Moonlight & Vines – Charles de Lint

Read for the 2011 TBR Lite and Once Upon a Time V Reading Challenges.

I’ve read a fair amount of Charles de Lint’s work, and I think at this point, I can safely say that my favorite books of his are his short stories collections of Newford tales. The beauty of the world he’s created for the fictional city of Newford is that while there are some consistent characters, it’s also a place where he feels comfortable exploring one off characters, and how they fit into Newford’s familiar, yet fantasy landscape.

A couple highlights for me:

“The Big Sky” – de Lint’s version of the Grim Reaper. John comes home from a day at work to find a strange girl sitting on his couch. She’s surprised he can see her. He’s surprised when she tells him he’s dead. His journey to the other side is a lovely tale.

“Shining Nowhere but in the Dark” – another tale of death (interesting theme I seem to be developing here), but this time of the people left behind, and what the death of loved ones will do to them. This story brings in the Wyrd sisters in a interesting way.

“Wild Horses” – a tale of those touched by Faerie, and how they can chose to use that gift.

“In the Land of the Unforgiven” – An interesting take on how morality and the law do not always coexist.