Charles de Lint

[WizardofOwls]

I am a huge fan of urban fantasy in general, and of the novels of Canadian author Charles de Lint in particular. I would love to see a dedicated sub-forum for him at Chronicles! I guess the question I want to ask is: Are YOU a CDL fan as well? Would you like to discuss various aspects of his work? Post here if you are!

Blessings everyone!

 

[GOLLUM]

I would not describe myself as an avid De Lint fan but I have read some of his work including Onion Girl and thought it was excellent. It's the novel for which he was nominee for the World Fantasy Award. It's considered by some critics as a classic of the Genre.

I also have a few of his Newford story collections, Newford being the urban fantasy city and surrounding area the bulk (as I understand it) his stories are set and the same location that Onion Girl is placed. I've only dipped into the collections to date. They're good but I found there was a certain 'sameness' to them. I have the collections Moonlight and Vines (winner for best collection - World Fantasy Award) and Dreams Underfoot. I should probably revisit these collections in 2013 at which point I'll have more to add...

De Lint is an author I would recommend to other people to try but not someone whose entire ouevre I would personally pursue...in the way I've done with other authors.

Sorry I couldn't add much more at this stage.

 

[WizardofOwls]

Oh, I disagree! I love his books! I have nearly everything he has ever written and love to go back and reread them. They are so full of magic and the joy of life! Whenever I get a new CDL book, the rest of my "to read" pile is forgotten and pushed off to the side as CDL takes priority over everything else! Lol

 

[GOLLUM]

Well I admire your enthusiasm. I certainly don't want anyone reading this thread to think that I regard De Lint as lack lustre. I think he is a talented writer and The Onion Girl IS an excellent read. I just found the Newford stories collectively as being a little too formulaic for my liking in the same way I eventually found Terry Books' ouevre particularly his main Shannara cycle a little too staid.

Of course as with anythnig it's going to come down to a matter of personal taste, I think I will (re)read entirely one of those two Newford collections I have this year to provide a more substantive appraisal.

Hopefully someone else here has read De Lint and can add further comments to this thread.

 

[Hypnos164]

I've read some De Lint over the years after having a random bookshop conversation and getting a recommendation.

For me i'd say he writes urban faerie tales rather than what is currently packaged as urban fantasy which is a lot more action focused. Very human stories about people experiencing a trans-formative event, that is often almost coincidentally magical.

I've enjoyed everything of his I have read. I do find that because the transformations of peoples lives are so intense a little goes a long way; I never want to pick up another book of his for some time after reading one.

There is an element of similarity between the books - his repeated theme is the intersection of the magical and the mundane but the details and the characters vary a lot.