Stardust (Gaiman novel)
Stardust is a 1999 fantasy novel by British writer Neil Gaiman, usually published with illustrations by Charles Vess. "Stardust" has a different tone and style from most of Gaiman's prose fiction, being consciously written in the tradition of pre-Tolkien English fantasy, following in the footsteps of authors such as Lord Dunsany and Hope Mirrlees. It is concerned with the adventures of a young man from the village of Wall, which borders the magical land of Faerie. In 2007, a film based on the novel was released to generally positive reviews. Gaiman has also occasionally made  references to writing a sequel, or at least another book concerning the village of Wall. The story begins in late April 1839, as John William Draper had just photographed the Moon and Charles Dickens was serialising "Oliver Twist". The majority of the book takes place seventeen years later, starting around October 1856. Plot. Every nine years, in the village of Wall in rural England, a market is held the other side of a stone wall (for which the village is named) dividing the realm of Faerie from our world. In the early Victorian era, young Dunstan Thorn meets Una, a  fairy woman enslaved by the witch Semele, at the market. Dunstan purchases a glass snowdrop from her with a kiss; and, later that night, makes love to her in the woods. Months later, Dunstan receives a baby in a basket—his and Una's son, Tristran. Eighteen years later, Tristran is infatuated with the beautiful Victoria Forester. While walking her home one night, he sees a falling star land in Faerie and vows to bring it to Victoria. Victoria agrees to reward him with whatever he desires—including her hand in marriage—if he succeeds. Dunstan gives Tristran the snowdrop  and enables him to pass the wall's guards by alluding to his fairy heritage. At the castle of Stormhold, in Faerie, the dying Lord of Stormhold throws his topaz pendant out the window and declares that the first of his three surviving sons—Primus, Tertius, and Septimus—to retrieve it will be his successor. The pendant flies upward and knocks a star out of the sky (the same one Tristran promised to Victoria). The brothers depart in search of the pendant after their father's death. Septimus poisons Tertius at an inn. Meanwhile, the Lilim, a trio of ancient  witches, learn of the fallen star and plan to eat its heart to regain their youth. The eldest of the Lilim, the witch-queen, is chosen to find the star and consumes the remains of the last star's heart. Tristran meets a small, hairy man; who gives Tristran a silver chain, and a magic candle-stub which allows one to travel great distances quickly while it burns. Tristran uses the candle to reach the star, but is surprised to find that it is actually a young woman named Yvaine. Resolving to take her to Victoria anyway, Tristran tethers Yvaine  to him with the chain; however, the candle burns out before he can return. Tristran and Yvaine travel on foot; however, Yvaine escapes on a unicorn when Tristran unchains her and leaves in search of food. Meanwhile, the witch-queen encounters Semele; who deceives the witch-queen into disclosing the purpose of her journey. The enraged witch-queen puts a curse on her, which prevents her from seeing, touching or perceiving the star. After discovering that Yvaine is gone, Tristran manages to catch a ride in Primus' carriage. The witch-queen conjures a wayside inn to catch Yvaine, who is  drawing near. Yvaine arrives at the inn, followed shortly after by Tristran and Primus. The witch-queen attempts to poison Tristran but the unicorn warns him just in time. He rushes back to the inn as the witch-queen murders Primus. Tristran escapes with Yvaine by forming a makeshift candle from the remnants of the magic candle. Shortly afterwards, Septimus arrives and finds Primus' body. He sets off in search of the witch-queen, to fulfill an obligation to avenge his slain brother. Tristran and Yvaine end up stranded on a cloud, miles above Faerie, when the candle burns out ; but are rescued by the crew of a flying ship. Though Tristran expresses that he no longer intends to force Yvaine to accompany him, she reveals that—by the custom of her kind—because he has saved her life, she is nonetheless obliged to do so. Upon parting company with the ship, Tristran and Yvaine set off for Wall. They encounter Semele, who, because of the witch-queen's curse, is unable to see Yvaine. Semele agrees to transport Tristran the rest of the way to Wall; and Tristran obtains a promise from Semele that he will arrive at their  destination unharmed. This, however, does not prevent Semele using the snowdrop to transform him into a dormouse for the duration of the journey. Yvaine also rides in Semele's caravan, unbeknownst to the witch. Septimus, meanwhile, plots his attack on the witch-queen, but is himself killed by his intended victim. At the market, Tristran leaves Yvaine and crosses back into Wall to meet Victoria. Meanwhile, Yvaine realizes she has fallen in love with Tristran; but learns that if she crosses the wall and leaves Faerie, she will be transformed into a piece of rock. A dismayed Victoria informs Tristran  that she is already engaged to Robert Monday. She never believed he would actually go through with his quest; but is nonetheless willing to keep her promise and marry him. Tristran, not wishing to force Victoria into marrying him, reminds her that marriage was not the promise, but rather to give him anything he desired. He says that he desires that she marry her own love, Monday. Tristran later returns to Yvaine at the market. She is delighted to learn that Victoria will be married to someone else, and that Tristran reciprocates her love. Meanwhile, Una is freed; as her  enslavement ends when the moon loses her child (Yvaine), if it happens in a week when two Mondays come together (the marriage of Victoria and Monday). Una seeks out Tristran and Yvaine and reveals herself as Tristran's mother and the late Lord of Stormhold's only daughter. As such, Tristran is rightfully the last male heir of Stormhold, and Yvaine presents him with the pendant, which she has been carrying. Yvaine is approached by the witch-queen, whose youth has run out and is now older than ever. Yvaine, no longer afraid, explains that her heart is no longer  for the taking as she has given it to Tristran. Una returns to Stormhold to rule in her son's stead, while Tristran and Yvaine travel throughout Faerie. Many years later, Tristran and Yvaine finally return to Stormhold, and Tristran assumes the lordship. When he eventually grows old and dies, Yvaine continues to reign as the immortal ruler of Stormhold. Publication history. "Stardust" was originally conceived by Gaiman and Vess as a "story book with pictures", created by both, to be published by American company DC Comics. During an interview to be included in the audio book, Neil Gaiman explained  how one day while driving he had seen a wall on the side of the road and had conceived the idea of Faerie being behind the wall. This sparked an idea in Gaiman's head about an American novelist who moved to England where he would find out about this wall; at this time, the book was to be called "Wall". Soon afterwards, Gaiman was nominated for a literary award, which he won, and at a celebratory party for the award he saw a shooting star and immediately came up with the idea of "Stardust". Gaiman dragged Vess out of  a party that he was at and outlined the plot to him and Vess agreed to do the illustrations. Initially, "Stardust" was released in 1997 as a prestige format four-issue comic mini-series. "Stardust" came out once a month in a square-bound, high-gloss booklet with high grade paper, high quality color and no advertisements. Gaiman and Vess originally intended the story to be released complete, as a single book, which would better reproduce the painted illustrations of Vess and be a "story book" for all ages, and a release in this format was made in 1998. There  was both a hardback () and a trade paperback edition (). It is more accurately titled Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess' "Stardust (Being A Romance Within The Realms of Faerie)". The hardback edition is quarter-bound in faux leather with the author's names, title and several stars inlaid in foil. It also has reproductions of the serialized version's covers and many sketches by Vess. The trade paperback has a very different cover design and illustrations by Vess, and has subsequently been reprinted with another different cover design. Gaiman retains the copyright to the text and in 1999 decided, encouraged by  publisher Avon, to publish "Stardust" as a conventional novel in hardback without illustrations. There was also a subsequent UK hardcover edition, from Hodder Headline. The book also proved popular with readers of the "romance" genre, although it is generally considered part of the fantasy genre. Thus the paperback publication was originally given three different covers which when placed side by side had one background image and a different primary image including a handsome man holding a woman in a passionate embrace, although this cover concept was never used. In 1999, Charles Vess' Green Man Press produced a portfolio as a  benefit for Charles Vess' wife Karen, injured in a car accident, titled "A Fall of Stardust", which contained two chapbooks and a series of art plates. The first chapbook, written by Gaiman, comprised "Wall: A Prologue" short story, "Septimus' Triolet" poem, "Song of the Little Hairy Man", and "The Old Warlock's Reverie: A Pantoum" poem. The second chapbook was a short story entitled "The Duke of Wellington Misplaces His Horse" by Susanna Clarke. Art plates were illustrated by William Stout, Mike Mignola, Terri Windling, Bryan Talbot, Jill Thompson, Paul Chadwick, P. Craig Russell, Mark Crilley, Elizabeth Johns, Michael Zulli , Robin Mullins, Lisa Snellings, Terry Moore, Tony DiTerlizzi, Linda Medley, Lorenzo Mattotti, Zander Cannon, Dave McKean, Jeff Smith, Trina Robbins & Steve Leialoha, Gary Gianni, Janine Johnston, Stan Sakai, Michael Kaluta, Moebius, Rebecca Guay, Geof Darrow, Brian Froud and Charles Vess. Several plates were coloured by Eric Olive. Todd Klein worked with Charles Vess to create the unique logo. Those who order this collection directly from Green Man Press received an additional art plate by Sergio Aragonés. In July 2007, a new hardcover edition was published by DC's Vertigo imprint, containing approximately fifty pages of new material, including new artwork  and information on the production of the book. Gaiman had potential ideas for more books following on from Stardust, one called "Hellflier" set about 5 years later, and another called "Wall" set about 150 years later. Musical comedian Tim Minchin expressed interest in the idea of adapting the story into a stage musical during a Facebook Live Q&A for The Guardian in October 2017 while discussing "Matilda The Musical". Cultural references. Towards the end of the novel, it is mentioned that Tristran was rumoured to have been instrumental in breaking the power of the Unseelie Court. In Scottish folklore, faeries  are often divided into the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, the Seelie being the faeries benevolently inclined towards humans and the Unseelie being the malevolent or mischievous faeries. Awards. The original DC Comics series was nominated for the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards for Favorite Limited Series for 1998 and 1999. The collected edition of the series was also nominated for the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for Favorite Reprint Graphic Album for 1999. In 1999, the Mythopoeic Society awarded it the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature. The novel was nominated for the Locus Award that same year . In 2000, it received an Alex Award from the American Library Association. Adaptations. BBC Radio 4 produced a two-part radio adaptation first broadcast 17 December 2016, dramatized and directed by Dirk Maggs and featuring Eleanor Bron, Matthew Beard as Tristan and Sophie Rundle as Yvaine.