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The Curious Case of the Village in the Moonlight
Saint-Paul Mental Asylum, France, June 1889
Newly admitted patient Vincent Van Gogh watched as the first stars of what would become The Starry Night blinked to life. There was the half-moon, creeping up from behind the hills. The wind rose with such splendid force, he could almost see it. There was the sleepy village, colored with candlelight.
In that village lived a lamplighter. That notorious starry night would be his last one on the job. The town was scheduled to be wired with a new and innovative technology called ‘electricity’ the following day. The lamplighter began his last night of work at the village tavern during ‘green hour’ — an absinthe-drenched celebration in his honor. Green hour would transform the night from familiar to fantastical, with the village street lamps mysteriously vanishing. The lamplighter is swept away on a wonderfully strange adventure to find and light the lost lamps, one that will take him from the depths of wish-filled rivers to the heights of the star-filled sky. Along the way, the lamplighter finds help from a curious cast of characters including the man on the moon, an ages-old cypress tree, and the wind itself. It will take all of them to find the lost lamps, and a lost love.
From author of the highly acclaimed Fairytale Chicago of Francesca Finnegan comes another thought-provoking and unconventional fantasy novella, sure to help readers rediscover the stars.
Newly admitted patient Vincent Van Gogh watched as the first stars of what would become The Starry Night blinked to life. There was the half-moon, creeping up from behind the hills. The wind rose with such splendid force, he could almost see it. There was the sleepy village, colored with candlelight.
In that village lived a lamplighter. That notorious starry night would be his last one on the job. The town was scheduled to be wired with a new and innovative technology called ‘electricity’ the following day. The lamplighter began his last night of work at the village tavern during ‘green hour’ — an absinthe-drenched celebration in his honor. Green hour would transform the night from familiar to fantastical, with the village street lamps mysteriously vanishing. The lamplighter is swept away on a wonderfully strange adventure to find and light the lost lamps, one that will take him from the depths of wish-filled rivers to the heights of the star-filled sky. Along the way, the lamplighter finds help from a curious cast of characters including the man on the moon, an ages-old cypress tree, and the wind itself. It will take all of them to find the lost lamps, and a lost love.
From author of the highly acclaimed Fairytale Chicago of Francesca Finnegan comes another thought-provoking and unconventional fantasy novella, sure to help readers rediscover the stars.
- GenresHistorical FictionArt
108 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 29, 2023
82 people are currently reading
67 people want to read
About the author
Steve Wiley
5 books91 followersSteve is a purveyor of the finest in speculative literature from Chicago. He has authored five novels and his short fiction has been published everywhere from Crannóg magazine in Galway, Ireland, to Papercuts Magazine in Pakistan. His most recent novel, The Curious Case of the Village in the Moonlight, an unconventional fantasy set within Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night, was released in September 2023.
For new title release and other information, visit Steve’s author website at https://www.absurdistfiction.com/.
For new title release and other information, visit Steve’s author website at https://www.absurdistfiction.com/.
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 26, 2023
A Truly Enchanted Story!! Very Powerful!!
I know something who loves the painting Starry Night and I just saw her on Tuesday, so when I saw the cover of this book I just had to read it! I will admit I don't know much about Vincent Van Gogh and had no idea he had been locked up in a place for the insane. But the beginning of this book told me what I needed to know about him to enjoy the story.
And wow this was a powerful one too! It was full of magic as well as emotion.
It made me cry too. And feel sorrow for a street lamp on its last night worrying about its fate. Any author who can do that definitely has a gift!
So if you want to know what this story is like, its a mix of fantasy and historical fiction. It has all sorts of magical creatures too. It follows a lamp lighter on his very last night lighting the lamps, as electricity is coming in. And so the world as he knew is ending. The night will never be the same. But that last night in here is a sojourn of excitement. He has so many magical encounters. The story is sweet and sad at the same time.
And always well written.
It also makes us think of the night too. What we who live in the city has lost. If you live in the city you are lucky to see a few stars. Maybe the ten brightest ones. But the others are never seen. Or else its always cloudy. You don't see constellations either.
One of the most fascinating things in here was in the little forward before the actual story started. The author mentioned a big earthquake that had hit Los Angeles. And the power was out for two days. But the people who lived there had seen this weird "silvery cloud" up in the night sky. They had no idea what it was. Thousands of phone calls had flooded in, the people asking if the strange silvery cloud had caused the earthquake. It was the Milky Way! But they had never seen it before. Because of electric lights.
I have never seen it before either.
And that is sad. It never gets dark here at night. It can be 2 AM in the morning and yet I can see all the branches on the trees outside. There are no nearby street lights (visible from my windows) but yet the light pollution is there.
So this story is also about what has changed. And what we have lost.
Will we ever get the night and stars back??
This story also reminded me of many classics ranging from A Christmas Carol to Alice in Wonderland to various fairy tales. If you love those sorts of stories you'll love this.
Highly recommend!!
I know something who loves the painting Starry Night and I just saw her on Tuesday, so when I saw the cover of this book I just had to read it! I will admit I don't know much about Vincent Van Gogh and had no idea he had been locked up in a place for the insane. But the beginning of this book told me what I needed to know about him to enjoy the story.
And wow this was a powerful one too! It was full of magic as well as emotion.
It made me cry too. And feel sorrow for a street lamp on its last night worrying about its fate. Any author who can do that definitely has a gift!
So if you want to know what this story is like, its a mix of fantasy and historical fiction. It has all sorts of magical creatures too. It follows a lamp lighter on his very last night lighting the lamps, as electricity is coming in. And so the world as he knew is ending. The night will never be the same. But that last night in here is a sojourn of excitement. He has so many magical encounters. The story is sweet and sad at the same time.
And always well written.
It also makes us think of the night too. What we who live in the city has lost. If you live in the city you are lucky to see a few stars. Maybe the ten brightest ones. But the others are never seen. Or else its always cloudy. You don't see constellations either.
One of the most fascinating things in here was in the little forward before the actual story started. The author mentioned a big earthquake that had hit Los Angeles. And the power was out for two days. But the people who lived there had seen this weird "silvery cloud" up in the night sky. They had no idea what it was. Thousands of phone calls had flooded in, the people asking if the strange silvery cloud had caused the earthquake. It was the Milky Way! But they had never seen it before. Because of electric lights.
I have never seen it before either.
And that is sad. It never gets dark here at night. It can be 2 AM in the morning and yet I can see all the branches on the trees outside. There are no nearby street lights (visible from my windows) but yet the light pollution is there.
So this story is also about what has changed. And what we have lost.
Will we ever get the night and stars back??
This story also reminded me of many classics ranging from A Christmas Carol to Alice in Wonderland to various fairy tales. If you love those sorts of stories you'll love this.
Highly recommend!!
October 10, 2023
Engaging read
This story was educational in a very creative way. I was curious to learn more about Van Gogh’s famous painting, The Starry Night. The author took the key elements of the picture and showed them by telling the story about the villager.
It was a lovely and engaging weekend read. I recommend it to everyone who loves learning about art through storytelling!
This story was educational in a very creative way. I was curious to learn more about Van Gogh’s famous painting, The Starry Night. The author took the key elements of the picture and showed them by telling the story about the villager.
It was a lovely and engaging weekend read. I recommend it to everyone who loves learning about art through storytelling!
November 13, 2023
whimsical, weird, speculative and literary
This isn’t really a typical story. It’s more of a vignette style fairy tale mixed with some history and lots of quotes. I enjoyed it a lot and it really feels like something you would see in a high brow litmag. I’m glad I stumbled across this… dare I say it? Hidden gem!
This isn’t really a typical story. It’s more of a vignette style fairy tale mixed with some history and lots of quotes. I enjoyed it a lot and it really feels like something you would see in a high brow litmag. I’m glad I stumbled across this… dare I say it? Hidden gem!
November 19, 2024
Extraordinary
Chronicles the hallucinatory fever dream of the last lamplighter in the tiny village of Saint-Remy, depicted in Van Gogh’s Starry Night. A gorgeous little jewel of a story.
Chronicles the hallucinatory fever dream of the last lamplighter in the tiny village of Saint-Remy, depicted in Van Gogh’s Starry Night. A gorgeous little jewel of a story.
July 5, 2025
Warm heart story telling. Good read!
What a fresh take on a picture is worth a thousand words. I loved the whole narrative and think others will enjoy this story just as much. I don't want to give away the delightful surprises you may also find. Just read, you will be moved.
What a fresh take on a picture is worth a thousand words. I loved the whole narrative and think others will enjoy this story just as much. I don't want to give away the delightful surprises you may also find. Just read, you will be moved.
January 17, 2024
A short and beautiful book that moved me to tears even though I´m not sure exactly why.
June 23, 2024
Bravo Steve Wiley
One picture is worth a thousand words. The thousand words are worth a picture. Starry Night has a story! Bravo.
One picture is worth a thousand words. The thousand words are worth a picture. Starry Night has a story! Bravo.
November 4, 2024
Insightful
This book evokes emotions and paints a lovely painting of vg and his surroundings. I recommend it as a different way seeing the artist.
This book evokes emotions and paints a lovely painting of vg and his surroundings. I recommend it as a different way seeing the artist.
November 25, 2024
A beautiful original story
I will never look at that painting in the same way again. There will always be this story behind it.
I will never look at that painting in the same way again. There will always be this story behind it.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews