Yarrow (Paperback)

by Charles de Lint (Author) "Old ghosts lived behind Cat Midhir's eyes, memories that had no home until they came to haunt her..." (more)
Key Phrases: horned woman, dream thief, fairy thorn, Tiddy Mun, Redcap Hill, Bank Street (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"It is hard to imagine urban fantasy done beter than it is by de Lint at his best." --Booklist

"De Lint is a master of the modern urban folktale." --The Denver Post

"Charles de Lint will restore your faith in the readability of Canadian writers. Take home some of his magic soon." --St. John Telegraph-Journal

"Opening de Lint's work is like stepping through a mirror." --Los Angeles Daily News
-- Review

Review

"It is hard to imagine urban fantasy done beter than it is by de Lint at his best." --Booklist

"De Lint is a master of the modern urban folktale." --The Denver Post

"Charles de Lint will restore your faith in the readability of Canadian writers. Take home some of his magic soon." --St. John Telegraph-Journal

"Opening de Lint's work is like stepping through a mirror." --Los Angeles Daily News

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Orb Books; 1st Orb Ed edition (November 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312863934
• ISBN-13: 978-0312863937
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #131,850 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An amazing tale..very dark, September 3, 2003

By	C. A Baker (Santa Rosa CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This was my first De Lint book way back in the 1980's, it is still one of his best to me alongside Moonheart and Memory & Dream.
De lint has a darkness in some of his best books, I'm not horror fan but his works have just enough magic and beauty to not read like a horror book. But they do have a deep and frightening darkness...Caitlin's enemy, the creature that steals her dreams is a brutal monster and there are some very scary scenes in this book.
But in the end the entire tale is soo engrossing I can't put it down. Sadly many of his more recent books lack that depth, or maybe I'm just older and less inclined to be taken in by them..and yet I can still read this book and other older De Lint and be drawn in as before.....
What De Lint does when he is truly inspired can only be called true magic...if you want that kind fo magic read this, Moonheart and Memory and Dream...but be warned they are not for children nor readers who do not like some truly, deeply, dark evil in their books.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another good yarn from Charles de Lint, April 20, 2003

By A Customer

The book starts with an interesting question that forms the basis of the plot: Where do writers get their ideas? For the heroine, Cat Midhir, those ideas come from her dreams. So what happens when the dreams stop? That's what "Yarrow" is all about.

I did find the first part a little bit slow. I thought there were too many scene shifts, and introductions to a lot of characters who turned out to be little more than scenery in the end. I felt that these minor characters were developed almost at the expense of some of the other characters who should have been given more space. Case in point: Kothlen. I would have liked to see his character developed more, even in flashbacks, so that when Cat loses him, we don't have to be told how awful she feels; we should be able to feel it for ourselves.

Other than that, de Lint has woven a wonderful story. I liked Tiddy Mun, Cat's little gnome friend, and the villain, Lysistratus, was deliciously formidable. I highly recommend this book to fans of Charles de Lint who may not have read this earlier piece of urban fantasy.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Astonishing...a Master at work, June 22, 2000

By	Fosky Bob "human" (Vacaville, CA USA) - See all my reviews

I loved 'Yarrow'. It's far and away one of the most magical books I've ever read. Being the first de Lint book I've ever read, it's served to introduce me to one of the modern masters of fantasy admirably.

'Yarrow' is exciting and fluid from beginning to end. It'll have you on the edge of your seat. The characters are wholly believable and fascinating people.

De Lint doesn't shy away from darkness and evil characters. The book is littered with profanities, semi-graphic love scenes and gruesome slayings.

It's a good book, it's near the top of my all-time favorites list and I'm so glad that Orb brought it back into print. This is a book that every self-proclaimed fantasy fan needs to read.