Our hero, Tristran Thorn, 17 years old, ‘ was halfway between a boy and a man, and seemed equally as uncomfortable in either role he seemed to be composed chiefly of elbows and Adam’s apples, with a constellation of acne-spots across his right cheek. Huge shapes and odd shapes and small, glimmering things which flash and glitter and are gone.’ From time to time shapes and figures can be seen, amongst the trees, in the distance. ‘ There is only one break in the wall: an opening about six feet in width… Through the gap… can be seen a large green meadow… a stream… trees. There are hints of what can sometimes be seen beyond the wall that separates the town from what lies to the east… ‘ The town of Wall stands today, as it has stood for six hundred years, on a high jut of granite, amidst a small forest woodland…’ The descriptions are very reminiscent of fairy tales… This is very much an adult fairy tale with ‘adult’ scenes and Charles Vess’ art elevates the story beautifully. To gain the hand of his beloved, Tristran rashly vows to fetch the fallen star and embarks upon a lover’s quest that will carry him over the ancient wall and into a world beyond his wildest imaginings.’ It is here in Wall that young Tristran Thorn loses his heart to the town beauty – a woman who is as cold and distant as the star she and Tristran see fall from the sky on a crisp October evening. The leisurely pace in Wall is disrupted only once every nine years as the mortal and magical meet upon the meadow for a market fair like no other. ‘ In the sleepy English countryside at the dawn of the Victorian era lies the village of Wall – a secluded hamlet that derives its name from an imposing stone barrier that surrounds a fertile grassland. Oh, the excitement when the boys got it for me for my birthday last year!

Neil gaiman and charles vess stardust