Sample Page

The Neverending Story (German: Die unendliche Geschichte) is a fantasy novel by German writer Michael Ende, published in 1979. The first English translation, by Ralph Manheim, was published in 1983. It was later adapted into a film series and a television series.

Bastian Balthazar Bux is an imaginative child who is neglected by his father after the death of Bastian’s mother. While escaping bullies, Bastian hides in the bookstore of Carl Conrad Coreander, where he finds The Neverending Story. He steals the book, hides in his school’s attic, and reads.

The book is set in the magical land of Fantastica, ruled by the Childlike Empress. A delegation arrives to seek her help against a formless entity called the “Nothing”. The Empress’s physician informs them that she is ill and has chosen a boy warrior named Atreyu to find a cure. Atreyu is given Auryn, a powerful amulet that protects him from all harm. At the advice of the giant turtle Morla the Aged One, Atreyu sets off in search of an invisible oracle, Uyulala, who may know the Empress’s cure. He is aided by the luckdragon Falkor, whom he rescues from the shapeshifter Ygramul the Many. Uyulala reveals that the only thing that can save the Empress is a new name given by a human living beyond Fantastica’s borders.

Bastian becomes increasingly concerned that the characters are aware he is reading their adventures, and are able to hear or even see him at points. As Falkor and Atreyu search for the border, Atreyu is flung from Falkor’s back by the four Wind Giants, loses Auryn, and lands in the ruins of Spook City. Atreyu finds the werewolf Gmork, chained and near death, who tells him that all the residents of the city have leapt voluntarily into the Nothing, becoming lies in the human world. Gmork says he is a servant of the force behind the Nothing and was sent to stop the Empress’s chosen hero. When the princess of the city discovered his treachery, she imprisoned him and left him to starve to death. Atreyu announces he is the chosen hero, and Gmork laughs before dying. When approached, his body instinctively seizes Atreyu’s leg in his jaws as the Nothing approaches; Falkor retrieves Auryn and saves Atreyu.

Falkor and Atreyu go to the Childlike Empress, who assures them they have brought her rescuer. Bastian suspects the Empress means him but cannot believe it. When Bastian refuses to speak the new name, the Empress locates the Old Man of Wandering Mountain, who possesses a book also entitled The Neverending Story. The Empress demands he read aloud in order to signal Bastian. As he begins, Bastian is amazed to find his book is repeating itself, restarting whenever the Empress reaches the Old Man, and beginning with Bastian’s actions from the start of the book. Realizing the story will repeat itself forever without his intervention, Bastian names the Empress “Moon Child”, and is transported to Fantastica, where he restores its existence through his imagination. The Empress gives him Auryn, with the inscription “Do What You Wish” on the back.

For each wish, Bastian loses a memory from his human life. Unaware of this at first, Bastian wishes for several adventures in Fantastica. In spite of warnings, Bastian uses Auryn to create dangers for himself to conquer, causing chaos for Fantastica, such as a dragon attack and the birth of the winged Shlamoofs. After being manipulated by the wicked sorceress Xayide, and the absence of the Childlike Empress, Bastian decides to take over Fantastica as emperor. Atreyu battles Bastian and the Ivory Tower is destroyed. Bastian then enters “The City of Old Emperors”, inhabited by humans who came to Fantastica but could not find their way out. A repentant Bastian is reduced to two memories: his father and his own name. Bastian must give up the memory of his father to discover that his strongest wish is to be capable of love.

After much searching and having lost his final memory (his name and knowledge of himself), Bastian is unable to find the Water of Life with which to leave Fantastica with his memories. After an attack by the Shlamoofs, he is rescued by Atreyu. Bastian lays down Auryn at his friend’s feet, and Atreyu and Falkor enter Auryn with him, where the Water of Life demands to know Bastian’s name, and if Bastian has finished all the stories he began in his journey, which he has not. Atreyu gives Bastian’s name and promises to complete all the stories for him, and the Water of Life allows Bastian to return to the human world, along with some of the mystical waters. After drinking the Water of Life, Bastian returns to his original form, and feels happy. He returns to his father, where he tells the full tale of his adventures, and thus his father is restored from his grief. Afterward, Bastian confesses to Coreander about stealing his book and losing it, but Coreander denies ever owning such a book. He reveals he has also been to Fantastica, that the book has likely moved into the hands of someone else and that Bastian—like he did—will eventually show people the many ways to Fantastica.

The Neverending Story was first published under the title Die unendliche Geschichte in 1979 by West German publisher Thienemann Verlag. It was number one on West Germany’s Der Spiegel bestseller list for 113 weeks, and remained on the list for 332 weeks.^[2] The original edition was printed using red and green text: green writing to represent the story lines which take place in the human world, and red writing to represent the events taking place in Fantastica. The illustrations by Roswitha Quadflieg that begin each chapter are drawn in both colors to illustrate how the two worlds intertwine.^[3] It was initially only printed as a hardcover, not paperback, because Ende wanted the book to look as much as possible like the book that Bastian steals from Mr. Coreander in the story.^[4]

The English version, translated by Ralph Manheim, was published simultaneously in the United Kingdom and United States in 1983.^[4] Several other English-language editions have since been published, with a variety of covers and lettering styles. As of 2010, The Neverending Story has been translated into 36 languages, and sold more than eight million copies worldwide.^[2]

In 1998 Der Niemandsgarten (English: The No Man’s Garden) was published. This anthology of Michael Ende’s unpublished works includes insight on the creation of The Neverending Story and has been translated into Japanese but not English.^[5] Also unavailable in English is Aber das ist eine andere Geschichte – Das große Michael Ende Lesebuch (English: But that is Another Story: The Big Michael Ende Reader), which contains the previously unpublished chapter “Bastian erlernt die Zauberkunst” (English: “Bastian learns the art of magic”).^[6]

A survey conducted by German filmmaker Ulli Pfau found that The Neverending Story appeals particularly to readers aged 18–35. It remains most successful in Germany and Japan, while the 1984 film tends to be better-known among English-speaking audiences.^[4]

Early reviews of the English-language edition included positive reviews in Library Journal and Kirkus Reviews, the latter calling The Neverending Story an “appealing, delicately wrought, engrossing adventure—for children of all ages”.^[7][8] A less positive review in gaming magazine White Dwarf took issue with the appearance of the physical book, writing that “despite plush production the artwork is grotty, while the promised ‘shimmering copper-coloured silk’ binding looks like plain red cloth to me. A good buy, though, unless you suffer from red/green colour blindness”.^[9]

In subsequent years the text of The Neverending Story has been analyzed from several different viewpoints. In The Rhetoric of Character in Children’s Literature, literary critic Maria Nikolajeva states that “the two parts of the novel repeat each other” in that Bastian becomes a hero but then in the second half he “acts not even as an antihero but as a false hero of the fairy tale” and the characters of Bastian and Atreyu can also be seen as mirror halves.^[10] Helmut Gronemann’s Fantastica—the Realm of the Unconscious explores the novel from a Jungian point of view, identifying archetypes and symbols in the story.^[4] Additionally, some religious groups have analyzed the text for occult messages and imagery.^[4]

A German dramatized audioplay was made in 1984 under the title Die unendliche Geschichte, published by Karussell/Universal Music Group. Directed by Anke Beckert, with music by Frank Duval, it was released on 3 parts on LP and MC, and 2 parts on CD.^{[citation needed]}

The NeverEnding Story was the first film adaptation of the novel. It was released in 1984, directed by Wolfgang Petersen and starring Barret Oliver as Bastian, Noah Hathaway as Atreyu, and Tami Stronach as the Childlike Empress. It covers only the first half of the book, ending at the point where Bastian enters Fantasia^[a], and features characters who look markedly different from how they are described in the book (most notably Bastian, who is very self-conscious about his weight in the book, but is depicted as slender in the film).^[11] Ende, who was reportedly “revolted” by the film,^[1] requested they halt production or change the film’s name, as he felt it had ultimately and drastically deviated from his novel; when they did neither, he sued them and subsequently lost the case.^[12]

The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter, directed by George T. Miller and starring Jonathan Brandis and Kenny Morrison, was released in 1990. It used plot elements primarily from the second half of Ende’s novel, but told a new tale. Ende has dismissed both the 1984 film and its 1990 sequel as “gigantic melodrama made of kitsch and commerce, plush and plastic”.^[13]

The NeverEnding Story III, directed by Peter MacDonald and starring Jason James Richter, Melody Kay and Jack Black, was released in 1994 in Germany. This film was primarily based only upon the characters from Ende’s book but had an original story. The film was lambasted by film critics for its poor and laughable dialogue and special effects and was a box-office bomb. In addition, the US release went straight to video and received a limited theatrical run in 1996.^[14]

In 2024, Michael Ende Productions, in association with See-Saw Films, announced plans for a series of films based on the book.^[15]

From 2003 to 2004, the German publishing house AVAinternational published six novels of different authors in a series called Legends of Fantastica, each using parts of the original plot and characters to compose an entirely new storyline:^{[citation needed]}

• Kinkel, Tanja (2003). Der König der Narren [The King of Fools].
• Schweikert, Ulrike (2003). Die Seele der Nacht [The Soul of the Night].
• Isau, Ralf (2003). Die geheime Bibliothek des Thaddäus Tillmann Trutz [The Secret Library of Thaddaeus Tillman Trutz].
• Fleischhauer, Wolfram (2004). Die Verschwörung der Engel [The Angels’ Plot].
• Freund, Peter (2004). Die Stadt der vergessenen Träume [The City of Forgotten Dreams].
• Dempf, Peter (2004). Die Herrin der Wörter [Empress of the Words].

The world première of the stage production took place in 2012 in Brisbane, Australia, by the Harvest Rain Theatre Company.^[16][17]

In Germany, The Neverending Story has been variously adapted to a stage play, ballet and opera,^[18] which premiered both at Trier and at Weimar Nationaltheater on 10 April 2004, and was subsequently staged at Linz Landestheater on 11 December. The scores to both the opera and the ballet versions were composed by Siegfried Matthus. The opera libretto was by Anton Perry.

In Canada, the novel was adapted to stage for the Stratford Festival for the 2019 season adapted by David S. Craig with original music by Hawksley Workman.^[19]

In Spain, in October 2022, the musical of The Neverending Story premiered in Madrid, in Teatro Calderón. The music was composed by Iván Macias and the book was adapted by Felix Amador, while Federico Barrios was the director. Bastian and Atreyu roles were played by children that alternate. Teresa Abarca and Alba Cuartero alternate the Childlike Empress. Josean Moreno was Fujur, Teresa Ferrer was Xayide and Álex Forriols was Gmork. The company KREAT K made for the musical some animatronics of the fantastic creatures.^[20][21][22] The musical did the last show in Madrid on May 28, 2023.^[23] On September 8, the musical came to Teatro principal in Zaragoza, and lasted until October 22.^[24] Later on November 2, the musical premiered in Barcelona in Teatre Apolo with Elena González as Childlike Empress, Josean Moreno as Fujur, Álex Forriols as Gmork and Noemí Gallego as Xayide.^[25][26][27] The last show in Barcelona was on April 7, 2024.^[28] Between December 18, 2025 and January 4, 2026, the musical returned in FIBES, Seville.^[29][30]

The 1995 animated series was produced by Canadian animation studio Nelvana, under the title of The Neverending Story: The Animated Adventures of Bastian Balthazar Bux. The animated series ran for two years, and had a total of twenty-six episodes. Director duties were split between Marc Boreal and Mike Fallows. Each episode focused on Bastian’s further adventures in Fantastica, largely different from his further adventures in the book, but occasionally containing elements of them.

Tales from the Neverending Story, a one-season-only TV series that is loosely based on Ende’s novel, was produced in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, through December 2000 to August 2002 and distributed by Muse Entertainment, airing on HBO in 2002. It was aired as four two-hour television movies in the US and as a TV series of 13 one-hour episodes in the United Kingdom. The series was released on DVD in 2001.

Ocean Software released a text adventure in 1985 for the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, and Atari 8-bit computers.^[31]

A video game based on the second film was released in 1990 by Merimpex Ltd under their Linel label and re-released by System 4 for the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64.^[32]

The Ende-inspired video game AURYN Quest was released in 2002.^[33]

• The Neverending Story at The Encyclopedia of Fantasy
• The Neverending Story title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
• Michael Ende at IMDb
• Viewpoint characters of The Neverending Story bar chart at Wikidata