Tag Archives: The Neverending Story

Audible Review: The Thief of Always by Clive Barker

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Prior to reading The Thief of Always, I had heard great things about this book. What I didn’t expect was how much I’d wind up enjoying it. The Thief of Always is now not only one of my favorite Clive Barker books, it’s one of my all-time favorite books in general, regardless of the author. Why? Because it is a tightly-woven fable with vivid imagery, whimsy, and grandeur. What impressed me most was the writing style. I’m used to Clive Barker’s dark, macabre writing style. You won’t get any of that here. It’s so dramatically different that I thought I was reading another author’s book. The Thief of Always has a charming and lovingly presented style that goes down as smoothly as an ice-cold orange cream soda on a sweltering summer day. The characters are splendid, and the story is epic and succinct all at once. While reading this book, I experienced the same joy that I did from watching The Neverending Story as a child. I was filled with awe and happiness because I was fully immersed in a world I didn’t want to leave. Even better, the narrator for this Audible Original is perfect. His warm, emotive voice perfectly captures the mood and tone of the book and enhances it tenfold. Everyone should experience The Thief of Always—it’s a timeless tale for young and old about the wonders of the world . . . and beyond.

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Movie Review: The Neverending Story

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Last night I decided to revisit one of my favorite films as a child: The Neverending Story. I was a little nervous that the movie wouldn’t be as good as I remembered, but thankfully it was. Directed by Wolfgang Petersen, this 1984 film was met with mostly positive reviews upon its release. While the film grossed less in the U.S. than it cost to make, worldwide it pulled in more than $100 million and went on to become one of the best-selling home video releases ever.

The Neverending Story is based on the first half of the fantasy novel of the same name by Michael Ende. While I plan on reading the novel, I have yet to do so; therefore I can’t compare the two. However, nearly 30 years later, the movie is still as visually stunning as I remember. Watching Atreyu traverse Fantasia in search of a way to save the Empress, was as spellbinding as I remembered. And the wonderfully majestic score, composed by Klaus Doldinger, brought back great memories, as well as the title song, which was composed by legendary disco producer Giorgio Moroder.

If you’ve never seen this movie, I highly recommend it. While some of the special effects look dated, the majority of them are still wonderful. More importantly, the acting is excellent and the story is charming. It’s a wonderful film for those young and old, and it still ranks high on my list of all-time favorite films.