given how much they messed up the first one I am not interested in them. Bastian being fat is an essential physical trait for this character because Bastian is full of self-loathing. He not only wants to be smarter and stronger, but he also wants to be skinny and handsome because all of those traits are the opposite of how he sees himself. Among many other things, this is also a story about self acceptance. The reason why Bastian's appearance is also important is because when he gets the chance to change himself he picks a look that is as farther away from his appearance as he can imagine. He makes himself look skinny, handsome and what is described as "oriental" (turban included and all). At first this last bit bothered me, but given that Bastian is a pale boy it makes sense that he also wants to change that, but most of all I think it was meant to have a connection with Sherazade from the 1001 Nights since Bastian is also a creator of stories. The movie, as always, ruined this essential aspect because it would be a crime to have a fat ugly main character on the screen I guess.
This review is already long enough so I will just say that I didn't expect to love this book as much as I did. I didn't expect this kind of complexity from a middle grade book, but I am glad it is this way. This is definitely the kind of book someone can read as a kid and find out much more meanings as an adult. The best kind of children's books.
Picture this, a self-loathing boy steals a magical book and becomes the saviour of a fantasy world. He then gets to wish for everything he wants and things don't go as expected. That is the basic plot of this book, but it's about so much more.
I was surprised to find so many themes about mental health (depression and anxiety mostly) and I enjoyed it immensely. I especially liked how it showed that depression can be an immense sadness or pure apathy. Besides this major theme, there are also the consequences of having too much power, identity crisis, the importance of creating stories and so much more. This book has so many layers that I could write an essay for almost every chapter. There are also untold stories within the story because there are so many characters varying in level of importance. The best thing about it is the fantastic designs and how they come into being, but I also like how it shows that their story isn't over, making it really a collection of neverending stories.
I watched the first movie adaptation of this book years ago and I remember finding it just okay even though I liked the theme of depression, but now I can't help being frustrated with it for leaving the best parts out. That first movie adapts only one third of the book, which is basically the beginning. I know that there are other movies, but given how much they messed up the first one I am not interested in them. Bastian being fat is an essential physical trait for this character because Bastian is full of self-loathing. He not only wants to be smarter and stronger, but he also wants to be skinny and handsome because all of those traits are the opposite of how he sees himself. Among many other things, this is also a story about self acceptance. The reason why Bastian's appearance is also important is because when he gets the chance to change himself he picks a look that is as farther away from his appearance as he can imagine. He makes himself look skinny, handsome and what is described as "oriental" (turban included and all). At first this last bit bothered me, but given that Bastian is a pale boy it makes sense that he also wants to change that, but most of all I think it was meant to have a connection with Sherazade from the 1001 Nights since Bastian is also a creator of stories. The movie, as always, ruined this essential aspect because it would be a crime to have a fat ugly main character on the screen I guess.
This review is already long enough so I will just say that I didn't expect to love this book as much as I did. I didn't expect this kind of complexity from a middle grade book, but I am glad it is this way. This is definitely the kind of book someone can read as a kid and find out much more meanings as an adult. The best kind of children's books.