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This book was incredible. I don't usually like short stories too much, and indeed, the first third or so of this book was kind of "meh". But then I seemed to really get into it, and the stories just got better and better. I think they're best summed up by de Lint in the last story in this collection:
"And though the stories owe their existence to the urban legends that give them their quirky spin, what they're really about is people: what makes them happy or sad. My themes are simple. They're about love and loss, honor and the responsibilities of friendship. And wonder ... always wonder. As complex as people are individually, their drives are universal."
The stories are urban fantasy, and are filled with ghosts, faeries, and even bigfoot. But that's usually kind of incidental, and the stories are really about the characters and their lives - loves and losses. A really really beautiful book, and I'm looking forward to finding the next one.
"And though the stories owe their existence to the urban legends that give them their quirky spin, what they're really about is people: what makes them happy or sad. My themes are simple. They're about love and loss, honor and the responsibilities of friendship. And wonder ... always wonder. As complex as people are individually, their drives are universal."
The stories are urban fantasy, and are filled with ghosts, faeries, and even bigfoot. But that's usually kind of incidental, and the stories are really about the characters and their lives - loves and losses. A really really beautiful book, and I'm looking forward to finding the next one.
Feels just a smidge too smug and self righteous to me. I don't know how. I'm any case, I found myself rolling my eyes and skimming, and that's my cue to put it down.
A little dated but still really enjoyable. The stories themselves about about love, loss, commitment, strength and magic. Our Lady of the Harbor was my favorite.
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
S/A pops up mid book. These are shorts stories about magic in one town. This an old book and it shows.
Minor: Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault
Delightful stories, that while they feel a little too narrowly themed now do seem like a foundational component of urban fantasy, grafting nature-based folklore into a grittier contemporary setting. Its metaphors to this end were not always original, and the overall aura still carries a Tolkien-esque sense of decline, rather than of resilience or imagining a new future, but it's celebration of people surviving trauma and the value of paying attention to what the modern world ignores feels vital and valuable.
I'd highlight just two exceptions to these comments: one is "Our Lady of the Harbour," a Little Mermaid retelling that absolutely fails to subvert in any way the tragedy, misogyny, or superficiality of the original. What happened to paying attention, or surviving trauma?
On the other hand, "The Conjure Man" has the usual sense of the modern world obliterating and forgetting -- from the great tree at its heart being casually felled, to the Conjure Man himself -- but actually allows its young protagonist to grow a new sapling Tree of Tales. Actual hope for the future? Planting an acorn of a felled tree may be a relatively simple trope to this end, but it was nice to see.
I'd highlight just two exceptions to these comments: one is "Our Lady of the Harbour," a Little Mermaid retelling that absolutely fails to subvert in any way the tragedy, misogyny, or superficiality of the original. What happened to paying attention, or surviving trauma?
On the other hand, "The Conjure Man" has the usual sense of the modern world obliterating and forgetting -- from the great tree at its heart being casually felled, to the Conjure Man himself -- but actually allows its young protagonist to grow a new sapling Tree of Tales. Actual hope for the future? Planting an acorn of a felled tree may be a relatively simple trope to this end, but it was nice to see.
I was prepared to like this collection more than I did. I've enjoyed the author's book reviews and one story in F&SF. Despite the fantastical elements in these stories there's very little sense of wonder. They all have the same tone, which starts to get monotonous.
This book restored my faith n fiction and made me love short stories. So many lovely little stories, some intertwined, some stand on their own but all tied to the city and magic. I am officially a huge de Lint fan, after just one book.
Charles de Lint creates some of the most beautiful prose I’ve ever read…
In literature, there are many places to visit while one breathes in the scent of ink and paper, but how often can we find a place that we wish were real? And because it seems so very real and solid, naturally there should be a way to find it. I want to visit Newford. I want to see the Tombs from Gracie Street, and talk with Jilly, Geordie, and Christy.
Newford sucks me into the vast history of itself, and doesn’t let go.
It makes for gorgeous reading, curled up in the sunlight from the picture window with a cup of very sweet tea.
Right now I’m re-reading Dreams Underfoot, which is the book I originally discovered Newford through. I’d read Jack the Giant Killer when I was reading all of the Fairy Tale series that Terri Windling organized and edited (which also introduced me to the astounding art of Thomas Canty), and I couldn’t resist reading more of his books. Uncle Dobbin’s Parrot Fair, the first story in this collection, imprinted itself in my memory with indelible ink, and suddenly… I wasn’t just reading fantasy because it was re-told fairy tales (and I do so love Grimm’s)- I was reading fantasy for the magic in the words.
And at that point I replaced the Star Trek books I was addicted to with this new, strange world of fantasy. With elves and slippery magic that is almost invisible…
One thing led to another, and now I’m a well-rounded geek- well read in classics and fantasy, science fiction and children’s lit. This round-about path is what brought me to Dungeons & Dragons, which led to attending GenCon…
Which is where I met my future husband.
Funny how life works, isn’t it?
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
My unread Newford books have been tugging at me lately, so I figured I'd finally get to reading them. Better yet, I'd start at the beginning.... I am usually not one for contemporary fantasy and was even more skeptical when Dreams Underfoot turned out to be a short story book. The first story is definitely the weakest one and I didn't think I'd keep reading but sometimes my intensely stubborn streak pays off.
de Lint's use of adjectives can get so heavy handed it's cliche at times, but it isn't enough to take away from this collection of stories. They're all so different and interesting. Some are incredibly creepy, others mystifying. My favorite story is The Moon is Drowning While I Sleep, followed by those featuring Geordie Ridell. Bridges is also great, but the majority of them have a unique and interesting twist to ponder.
Dreams Underfoot is a nuanced book. Despite the many marvelous creatures that populate de Lint's world, it's certainly not all butterflies and rainbows. I feel like he does a great job of balancing the dark and the light. This is a great entry into Newford - I'm looking forward to getting back into this series.
de Lint's use of adjectives can get so heavy handed it's cliche at times, but it isn't enough to take away from this collection of stories. They're all so different and interesting. Some are incredibly creepy, others mystifying. My favorite story is The Moon is Drowning While I Sleep, followed by those featuring Geordie Ridell. Bridges is also great, but the majority of them have a unique and interesting twist to ponder.
Dreams Underfoot is a nuanced book. Despite the many marvelous creatures that populate de Lint's world, it's certainly not all butterflies and rainbows. I feel like he does a great job of balancing the dark and the light. This is a great entry into Newford - I'm looking forward to getting back into this series.