The Sword and Laser discussion

I finished the book today and wanted to capture some of my early thoughts. I don't plan to include any details in my initial post that aren't either included in the book jacket and blurbs, couldn't easily be surmised from them, or are of a more general nature. But this is a topic intended for those who have read the book.

I have read versions of stories about Coyote, Raven, Fox, Wolf, and others since I was a young child. I was always a heavy reader of myths and mythologies of all sorts, but those were among the first to capture my imagination. And I've enjoyed multiple fantasy novels and series that incorporated the author's version of them. So I was intrigued and quickly hooked by Charles de Lint's versions of those archetypes.

I really liked the way the novel approached the archetypes as well. Although sometimes we would get parts of their perspectives, the story was mostly told from the perspective of humans or thin-blooded relatives of the first people. It's truly mythic fiction, including both a creation story and the threat of an undoing, but it's approached on a very personal scale.

Moth and Hank's found junkyard family is not just human, but living on the outskirts of society. But their love and care, though as flawed as the characters, permeates the book. The novel is as much about love and family as it is about myth and creation. There are multiple points in the story where I felt myself tearing up. There's pain and heartbreak, yes, but also beauty and hope.

And, of course, there are the Crow Girls. They explode off the page and captured my attention and imagination every time they entered a scene. I understand they are a favorite of fans and I definitely see why. They appear to be pure chaos, but have depths and complexity below that surface appearance.

Especially given recent events from the US, I was also struck by this bit in one of Jack's stories. (This one is from his story of a contest with a witch.)

"The evil people do, that's their responsibility. The burden they have to carry. Sure, when we see 'em starting on causing some hurt, we've got to try and stop 'em, but mostly what the rest of us should be concerning ourselves with is doing right by others. Every time you do a good turn, you shine the light a little farther into the dark. And the thing is, even when we're gone, that light's going to keep shining on, pushing the shadows back."

Later, in reflecting on Jack's story, a character adds this commentary.

"I think the other part of what he was saying is that everything has an existence separate from ourselves. People, animals, trees, art ... everything. So when you're interacting with something -- it doesn't matter what it is -- you shouldn't be concentrating on how clearly you see yourself in it. The trick is to recognize the worth of a thing for its own sake instead of recognizing its worth to you."

And those are messages worth absorbing.