You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

Discuss here! Please tell us what you think/thought about it, not just that you have read it :)

I'm so excited about this book! I watched the movie when a child and have been reading the book for ages. I already have my copy and will start it today or tomorrow.

I think this movie represents the first time I wore out a video tape I watched it so much! I've set myself a hefty (probably unrealistic) goal with the Serial Killer's challenge ... but I really want to read the story. I'm thinking of doing it audio, so I can "read" it at work!

I downloaded the audiobook tonight, but I probably won't get to it until later next week. I watched the movie with my daughters and later my grandson. We even named a kitten we adopted Bastian. I look forward to finally reading/listening to the book.

I'm so excited for my copy of The Neverending Story to come in! I hope it'll be here early next week.

I can't get this at the library, but I have been thinking about buying it so that I have it around for when my daughter gets a little older. I love the movie and have never read the story. I am excited to do this :)

I just bought a copy of this book. It was my absolutely favorite movie and I hope I will love the book just as much. I am planning on starting today or Monday

I'm awaiting my copy from the library. It is in transit so hopefully will be in my hands soon :-)

Wow I feel like I've lived in a hole. Never read the book or watched the movie. Although I remember as a little kid thinking this is a movie I wouldn't want to watch because it would be too long if it was never ending. I really thought it never ended

Haha :-)
I think I have seen the first movie. I know for sure the second one as I had a crush on Jonathan Brandis when I was a kid :-)

If any of you have Amazon Prime, you can watch the 1984 movie free on Prime Instant Video. I may watch it again after I finish the book.

Having been born in '82 if the movies started in '84 I guess I was a real little kid. I was trying to think how old I woukd have been

Born in '82 and you haven't seen Neverending Story??? How WAS that hole you lived in?! ;)
I am an 81er and I think because by the time it took movies to go on tv I was old enough by then to watch it ;) having older brothers helped I'm sure, although that doesn't explain how I never saw Blade Runner (something I realized while reading Ready Player One!)
I'm a sucker for an 80's comedy! Though this movie isn't one, but has a funny part I remember. I kinda remember #2 with Brandis! #1 is my favorite! ^.^

Theresa~OctoberLace wrote: "If any of you have Amazon Prime, you can watch the 1984 movie free on Prime Instant Video. I may watch it again after I finish the book."

This is completely my plan!

I was born in '85 and this movie was a big part of my childhood. I suppose that may be because my sister, born in '79, loved it so much. I know when I was little it used to come on tv a lot, and we would watch it every single time we saw it was on! Lol.

My copy hasn't shipped yet so I don't know when I'll get to start it.

I bought the audio book last year when Audible had a sale on Children's Books. I was excited to see one of my favorite narrators, Gerard Doyle was narrating.

I think it is time to "read" it and then watch the movie for the millionth time!

When I was a child, I used to ask for only two stuffed animals, Falkor and Gizmo. I never received either! :(

I saw online a while back that some amusement park in Germany (I believe) recreated a Falkor ride. I wonder if it is still there.

I'm only in the second chapter, but enjoying it a lot.
I have already read so many beautiful quotes! Specially in the intro.

"'I wonder', he said to himself, 'what's in a book while it's closed. Oh, I know it's full of letters printed on paper, but all the same, something must be happening, because as soon as I open it, there's a whole story with people I don't know yet and all kinds of adventures and deeds and battles. And sometimes there are storms at sea, or it takes you to strange cities and countries. All those things are somehow shut up in a book. Of course you have to read it to find out. But it's already there, that's the funny thing. I just wish I knew how it could be.'"

(end of the intro)

Really good intro. I am just beginning the book myself

Gizmo caca!!! :)

Melissa wrote: "Gizmo caca!!! :)"

lol

The copy I read was in two different coloured inks and that really drew me into reading the book. I just loved all the characters. This book is the first time I remember realizing how different the books and the movies are though. I discovered just how much more there is to a book than a movie, with the amount that the movie left out astounding me. And then I watched the second movie and realized that just because the movie claimed to be based on the book, it didn't mean that they had anything to do with each other.

Melissa wrote: "Gizmo caca!!! :)"

LOL!!!

I got my copy from the library today :-) the text is in two different colors! I'm excited to read it but must read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone first :-)

My copy is not in different colors but in two different fonts :(

I'm enjoying the story and loving Bastian. I wish I have more time to read!

Shanna_redwind wrote: "The copy I read was in two different coloured inks and that really drew me into reading the book. I just loved all the characters. This book is the first time I remember realizing how different..."

That is what I found out too, Shanna, when I read the book after the movies. I believe the copy I read had the different colored ink too. I have no idea what happened to it. I liked the first story much better than the first, but that is not unusual.

I remember feeling like Bastain, holed up in my room - hiding from my kids when I read the book the first time. (In my defense - they were teenagers. Not like I was hiding from toddlers. One hour after I came home from work was MY TIME TO READ.)

I'm surprised Travis that you haven't seen the movie. I too was one of those who nearly wore the video out (not an original - I taped it off the TV). I was born '79 but I think I must have been 11 or 12 the first time I saw it on TV. I also recall there was a computer game on the spectrum which I played a lot but found really frustrating - all I can remember from it was typing "get rock" or "throw rock" and other variations to move forward in the game but getting nowhere. I never knew there was a book for it until it was discussed a while back here.

Love that quote you posted Sandra.

I started listening to the book yesterday on my way home from work. Because I watched the movie so much growing up, my brain is having a hard time separating them. I keep thinking in my head, "That's not right, that's not how it happened."

But I want to stick with it and finish the book. :)

That is my fear too, Amanda. I have a hard time separating books from movies. And I've never read a book based on a movie that I love after I watched the movie. Read the book, then watch the movie... done that countless times. I don't think I've ever watched the movie, then read the book. It makes me sort of nervous. lol.

Just read in wikipedia that Ende didn't like the movie at all:

"(The movie) covered only the first half of the book, ending at the point where Bastian enters Fantastica. Ende requested they halt production or change the movie's name, as it had drastically deviated from his novel; when they did neither, he sued them and subsequently lost the case."

I loved the movie and I'm loving the book. I should watch the movie again to compare. I see it so many year ago and I don't really remember the details, just that was wonderful.

@Sandra: I have read in the past the Ende didn't like the movie at all. I didn't realize that he had sued and lost. I am liking the book and it is getting easier to separate the two in my head. This is second time I've done it "backwards" by watching the movie first. I did that with The Lightning Thief.

Starting chapter 4 in my audio book, and am really loving the narration. (I disliked the narration so much when I "read" Dandelion Wine it's something of a relief).

I wish I had discovered this book when I was a kid...glad I have the nostalgia of the movie, and it's been so long since I have actually seen it, I can't really remember enough detail to know how it deviates from the film. My plan is to watch after I finishing "reading" the book.

I though there was a sequel to the movie that came out in the 90's...I never saw it, afraid it would ruin the good of the first movie. Even as a kid, I was leery of those.

Much like when I was a kid with the movie, I find myself longing for a school with an attic, where I can build a nest and fall into a story. Hearing about Bastian and Atreyu again, was like running into old friends I'd forgotten I missed.

Also, can I just say that the idea of the "nothing" is really an intense concept to imagine.

There was a second movie, Lynda. I think it is actually based/inspired by the second half of the book. From what I understand the first movie ended at halfway into the book. It seems like Bastian was played by a different actor though, so that was really weird.

I want to say there was a third movie made that I can remember watching too. Actually, I just remembered going to a video store and was browsing through the VHS tapes and there being a Neverending Story 9 or something. Apparently someone made a whole bunch of straight to video movies after the first couple. I think I watched a couple of them but they didn't leave an impression on me so they must not have been very good. LOL.

My copy should be delivered today! I'm excited!

I'm not that far into the book yet, but am loving it so far :-)

I have read up to chapter 4.

(view spoiler)[ I'm so sad that Artax sank in the dark water :-( I remember that from the movie and was sad back then too. I'm loving the story and wish their would have been an attic in my school where I could have gone up and gotten lost in a good book. (hide spoiler)]

@Lynda
I agree, the concept of The Nothing is intense. It's powerful and intriguing.

There's another concept about Fantastica's geography in Chapter 10 that I loved: (view spoiler)[geographic features in Fantastica are not fixed like in our world, so its impossible to draw a map, or know what's where, or measure distances. The same thing happens with the cardinal points, summer and winter, day and night (hide spoiler)]

Just finished Chapter 12 (view spoiler)[I loved the way Bastian finally "enters" in Fantastica. He realizes he has been there the whole time, but Fantastica needs him to finally "jump in" in a more conscious way. This wasn't really clear in my memory from the movie, and I was wondering how the author will make him in without being ridiculous. (hide spoiler)]

Another concept I found interesting (Chapter 9)(view spoiler)[is how the creatures that fall in the Nothing become lies in the real world. The more "lies" from Fantastica are in the real world, the less the humans believe Fantastica is real, so they are not interested in visiting it. This way the Nothing continues growing, sending more lies to the world, in a vicious circle. (hide spoiler)] Very interesting way of explain character's nature in the real world.

Chapter 16 - What a great symbolism about decisions and will in real life! (view spoiler)[ "Bastian had passed many times from one hexagonal room to another. Every decision he made led to another decision that led to yet another decision. But after all these decisions he was still in the Temple of a Thousand Doors. As he went on and on, he began to wonder why this should be. His wish had sufficed to lead him into the maze, but apparently it was not definite enough to enable him to find the way out" (hide spoiler)]

Are you faring better now Amanda with the book? I too find it strange when I've watched a film before reading the book (and the other way around too) - I just accept that it's going to be different and focus on what I like most about that particular version rather than picking out the differences between the two.

Sounds like the rest of you are enjoying it though!

I am doing better with it. I am just now past the part at the Southern Oracle. I actually like those differences. :)

I really want to click on all of the spoilers, but I haven't got my copy of the book in the mail yet so I'm resisting!

Amanda wrote: "I am doing better with it. I am just now past the part at the Southern Oracle. I actually like those differences. :)"

That's good Amanda.

KimeyDiann wrote: "I really want to click on all of the spoilers, but I haven't got my copy of the book in the mail yet so I'm resisting!"

Yes that is a feeling I get a lot. Hang in there though - it will arrive soon!

Sunday, I had about 8 hours of paperwork to go through, and working at home, I blasted through a good chunk of the audio book, and am now at chapter 18.

(view spoiler)[ When Atreyu felt reluctant to come into our world because he didn't want to become a lie, I got shivers. Imagine that...becoming a lie.

Once Bastian enters Fantastica, it does feel a bit like a different story, and I can understand why the movie ended where it did.

As Atreyu worries about Bastian's memory loss, I'm becoming worried as well. I was a little bothered by how just wishing for things, he become better looking, he became stronger, etc. I appreciate though there is a consequence to that. (hide spoiler)]

I have finally made it past the "movie" part, making me halfway finished. Having never seen any of the sequel movies, I can finally separate the book from the original movie. :)

(view spoiler)[I was really surprised that Falkor didn't have as big a roll in the book as he did in the movie. I also enjoyed the long explanation that Gmork gives regarding who the people of Fantastica are and what becomes of them when the go through the nothing. (hide spoiler)]

My copy came in the mail yesterday! I'm going to try to start reading it on my lunch break today.

I'm reading The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones along with this book! City of Bones just mentioned will-o'-the-wisp! I was like, hey! Those are in the Neverending story :-)

Yay, Kimey, glad your copy arrived!

@ Stephanie, I just read the same thing in Hitchhiker's, and thought the same thing!

Stephanie wrote: "I'm reading The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones along with this book! City of Bones just mentioned will-o'-the-wisp! I was like, hey! Those are in the Neverending story :-)"

Isn't it so cool when that happens, Stephanie? Or, while you are reading a specific book, it will mention the title or author of one you just recently read and you say - hey, I know that name or book!
I have had it happen a couple of times. I think we have talked about it before in a theread about co-incidences.