Customer Reviews

Forests of the Heart

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I hear that an author as good as De Lint has a new book come out, I get a little pessimistic. How can he possible write something as good as his previous books? But he has done it again. This marvelous story of shapeshifters of the southwest, manitous of the north, and Celtic genii loci is truly wonderful. Read this book! And, Mr. de Lint, was it serendipidous, or did you know about wise older women and spiders in some of the Plains Tribes? That is fairly esoteric, I think (I got it from my granny). At any rate, it makes me respect the way the author tosses together all the different lores to come up with such engaging stories.

Thank you!

I totally enjoyed this book. However, it read more like an action adventure fantasy, than a typical DeLint novel. I found that I was more interested in the actions taken than the thoughts/motives driving the characters in this novel. If you are looking for a typical DeLint, you will find some of it here, but you will find more action and force than you normally see. I have noticed that seems to be a trend, though. There was quite a "big action" feel to the end of "Somewhere to be Flying", too. I do recommed you pick this up if you are a big DeLint fan. IF YOU'VE NEVER READ DE LINT, then go back & buy the three short story collections, first, to get yourself familiar with his people and his environment. You will enjoy this book much more if you do; it will give you a sense of history to the story and the characters.

In "Forests of the Heart" Charles DeLint once again brings magic to life. This time around, la brujeria is closely intertwined with the Celtic folklore and Native American influences that DeLint is famous for. The tale is set in the already well-loved town of Newford, though it also travels to the Sonoran desert and, of course, the Spiritworld. Some of the author's most popular characters (including Jilly, my personal favorite) make cameo appearances, but the book is peopled by fresh new faces that instantly engage the imagination and touch the heart. As in his other works, the folkloric elements weave a spell that resonates with a depth that connects past, present and future. The action in the plot makes for another ceaseless page-turner that sings of timeless truths and delights in no small measure. DeLint fans will not fail to be thrilled by his latest contribution, though anyone interested in mythic fiction or unrban fantasy will be just as enchanted by the promise of magic that "Forests of the Heart" brings.

I enjoyed this book a great deal. As I said in the title, it was different from all his other books, in that it included the Native American/Hispanic point of view a good deal, instead of his usual Celtic/European. It also was much darker than many of the previous books. The characters have wretched family lives, like many of his characters, and in some cases, in this book, they can't overcome that. Most of the time, they do. The darker overtones do not take away from the book; rather, they add a dimension that one never knew was missing. The characters are intriguing as usual: the multitude of petite female characters, usually with short hair; the owner of Gypsy Records, a place that has been described but infrequently entered; Musgrave Wood, a thoroughly enigmatic character (down to gender); and Ellie, another one of his artists.

Being able to see his usual patterns does not make this any less of a book; no, rather it adds a dimension of familiarity to a story that is otherwise new. I enjoyed reading it a good deal, and would certainly recommend the book to any Charles de Lint fan.

However, I do feel compelled to admit, this is not the best place to start. Read _Dreams Underfoot_ or _Memory and Dream_ first to get the feel of the theme before trying the variations.

My opinion of this magical book disagrees with some of the opinions below. I feel that de Lint explores new Newford territory with each book he writes and the wonderful passages of Hispanic lore (which are particularly beautifully written) give this book a rich new texture and flavor and make it a terrific addition to the Newford opus. Although Memory and Dream remains my personal favorite Newford book this one comes a very close second.I also loved the excursion to Arizona where de Lint's characters bump up against some desert creatures from Terri Windling's fiction and art: her desert faeries, the rabbit woman (a relative of Thumper's no doubt!), etc. I love it when writers share their worlds and visions like this (Tim Powers and James P. Blaylock have characters who appear in each other's books, for instance) and it was such a treat to come across it here and made me smile. If you're new to either de Lint or Windling's work, read this one, then read The Wood Wife...and then be sure to read all the rest of the terrific Newford series.

But that's about it. In Forests of the Heart, Charles de Lint returns us not only to his city of Newford, but to what seems to be his standard formula for writing a novel: Take a half-dozen interesting characters, explore their lives for a bit, introduce some magical shenanigans, add in a few cameos from Newford regulars (Jilly, Geordie, Angel, etc.) pull the characters and their different lives closer and closer together till everyone's met, pop a few of them into some sort of Otherworld to fix the magical shenanigans, throw in a bit of self-sacrifice and maybe a twist or two, and wind up with a maybe not entirely happy ending, but one that is certainly satisfactory. If you've read, as I have, Yarrow, Memory and Dream, The Little Country, Trader, and/or Someplace to be Flying, then this should all sound very familiar.

So why have I given this book four stars? Because I enjoy the formula thoroughly. If you're looking for something new and earth-shattering, don't look here. But if you want a good read to while away a few hours, pick up this-or any one of Mr. de Lint's novels.

Charles de Lint is one of my favorite authors. Trader and The Onion Girl, in particular, are standout examples of his standout talent for blending our reality with myth, and getting readers to question the division between the two. Both books are explorations of humanity, spirituality, creativity, and love, succeeding where Forests of the Heart fails. The trials in Forests seem somewhat implausible, the characters largely undeveloped, and key relationships aren't given enough space to unfold into credibility, much less life. There are some good patches, especially in his development of Bettina's character (if not her language skills), but this book really feels like a formulaic return to Newford for no reason other than satisfying deLint's ravenous fans. If you are collecting the Newford books, then by all means get this one. It's certainly stronger than the early short stories of Dreams Underfoot and deLint's other, more experimental starting work. If you're only looking at this book because some starry-eyed deLint fan such as myself told you to read his work, though, please do yourself a favor and start off with either Trader or his short-story collection Tapping the Dream Tree. Either book - Tapping especially - will help you to get your feet wet in the world of Newford without completely overwhelming you with characters you haven't yet gotten to know, and still show you how good an author deLint can be.

As other reviewers have commented, this book is reminiscent of Mr. De Lint's earlier works. The villians, with one or two exceptions, were fairly standard, cookie-cutter, "bad guy" types. The heroes, too, are typical De Lint: one or two recovering types, a few morose guys without a life, a few interesting standouts, and cameo appearances from Angel and Jilly.

That being said, this is still a marvelous read: the supernatural characters are creepy and intriguing, Mr. De Lint's language is, as always, superb, and some of the supporting characters, like Bettina's abuela and the Aunts are very, very funny. Mr. De Lint's focus on personal choices and individual actions in the context of larger battles between good and evil is always thought-provoking. Especially gripping is the realization that one can slip from a so-called "normal life" into a vehicle for evil, almost without realizing it. Or consenting to it.

I almost gave this book four stars, due to its familiarity, but, frankly, I find Mr. De Lint to be one of the finest writers in his field. If he chooses to write the same sort of story in the next ten books he writes, I will still probably read them. I would like to hear more about how the lives of Angel, Jilly, Geordie, etc. are "going" - maybe we will need to wait for the next collection of short stories for that? A very, very good fantasy novel.

Forests of the Heart, the latest from Charles de Lint, is a masterwork of dramatic fiction, a contemporary fantasy laced with horror, suspense and magic -- and characters so strikingly drawn they'll seem as real as the people you see every day on the street.

Forests of the Heart begins slowly. There's not much action as de Lint spins the background needed for his tale and allows his characters time to grow. But don't assume that means it's a plodding introduction; the tale is enticing from the start. Once the plot begins to unravel and things begin to happen, you'll certainly find yourself riveted to the pages, bitterly resenting anything which yanks you away from reading (including work and sleep).

Forget the fantasy -- de Lint makes even mundane moments seem magical simply by drawing the readers' attention to the little details and the hidden mysteries which are all around us, but usually go completely unnoticed. Coupled with the resonant imagery and emotions conjured here, I think you'll find Forests of the Heart to be an irresistable reading experience.

While I enjoyed Forests of the Heart, I also found it to be the least satisfying of the six or seven De Lint novels that I've read to this point. As always, the ensemble cast is strong, with characters that make you either care for or despise them. But things get a little slow around page 90, and drag for another 50 pages or so. I feel that De Lint can sometimes put just a little too much gratuitous dialogue into some of his tales, and this stretch particularly suffers in that manner. The initial conflict between Donal and Miki seems somewhat contrived, not exactly coming out of nowhere, and yet leaving me wondering what's going on, until it's gradually explained in the narrative. Still, the overall premise is intriguing, and it's a good read, especially when you get past page 140 or so.