Good Books - The Neverending Story

One of my favorite childhood movies is "The Neverending Story." The idea of a book actually being real and the reader being a part of the story always intrigued me. So imagine my excitement when I discovered that this movie was based on a book by Michael Ende, a German writer.

Originally this book was written in German but later translated into English by Ralph Manheim. And when comparing the book to the movie, the book is much much better. The movie only covers the beginning of the book.

The story begins with a boy named Bastian Balthazar Bux who finds himself running away from some bullies to hid in an old bookstore. In the store he meets a the store owner Carl Conrad Coreander and discovers a large old book titled "The Neverending Story".

 Bastian "borrows" the book and procedes to read it in the attic of his school.

He soon discovers that this book is very different from any other book he has ever read. He finds himself getting carried away in the story.

The book tells of a land called Fantastica where stories are real and anything can happen. This land is ruled by the Childlike Empress who is seen only by a chosen few because she lives at the top of a tall Ivory tower.

Her land is endangered by "The Nothing". Bits and pieces of Fantastica are disappearing like they have never existed. In the movie it depicts "The Nothing" as a great storm, that strips the land until nothing is left.

"The Nothing" is being helped by a giant wolf creature called the Gmork.

The AURYN

The Empress asks the help of a young warrior named Atreyu to stop The Nothing. He is given the AURYN to protect and guide him. He starts on his adventures and meets a luck dragon named Falkor and many other people.

Falkor the Luck Dragon

After going through many trials Atreyu discovers only a human child can save them. And Bastian relizes that they are talking about him. That by him giving the Empress a new name he can save all of Fantastica. He reluctantly does so and is brought into Fantastica.

The Empress tells Bastian that the more wishes he makes in Fantastica the bigger Fantastica will become. So for his first wish he wished to be strong. A beautiful forest formed out of the nothingness, and he soon forgot he was ever weak. He then wished he was brave and the forest was replaced by a vast desert where he meets a fierce lion, and he forgot he was ever scared.

The more wishes he made the more he forgot, but the more amazing his adventures became.

For most of the book Bastian has adventures in Fantistica and is helped by Atreyu and Falkor. And it is only with their help is he ever to make it home again without loosing himself in Fantistica.

This book has so many great story's many of which end with the line "that, however, is another story and shall be told another time," making it one big book of Neverending Stories.

I encourage anyone who is a fan of the movie to sit down and read the book because they will not be disappointed. I wasn't, I just wish that someone who is a fan would remake the movie using more of the story from the book. I think that would be so cool.