Where to start with Charles de Lint?

[buzz]

Assuming I've never read any Charles de Lint, what book(s) should I start with?

 

[Lady Mer]

That's a tough one. My favorite is Memory and Dream, with The Little Country and Moonheart: A Romance as close seconds. But I've liked everything of his I've read.

 

[Mage of Spellford]

Hi,

I most enthusiastically suggest "Yarrow", a contemporary
horror story and one of my faves.

Mark K.

 

[Umbran]

My wife, who is a big fan of de Lint, suggests Dreams Underfoot, as possibly his best starter collection of short stories. It runs the bredth of his his style, from the more uplifting to the dark.

Myself, for someone used to the more usual run of sci-fi and fantasy who wants a taste of de Lint's more lyrical style, I myself would suggest Svaha.

 

[Raven Crowking]

Buzz,

Our tastes may be different iun some things, but if you're giving de Lint a chance, you can't be all bad.

I'll repeat Yarrow and THe Little Country, and suggest also Greenmantle and Jack the Giant Killer. I'm currently reading Spirits in the Wire. Woot!

 

[buzz]

Our tastes may be different iun some things, but if you're giving de Lint a chance, you can't be all bad.

I'm Neutral Good. I just have Evil tendencies.

Thanks for the recommendations, everyone.

 

[F5]

Speaking as someone else who's never read DeLint but wanted to give him a try, is there any particular order his books should be read in? Any later books that build on something that's gone before?

 

[RaceBannon42]

DeLint is the GoH at a the local con this spring so I thought I should give him a shot, so I asked this same question, I was told to go with The Onion Girl. I'm hoping to get to it in the next month or two.

 

[Umbran]

, I was told to go with The Onion Girl.

I'm told it is an excellent book, and while most of de Lint's stuff takes place in no particular order, I'm not sure that's the one to start with.

Much of de Lint's work takes place in one specific town - Newford. The Onion Girl focuses on a character who appears in many of the other stories, but is not the central character in most of them. I think that starting with this book may be a bit spoilery for some of those other stories, because she'd be fully explained for you. I'd suggest a start with one of his books of short stories, or a novel that isn't set in Newford for a first dip into the de Lint pool.

 

[Raven Crowking]

I sort of agree with Umbran here.

I don't think you need to read the books in order, though. It all depends upon how you feel about going back later and discovering that another book/short story is something you've already read about in another book.

At least if you read The Onion Girl and then go on to read some of de Lint's earlier novels, it'll be a heck of a lot better than filling in the history of the galaxy from the Star Wars prequels!

RC