gotta say, i'm with aitapata; i loved Someplace to be Flying (so much so i immediately based an RPG adventure on it), and Greenmantle was the book that first got me into de Lint so has a special place.
Aren't just about all his books set either in Newford or a particular Canadian city that Newford either may or may not strongly resemble...?

For me the jury is still out on De Lint. I read Forests of the Heart and HATED it, though I don't know why since it had all the ingredients of a story I would love. I did love the cadejos. Anyway, so I decided to give him another chance, and read Spirits of/in the Wires. I did like that. Perhaps I just haven't read the right ones? I must admit that I find it annoying how 90% of his characters have names that end in 'y' or 'ie,' but that's fairly minor.

they seem very samey...I haven't read one for a while and couldn't finish Spiritwalk...

I read Jack the Giant Killer at the same time I was reading War for the Oaks and all I could think about was how much they had in commen.
Both books are about girls who break up with their boyfriend. Both girls have a magical encounter and both girls become involved in a fairy war.
I thought war for the oaks was better, mostly because it was longer and the ending wasn't all sunshine-happy-rainbow as Jack.
Out of pure boredom I'm reading Somplace to be Flying and it's not as bad asI thought it was going to be.

just finished reading Memory and Dream, which is a Newford book, and was lent to me by a friend, and i liked it a lot.

and now it seems i have a new author, all of whose books i must read.

I get a little frustrated with Charles de Lint (though I do like him...) I was into him before I really got to know Neil's stuff, but even then I thought he could be a bit pushy. He's definately pushing a specific worldview/thought process as the Right Way... even if I don't disagree with it persay, it can be annoying when an author creates characters around that motivation... while Neil just, I dunno, lets it go. Writes people as they are, not as they Should Be.

Of course it is possible that I am just full of shite.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: VegaRiad,

I haven't decided how I feel about de Lint, though I keep reading him. I just read "Waifs and Strays", and enjoyed most of the stories in it.

wow, first post on this topic ina while. Umm, i just wanted to say that Spirits in the Wires is an amazing read, and so is The Onion Girl. One of the few other de Lint's ive read was Greenmantle, and I must say that is one of my favorite, you all must read it.

Just read one of the Newford books called Trader, which maybe after the Onion girl as Jilly is one of the characters.

A good read, but it sorta got a bit flat near the end, starts out with a nice premise and certainly had me hooked, it's the first book i've read in 2 days for a while.

I will probably try to read some of his other novels, but if they all have similar storylines it could get a bit stale, but i shall have to find out i guess.

Read Moonheart years ago. It was pretty sad, but it was his first novel.

Then read Someplace to Be Flying

I asked the raven as he flew by,
'Raven, why'd you make the sky?'

'The moon and the stars, I threw them high;
I needed someplace to be flying.'

Excellent book. Then I read Gaiman, and decided de Lint was like a weaker Gaiman, though I still enjoy both. Forests of the Heart was great and Onion Girl was very good too.

However, I'd start with de Lint's short stories. You can find collections (Dreams Underfoot, Tales from Newford, um...can't remember other titles; easy to find). That way you'll get a feel for his writing, many of the main characters, and the city of Newford.

When my dad, my sister and I talk about books, pretty much the highest praise we'll give anyone is, "He's worth reading." Charles de Lint's worth reading!

I think I fall in the jury's-still-out camp here. I read Dreams Underfoot and had mixed feelings about it, but that's all that I've read of him. I think part of what I disliked was his heavy reliance on Celtic mythology--I just feel like Celtic folklore is horribly overplayed, so to speak.

That said, I'm willing to give him another chance. Should I try another book of his short stories, or would it be worth it for me to try something like The Onion Girl or Spirits in the Wires?

He does have a lot of native mythology-based stuff... For example, [i]Forest of the Heart[/] is half native American myth (the other half being Celtic, I'm afraid).
Which I might have mentioned before to you, I just realise, and as I haven't read the books you mention I can't properly contribute :d just wanted to jump in and say something to the amazing Circus coz it's been forever

I would NOT start with Onion Girl. It's his latest novel, and ties together multiple threads from his stories. You'd appreciate it so much more if you read some of the other stuff first.

I recommend starting with Someplace to Be Flying. Why?

1. It's a great story.
2. You'll learn who these "crow girls" who everyone on the internet is crazy about are.
3. It's where I started.

Great reasons, I know. But just read the first chapter or two and then tell me it's not great.

EDIT: Oh yes, Circus. There is little to no Celtic mythology in Someplace to Be Flying. That's Reason 4.