Ealdwood Stories Explained

Ealdwood Stories
Books:	"The Dreamstone" (1979) Ealdwood (1981) The Dreamstone (1983) The Tree of Swords and Jewels (1983)
Author:	C. J. Cherryh
Country:	United States
Language:	English
Genre:	Fantasy
Publisher:	Victor Gollancz, DAW Books
Pub Date:	1981–1983

The Ealdwood Stories, also known as the Arafel Stories, are a collection of fantasy works by American writer C. J. Cherryh. The books are works of high fantasy based in part on Celtic mythology. Arafel, a main character, is a Daoine Sidhe, the highest of the Sidhe faery-folk. She dwells in the magical small forest of Ealdwood, from which the tales take their name.

Works

• "The Dreamstone" (1979) – short story first published in Amazons! (DAW), edited by Jessica Amanda Salmonson
• Ealdwood (1981, Victor Gollancz) – novella
• The Dreamstone (1983, DAW) – novel, included revisions of "The Dreamstone" (1979) and Ealdwood (1981), plus additional material
• The Tree of Swords and Jewels (1983, DAW) – novel, sequel to The Dreamstone (1983)

Omnibuses

The Dreamstone (1983) and The Tree of Swords and Jewels (1983) have been republished in several omnibuses, some with substantial revisions. Cherryh also wrote a new ending which she felt was more appropriate and satisfying than her previous efforts.

• Arafel's Saga (1983, DAW)
• Ealdwood (1991, Victor Gollancz) – includes revisions and a new ending
• The Dreaming Tree (1997, DAW) – includes the revisions and new ending in the Ealdwood (1991) omnibus

"The Dreamstone" short story was later reprinted in The Collected Short Fiction of C. J. Cherryh (2004).

Award nominations

• Ealdwood – 1982 World Fantasy Award for Best Novella
• Ealdwood – 1982 Locus Award for Best Novella
• The Dreamstone – 1984 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel
• The Tree of Swords and Jewels – 1984 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel
• Arafel's Saga – 1984 Science Fiction Book Club selection

References

• Cherryh, C. J. "The Dreamstone", in Amazons!, Jessica Amanda Salmonson ed., 1979.
• Cherryh, C. J. Ealdwood, Donald M. Grant, 1981.
• Cherryh, C. J. The Dreamstone, DAW Books, 1983.
• Cherryh, C. J. The Tree of Swords and Jewels, DAW Books, 1983.
• Cherryh, C. J. Arafel's Saga, omnibus, Nelson Doubleday / Science Fiction Book Club, 1983.
• Cherryh, C. J. Ealdwood, omnibus, Victor Gollancz, 1991, .
• Cherryh, C. J. The Dreaming Tree, omnibus, DAW Books, 1997.

External links

• .