Stardust

Story

To catch a fallen star! That’s what Tristran promises the girl he likes to win her heart. But the star has fallen into the strange land of Faerie behind the wall, and upon finding it, it is no rock at all, but a young woman called Yvaine. And others are trailing her too…

Why we chose it

A fantasy story with many fairy tale elements, complete with a fallen star, three malevolent ancient witches, warring brothers intent on murdering one another and a flying pirate ship! A story which has been told in many different forms and is highly acclaimed in all of them.

Where it came from

While at a party near Tucson in the Arizona desert in 1991, Neil Gaiman saw a bright shooting star, and the idea for Stardust was born. The same night, he dragged illustrator Charles Vess from a different party to explain the story, and Vess agreed to illustrate it.

Where it went next

Stardust was originally released as a four-part comic series in 1997 with illustrations by Charles Vess, with whom Gaiman had collaborated on his Sandman comics. A hardback collection edition was published in 1998, followed by a traditional novel without illustrations in 1999.

Stardust remains one of Neil Gaiman’s best-known stories. The three versions each won or were nominated for a number of awards.

Stardust was adapted into a popular film in 2007, as well as a BBC Radio 4 radio play in 2016.

Associated stories

Neil Gaiman writes books and comics for readers of all ages. He is the author of a number of novels for children and young adults including Coraline, The Graveyard Book, Fortunately the Milk and Odd and the Frost Giants. His graphic novel series about The Sandman are written for older readers.