Extraordinary!
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The characters are deep, well-developed, and fascinating, and the writing is as rich as it gets. Woven amongst these tales of urban myth and magic are powerful messages of social conscience. My only concern is that few of the male characters are positive, while most of the female ones are. I hope that Mr. de Lint can create a few more heroic men in his future works. The reader needs to be aware that magic, in forms small and subtle, can lurk behind any corner.
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YUK!
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I always thought of myself as a die hard de lint fan. I died but I went to hell. I can't understand what happened between moonheart and this but you can feel the magic wanting to break through and being bogged down in politics. I'm sorry, but I can't really find anything good to say about this book other than it had his name on the cover. I'm going to cry now in a corner and hope he produces something a little less....dry in the future
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Quite possibly his best book ever.
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I have been a fan of Charles DeLint ever since a friend handed me "Dreams Underfoot" and said "Read it, you'll like it." I did and I loved the book. Now, it seems like forever between Mr. DeLint's books and I scour bookstores, hoping that a new one has magically appeared overnight. With his books, one never knows. In this collection of short stories, we follow his characters as they deal with the puzzles that perplex many of us. Who am I? Where am I going? Have I made the right choices? Through his characters, Mr. DeLint tells us that it is good to question, and not to be afraid of the answers. And as added spice, he throws in the "other" inhabitants of Newford. Ghosts, fairies and shape-shifters to name a few. If you have never read any of his Newford Collection, I suggest starting at the beginning with "Dreams Underfoot" and then onto "Memory and Horn" and finally "Moonlight and Vines". By the time you finish the last book, the characters are old friends that you expect to stop over for coffee at any moment. Expect to dive into this book and not want to surface for a least a weekend.
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not up to the standards of his other collections
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like many hardcore delint fans, i was waiting with great anticipation for his latest book. his newest book while quite good,lacks the impact of his other collections. Mr. Delint has chosen to introduce all new characters in his newest book and they just arent as interesting as his regulars,who do make cameo appearances.Buy this book if you are a big fan but be aware he has produced better fiction.
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"Touch the magic, pass it on!"
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With "Moonlight and Vines" Mr. De Lint returns his readers to the familiar streets of Newford, reacquainting us with characters well known and loved and a few new ones. While his first collection, "Dreams Underfoot," had the sprightly, fey spirit of Jilly Coppercorn tripping through it; and the second "The Ivory and the Horn," the low murmur of a Native American drumming; this third collection, has taken a darker, more Gothic turn. Cemeteries and nighttime figure largely, poetically in the settings, whether an actual place or mood met within the characters, is up to the reader to decide. One of Mr. De Lint's talents has ever been displaying the hidden corners of an individual's soul, touching upon a common chord of sadness or despair, then clearing a path through it. He promotes what some might consider an old-fashioned concept: there is always hope and a way to get beyond one's own pain. That he is able to do this, without sounding like a wide-eyed Pollyanna, is a true gift. Reminded of the interconnectedness of everything, his characters and the reader emerge from the pages with the feeling that through their actions and compassion, they can change the world. The value of dreaming, highlighted in "If I Close My Eyes Forever," gives a nod and a smile to Neil Gaiman's equally rich world of the Endless. "The Invisibles" teaches an artist that not only street people can lose their shape and identity. Anyone who has ever lost someone through distance or death, cannot fail to be deeply touched by "Wild Horses." I would go on about each of the stories, at length, but that would surely spoil the pleasure of discovery which accompanies reading them. Were he to entirely remove the fantasy element from his work, Mr. De Lint would still have beautiful, complete stories and characters. That he does include magic, real magic of the world seen and unseen, is a constant joy and delight. There are very few authors who can actually move me to tears or laughter in public places, Mr. De Lint is numbered among them. I was introduced to his work the way one always finds the best books. A friend handed me a copy of "Dreams Underfoot" and said: "You MUST read this." In the years since, I've done the same to many others. With "Moonlight and Vines," I will continue to do so.
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