Charming modern folk tales--convincing and emotional | Tapping the Dream Tree (Newford)

A Former Non-Fan of De Lint | Tapping the Dream Tree (Newford) | Charles de Lint

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	• Tapping the Dream Tree (Newford) Charles de Lint Tor Books, 2003 - 542 pages average customer review:based on 11 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

People don't understand these stories are not new.....

All of these stories are from previous rare Chap books and other small press printings from many many years of Mr. De Lint's body of work.
So some of the stories aren't as well told because well they were written 10-15 years ago.....also this clearly states it is full of SHORT stories..short stories can't go into the kind of detail several folks seem to be demanding from De Lint. If you want more details of some of these characters by the OTHER anthologies of Newford as well as the full length novels. Don't whine and complain because you feel like you got dropped into the middle when the books clearly says it is MORE tales from Newford..not ALL the tales from Newford....sigh.
Beautiful collection lovely lyrical quality and and engaging characters. I have only a few De lints I have not enjoyed and this certianly not one of them.

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Charming modern folk tales--convincing and emotional

A killer who reads minds, a group of young women who find pixies coming from their computers, hobs in their bookstores, and lovers in their dreams, people who sell their souls to the devil, and seven red-haired sisters who live in the forest and discover the war between the sang fairies and the bee fairies. Author Charles de Lint provides a delightful assortment of modern fairy tales. De Lint's stories are charming and fresh, dealing with authentic people rather than shallow fairy-tale heros--and with real magic.

TAPPING THE DREAM TREE is a wonderful collection of stand-alone stories, connected stories about the dream tree and a dream city, and a short novel of the seven sisters. This isn't a dark cyber-punk return-of-magic story, but a modern version of folk stories where fairie creatures may be powerful and beautiful, but are frequently indifferent to humans. Most of the stories are set in the countryside rather than in the city and reflect a peaceful pacing.

De Lint's writing paints pictures for his stories, compelling the reader without any sense of hurry. I found myself savoring the stories even though a part of me wanted to plunge on and find out what happens next. If you've read de Lint before, you know what to expect and you'll be delighted to find it. If you haven't, you're in for a treat. De Lint is a winner and TAPPING THE DREAM TREE is a powerful collection of stories that needs to be added to your must-read pile.

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A Former Non-Fan of De Lint

After reading the reviews posted here I realize that I have missed out on quite a lot of excellent reading material over the years. The only three de Lint books I have ever come into contact with are The Onion Girl, Tapping the Dream Tree, and Spirits in the Wires. Some die-hard fans will therefore, I am sure, immediately discount my disagreement with the seemingly negative opinion of this book shown by the majority of the reviewers here. In particular, I strongly disagree with the review that states, "This one is for the fans... only" because this is the first De Lint book I ever read.

I will freely admit that I am a sucker for a good short story. I must also say that, if the first de Lint I had read was a continuous novel, I might not have gone around town recommending it to everyone I knew, as I did with Tapping the Dream Tree. This might not be as deep or as emotional or as detailed as some of de Lint's other work, but, from my reading of the stories, de Lint writes into these stories as much detail and emotional description as a short story can possibly contain.

As a short-story writer, one of the most difficult things to do well is to leave out parts that you could write in. If you choose well, these left out pieces add to your characters and stories more effectively than their inclusion. de Lint is excellent in this respect. Some of these characters are so well written that you want to step into their world and find out what they are like on a normal day and if they've ever had a normal day and what they like in their coffee or if they like coffee at all. They are characters that have deep wells of untouchably fascinating personality.

In summary... I loved this book. I loved these characters. This is the first De Lint book I ever read. This is still my favorite De Lint book. If you have never read de Lint, and if you like short stories from Bradbury (all of his shorts, not just his Martian Chronicles), and you would like to find a book of fantasy that captures the same feelings of making all things strange and, in strangeness, strangely beautiful, read de Lint's Tapping the Dream Tree. It is good enough to be worth reading.

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Dreams Are Important

"Tapping the Dream Tree" is a weighty collection of Newford stories by Charles De Lint, revisiting some of his favoriate characters such as Jilly, Sophie and the Crow Girls. It does include a novelette --'Seven Wild Sisters'. For those of us who have had to search for vanished magazine copies of the stories, this anthology is a wonderful find. His characters are real, in some universe, and it's great to know more about them and their lives. Any De Lint reader needs to have this volume in their collection.

World Fantasy Award-winning author of The Onion Girl

The city of Newford could be any contemporary North American city...except that magic lurks in its music, in its art, in the shadows of its grittiest streets, where mythic beings walk disguised. And its people are like you and me, each looking for a bit of magic to shape their lives and transform their fate.

Here are a bluesman hiding from the devil; a Buffalo Man at the edge of death; a murderous ghost looking for revenge; a wolf man on his first blind date; and many more. We're reunited with Jilly, Geordie, Sophie, the Crow Girls, and other characters whose lives have become part of the great Newford myth. And beyond Newford's streets, de Lint takes us to the pastoral hills north of the city, where magic and music have a flavor different but powerful still.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3

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