Any book by Charles de Lint

[bwc113]

He writes fiction, but it's brilliant fiction. I've never found anything that makes it easier to believe in a whole subtler realm behind the one we all see than his books. If I walk in the woods after reading something of his, I really feel like if I concentrated and looked out of the corner of my eye I would see inhabitants of Faerie all around. My favorite part is that many of his magical characters are just some bum or crazy person on the street, hiding behind an image that's already invisible to most modern people. I forgot to say that he's created an entire genre that he calls mythic fiction, in which mythical characters inhabit the regular modern world, consensual reality as he calls it. Great stuff. Ben

[Nick]

Thanks for the review Ben. I've never heard of this author before, however his fiction does sound well written as you've described. I'll take a look at amazon and see what I can find.

Very best,
Nick

[Naiad780]

I love Charles de Lint!
 
He's not a sophisticated literary genious, but he's an excellent storyteller. Every time I read one of his books, I have a wonderful feeling and constantly look around me to appreciate the things in my life (whether in nature or in the city) and wonder what might be watching me.

[Nick]

I've looked over the amazon website and there is a large selection. Any recommendations on which one would be a good introductory book? Otherwise, I guess I'll just pick any old one.




Nick

[Naiad780]

I've looked over the amazon website and there is a large selection. Any recommendations on which one would be a good introductory book? Otherwise, I guess I'll just pick any old one.
Nick

Sure, try one of the short story collections.  They are always interesting because they tend to involve characters from the same town that are also in his full-length novels.  Memory and Dream is a good one.

[Nick]

Thanks Naiad780, I've gone ahead and ordered one of the books, and I'm looking forward to reading it. Thanks again for your recommendation.


All the best,
Nick

[bwc113]

The Onion Girl is more of a tough read emotionally because it deals with deep layers of abuse, but it's one of my favorites. Honestly, I can't think of a single one of his books that I didn't like, though I haven't read any of his older works that are pure high fantasy, not mythic fiction. Happy reading.  Ben

[juniperus_communis]

Personally I started with GreenMantle.  Involves the Green Man, the Mafia, and other Pagan myths underlying the modern age.

The messages are more obvious than some of the others and is a great introduction to his genre..