Drink Down the Moon

Jack of Kinrowan #2

by Charles de Lint

In Jack the Giant-Killer, where magical creatures carry on a secret existence in the streets and parks of modern Ottawa, Jacky Rowan once slew giants. In this thrilling sequel, she’s tricked then enslaved by a master of vicious, Unseelie creatures. This cruel thief is bent on to stealing his very sustenance—not only from Jackie—but from all of the Seelie faerie court. Only the Moon herself and a handsome young fiddler, unaware of Faerie and the power of his music, have the magic to set Jacky free.

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Magic, Audiobook, Magical Realism

216 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 1990

About the author

Charles de Lint is the much beloved author of more than seventy adult, young adult, and children's books. Renowned as one of the trailblazers of the modern fantasy genre, he is the recipient of the World Fantasy, Aurora, Sunburst, and White Pine awards, among others. Modern Library's Top 100 Books of the 20th Century poll, conducted by Random House and voted on by readers, put eight of de Lint's books among the top 100.
De Lint is a poet, folklorist, artist, songwriter and performer. He has written critical essays, music reviews, opinion columns and entries to encyclopedias, and he's been the main book reviewer for The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction since 1987. De Lint served as Writer-in-residence for two public libraries in Ottawa and has taught creative writing workshops for adults and children in Canada and the United States. He's been a judge for several prominent awards, including the Nebula, World Fantasy, Theodore Sturgeon and Bram Stoker.

Born in the Netherlands in 1951, de Lint immigrated to Canada with his family as an infant. The family moved often during de Lint's childhood because of his father's job with an international surveying company, but by the time Charles was twelve—having lived in Western Canada, Turkey and Lebanon—they had settled in Lucerne, Quebec, not far from where he now resides in Ottawa, Ontario.

In 1980, de Lint married the love of his life, MaryAnn Harris, who works closely with him as his first editor, business manager and creative partner. They share their love and home with a cheery little dog named Johnny Cash.

Charles de Lint is best described as a romantic: a believer in compassion, hope and human potential. His skilled portrayal of character and settings has earned him a loyal readership and glowing praise from peers, reviewers and readers.

Charles de Lint writes like a magician. He draws out the strange inside our own world, weaving stories that feel more real than we are when we read them. He is, simply put, the best.
—Holly Black (bestselling author)
Charles de Lint is the modern master of urban fantasy. Folktale, myth, fairy tale, dreams, urban legend—all of it adds up to pure magic in de Lint's vivid, original world. No one does it better.
—Alice Hoffman (bestselling author)

To read de Lint is to fall under the spell of a master storyteller, to be reminded of the greatness of life, of the beauty and majesty lurking in shadows and empty doorways.
—Quill & Quire

His Newford books, which make up most of de Lint's body of work between 1993 and 2009, confirmed his reputation for bringing a vivid setting and repertory cast of characters to life on the page. Though not a consecutive series, the twenty-five standalone books set in (or connected to) Newford give readers a feeling of visiting a favourite city and seeing old friends.
More recently, his young adult Wildlings trilogy—Under My Skin, Over My Head, and Out of This World—came out from Penguin Canada and Triskell Press in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Under My Skin won 2013 Aurora Award. A novel for middle-grade readers, The Cats of Tanglewood Forest, published by Little Brown in 2013, won the Sunburst Award, earned starred reviews in both Publishers Weekly and Quill & Quire, and was chosen by the New York Times Editors as one of the top six children's books for 2013. His most recent adult novel, The Mystery of Grace (2009), is a fascinating ghost story about love, passion and faith. It was a finalist for both the Sunburst and Evergreen awards.

De Lint is presently writing a new adult novel. His storytelling skills also shine in his original songs. He and MaryAnn (also a musician) recently released companion CDs of their original songs, samples of which can be heard on de Lin

Reviews

[Dev · Rating 4 out of 5]

actual rating: 3.5

Much the same as the first book although I'm going to round this one up instead of down. Not sure if it was actually 'better' or if I was just more used to the fast paced writing style but I did find myself enjoying it just a little bit more. Definitely another fun, quick read although I would still recommend some familiarity with different kinds of faerie stories before jumping into this.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another first-wave urban fantasy, sequel to Jack, the Giant Killer and an even better book. Jacky (assisted by her friend Kate) is settling in to her new role as Gruagagh for the local Seelie Court, but the focus this time shifts primarily to Johnny Faw, an Ottawa fiddle player who (as Jacky in the first book) is surprised to find that faeries are real; and at least one of them is quite attractive, has a pink mohawk and plays saxophone in a local band.

And the Host (the distaff faerie side) having a bit of a power vacuum, and the local Seelie Court being away for a festival, sinister forces are afoot looking to fill that vacuum ...

More music and more magic.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Mr. de Lint! Good urban fantasies are too hard to come by these days and yours are invariably some of the best. I love your enthusiasm for Celtic folk music (and music of all kinds) and folk tales. And, of course, you conjure up so many loving and lovable characters, with an emphasis on strong, independent women. Bravo! A book set in Ottawa and the parallel faerie lands thereabouts is perfect for Canada Day 2020. Just write some more, please.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a little trouble navigating the disparate threads, but found this new tale with Jack, Kate, and Finn an enjoyable adventure. I also found You Tube a useful asset as I could access all the folk tunes mentioned in the text.

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

> Loireag is pronounced "lore-uck". It is the name of a fae from the Scottish highlands

unsain ??? - ?(in) unison, unisonous (in mus.); having the same tone or sound, monotonous, identical (in sound)?

rade
- obsolete spelling of road
- (Scotland) raid
- (Scotland) ride; procession

sain
1. (dialectal British) : to make the sign of the cross on (oneself)
2. (dialectal British) : bless

manitou
- (among some North American peoples) a good or evil spirit as an object of reverence
man my memory for new words has gotten worse and worse I swear I've looked this up at least twice before

imago (Latin, "image")
- the last form an insect attains during its metamorphosis, during the imaginal stage, in which the insect attains maturity
- a term coined by Carl Jung to describe a way that people form their personality by identifying with the collective unconscious
The Latin plural of imago is imagines, and this is the term generally used by entomologists when a plural form is required –however, imagoes is also acceptable

gynkie - a term of reproach applied to a woman
- Scots, possibly related to "gank" or "gankin," meaning "to steal" or "to pilfer." It can also refer to a "trick" or "con."

Midhir (Modern Irish) or Mider was a son of the Dagda of the Tuatha Dé Danann. After the Tuatha Dé were defeated by the Milesians, he lived in the sidh of Brí Léith (believed to be Ardagh Hill, Co. Longford). The name Midir may come from the old Irish word for a judge, midithir.

shargie - “thin” or “shrivelled”
shargar - a runt, weakling; adj feeble, stunted
sharg - a stunted, starved-looking person, a tiny mischievous creature and the weakest of a brood or litter
A shargar-tae is the toe grown by a crab or lobster after losing its original one. It is never quite the same as the original and is not generally eaten. Sharg was borrowed into Scots from Gaelic

spunkie - an archaic term for a will-o'-the-wisp
ignis fatuus: a light that sometimes appears in the night over marshy ground and is often attributable to the combustion of gas from decomposed organic matter

saraband - a type of slow, stately dance, or the music associated with it, originating in Spain and becoming popular in the 17th and 18th Cs known for its triple time (3/4) and a characteristic accent on the second beat, often with the first beat played short

meek and mild fey these, cautious as cats with twice the pride

I really like this font, tis fitting

Would you go into the woulds tho

widdyman - ??? Ulster dialect Widow man, widdy man, a widower
seems unlikely

widdy (Scotland and dialects of England)
- a rope of osiers
- a hangman's noose
- a rope made of withies
Middle English (Scots), from Middle English withy

You can't say he doesn't respect the lore. I just... don't think he's as good a storyteller as the tales he's referencing. Maybe that's unfair because they're likely a result of collaborative/oral storytelling and I only know the good ones, but I've read a bunch of modern stories that captured that same feeling and felt far more substantial. Maybe my expectations are high due to how much I enjoy the subject matter, idk.

[Lissa Notreallywolf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jackie and Kate are living in the Grugragh's Tower, but the focus is on two sisters who sometime share a faerie barrow a little ways away. Jenna appears to a fiddler just before she is killed by a pack of magical dogs. Jemi, her half sister, who is a halfling faery s a saxaphonist for a local band AKT. The fiddler tracks Jemi down thinking she is Jenna was a dye job. In her grief and rage the halfling tries to take up her sister's causes, but some surprises are in store for the sucession to the leader of te raid. A dark force is haunting Kinrowan, the magical feifdom that Jack and Kate oversee. A rogue droichan, a magician who sucks the luck out of people and faerie alike has invaded, with his shadow dog. Kate recognizes that he's bad, but Jackie is taken in by his claims of lineage and being a groagragh. She ends up ensorcelled in the tower and Kate flees. Aided by a new cast of characters the fight between the unaffiliated fairie and the invaders is perferal to the weakened SIdhe Court. Jackie must confront her weaknesses, and Kate grows stronger. A new leader of the rade, a musical progression through the ley lines arises to restore balance after Kate, Jema and Jack figure out where the magical vampires heart lies.
My favoite outake from this book is on p. 8 ...Stolen luch was gone forever. Borrowed luck returned is the gift of its giving, twice and threefold making a circular pattern so that both the giver and gifted were strengthened and sustained, stolen luck pierced the fabric of Faerie like a disease and left only sickness and death in its wake." And later
...So it wasn't so much alack of beleif in faerie by humans that diminished them, as the aount stolen by droichen.
I have no real background of droichen, except one that appeared in one of Lloyd Alexander's books about Taran. But the idea of not knowing where your heart is, or somehow separatng it from yourself is a lethat strand in not only the vampire's life, but the lives of the heros and heroines.

[Nanci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sequel to Jack the Giant Slayer and equally wonderful. I like all of the new characters (half-fae Jemi, Gump, Gwi, Loireag the black kelpie, etc.) as well as the familiar ones (Jacky, Kate, Finn), and hope they pop up in other tales I haven’t read yet. As always, the story unfolds beautifully, the characters are 3D, the fae are marvelous, and how the mortals (fiddler Johnny Faw and his concertina-playing buddy Henk Van Roon) get freaked out then learn to cope with the magic around them feels realistic. Moon power wins! The demise of Colorc the droican was awfully quick but understandably so due to his age. A keeper, of course.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable sequel to Jack, the Giant Killer. I love that we got to catch up with Jack and Kate and see how they were doing with their new roles in the Seelie Court. We are also introduced to a few new characters, I especially liked Johnny and Jemi they had an interesting relationship. The plot was fast-moving and so intriguing with the author's use of so many different Fae people. I love de Lint's take on urban fantasy and the way he weaves the Faerie world seamlessly with our own. He says in the author's note at the end that he may revisit this world and I really hope one day he will. All in all, I highly recommend this series.

[Georgianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked both books in the Jack of Kinrowan series, but then I love all Charles de Lint's writing and his blending of faerie and the "real" world. I rated this 4 stars rather than 5, though, because there were several things going on that were never resolved, which either begs a third book or maybe this one should have been longer and much more in-depth. Jacky acted a bit stupidly/rashly throughout the book and the whys of that begged more explanation, plus her resolve at the end to change and grow -- and deal with her relationship with Eilian -- needed more than a sentence. Kate was coming into her own in this book, but it definitely could have used quite a bit more fleshing out. She was probably the most interesting character but her story is left mostly untold. Johnny, Jemi, Henk all could have used more character development. Even the bad dude, Cumin, could have used more of a fleshed-out back story.

So, yeah, book #2 ends with way too many questions and the wish to know more about what happened and why, and where they all went off to after the book ended. Still, Charles deLint is a favorite author and pretty much anything that takes me into his urban fantasy world is appreciated. Book #3, offshoot stories, anything .... c'mon Charles!!

[Daphne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun fairy tale... somewhat of a continuation of the Jack series. I liked this, but again it's not one of my favorites. I will say that it took me roughly FOREVER to finish these two... coronavirus-overload brain!!

[Lindsay Farassat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was just as fun and fast-paced as the first book. I enjoyed the new characters, especially Jemi. These two books were a great escape for me during a hard time. Now I just want to read Charles de Lint for the next month...

[Todd · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit better than the first book. When the Pooka is slain the fianna sidhe have to figure out who did it. Jack the giant slayer conducts a parallel investigation, unknowing of the other.
Readable, but I don't see the raves for de Lint's work

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very enjoyable urban fantasy with likeable characters and the overall feel of mystical magic. Similarly to the first in the series, it felt like reading my childhood dream of being whisked into a fae land of magical creatures.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the weaker books I've read from de Lint, but it's much earlier as well. The book reads a little YA, but was short and fun enough for me to finish it.

[Lee Raymond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Early urban fantasy by Canadian author. Well thought out, and gripping enough to keep me reading.

[Khadijah · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.75/5

[Julie Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid followup to Jack, the Giant-Killer. I really enjoyed this urban fantasy by Charles de Lint from the earlier times of wondering how the ancient folk tales would look in our world.

[Иван Величков · Rating 3 out of 5]

Продължението на историята за Джаки ме остави със смесени чувства. Де Линт взима за основа друга класическа приказка и успява да я оплете с елементи на ирландския фолклор, доста добре. Само дето връзката с първата книга, въпреки героите, ми избяга.
Имаме две сюжетни линии. Първата е отново за Джаки, Кейт и Финн, които, година по-късно правят всичко възможно да задържат късмета на Кинроан (някаква офика) и техния благословен двор. Появява се нова заплаха, на която героите, особено Джаки, реагират супер неадекватно.
Втората е за феяна - приказните създания, които предпочитат да не се обвързват с определен двор - и тяхната Пукс (намигането към Киплинг беше отчетено). Нещо избива създанията и изсмуква късмета им. Джеми е мелез между човек и феяна и наследник на титлата, след убийството на сестра ѝ. Тя ще направи всичко възможно да намери престъпника и да отмъсти, спасявайки малкия народ, за който се оказва отговорна.
Двете сюжетни линии се преплитат чак в края на книгата, като финала оставя впечатление, че всяка една може сама да завърши историята.
Има много магия и музика, а развръзката не беше толкова прозрачна, но все пак съм разочарован.

[Kat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Charles de Lint's Drink Down the Moon is book two of the Jack of Kinrowan books, book one being one of the only Charles de Lint novels that I have not yet read. So, like, I guess it was okay. The novel kind of assumed that you knew Jackie, Kate and their little hob friend, but not so much that I at any time felt more than slightly lost.

Drink Down the Moon had more the feel of de Lint's short stories rather than his outright novels -- not necessarily a bad thing, but after I was done, I felt like I had read more than the content deserved. But it was a short book, only two hundred pages or so.

Common (short story) de Lint elements: male protagonist is clueless and a musician, supernatural female counterpart is also a musician, the fairies are preparing for war. Etc. For some reason, most of his short stories have male protagonists while his novels focus on women, especially Jilly Coppercorn who does not appear in this novel. Unexpectedly, this is one of the only non-horror de Lint novels that I have read that doesn't take place in the Newford universe.

[Kirk Macleod · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moving through the works of Charles de Lint from the ‘80s to the ‘90s, I’ve found a couple of great reads, but so far nothing has compared to Drink Down the Moon, his sequel to his 1987 novel Jack the Giant Killer.

The book takes place a few years after Jack saved the fae of Ottawa in the first book, and brings a much darker threat to the citizens of Kinrowan (the fairy side of Ottawa), and one with terrible plans for all.

As with many of his previous books, this novel focuses on myth and folklore as well as a lot of music and even a mention of Cat Midhir (the protagonist from his earlier book Yarrow - who I'm hoping to come across again in a future story).

The story is a lot of fun, moving back and forth between Jackie's story and that of a young musician who is just beginning to see the fairy world...

The book was pretty great and has me looking forward to to more of the shared world that De Lint has created in his later works.

[Elijah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a little trouble getting into this one for a while, but by the end of it I was sad there isn't a third book in this series. I'd like to see some of Jemi and Johnny's adventures afterward.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charles deLint creates a world that lives right beside ours, only it's filled with hobs, bogans, swan maidens, and many other creatures that we think exist only in stories.

Jacky Rowan, Kate Hazel, and Johnny Faw fight on the side of what is light and good to make sure the Moon gets her rade, the procession that helps keep the dark back.

Not quite as strong as Jack, the Giant Killer, but an engrossing read.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even better the second time!!!!!

[Yvonne]

I enjoyed this book just as much as I did the first, maybe more, in some ways, as the author seemed to have relaxed just a fraction, making it even better in terms of flow and feel.

[Kathy Davie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hope there's going to be more in the Jack of Kinrowan series!

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jacky's fate is tied to Kate's more closely in this one. Will they be able to save Faerie?

[Elaine Lowitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Charles de Lint's writing!

[Frank Chimkin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read as part of the 'Jack of Kinrowan' omnibus

[Anita MacAuslan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy it as much as Jack the Giant Killer. I think because it got caught up in this idea of soulmates and fate, and that really seemed to take up far too much space for a subplot. Also, Jacky seemed like this annoying, worthless person who could not be trusted with the most basic responsibilities. I think the idea was to make her flawed, but instead she was an idiot couldn't manage not to accidentally kill herself by being completely thoughtless without her besty somehow. I don't know. None of the character development aside from Kate's made much sense after the first book. That said, I did still like it.