Let me open by saying I grew up watching the first two movies based on this book. I know there have been others but I haven’t seen them.

Loving the movies I finally got a copy of the book and have just begun the story. Within the Prologue and the first chapter there is already so much more to the story.

Bastian isn’t a kid who does sports, he is also someone who got held back in school. He is described as a fat kid with dark brown hair who might be 10 or 12.

Already the novel is more psychological as it goes into Bastian’s love of books, his whirling thoughts and imagination. How he has been bullied in school. How he’s happier reading a book than anything else.

Then there is Coriander who in the films seems like a gruff old man but the first movie makes it look like he wanted Bastian to take the book as he smiled after seeing Bastian’s note, this isn’t true. Their entire interaction was him insulting Bastian. Calling him a coward, a weakling and a failure all around.

Coriander makes it clear that he doesn’t like children at all.

The book gives Rock Biter a name, Pyornkrachzark and and the others at a shared camp the Nighthob with a bat named Vashvazool and the man with the snail is a Tiny named Guckuk. Thr exposition of the Nothing is brought bya will o the wisp named Blubb, then they all say they experienced the same thing.

We get a little deeper into these characters in the first chapter as we learn where they are from and what their people or homes are like.

I already have a feeling this story is going to be deeply emotional and psychological, I am enjoying it heavily and while the movies will always be nostalgic and I’ll watch them a lot, I can see why people say the book is better.

I plan on writing my thoughts here again when I have finished the story.