A review by greenmtgirl
Dreams Underfoot: The Newford Collection by Charles de Lint

5.0

These stories are not only about magic; they are magic. They describe the Otherworld and its intersections with our world so compellingly that you find yourself believing in fairies, animal people, and daughters of the Moon. Most of the tales are connected; well, all of them are connected, only some more directly than others. Jilly Coppercorn, whom I've met as a cameo in some later Newford books, is a major character in several of these stories, and I found her much more likable as her character - and the darkness in her past - is fleshed out. The only exception to the general excellence of these tales is "Our Lady of the Harbour," a Little Mermaid retelling, and as grim and depressing as Hans Christian Andersen's version. Of all the best-known fairy-tales, that one is probably the most disturbing and misogynist, and Charles de Lint, despite his considerable gifts as a storyteller, fails to make it any more palatable. But then, his gifts lie more in the realm of folktale and folk magic than in "literary" fairy tales.

Overall, a wonderful collection of tales, and that's according to someone who usually doesn't like short stories.