Into the Green [Mass Market Paperback]

Charles de Lint (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 1995

The harp was a gift from Jacky Lantern's fey kin, as was the music Angharad pulled from its strings. She used it in her journey through the Kingdoms of the Green Isles, to wake the magic of the Summerblood where it lay sleeping in folk who had never known they had it.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

De Lint's ( Spiritwalk ) latest is like an old car on a cold morning--slow to start. The first third of the book follows Angharad--tinker, harper and witch--as she travels through the Green Isles seeking to awaken the inherited magic ("Summerblood") in those "Summerborn" who have forgotten it. This bit is frustrating. But fortunately readers soon come to the main event, the story of a puzzle box with the power to destroy the fey Middle Kingdom, "the green" that is the source of the witches' magic. Its current possessor appears to be a wealthy merchant whose hobbies already include collecting the fingerbones of Summerborn (wherein lies their power). Seeking to both defuse the puzzle box and free other witches from the merchant, Angharad travels to the town of Cathal where, with the questionable aid of a reluctant, lame, partially blinded, alcoholic Summerborn war veteran and a vicious, tortured mercenary, she confronts the puzzle box in a smartly executed battle between the characters and their own weaknesses. Although the bulk of the book is engrossing, occasionally de Lint gets sappy, as at the end when "the green" is reduced to a 12-step healing device, or in the recurring expletive "broom and heather" or when he gets to harping. Then again, de Lint is a musician specializing in Celtic folk music, a fact underlined by an appendix of 13 of de Lint's "Tunes from the Kingdoms of the Green Isles" complete with lyrics and music.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Harpist, witch, and tinker--Angharad is all of these and more as she embarks on a quest to save the little magic left in the Kingdom of the Green Isles. A master storyteller who excels in crossover fantasy, de Lint here grounds himself firmly in an imaginary land where hardened ex-soldiers, street urchins, prostitutes, and witch-hunting dogs become heroes when touched by the music of a young woman's sorrow. Fantasy lovers will not be disappointed.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Tor Fantasy (January 15, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812522494
• ISBN-13: 978-0812522495
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,995,648 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Charles de Lint and his wife, the artist MaryAnn Harris, live in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. His evocative novels, including Moonheart, Forests of the Heart, and The Onion Girl, have earned him a devoted following and critical acclaim as a master of contemporary magical fiction

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Score another for De Lint, June 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Into the Green (Hardcover)

De Lint is by far the best at blending urban reality with fantastical lands that are just "around the corner". He has done it again with this book. I have as many of his books as I could get my hands on...you'll be hooked, although Moonheart was by far his best. If you like him, you'll also like the Taliswoman series by Carole Nelson Douglas...Book 3 of that series is coming in November, 1999. (The other 2 are Cup of Clay and Seed Upon the Wind.)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best works of Fantasy, October 4, 1998

By 

C. Gibson (Charlottesville, VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Into the Green (Mass Market Paperback)

One of the first fantasy books I ever read, it has stood up to multiple rereadings. De Lint weaves a tale of mystery and magic in a unique land with the courage and compassion of one woman. This book is amazing.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting ideas - but not enough elaboration, April 12, 2003

By 

L. Kragh "lokra" (denmark) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Into the Green (Paperback)

This book has some interesting ideas - and some catchy story elements too! But it seems like parts of the storyline are "sketched out", not quite finished and incorporated in the plot. There are too many unnecessary repetitions in the first half of the book, (about 'the green', and about the main character containing "the triad" etc.) This made me think the first chapters might have occured as short stories by themselves at some point, and then had been put together at a later date.

All in all it's an entertaining book (if you can bear with the repetitions), and much of the mythology is interesting enough as well. Worth reading - just don't expect too much:-)