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paintedgiraffe's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
zaphod46's review
2.0
You know how some books start out as a collection of short stories or a couple of novellas and then the author blends them all together into a coherent whole? de Lint seems to have forgotten about that second step. I don't mind the breaks between stories nearly as much as the repetition of facts. A good short story should stand on its own, without doing a brain dump of context, so I didn't enjoy each story as a stand-alone piece because they didn't really stand alone. A good novel would weave all the stories into one work and reveal context in the course of the story, so I didn't enjoy it as a novel, either.
Plus, someone needs to buy him a dictionary. What on earth is a "pixelated sense of humor?" Did he mean Puckish? Or does he just like using uncommon words regardless of their meanings? The book was full of these, as well as excessive adverbs and typos.
Plus, someone needs to buy him a dictionary. What on earth is a "pixelated sense of humor?" Did he mean Puckish? Or does he just like using uncommon words regardless of their meanings? The book was full of these, as well as excessive adverbs and typos.
duffypratt's review
3.0
It's a return to Tamson House, which is simultaneously a house, a sentient being, and a gateway between alternate universes. The house first appeared in Moonheart, which was a considerably stronger work.
This is a collection of a few short stories and a novella. The short stories were decent, and they are linked enough that the book almost feels like a full novel. Unfortunately, the novella which capped off the book was weaker than any of the rest. It felt like we were retreading material from Moonheart, and yet the stakes felt lowered. The danger seemed tepid in comparison, and the wonder less wonderful.
Even so, de Lint writes gracefully, and he has some characters here who I enjoy reading. The stuff with the house itself, and the encroaching forest, was actually quite good. But the main antagonist was simply dull In the future, if I can find them, I will likely stick to the Newford books.
This is a collection of a few short stories and a novella. The short stories were decent, and they are linked enough that the book almost feels like a full novel. Unfortunately, the novella which capped off the book was weaker than any of the rest. It felt like we were retreading material from Moonheart, and yet the stakes felt lowered. The danger seemed tepid in comparison, and the wonder less wonderful.
Even so, de Lint writes gracefully, and he has some characters here who I enjoy reading. The stuff with the house itself, and the encroaching forest, was actually quite good. But the main antagonist was simply dull In the future, if I can find them, I will likely stick to the Newford books.
ljcostel's review
2.0
Started in 2017. Good read. Different. Fantasy and myth. Several gaps jumped over. Didn't feel the need to give everything a full backstory. Bit and allusions. The Westlin Wind. A character gave back her magical gift, and it was the right choice. Relationships that would normally be romances weren't. Romances that were weren't perfect.
mrising1's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ajcousins's review
Rereading some Canadian urban fantasy and remembering how much I enjoy Charles de Lint's writing. This is a collection of linked stories and novellas, all revolving around Tamson House, a magical place I wish existed so I could move into one of its 200 rooms right now. Talk about an excellent place for a writing retreat! I love de Lint's mix of Celtic and Native American folklore and his lyrical writing. Plus, mixing bikers and pagans and poets is always a fun time. :) There's also a completely minor moment in which de Lint's interior monologue of one character completely exposes how shitty the idea of "being friendzoned" is, long before that phrase even existed. (Spiritwalk was published in 1970.) For a 46yo book, this collection holds up terrifically well. Think I'm going to reread Moonheart, which actually precedes this one, next.