What do you think?
Rate this book
The Very Best of Charles de Lint
When asked to choose his “very best” stories, Charles de Lint went directly to his fans, who helped him select this collection of timeless, magical tales. From his beloved Newford to the streets of modern Ottawa, these stories take you effortlessly to a place where mystery and myth are right next door. To quote his “His stories are good for the heart and soul…he reminds you of hope and strength and Beauty and Grace that you may have forgotten.” “Just as Charles de Lint’s pen drips magic and enchantment, he is also never afraid to write about the darker and painful side of life, and he writes it in a way that moves you. Give this wonderful book a chance; I promise you it won’t disappoint you. Even more, I can assure you, you won’t be the same person when you are done with de Lint will have changed you with his magic.” Contemporary fantasist de Lint built this winning compilation with help from his readers, who voted on their favorite stories. The result is an outstanding and widely varied collection of 29 tales. The delightfully light-hearted "Pixel Pixies" adds magic and mischief to innocent online interactions. ("If you're lucky, [the pixies are] still on the Internet and didn't follow you home.") "Merlin Dreams in the Mondream Wood" investigates the nature and meaning of memories. The heart-wrenching "In the House of My Enemy," later developed into the novel The Onion Girl, narrates the decisions made by a pregnant girl with an abusive past. Longtime fans and newcomers alike will fall in love with de Lint's graceful, poetic language and characters like "an old man who wore the shape of a red-haired boy with crackernut eyes that seemed as bright as salmon tails glinting up the water." —Publishers Weekly When it comes to urban waifs and strays, Ottawa fantasy writer Charles de Lint has his own unusual take, creating in his fiction a fantastic world populated by artists, musicians, booksellers, scholars, runaways and, well, magic. With The Very Best of Charles de Lint, the author, who is also a musician, has created a greatest-hits set with a twist. To determine which stories to include (from a body of work spanning 25 years), he asked his fans for their favourites via Facebook and Twitter. The resulting volume is more than 400 pages of the finest urban fantasy fiction of the past three decades, characterized by de Lint’s deep and passionate humanism. —Robert Wiersema, National Post There are a number of stories here—quite an impressive number of them—that are simply perfect. By that, I mean that they hit the mark they've aimed at. (And de Lint never aims low.) They've achieved the intended effect. An artistic balance has been achieved between lyricism and clarity of language, consistent and well-developed characterisation that propel the plot at a good pace, and the elements of myth dosed out carefully enough that they retain the elements of mystery. And it's easy to miss that exquisite feat of craft in sheer enjoyment of the story, and the set of feelings the author has evoked. And that, my friends, is storytelling at its best. —Green Man Review
433 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 15, 2010
253 people are currently reading
2559 people want to read
About the author
Charles de Lint
447 books3,974 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
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews
November 7, 2017
Normally, I don't feel totally comfortable with "best of" volumes. I feel about them approximately the same way as I do about abridged editions. I don't like the idea that someone has cut slices off a complete work, or dug out pieces of it, and made the decision for me about what is worth reading and what isn't. I want to be the one who makes that decision.
I didn't feel quite so much of that with this volume though. Charles de Lint is someone whose name has cropped up in the prefaces and notes of other works as a formative influence, and he has penned an immense number of stories. So for someone like me, who has never read him, this is like a sample or an appetizer. It gave me enough of a taste to tell me that I would like to try more, much more.
The stories here have one foot in the real world, a world which includes neglected children, thugs, drifters, musicians, artists, yuppies, soup kitchens, pop culture, computers, bookshops, single mothers, servers and bartenders. The other foot is in a more mysterious world which contains hobgoblins, dryads, pixies, trolls, vampires, tricksters, shape-shifters, time travel and alternate realities.
Characters waft in and out of each other's stories, now playing a major role, now a minor one and sometimes getting hardly more than a mention. The end result is that some of them are incredibly well-rounded and at the same time they have indistinct edges or unplumbed depths, as if what we are seeing is only the tip of the iceberg.
I'm looking forward to going beyond the "very best of" and reading more of Charles de Lint.
I didn't feel quite so much of that with this volume though. Charles de Lint is someone whose name has cropped up in the prefaces and notes of other works as a formative influence, and he has penned an immense number of stories. So for someone like me, who has never read him, this is like a sample or an appetizer. It gave me enough of a taste to tell me that I would like to try more, much more.
The stories here have one foot in the real world, a world which includes neglected children, thugs, drifters, musicians, artists, yuppies, soup kitchens, pop culture, computers, bookshops, single mothers, servers and bartenders. The other foot is in a more mysterious world which contains hobgoblins, dryads, pixies, trolls, vampires, tricksters, shape-shifters, time travel and alternate realities.
Characters waft in and out of each other's stories, now playing a major role, now a minor one and sometimes getting hardly more than a mention. The end result is that some of them are incredibly well-rounded and at the same time they have indistinct edges or unplumbed depths, as if what we are seeing is only the tip of the iceberg.
I'm looking forward to going beyond the "very best of" and reading more of Charles de Lint.
Want to read
January 23, 2015Kindle freebie 1/23/15.
April 7, 2015
I was pleased that 18 of the 29 stories in this collection were new to me (and the 7 from Dreams Underfoot I read back in the '90s were due for a reread). Some of the stories were very dark (one in particular about a very young girl suffering from sexual abuse) but there were enough hopeful stories to keep this volume from being too much for me to handle. I am glad however that I spread out my reading of them -- to read them all back-to-back might have reduced my enjoyment of the book as a whole.
I particularly liked "The Badger in the Bag" (about the souls of musical instruments coming alive at night), "A Wish Named Arnold", and "Pixel Pixies". Oh and the tribute to Joe Strummer "That Was Radio Clash"!
I particularly liked "The Badger in the Bag" (about the souls of musical instruments coming alive at night), "A Wish Named Arnold", and "Pixel Pixies". Oh and the tribute to Joe Strummer "That Was Radio Clash"!
August 25, 2011
Charles de Lint is my favorite author. He has this way with his stories that even if you've read them before, coming back to them is like meeting up with an old friend. His stories take you so easily and so effortlessly into a place where life is more than black and white; where Mystery is right next door and anything is possible.
His books and stories are good for the heart and soul I think; they can ease you back to a place you once knew as a child but gave up on in the harsh "reality" of being an adult.
It's not to say all the stories are happy endings and many tackle serious issues. It's just that you feel like you can get through whatever is wrong in your own life a little bit easier because he reminds you of hope and strength and Beauty and Grace that you may have forgotten.
This is a great collection with a nice range of stories. Most of them are "Newford" stories but not all and even the Newford ones give a wide range of focus on different characters.
If you already love de Lint, you will love reading these stories (or love reading them again!) If you haven't read any of his, this is a nice place to start and be introduced to his style and his world.
His books and stories are good for the heart and soul I think; they can ease you back to a place you once knew as a child but gave up on in the harsh "reality" of being an adult.
It's not to say all the stories are happy endings and many tackle serious issues. It's just that you feel like you can get through whatever is wrong in your own life a little bit easier because he reminds you of hope and strength and Beauty and Grace that you may have forgotten.
This is a great collection with a nice range of stories. Most of them are "Newford" stories but not all and even the Newford ones give a wide range of focus on different characters.
If you already love de Lint, you will love reading these stories (or love reading them again!) If you haven't read any of his, this is a nice place to start and be introduced to his style and his world.
December 18, 2014
I have acquired a new appreciation of the short story and renewed my love for the wonder, beauty and magic in Charles de Lint's writing.
March 29, 2012
I'm finally (and sadly) done with this collection of magical stories, regarded as the very best of Charles de Lint by his fans, and it feels like such a daunting task to write a review for this book but I'm going to try anyway.
29 stories, and an introduction, live in these pages, and out of all of them, only 10 were just ok for me. The rest ranged from really cool to absolutely amazing. The themes? Anything you can imagine, but mostly revolving around Newford, art, magic, faerie, old times, modern times, death, love, mystery... Stories that will make you laugh out loud, smile, sometimes cry. Because just as Charles de Lint’s pen drips magic and enchantment, he is also never afraid to write about the darker and painful side of life, and he writes it in a way that moves you.
My two absolute favorites were Mr. Truepenny’s Book Emporium and Gallery and The moon is drowning while I sleep, both with Sophie Etoile as their main character; there was just something about them that truly touched my soul in a way only Charles de Lint can. Who knows, maybe I felt a kinship with Sophie...
That was radio clash is another brilliant jewel that de Lint wrote in memory of Joe Strummer.
Laughter in the leaves, The badger in the bag, and And the rafters were ringing, another three stories I loved, proper old school fantasy, the three of them about Meran, daughter of the Oak king and married to Cerin, and her clashes with a bodach that plays tricks on her.
Pixel Pixies is a truly beautiful story as well (where Meran makes an appearance too), as were Old Man Crow, A wish named Arnold, The graceless child, and Merlin dreams in the Mondream Wood. And how can I forget about Timeskip ?
So there, the stories I mentioned were only the ones I absolutely adored and will probably read and re-read many times. I haven’t even talked about the ones I really really liked. Which I will certainly read again too.
The thing about Charles de Lint work is that, for me, it is either a hit or a miss. But this time he hit me hard and often and only missed very few times. So, give this wonderful book a chance; I promise you it won’t disappoint you. Even more, I can assure you you won’t be the same person when you are done with it: De Lint will have changed you with his magic.
29 stories, and an introduction, live in these pages, and out of all of them, only 10 were just ok for me. The rest ranged from really cool to absolutely amazing. The themes? Anything you can imagine, but mostly revolving around Newford, art, magic, faerie, old times, modern times, death, love, mystery... Stories that will make you laugh out loud, smile, sometimes cry. Because just as Charles de Lint’s pen drips magic and enchantment, he is also never afraid to write about the darker and painful side of life, and he writes it in a way that moves you.
My two absolute favorites were Mr. Truepenny’s Book Emporium and Gallery and The moon is drowning while I sleep, both with Sophie Etoile as their main character; there was just something about them that truly touched my soul in a way only Charles de Lint can. Who knows, maybe I felt a kinship with Sophie...
That was radio clash is another brilliant jewel that de Lint wrote in memory of Joe Strummer.
Laughter in the leaves, The badger in the bag, and And the rafters were ringing, another three stories I loved, proper old school fantasy, the three of them about Meran, daughter of the Oak king and married to Cerin, and her clashes with a bodach that plays tricks on her.
Pixel Pixies is a truly beautiful story as well (where Meran makes an appearance too), as were Old Man Crow, A wish named Arnold, The graceless child, and Merlin dreams in the Mondream Wood. And how can I forget about Timeskip ?
So there, the stories I mentioned were only the ones I absolutely adored and will probably read and re-read many times. I haven’t even talked about the ones I really really liked. Which I will certainly read again too.
The thing about Charles de Lint work is that, for me, it is either a hit or a miss. But this time he hit me hard and often and only missed very few times. So, give this wonderful book a chance; I promise you it won’t disappoint you. Even more, I can assure you you won’t be the same person when you are done with it: De Lint will have changed you with his magic.
January 15, 2019
♦In Which We Meet Jilly Coppercorn (an excerpt from the beginning of the Uncle Dobbin's Parrot Fair) 8/10/2000 -- 7/15/2015
♦ "Coyote Stories" re-read 11/12/2001 -- 11/15/2006 -- 5/30/2017
♦ "Laughter in the Leaves" 11/1/2006 -- re-read 6/15/2015
♦ "The Badger in the Bag" 11/2/2006 -- re-read 6/19/2015
♦ "And the Rafters Were Ringing" 11/6/2006 -- re-read 6/22/15
♦ "Merlin Dreams in the Mondream Wood" 3/6/1999 -- 7/13/2015
♦ "The Stone Drum" 8/10/2000 -- 11/9/2006 -- 7/13/2015
♦ "Timeskip" 8/11/2000 -- 7/13/2015
♦ "Freewheeling" 8/11/2000 -- 7/20/2015
♦ "A Wish Named Arnold" re-read 6/23/2015
♦ "Into the Green" 12/7/2011 -- re-read 7/3/2015
♦ "The Graceless Child" 12/17/2011 -- RE-read 7/27/2015
♥ "Winter Was Hard" 8/12/2000 RE-read 7/28/2015 -- my fav ss by cdl
♦ "The Conjure Man" 8/13/2000 -- RE-read 7/30/2015
♦ "We Are Dead Together" RE-read 7/8/2015
♦ "Mr. Truepenny's Book Emporium and Gallery" 11/14/2006 -- RE-read 7/31/2015
♦ "In the House of My Enemy" 8/14/2000 -- RE-read 8/6/2015
♦ "The Moon Is Drowning While I Sleep" first read in DU in late winter 1993, then when it re-appeared in RoF in Feb1995 ... 8/14/2000 RE-read 7/31/2015
♦ "Crow Girls" 2/2/1999 -- 11/18/2006 -- 5/21/2015
♦ "Birds" read in The Shimmering Door 5/25/1998 -- 1/2/1999
♦ "Held Safe by Moonlight and Vines" 1/31/1999
♦ "In the Pines" 1/31/1999
♦ "Pixel Pixies" 11/24/2006
♦ "Many Worlds Are Born Tonight" 5/14/2018
♦ "Sisters" RE-read 7/27/2015
♦ "Pal o' Mine" RE-read 8/7/2015
♦ "That Was Radio Clash" 4/8/2006 -- 6/12/2010
♦ "Old Man Crow" 6/20/2007
♦ "The Fields Beyond the Fields" 2/2/1999 -- 11/23/2006
♦ "Coyote Stories" re-read 11/12/2001 -- 11/15/2006 -- 5/30/2017
♦ "Laughter in the Leaves" 11/1/2006 -- re-read 6/15/2015
♦ "The Badger in the Bag" 11/2/2006 -- re-read 6/19/2015
♦ "And the Rafters Were Ringing" 11/6/2006 -- re-read 6/22/15
♦ "Merlin Dreams in the Mondream Wood" 3/6/1999 -- 7/13/2015
♦ "The Stone Drum" 8/10/2000 -- 11/9/2006 -- 7/13/2015
♦ "Timeskip" 8/11/2000 -- 7/13/2015
♦ "Freewheeling" 8/11/2000 -- 7/20/2015
♦ "A Wish Named Arnold" re-read 6/23/2015
♦ "Into the Green" 12/7/2011 -- re-read 7/3/2015
♦ "The Graceless Child" 12/17/2011 -- RE-read 7/27/2015
♥ "Winter Was Hard" 8/12/2000 RE-read 7/28/2015 -- my fav ss by cdl
♦ "The Conjure Man" 8/13/2000 -- RE-read 7/30/2015
♦ "We Are Dead Together" RE-read 7/8/2015
♦ "Mr. Truepenny's Book Emporium and Gallery" 11/14/2006 -- RE-read 7/31/2015
♦ "In the House of My Enemy" 8/14/2000 -- RE-read 8/6/2015
♦ "The Moon Is Drowning While I Sleep" first read in DU in late winter 1993, then when it re-appeared in RoF in Feb1995 ... 8/14/2000 RE-read 7/31/2015
♦ "Crow Girls" 2/2/1999 -- 11/18/2006 -- 5/21/2015
♦ "Birds" read in The Shimmering Door 5/25/1998 -- 1/2/1999
♦ "Held Safe by Moonlight and Vines" 1/31/1999
♦ "In the Pines" 1/31/1999
♦ "Pixel Pixies" 11/24/2006
♦ "Many Worlds Are Born Tonight" 5/14/2018
♦ "Sisters" RE-read 7/27/2015
♦ "Pal o' Mine" RE-read 8/7/2015
♦ "That Was Radio Clash" 4/8/2006 -- 6/12/2010
♦ "Old Man Crow" 6/20/2007
♦ "The Fields Beyond the Fields" 2/2/1999 -- 11/23/2006
February 8, 2017
Good, as expected.
However, there's a surprising amount of bad formatting and typos - mostly in the form of mid-sentence line breaks. It's odd - I've received numerous ARCs from this publisher and never seen anything like this and I'm really surprised to see it on a book of reprints - especially since they've had a couple of years to issue corrections.
However, there's a surprising amount of bad formatting and typos - mostly in the form of mid-sentence line breaks. It's odd - I've received numerous ARCs from this publisher and never seen anything like this and I'm really surprised to see it on a book of reprints - especially since they've had a couple of years to issue corrections.
August 26, 2020
I'm not quite sure why I picked up this collection over 5 years ago, especially since I've never read anything by Charles de Lint until now. But I'm very, very glad that I finally did.
De Lint includes 29 stories, most of them suggested by his fans (per his introduction). From what I can tell, 20 of those are Newford stories, his fictional North American city that's apparently the location of most of his fiction. The other 9 stories are either set in Ottawa or some random fantasy settings.
Despite the hurt that the author put many of his characters through ("In the House of My Enemy" rather wrecked me), de Lint really threads that needle between pain and sweetness, and while I was often comforted by rather sweet stories ("A Wish Named Arnold," "Mr. Truepenny's Book Emporium and Gallery," "Pixel Pixies"), I was also heartbroken by sad or bittersweet stories like "The Badger in the Bag" (which wins for unexpectedness), "Timeskip," "Into the Green," "Birds," and "Pal o' Mine." In the end, I would only rate about 3 or 4 stories here at less than 4 stars.
In a lot of ways, I found this collection to make me think of (early) Mercedes Lackey, if anyone has read her work, if only in the sense of angsty characters, homelessness, bad things happening to kids, and also to be written in a more literary bent.
I don't normally get too terribly personal in my book reviews, but my dad died less than 2 months ago, and this collection made me cry several times because of all the emotions it invoked in me for this. "In the Pines" was a pretty powerful one in that respect. I wish I could talk to my dad again.
De Lint includes 29 stories, most of them suggested by his fans (per his introduction). From what I can tell, 20 of those are Newford stories, his fictional North American city that's apparently the location of most of his fiction. The other 9 stories are either set in Ottawa or some random fantasy settings.
Despite the hurt that the author put many of his characters through ("In the House of My Enemy" rather wrecked me), de Lint really threads that needle between pain and sweetness, and while I was often comforted by rather sweet stories ("A Wish Named Arnold," "Mr. Truepenny's Book Emporium and Gallery," "Pixel Pixies"), I was also heartbroken by sad or bittersweet stories like "The Badger in the Bag" (which wins for unexpectedness), "Timeskip," "Into the Green," "Birds," and "Pal o' Mine." In the end, I would only rate about 3 or 4 stories here at less than 4 stars.
In a lot of ways, I found this collection to make me think of (early) Mercedes Lackey, if anyone has read her work, if only in the sense of angsty characters, homelessness, bad things happening to kids, and also to be written in a more literary bent.
I don't normally get too terribly personal in my book reviews, but my dad died less than 2 months ago, and this collection made me cry several times because of all the emotions it invoked in me for this. "In the Pines" was a pretty powerful one in that respect. I wish I could talk to my dad again.
October 8, 2012
I have been a fan of Charles deLint for about 20(!) years. He excels at urban fantasy but his regular fantasy is great, too. I really enjoyed this collection of stories. Even though I've read most of his novels and a lot of his previous collections, this one included many I had not read before. The ones I had, I remembered fondly, now with an adult's perspective, which did not diminish my appreciation of his writing skill and storytelling talent.
This would be a great book for the beginning deLint reader to dip their toes into his worlds. It contains a nice mix of all his worlds. Of course, the Newford ones were my favorite. It always feels like coming home when I read those.
This would be a great book for the beginning deLint reader to dip their toes into his worlds. It contains a nice mix of all his worlds. Of course, the Newford ones were my favorite. It always feels like coming home when I read those.
July 7, 2018
This was an excellent collection of stories by Charles de Lint. De Lint was one of my favorite authors many years ago and I am not sure why I stopped reading him. This collection of stories really brings home all the things I loved about de Lint; he is just such a creative storyteller and excellent writer.
The first few stories were about Meran and her husband Ceran and the bodachs that make mischief in their lives. These were fun and entertaining to read. These stories were followed by a number of stories featuring Jilly Coppercorn and Geordie; I always love these stories a lot as well.
A couple of my favorites were: “Merlin Dreams in the Mondream Wood” (about a woman who visits Merlin while he is trapped in a tree) and “The Graceless Child” about a young half-trow girl who saves the world of Dream.
Overall this was an amazing collection of stories by de Lint. He was one of my favorite authors when I was in my 20's and reading this makes me wonder why I haven't read him in a long time. De Lint is an amazing storyteller and the author that introduced me to urban fantasy. I highly recommend this collection of stories they are just so well done.
The first few stories were about Meran and her husband Ceran and the bodachs that make mischief in their lives. These were fun and entertaining to read. These stories were followed by a number of stories featuring Jilly Coppercorn and Geordie; I always love these stories a lot as well.
A couple of my favorites were: “Merlin Dreams in the Mondream Wood” (about a woman who visits Merlin while he is trapped in a tree) and “The Graceless Child” about a young half-trow girl who saves the world of Dream.
Overall this was an amazing collection of stories by de Lint. He was one of my favorite authors when I was in my 20's and reading this makes me wonder why I haven't read him in a long time. De Lint is an amazing storyteller and the author that introduced me to urban fantasy. I highly recommend this collection of stories they are just so well done.
September 13, 2024
I previously wasn't a huge fan of fictional short stories. After reading this, I have new faith in them. I also love fiction that has a lot of accurate depictions of fairy folk.
February 22, 2011
Just my fourth book of the year and I already know this one will be on this year’s list of my favorites!
In this collection of de Lint’s stories he asked his fans to pick their favorites (and somehow I didn’t know about it). Some of the stories I don’t think I’ve read before, some I haven’t read for many years, and others it was like coming home to reread them. There are stories like “Laughter in the Leaves” and “The Badger in the Bag” that are about Meran and Cerin when they first got together. There are lots of Jilly stories in this collection. “The Stone Drum" is an early one, where she finds a drum in the Tombs and Goon, Professor Bramley’s odd housekeeper, gets involved. “Timeskip” is when Jilly and Geordie meet, but Geordie, well.. just read it... “Freewheeling” is about Jilly’s friend Zinc who sets bicycles free. “The Conjure Man” is about the Tree of Tales and has this paragraph in it.
“Mr. Truepenny’s Book Emporium and Gallery” is about Sophie’s favorite place when she was a child, which turns out to be a real place – in faerie. “Pixel Pixies” is about another bookstore, this one owned by Holly, in Newford, where the hob Dick Bobbins also lives. I’ve mentioned something about eight stories, there are 29 in this book.
Go! Get it for yourself!
In this collection of de Lint’s stories he asked his fans to pick their favorites (and somehow I didn’t know about it). Some of the stories I don’t think I’ve read before, some I haven’t read for many years, and others it was like coming home to reread them. There are stories like “Laughter in the Leaves” and “The Badger in the Bag” that are about Meran and Cerin when they first got together. There are lots of Jilly stories in this collection. “The Stone Drum" is an early one, where she finds a drum in the Tombs and Goon, Professor Bramley’s odd housekeeper, gets involved. “Timeskip” is when Jilly and Geordie meet, but Geordie, well.. just read it... “Freewheeling” is about Jilly’s friend Zinc who sets bicycles free. “The Conjure Man” is about the Tree of Tales and has this paragraph in it.
“There’s stories and then there’s stories. The ones with any worth change your life forever, perhaps only in a small way, but once you’ve heard them, they are forever a part of you. You nurture them and pass them on and the giving only makes you feel better.”
“Mr. Truepenny’s Book Emporium and Gallery” is about Sophie’s favorite place when she was a child, which turns out to be a real place – in faerie. “Pixel Pixies” is about another bookstore, this one owned by Holly, in Newford, where the hob Dick Bobbins also lives. I’ve mentioned something about eight stories, there are 29 in this book.
Go! Get it for yourself!
September 20, 2012
Every collection of Charles' short stories is full of gems, but thus far this is the one that I like best. The selection of stories was chosen in tandem with loyal fans through social media (way to jump on the technology/social media bandwagon!), which I find quite endearing as many authors don't maintain close contact with their fan base. Especially when it comes to publishing!
The stories that are included showcase the range of Charles' writing style, and include classic Newford tales, traditional Isles-style fantasy, and a touch of horror as well. Many of the stories are also ones that were initially published as super-limited editions by Triskell press, and are unavailable unless you can get your hands on a copy of Triskell Tales 1/2 (both long out of print) or are the lucky recipient of one of the original Christmas stories.
Not only has Charles made it very clear how much his fans mean to him by including many of their favourite stories, but he has also inadvertantly addressed one of the major issues with his published works: availability. Obviously Charles will keep producing amazing work, but I would be extremely happy to see some of his older books be re-issued so that my collection isn't so full of holes!
The stories that are included showcase the range of Charles' writing style, and include classic Newford tales, traditional Isles-style fantasy, and a touch of horror as well. Many of the stories are also ones that were initially published as super-limited editions by Triskell press, and are unavailable unless you can get your hands on a copy of Triskell Tales 1/2 (both long out of print) or are the lucky recipient of one of the original Christmas stories.
Not only has Charles made it very clear how much his fans mean to him by including many of their favourite stories, but he has also inadvertantly addressed one of the major issues with his published works: availability. Obviously Charles will keep producing amazing work, but I would be extremely happy to see some of his older books be re-issued so that my collection isn't so full of holes!
January 21, 2014
This is a lovely collection of Charles DeLint's work encompassing many years of his life and the characters (many of DeLint's characters reappear throughout his books and stories over the course of about 20 years of their life - and 20 years of his for that matter). Charles DeLint is one of the originators of Urban Fantasy - but less Buffy and more similar to Gaiman, however more mysterious and less horror although both Gaiman and DeLint move back and forth across the horrific line. DeLint always makes me want to look at the world more closely, wondering if Shakespeare is right. If there are things going on beneath the surface of what I see that I couldn't even imagine. And even if there is not, a desire to delve into what I call real world magic - watching a squirrel go about it's work, a group of musicians in perfect sync, the laughter of children on a playground. DeLint reminds me of beauty, even in his darker stories, perhaps because it's the beauty of the mystery of life.
November 26, 2015
If you know de Lint, you know what to expect. If you don't, this is an excellent way to get introduced. Stories about magic--the magic of nature, the magic of the alien, the magic that lives all around you and soaks into the pavement and the apartment building and the Number 10 bus. Lots of Newford stories, which he really shines at. Displaced people, people who have fallen into the cracks, runaways, runtowards, folks trying to get by in a world that is either intentionally or just systemically out to break you. And also a badger.
June 15, 2016
Reading this book reminded me of how much I love Charles de Lint. The stories are all urban fantasy, with no cliched characters or situations, and each one has a different pace and rhythm (unlike some short story collections that can seem samey). I'm diving back into his fiction at the next possible opportunity.
August 12, 2024
When asked to choose his “very best” stories, Charles de Lint went directly to his fans, who helped him select this collection of timeless, magical tales. From his beloved Newford to the streets of modern Ottawa, these stories take you effortlessly to a place where mystery and myth are right next door. To quote his readers: “His stories are good for the heart and soul…he reminds you of hope and strength and Beauty and Grace that you may have forgotten.”
“Just as Charles de Lint’s pen drips magic and enchantment, he is also never afraid to write about the darker and painful side of life, and he writes it in a way that moves you. Give this wonderful book a chance; I promise you it won’t disappoint you. Even more, I can assure you, you won’t be the same person when you are done with it: de Lint will have changed you with his magic.”
Reviews:
Contemporary fantasist de Lint built this winning compilation with help from his readers, who voted on their favorite stories. The result is an outstanding and widely varied collection of 29 tales. The delightfully light-hearted "Pixel Pixies" adds magic and mischief to innocent online interactions. ("If you're lucky, [the pixies are] still on the Internet and didn't follow you home.") "Merlin Dreams in the Mondream Wood" investigates the nature and meaning of memories. The heart-wrenching "In the House of My Enemy," later developed into the novel The Onion Girl, narrates the decisions made by a pregnant girl with an abusive past. Longtime fans and newcomers alike will fall in love with de Lint's graceful, poetic language and characters like "an old man who wore the shape of a red-haired boy with crackernut eyes that seemed as bright as salmon tails glinting up the water."
—Publishers Weekly
When it comes to urban waifs and strays, Ottawa fantasy writer Charles de Lint has his own unusual take, creating in his fiction a fantastic world populated by artists, musicians, booksellers, scholars, runaways and, well, magic. With The Very Best of Charles de Lint, the author, who is also a musician, has created a greatest-hits set with a twist. To determine which stories to include (from a body of work spanning 25 years), he asked his fans for their favourites via Facebook and Twitter. The resulting volume is more than 400 pages of the finest urban fantasy fiction of the past three decades, characterized by de Lint’s deep and passionate humanism.
—Robert Wiersema, National Post
There are a number of stories here—quite an impressive number of them—that are simply perfect. By that, I mean that they hit the mark they've aimed at. (And de Lint never aims low.) They've achieved the intended effect. An artistic balance has been achieved between lyricism and clarity of language, consistent and well-developed characterisation that propel the plot at a good pace, and the elements of myth dosed out carefully enough that they retain the elements of mystery. And it's easy to miss that exquisite feat of craft in sheer enjoyment of the story, and the set of feelings the author has evoked. And that, my friends, is storytelling at its best.
—Green Man Review
**
From BooklistThe selections for this collection of de Lint’s short pieces were made by both the author and his fans. It was a labor of love for them all.The stories, retold fairy tales and the modern doings of mythical beings, were published between 1984 and 2005, and include “Into the Green,” “Crow Girls,” “The Conjure Man,” “The Moon Is Drowning While I Sleep,” “A Wish Named Arnold,” and 24 others. A must for de Lint completists and fantasy/myth lovers. --Frieda Murray
Review
“It’s hard not to feel encouraged to be a better person after reading a book by Ottawa’s Charles de Lint.”
—Halifax Chronicle Herald
“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
“An outstanding and widely varied collection of 29 tales.... Long-time fans and newcomers alike will fall in love with de Lint’s graceful, poetic language and characters.”
—Publishers Weekly
“[de Lint] is a master storyteller.... [I]n every story—and I do mean every—he manages to pack an emotional wallop, and a sense that the fantastical could be very, very possible if only we choose to believe it so.”
—Bookgasm
“More than 400 pages of the finest urban fantasy fiction of the past three decades.”
—Ottawa Citizen
“The Very Best of Charles de Lint truly is Charles de Lint at his very best.”
—FantasyLiterature.com
“Lovely and quite diverse...[t]his is a collection definitely worth picking up.”
—San Francisco/Sacramento Book Review
“These are stories for those who love reading.”
—Locus
“De Lint is prolific, and if you’ve resisted picking him up because you’re not sure where to start, this is an excellent way to get a feel for his polished prose, his deep empathy for his own characters, and a wondrous world that may be filled with danger but is no less beautiful because of that.”
—Bookgasm
January 27, 2015
OMG The first I have read of his work and Whoa!!!!!
Amazing imagination and creativity descriptive world, that shows all behind the veil the great and the horrible. Anyone who has suffered from abuse would find some healing in this collection. Going to find more to read.
Amazing imagination and creativity descriptive world, that shows all behind the veil the great and the horrible. Anyone who has suffered from abuse would find some healing in this collection. Going to find more to read.
November 2, 2016
An excellent collection of imaginative stories. Each one is a little gem of supernatural happenings designed to enchant and delight the reader. Many are Celtic-influenced with music, pixies, and pucas.
From the first story to the last, these stories reflect the unique vision of a gifted writer.
From the first story to the last, these stories reflect the unique vision of a gifted writer.
July 12, 2015
One of my all time favorite urban fantasy writers with a collection of short stories. LOVE it!
October 25, 2018
Coming rather late to the writings of Charles de Lint, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that he writes fantasy fiction. I had always associated his name with sci fi, for reasons completely unknown to me now. This is a collection - chosen by his fandom - of their favorite stories. And very intriguing little stories they are! I liked the order they were in, as we learned more about the backstory of one of his main characters, Jilly Coppercorn, as the stories progressed through different stages. De Lint writes a lot of young adult literature, which is apparent in these stories as well. But if you enjoy reading stories about people who believe in fairies and ghosts and hobgoblins and who may even be some of those things, then you will like these stories.
September 22, 2021
thought provoking
These stories have a feel of a different time about them, as if you’re peaking into a parallel universe and seeing what might have been if we had kept n touch with magic. Yet it feels nostalgic as if we’re seeing the world dying and turning into a mundane world like this universe.
The writing probably deserves 4* but I dropped the rating for two reasons:-
1 - from nowhere several stories in the middle have stories of child abuse. I don’t want to be thrown into that type of story and I seriously considered putting the book down.
2 - the formatting of this ebook is all over the place, it’s difficult to tell where one story ends on occasion.
These stories have a feel of a different time about them, as if you’re peaking into a parallel universe and seeing what might have been if we had kept n touch with magic. Yet it feels nostalgic as if we’re seeing the world dying and turning into a mundane world like this universe.
The writing probably deserves 4* but I dropped the rating for two reasons:-
1 - from nowhere several stories in the middle have stories of child abuse. I don’t want to be thrown into that type of story and I seriously considered putting the book down.
2 - the formatting of this ebook is all over the place, it’s difficult to tell where one story ends on occasion.
July 11, 2017
Modern fairy tales were never so well written, and it is a crime that I haven’t read more of de Lint’s work. I read this volume in bits and pieces on my kindle riding to and from work on the subway. It’s not a long ride, so I had the opportunity to let his tales sit and be with me. And as good as they are (and they are) the temptation to binge these stories never really materialized. I wanted to savor them, to linger over them, but now they're done. And while I'll never be able to read them again for the first time, they'll forever occupy a small bit of my brain, and I'm glad of that!
March 6, 2019
Pure magic
A master teller of stories which sit in the real world but not quite. Since first coming across a de Lint book in my local library a quarter of a century ago, I've loved the way that he captures the world of faerie as it intertwines with and inhabits our own. This somehow makes it more magical than many fantasy tales at the same time as making it more real. His characters are beautifully and lovingly crafted. This collection of short stories is an absolute delight. Believe.
A master teller of stories which sit in the real world but not quite. Since first coming across a de Lint book in my local library a quarter of a century ago, I've loved the way that he captures the world of faerie as it intertwines with and inhabits our own. This somehow makes it more magical than many fantasy tales at the same time as making it more real. His characters are beautifully and lovingly crafted. This collection of short stories is an absolute delight. Believe.
May 17, 2023
A lot of old friends here. And some new ones that I had missed either from collections or magazine offerings. You will laugh. You will cry. You will feel for some of the characters and want only good to come to them in either peace or happiness in their existence. You will want to know characters or at least their settings. de Lint is the best there is at urban fantasy and otherworld tales. Just step a bit to your left, blink and enter elsewhere.
May 27, 2025
An author who imbues his worlds with magic and spiritual truth- at once incandescent and fantastical and phantasmagoric. The writing evokes nature’s mirthful, ruthless, inchoate and primal energies. Through his stories, De Lint reminds us of a sprightly, joyful animism which must have first embodied all belief systems in their development down through the millennia, culminating in modern religion. Spellbinding, charming and enchanting stories indeed.
August 18, 2025
I don’t actually recall what made me think of picking this up; I assume I saw a reference to Charles de Lint somewhere and remembered that he’s actually a well-known fantasy author whose work I’ve never read. As it turned out my library had very few of his books so this seemed like a reasonable starting place. I definitely enjoyed most of the stories although for some reason they all felt VERY 90s, but in an overall good nostalgic way.
April 22, 2018
There is something about de Lint's magic which feels very right to me, the stories have that familiar-from-dreams vibe which makes them seem real, or like they know me. They are not all happy, they are not always written as I would like, but the stories and the characters transcend and remain in my head long after the book has been put down.
August 7, 2018
A collection of short stories with some I wished were longer. I adore the magical world Charles de Lint has intertwined with the lived in world. Repeating characters from other short stories makes it easier to jump into the short tales. My favorite was Pixel Pixies. I would recommend this collection to anyone needing to escape into the magical world for a short time.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews