"You went the way of wishes, and that is never straight. You went the long way around, but that was your way."

The first part gave me actual chills because it's so brilliantly constructed, delightfully meta; exploring Fantastica with Atreyu and Falkor is so exciting, even with the urgency of the Childlike Empress's condition. Of course the worldbuilding is fantastic, and I was almost as immersed in the narrative as Bastian was.

The second half was also well-written, but I found it much less enjoyable because it's more straightforward fantasy adventure, which was a bit of a letdown by comparison. And

Spoiler

Bastian is such a jerk, particularly to Atreyu and Falkor, and he's only "redeemed" at the very end, without ever really addressing his flaws or mistakes; you can't wholly blame AURYN for it, just as you can't wholly blame alcoholism or mental illness for an abusive or neglectful parent

.

It also bothered me that all five of the named female characters — the ineffable Childlike Empress included — are just archetypes, all of them secondary to the male heroes of the tale:

Spoiler

Moon Child/the Childlike Empress is a neutral "higher power" who disappears from the narrative after Bastian meets her; Urgl is a healer and a nag; Princess Oglamar is carried off by a dragon so that her suitor can impress her with his hero-ness; Xayide is an evil seductress (though a PG version) who never gets an independent arc or backstory; Dame Eyola is a nurturing mother figure; Kris Ta is only mentioned in passing as someone Bastian tells his stories to

. (I know that this is a relatively old book, but that doesn't erase the fact.)

I have only vague memories of the movie, so I'd figured now was as good a time as any to finally read this book. And now I'm thinking I'll rewatch the movie to see how it holds up!

content warnings:

Spoiler

precanon parent death, neglectful grieving parent, [allegory for] depression & suicidal ideation, animal deaths (horse, werewolf), internalized fatphobia

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CONVERSION: 12.0 / 15 = 4 stars

Prose: 8 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 6 / 10
Emotional Impact: 9 / 10
Development / Flow: 7 / 10
Setting: 10 / 10

Diversity & Social Themes: N/A
Intellectual Engagement: 4 / 5
Originality / Trope Execution: N/A
Rereadability: 4 / 5
Memorability: 4 / 5