Mr. de Lint's first books were high fantasy. Riddle of the Wren and The Harp of the Gray Rose introduced readers to memorable fantasy worlds with three dimensional characters and evocative writing. His works are reminiscent of Tolkien. These books are out of print but worth finding if possible.
Later books switched his fantasies into urban settings where fairy meets the real world. Yarrow:An Autumn Tale, Greenmantle, Moonheart and Spiritwalk are excellent examples of these. One book, Mulengro, delved into Gypsy culture and gave readers an insight into this little understood people. He wrote two other books of faery in Ottawa, Canada, Drink Down the Moon and Jack, the Giant Killer. The second book won the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Award in 1988. The books were reprinted in one volume, Jack of Kinrowan.
The author is a musician too, with his main interests in Celtic music. His musical training and appreciation are evident in his books: The Little Country and Into the Green. These books evoke a deep feeling for music and how it touches our lives.
Recent books are set in his invented city of Newford. The city is a mix of modern day American and Canadian urban setting. "In these urban fantasies, de Lint positions the world of traditional mythology within our modern world in an effort to illuminate the inner landscape of his characters through the interaction of these two worlds." (Joseph Monti, "Folkroots", Realms of Fantasy Magazine, February 1999, pg. 26) Whether collections of stories or complete novels, these books have a sense of wonder in a gritty urban setting. The Newford books are:
Memory and Dream
Dreams Underfoot
The Ivory and the Horn
Trader
Someplace to Be Flying
Moonlight and Vines
Mr. de Lint is an affecting author who won't disappoint readers. His works all run with a theme of ultimate hope that problems will work out no matter how tough they get. He not a fantasy writer to lightly dismiss. Future works should delve deeper into his characters lives and the world of myth. Don't miss any of his books.
More information on Mr. de Lint can be found at "http://www.tor.com" or his home page at "http://www.cyberus.ca/~cdl". There is an interview of the author in the February 1999 issue of Realms of Fantasy magazine.
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