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Yellow Dog
Yellow Dog is a short story set near de Lint's fictional desert town of Santo del Vado Viejo, where his novels The Mystery of Grace and The Painted Boy take place, and where some of his recent short fiction has been set. Ernie Grant is a decent guy, a bit of a desert rat who works at a scrap yard where he has to put up with racist comments from his crass, bullish boss. The boss works by night as a self-proclaimed Minuteman protecting the U.S. borders from the influx of illegal Mexicans. Ernie and his friend Salvador also search the desert at night, but they carry food, water and blankets to help the same travellers in the unforgiving desert. One day a mysterious stranger shows up at the scrap yard, unable to speak, but willing to help in more ways than one. Yellow Dog first appeared in 2007 as one of Charles de Lint's personal chapbooks that he gave to family and friends. It was reprinted the following year as a limited edition chapbook from Subterranean Press. This is its first worldwide release in an inexpensive format.
28 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2008
22 people are currently reading
273 people want to read
About the author
Charles de Lint
447 books4,005 followersCharles 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
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
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 26, 2014
I’ve read all the Charles de Lint new (to me) published novels I have, then I remembered I have some short stories, or whatever, on the Kindle, that I rarely look at.
“Ramona once told him that words are just the bones of a story. The heart of what’s being told lies in between the lines, where you can’t see it. You can only feel it. But if you can connect to it, if you feel it just right, for that small piece of time your hearts can bet as one, and how often does that happen in anyone’s life?”
Yellow Dog, has a story to tell, but no words. Ernie, who helps people out who are crossing the desert and the border, somehow helps him tell him his story.
“Ramona once told him that words are just the bones of a story. The heart of what’s being told lies in between the lines, where you can’t see it. You can only feel it. But if you can connect to it, if you feel it just right, for that small piece of time your hearts can bet as one, and how often does that happen in anyone’s life?”
Yellow Dog, has a story to tell, but no words. Ernie, who helps people out who are crossing the desert and the border, somehow helps him tell him his story.
January 4, 2017
This is another tale of the American Southwest and de Lint using the Coyote with the "Trickster" mythos. I've read stories by de Lint before using these themes and they were good. This one was no exception. It is a well told story, enjoyable, and had a little point about being good to tell. This story is easily recommended.
*** minor spoilers ***
The story is about Yellow Dog - a coyote. He has a tale to tell but he doesn't know how to tell it because he does not have the gift of speech. So he goes on a spirit quest, and in this spirit quest he comes across a man named Ernie who lives in the desert and works at a junkyard. The tale is told from Ernie's perspective and Yellow Dog's. So we get both sides to help us out on what's happening in the story. In Ernie's side a man walks into his junkyard and does not speak very much but seems nice helps out and eventually seems attached to Ernie. What follows is a small tale of what happens when the two cross paths. And it's a good thing.
*** minor spoilers ***
The story is about Yellow Dog - a coyote. He has a tale to tell but he doesn't know how to tell it because he does not have the gift of speech. So he goes on a spirit quest, and in this spirit quest he comes across a man named Ernie who lives in the desert and works at a junkyard. The tale is told from Ernie's perspective and Yellow Dog's. So we get both sides to help us out on what's happening in the story. In Ernie's side a man walks into his junkyard and does not speak very much but seems nice helps out and eventually seems attached to Ernie. What follows is a small tale of what happens when the two cross paths. And it's a good thing.
December 20, 2017
Stories are magic
Charles de Lint is proof that words have power. A tale can transform you and bring magic into your life. The Trickster? Well, he’s just part of the magic. The only thing that could make this story greater would be for it to be longer!
Charles de Lint is proof that words have power. A tale can transform you and bring magic into your life. The Trickster? Well, he’s just part of the magic. The only thing that could make this story greater would be for it to be longer!
May 4, 2021
The truth of the desert
I grew up in the desert and somehow Charles de Lint captures the spirit of the desert.H. His writing captures the spirit of connectedness to past present and future.
I grew up in the desert and somehow Charles de Lint captures the spirit of the desert.H. His writing captures the spirit of connectedness to past present and future.
June 27, 2017
This one is shorter than the last, but it packs a punch. Thank you to the author for writing this one. Wow, I really liked it. It made me think and feel. And also want to go to the desert to see the stars at night.
June 1, 2018
a wonderful story. Read it.
July 22, 2024
Short but beautiful.
January 19, 2013
De Lint ventures back into the desert that borders Mexico and the States again, alongside Yellow Dog and Ernie, some new faces in his plethora of characters. Like all his desert stories, this one is all about the mystery that is contained in the open expanses that hide a deluge of animal people, cacti, and myth, but he also bring in a human interest element with Ernie's nocturnal searches for illegal immigrants stranded in the desert.
Unlike most of De Lint's other short stories, which at least pretend to be finished, it's pretty obvious that this is not a story with a definite ending. We have been treated to a single instance of Yellow Dog or Ernie's life, but that is all. Both are in the middl of the much longer journies of their lives, and the reader is definitely left wanting to hear more about these two characters.
Unlike most of De Lint's other short stories, which at least pretend to be finished, it's pretty obvious that this is not a story with a definite ending. We have been treated to a single instance of Yellow Dog or Ernie's life, but that is all. Both are in the middl of the much longer journies of their lives, and the reader is definitely left wanting to hear more about these two characters.
October 4, 2008
This brief story is a typical De Lint shape-shifting tale, except that rather than concerning himself with homelessness or child abuse as in earlier works, here he takes on the plight of illegal immigrants.
January 30, 2014
Read on Kindle app on my phone during lunch. Great story that pulls you in. Then again, I'm a bit biased towards Coyote stories...
March 25, 2015
The Coyote, Yellow Dog, cannot remember how to speak. He has a story to tell, so he follows a man who may be able to teach him
December 20, 2020
A moving short story about differing attitudes toward illegal Mexican migrants along the southwest border.
November 2, 2008
The best thing I have read by De Lint so far. Fantastic!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews