The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars

by Steven Brust

Book Overview

Once upon a time there was a kingdom that lived in darkness, for the sun, the moon and the stars were hidden in a box, and that box was hidden in a sow's belly, and that sow was hidden in a troll's cave, and that cave was hidden at the end of the world.

Once upon a time there was a studio of artists who feared they were doomed to obscurity, for though they worked and they worked, no one was interested in the paintings that stood in racks...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312860390
• ISBN13: 9780312860394
• Release Date: June 1996
• Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Powerful Story about Storytelling and the Power of Myth

Returning once again to Steven Brust, I am now choosing to review not one of his Vlad Toltos or Dragaera books going on to a much deeper book by this very creative writer. There are two editions of this book that I know of. The current Orb edition and a much older Ace edition. Quoting from the back's of the books: Once Upon A Time there was a kingdom, that lived in darkness, for the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars were hidden in a box ... which was hidden in a sow's belly ... which was hidden I a troll's cave ... which was surely hidden at the end of the world. And ... Once Upon A Time there was a struggling young painter who also lived in darkness, and - like the hero of that Hungarian folktale - was beginning his most perilous quest. shooting for the Moon. And the Sun. And the Stars ... Once Upon A Time there was a studio of artists who feared they were doomed to obscurity, for though they worked and they worked, no one was interested in the paintings that stood in racks along their studio walls. The Sun, the Moon & The Stars is a tale of two quests, of two young men who are reaching for the moon. And the sun. And the stars. This is a story that I read every few years. Each time I read it I get more from it. The story is of a artist telling his friends a fairy tale he was told in his youth. In telling them the story he is living a fairy tale in that he is attacking the biggest canvas he has ever painted. One he bought after selling a painting that has sat blank for a long time. Now before giving up on being artists living in community he tries to tackle that canvas. As both a write and a painter this story draws me in. Each time I read it, I hope to become better at both my crafts. This story is a modern day fairy tale told with compassion, conviction and daring. It dares us to learn to dream again, to hope to wish, and maybe if we are lucky the magic of the story will rub off on us.

The dilemmas of an artist

First off: If you have little or no interest in art, this book might not be for you. Second, if you're looking for another book lik "Jhereg" or "The Phoenix Guards" this is not it. There is a Hungarian faerie tale(which I understand from the text is liberally adapted by the narrator) dispersed between the chapters, but chances are it will not fulfill your fantasy needs. That said, let's see what we have:The story is centered around Greg, a young painter who shares a studio with four fellow artists. They're almost broke, and they're reaching a point where their artistic ambitions must come to fruitition or be set aside for mundane pursuits. The fact that all their efforts might have been for nothing creates tension within the group, and the fact that Greg is a rather arrogant does not help. He's intelligent and he knows it, but he has trouble seeing things from more than one side, and this makes him rather insensitive. He takes art seriously to the point of pretentiousness, but he is not the most talented artist in the group. He is, all in all, human. The other characters are of course less thoroughly described, but I did not find them boring or one-dimensional. There are several sections where Greg is allowed to think aloud, expressing his thoughts about life, art and hungarian faerie tales. When you flip the last page, you have really gotten to know Greg. I consider this one of the strong points of the book. Even with his biased opinions and ill-considered remarks, Greg is a likable character. He lives off his girlfriend and feels rather guilty about this, but he can't let go of his artistic ambitions. Like a man who gambles with household money, he must either take the loss and admit failure, or go on, raise the stakes and hope for his luck to improve. The same goes for the rest of the group; they must take their shot at the stars or take a nine to five job. To sum it up, I loved this book. It made me wish I had taken more art classes, it made me want to tell stories of my own. It made me want to recommend it to everyone, but I realize(particularly after reading some of the other reviews) that it's not everyone's cup of tea. Fortunately.

Breathtaking

This book is as finely structured as a fugue, as passion-inducing as wine, as stunning as the night sky over the ocean. Am I exaggerating? Perhaps a little, but this Steven Brust fan was floored to find that he could produce a novel that was impossible to put down-- in which almost nothing "exciting" occurs. Having read and re-read the Vlad Taltos series, I picked this volume up when it was reissued in '96 or '97 with, I must admit, only slight curiosity for the contents; I was more interested in having a complete collection of Brust's work and decided to read it "whenever". While unexpectedly stuck at my parents' house for a couple of long summer days, I dragged it out of the bottom of my backpack and idly began to flip through it... The book did not leave my side for the duration of my stay. It is not a long book, but I went over certain passages dozens of times. I was surprised to find no similarity whatever with any other of the author's works. I'd known him to be an excellent wordsmith, but this is WRITING, kids, with each word lovingly chosen and each sentence perfectly balanced. The harmony he crafts between the story of the artists and the Hungarian legend of Csuzckari the Gypsy transcends the limitations one normally encounters in meldings of fiction and folklore. In short, this is Brust giving us a glimpse into the universal soul of creativity, and anyone who has ever attempted to paint, sing, sculpt, write, brew, or cook will benefit from reading this. It is a truly worthy book.

I'm not sure I got it all, but it was beautiful

"Beautiful" is a pretty good description of this book. It's part of the "Fairy Tales" series, all of which I love. The main character is a painter, but his creational experience (with a "big canvas") applies to any sort of artist (the creative types). The writing style rings as true, every single page. The minor characters are intriguing and fleshed out enough to be human; I found a couple of them humorous. It gives a very good insight into the craft of a painter (speaking as a musician) as well as the mind of a creator; the juxtaposition of the modern story, the fairy tale, and the incidents in the past of the narrator is fascinating. When I say I'm not sure I got it all, I wasn't kidding. While it resonated on all those levels, I don't think I fully understood the relationship of the Hungarian fairy tale to the painter's story; I'm not sure I caught all the symbolism within the painting, either. I'll just have to go reread it . . . darn!

Brilliant and Innovative

Steven Brust once again refuses to be pigeonholed. The author of the Taltos series heads in a completely new direction in this book. He spins a double storyline of a Hungarian folktale which symbolically connects to the painting the main characters is creating, as well as the story of the group of artist as they struggle to be discovered.Brust touches on the dynamics of friendships in crisis, lives at a point of decision and the creative process itself in this brilliant story.This will strike a chord in any writer or artist.Buy it. Now.