The Very Best of Charles de Lint [Paperback]

Charles de Lint (Author), Charles Vess (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 15, 2010

At turns whimsical, dark, and mystical, this extraordinary collection of retold fairy tales and new, modern myths redefine the boundaries of magic. Compiling favored stories suggested by the author and his fans, this delightful treasury contains the most esteemed and beloved selections that de Lint has to offer. Innovative characters in unexpected places are the key to each plot: playful Crow Girls who sneak into the homes of their sleeping neighbors; a graffiti artist who risks everything to expose a long-standing conspiracy; a half-human girl who must choose between her village and her strange birthright; and an unrepentant trickster who throws one last party to reveal a folkloric tradition. Showcasing some of the finest offerings within the realms of urban fantasy and magical realism, this essential compendium of timeless tales will charm and inspire.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The 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

"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, author, Here in the Future

"A master storyteller, he blends Celtic, Native American, and other cultures into a seamless mythology that resonates with magic and truth."  —Library Journal

"An outstanding and widely varied collection of 29 tales . . . Longtime fans and newcomers alike will fall in love with de Lint's graceful, poetic language and characters."  —Publishers Weekly

"More than 400 pages of the finest urban fantasy fiction of the past three decades."  —Ottawa Citizen

"A strong, thoroughly enjoyable, thoroughly magical story that takes advantage of native myths and lore to create something entirely new, yet quietly familiar."  —SF Site

"These stories are lovely . . . definitely worth picking up."  —San Francisco Book Review

"These are stories for those who love reading."  —Locus

"Essential reading for anyone who is new to de Lint or has previously read only his novels."  —Interzone

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Tachyon Publications (July 15, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1892391961
• ISBN-13: 978-1892391964
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #242,574 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great collection of hard to find short stories, July 19, 2010

By 

Wulfstan "wulfstan" (San Jose, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: The Very Best of Charles de Lint (Paperback)

Charles de Lint writes Fantasy. Now when folks think "Fantasy" they think wizards, dragons, unicorns, knights, princesses and swordfights. But although Charles De Lint is one of the Masters of Modern Fantasy, there's very little of that here. Certainly, there's one short story with Merlin himself, and a few more with what could be considered wizards. There's a dragon (sort of), a different sort of vampire tale and a swordfight. But most are more "Urban Fantasy".

However, that tag is not quite right either. Most "Urban Fantasy" is dark and gritty or has vampires. And, although a number of the stories here are rather sad & melancholy, the over all tone is more lighthearted and whimsical- romantic without a lot of what today is considered "romance", if you get what I mean.

In other words, Charles de Lint writes stories like no one else, stories which are hard to categorize. Many of the stories here are set in "Newford" a town reminiscent (to me, anyway) of Seattle or Vancouver.

Here's a complete list, courtesy of the publisher:
In Which We Meet Jilly Coppercorn
Coyote Stories
Laughter in the Leaves
The Badger in the Bag
And the Rafters Were Ringing
Merlin Dreams in the Mondream Wood
The Stone Drum
Timeskip
Freewheeling
A Wish Named Arnold
Into the Green
The Graceless Child
Winter Was Hard
The Conjure Man
We Are Dead Together
Mr. Truepenny's Book Emporium and Gallery
In the House of My Enemy
The Moon Is Drowning While I Sleep
Crow Girls
Birds
Held Safe by Moonlight and Vines
In the Pines
Pixel Pixies
Many Worlds Are Born Tonight
Sisters
Pal o' Mine
That Was Radio Clash
Old Man Crow
The Fields Beyond the Fields

All of these were previously published, but many in limited edition "chapbooks". So unless you're a super Charles de Lint completist (in which case you're going to buy this anyway), quite a few will be new to you, and others will be old friends.

My personal favorite is Mr. Truepenny's Book Emporium and Gallery.

Now one line that appears often in book reviews is a warning for new readers- "Don't buy this book first- start reading with ....". But I am going to say just the exact opposite- if you are new to Charles de Lint, this book is an ideal place to get to know this fine fantasy author.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read!, August 2, 2010

By 

Dana - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Very Best of Charles de Lint (Paperback)

And here I thought I had read everything by Charles DeLint. Fabulous stories that were new to me and what a great idea and way to show that you appreciate your readers by allowing them to determine what will be in the book. Must have for C. DeLint fans!

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent compilation, March 2, 2011

By 

Keith A. Wilson (St. Paul, MN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Very Best of Charles de Lint (Paperback)

I like De Lint's writing a lot, but even his greatest fan would have to admit that his work is uneven. His best is very good indeed, but it's not all of that quality, and some of the very early stuff is pretty mediocre. That said, this is an excellent collection of many of his best stories, without a clunker among them. Few writers do the urban-fantasy leprechauns-in-Toronto genre as well, and there's a kindness and humanity in much of his work I find very appealing. "Crow Girls" is particularly good. This book would be a fine introduction to his stories, and the cover art by Charles Vess is delightful.