The Dark Crystal (22 page)

In a faraway world a mighty astronomical event is about to occur, the Great Conjunction of the planet’s Three Suns. At this time, the cruel Skeksis who rule this world from the Castle of the Dark Crystal are frightened to learn that an ancient prophecy may be coming true: A survivor of the Gelfling, an elfin race they thought they had destroyed, is seeking to restore the missing shard of the Dark Crystal before the moment of the Great Conjunction, thus ending the tyranny of the Skeksis. Hidden in the valley of the urRu, young Jen the Gelfling has been raised by a tribe of mystics and knows little of the world outside, but now his Master’s dying words have charged him with his mission to find the lost shard before it is too late. Traveling through many strange places and encountering many extraordinary beings, Jen races against time to unravel the mystery of his quest and save his world from the forces of evil.

Jim Henson
, creator of the Muppets, has conceived a movie of startling originality, one that takes us into a world unlike any we have known. He has been aided in this wizardry by
Gary Kurtz
as co-producer,
Frank Oz
as co-director, and
David Lazer
as executive producer. The screenplay was written by
David Odell
, and the original conceptual designs are by
Brian Froud
.
The Dark Crystal
is a Universal Pictures release.

Now
A. C. H. Smith
, author of several novels and plays, has woven all the colorful strands of this fantastic tale into a novel that is as enthralling as the movie itself.