Finished Gaiman's "Stardust" for the second time and am reminded of why I didn't like it the first time. It's very much a fable told to a reader. There's action, but you don't really feel like you're there, and once you get toward the end (after Tristan returns to Wall to confront Victoria), it's a very blah feeling.
The film, I have to say, was much better. I mean, sure, the book had a lot of great stuff in it (Tori Amos as a tree, for one), but the film was just... well... I already said it. Better. And Gaiman worked closely with the filmmakers through most of it, so I'm pretty sure most of the good stuff was his. Also, in the film, the disposition of the witch (Michelle Pfieffer's character) was MUCH better-handled, as were the brothers.
Anyway, now reading "The Golden Compass" by Phillip Pullman again. The prose is vivid, much more so than the film (IMO), though it does get away from him from time to time.