Dust: An Elysian Tail (novel)

Dust: An Elysian Tail is a high fantasy novel by the American author Thomas Kirkland. The story takes place in a world populated by anthropomorphic creatures, where the main character, Dust, comes upon a sentient sword, the Blade of Ahrah, and its guardian Fidget. Without memories of his past, Dust follows Fidget's advice and aids the population of the world against forces led by General Gaius.

Published by Fidget Books, the novel was given broadly positive reviews by critics at the time and sold out in less than a month after its US release on May 4, 1934. A month later, when Kirkland was approached by for the film rights to the novel, he rejected it.

The game adaptation of the novel, simply entitled Dust, was developed by Intertale Games and published by  for PC in the United Kingdom on June 24, 2000, to negative reviews. Another video game adaptation of, developed by American independent designer Dean Dodrill and published by , was released for Xbox 360 through Xbox Live Arcade in August 2012, to generally positive reviews.

Plot
The novel begins with Dust awakening in a forest meadow, approached by a floating, sentient sword known as the Blade of Ahrah. Dust is joined by Fidget, a small flying creature called a Nimbat, who just so happens to be the sword's guardian, and sets out for a small town in search of answers.

Upon arriving in Aurora, the group find the town overrun with monsters. The mayor of the town asks Dust for his help, and he tracks down the leader of the enemies, Fuse. Just before he dies, Fuse reveals himself to be a Moonblood, creatures who are victims of a genocide perpetrated by a man known as General Gaius. Fuse also tells Dust that he played a role in the war at some point. Mayor Bram instructs Dust to speak to a woman in Aurora named Ginger, who may have more knowledge of the Moonbloods. She is revealed to be part of a group of Moonblood sympathizers, a group that was recently found and killed by General Gaius's soldiers.

After travelling into the northern mountains, Dust and Fidget come across an abandoned village, where Ginger and the leader of the Moonbloods, Elder Gray Eyes, are waiting. Gray Eyes reveals that Dust was created by the Moonbloods from two people who perished at the same time: Jin (Ginger's brother) and Cassius (an assassin employed by Gaius). These two were exact opposites; Cassius was purely evil but of great skill with the sword, and Jin was completely innocent and good but incapable of defeating Gaius. Their combination together became the Moonblood's "Sen-Mithrarin".

The group then heads to the Moonblood base in a volcanic region to the north named Everdawn Basin, where Dust assists the Moonbloods in fighting back Gaius's troops. Reaching the peak of the volcano, Dust fights General Gaius in a lengthy battle. Eventually, Gaius hangs from an outcrop over a pool of lava, where he tells Dust that Cassius is no longer part of him, then throws himself into the lava. Fidget tries to get the exhausted Dust back up, but he refuses, and is consumed by the volcano.

After the battle, Elder Gray Eyes gives a speech to the remaining Moonbloods, telling them that because of Dust's sacrifice, they can now rebuild and live at peace with the rest of the world. During his dialogue, Ginger and Fidget witness a dust cloud, along with the Blade of Ahrah rising out of the volcano and flying off, suggesting Dust may still be alive, and chase after it in hopes of finding him.