The Ivory and the Horn

The Ivory and the Horn (1995) Charles de Lint

The Ivory and the Horn is the second short story collection by Charles de Lint, and like Dreams Underfoot, is set in Newford, the mythical North American city, where mythical beings reside.

Reading these short stories makes me wish there there really was a Newford, so that I could move there. But if there was, and if I did, doing so would mean I was missing the point of his stories, which is to see the myth and beauty in the everyday world that surrounds us. But of course he puts it much more elegantly than that, like in this passage from “A Tempest in her Eyes.”

“What bedevils you,” he says, “is that you have misplaced the ability to see–to truly see behind the shadow, into the heart of the thing–and so you no longer think to look. And the more you do not look, the less you are able to see. Wait long enough and you’ll wander the world as one blind.”

I love mythology and folk tales, so how could I not but love Charles de Lint’s stories. Yet what is so wonderful about his tales goes far deeper than his use of myth and folklore. He is also a wonderful storyteller, and that is how you’ll get sucked into his stories, and how you’ll keep reading his darker tales, even as you wince.

Like Dreams Underfoot, there are many dark stories in The Ivory and the Horn. In many of these stories, Charles de Lint addresses many of the ills and evils of society head on: child abuse, poverty, illness. Yet for all that these seem like subjects you don’t want to read about, like stories that would depress you, the book is uplifting in a way that I cannot quite explain. Even as he talks about the true evils of our world, in stories like “The Forest Is Crying” and “Bird Bones and Wood Ash,” the characters in those stories are inspiring. Though not too inspiring–they’re not unreal paragons, but humans trying to do as best they can.

And then there is “The Wishing Well” which completely creeps me out–and not because of the rusalka. It’s the way he so clearly describes and explains how someones life can unexpectedly spiral out of control that gives me chills.

But again, the stories aren’t all dark. There’s something about “Saxophone Joe and the Woman in Black” that amuses me, although it isn’t a funny story. And I really like the stories about Sophie Etiole. There is also a story about Angel Grasso that’s a mystery of sorts; there’s something about the idea of taking a dead man’s shoes so he can’t haunt you that I find fascinating in a really eerie way.

I also very much liked “The Bone Woman,” although one reads it hoping to find that Geordie will soon get over the loss of Sam. Some of Charles de Lint’s characters you know are just going to be alone. Jilly is one. You want her to find someone nice, but you just don’t see it happening. Geordie, however, doesn’t belong by himself.

What I find interesting, is that in some of the stories that are written in the first person, we aren’t told the name of the characters–or aren’t told the name until well into the story–although if you are familiar with Charles de Lint’s stories, then you know who the character is. Not that it matters of course, because although the stories add to what we know about the characters, you can appreciate each story on its own, without knowing anything about the past history of the character(s).

If you’re a Charles de Lint fan, this is another must have collection. If you aren’t a Charles de Lint fan, what are you waiting for?
Rating: 8/10

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