{"id":5316,"date":"2015-07-01T14:54:35","date_gmt":"2015-07-01T18:54:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/?p=5316"},"modified":"2024-03-19T16:26:34","modified_gmt":"2024-03-19T20:26:34","slug":"the-very-best-of-charles-de-lint-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/5316","title":{"rendered":"The Very Best of Charles de Lint"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Very Best of Charles de Lint<\/a><\/em> (2010) Charles de Lint<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In Which We Meet Jilly Coppercorn
\nCoyote Stories
\nLaughter in the Leaves
\nThe Badger in the Bag
\nAnd the Rafters Were Ringing
\nMerlin Dreams in the Mondream Wood
\nThe Stone Drum
\nTimeskip
\nFreewheeling
\nA Wish Named Arnold
\nInto the Green
\nThe Graceless Child
\nWinter Was Hard
\nThe Conjure Man
\nWe Are Dead Together
\nMr. Truepenny’s Book Emporium and Gallery
\nIn the House of My Enemy
\nThe Moon is Drowning While I Sleep
\nCrow Girls
\nBirds
\nHeld Safe by Moonlight and Vines
\nIn the Pines
\nPixel Pixies
\nMany Worlds Are Born Tonight
\nSisters
\nPal O’ Mine
\nThat Was Radio Clash
\nOld Man Crow
\nThe Fields Beyond the Fields<\/p>\n

I love Charles de Lint.<\/p>\n

My editor here at Tachyon was set on using the title The Very Best of Charles de Lint and I had no idea how to choose what would be included. Selecting my favourite stories would have been hard (because they\u2019re all like my kids and how do you choose which of your kids is your favourite?), but with a lot of back-and-forthing, it would probably be doable. But my best stories? <\/p>\n

I really didn\u2019t know where to begin. I have my own ideas as to which are the best, but my judgement is coloured by circumstances and events that have less to do with the actual stories themselves and more to do with what was going on in my life while I was writing them, or what I was trying to accomplish. The actual best stories? How could I ever be objective enough to put such a collection together?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So he asked his readers to give him their favorite stories, and the ones they thought the best, and go from there.<\/p>\n

“In Which We Meet Jilly Coppercorn” – The heart of the Newford stories is, of course, Jilly Coppercorn. The first story introduces those who are unfamiliar with Newford to Jilly, but also to what they are going to be reading.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe world as we have it,\u201d he went on to Jilly, \u201cis here mostly because of habit.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“Coyote Stories” is full of Native American mythos, and living between but never entirely in two different cultures.<\/p>\n

We have the stories and they\u2019ll give us the one thing nobody else can, the thing we can only take for ourselves, because there\u2019s nobody can give you back your pride. You\u2019ve got to take it back yourself.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It’s also, like so many other stories, sad and uplifting at the same time, which is another major theme running through his work.<\/p>\n

“Laughter in the Leaves” is the first Meran and Cerin story in the anthology, “The Badger in the Bag” is the second Meran and Cerin story, and “And the Rafters Were Ringing” is the third in a row, and the last of thier stories set outside Newford.<\/p>\n

“Merlin Dreams in the Mondream Wood” is a stand-alone story in that it’s not a Newford story or related to any other recurring characters.<\/p>\n

“The Stone Drum” returns us to Jilly and Goon.<\/p>\n

“…(Y)ou\u2019re talking in riddles just like a wizard out of some fairy tale. I never understood why they couldn\u2019t talk plainly.\u201d
\n\u201cThat\u2019s because some things can only be approached from the side. Secretively. Peripherally.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“Timeskip” is one of the stories I find particularly said, although there are others that are far sadder in result. Like “Freewheeling”, which is just plain sad.<\/p>\n

“A Wish Named Arnold”<\/p>\n

Marguerite kept a wish in a brass egg and its name was Arnold.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“Into the Green” is another story set outside of our world, perhaps in Faerie, perhaps in a past that never quite was, just like “The Graceless Child”. It is possible it is also the first Charles de Lint story I read, since it appeared originally in Sword and Sorceress V<\/em>.<\/p>\n

“Winter Was Hard” returns us to Jilly and Newford, and Jilly’s ability to see and share magic everywhere.<\/p>\n

“The Conjure Man” is another Newford story in which Jilly is only a secondary character, but it’s one of my favorites. Possibly in the top five.<\/p>\n

“We Are Dead Together” is set outside of our world and is a vampire story of a sort.<\/p>\n

“Mr. Truepenny’s Book Emporium and Gallery” is one of my favorites. It’s about Sophie and her dream world.<\/p>\n

“In the House of My Enemy” is possible the most depressing story in the lot, but it’s also an amazing story, and one I always re-read, even knowing how sad it is.<\/p>\n

“The Moon is Drowning While I Sleep” this is another Sophie Etoile story, and the story in which she meets Jeck.<\/p>\n

“Crow Girls” is a story about the two crow girls who make appearances here and there in Newford and elsewhere. <\/p>\n

Sometimes they forget they\u2019re crows, left their feathers behind in the long ago, and sometimes they forget they\u2019re girls. But they never forget that they\u2019re friends.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“Birds” is another depressing story, yet it’s also redemptive, and lets you see you can move past your past.<\/p>\n

“Held Safe by Moonlight and Vines” is a love story of sorts–or at least of a Charles de Lint sort. <\/p>\n

“In the Pines” is another of my favorites, of a woman who lives her dream, regardless of whether it brings her success of fame.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t lead an exciting life, but I\u2019m partial to a lack of excitement. Gets to a point where excitement\u2019s more trouble than it\u2019s worth.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“Pixel Pixies” is tangentially about the Wordwood, but it’s mostly about hobs and the internet and Meran.<\/p>\n

“Many Worlds Are Born Tonight” is probably my lest favorite story in the collection. It’s not bad, I just don’t care for it.<\/p>\n

“Sisters” is another of my favorites–it’s a vampire story, except of course that Charles de Lint does vampires quite differently.<\/p>\n

\u201cBehind the wheel. You can drive, right?\u201d To some remote location, Apples supposed. Where he\u2019d have his nasty way with her. Or kill her. Probably, he planned to do both, hopefully in that order. Though technically, any physical relationship with her had to be classified as necrophilia. Ehew.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“Pal O’ Mine” is another story that makes me cry. I re-read it, but it still makes me cry.<\/p>\n

Gina always believed there was magic in the world. \u201cBut it doesn\u2019t work the way it does in fairy tales,\u201d she told me. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t save us. We have to save ourselves.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“That Was Radio Clash” is another favorite story–one of second chances.<\/p>\n

“Old Man Crow” is another story, perhaps similar to Coyote Stories, but perhaps not.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou need to remember,\u201d he told her, \u201cthat you don\u2019t have another life in the bank. You got to make the most of the one you\u2019re living right now.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“The Fields Beyond the Fields” is the closing story, and although it’s not a bad story, it’s not ma favorite story. But even then there are still pearls of wisdom.<\/p>\n

…worrying about \u201cwhat if\u201d only makes you miss out on \u201cwhat is\u201d…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That’s something to remember.
\nRating: 9.5\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n

Published by Triskell Press <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Very Best of Charles de Lint (2010) Charles de Lint In Which We Meet Jilly Coppercorn Coyote Stories Laughter in the Leaves The Badger in the Bag And the Rafters Were Ringing Merlin Dreams in the Mondream Wood The Stone Drum Timeskip Freewheeling A Wish Named Arnold Into the Green The Graceless Child Winter […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[192,18,2,34],"tags":[71,161],"class_list":["post-5316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-9-5-10","category-anthology","category-fantasy","category-urban-fantasy","tag-charles-de-lint","tag-newford"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/piQkW-1nK","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3283,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/3283","url_meta":{"origin":5316,"position":0},"title":"The Very Best of Charles de Lint","author":"Michelle","date":"November 15, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"The Very Best of Charles de Lint (2010) Charles de Lint I love Charles de Lint. I believe I have all of his mass published story anthologies, and several of the smaller press novellas, so I'd read most of the stories in this collection. Doesn't matter. I can read his\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "9\/10"","block_context":{"text":"9\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/9-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Very-Best-of-Charles-de-Lint.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3550,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/3550","url_meta":{"origin":5316,"position":1},"title":"Companions to the Moon","author":"Michelle","date":"February 10, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Companions to the Moon (2007) Charles de Lint This is a short story that's not connected to Newford--just the story of a woman who thinks her boyfriend is cheating on her, and what she discovers. Of course, this is Charles de Lint, so you never expect what she discovers. Charles\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "9\/10"","block_context":{"text":"9\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/9-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"Companions to the Moon","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/companions-t-the-moon-196x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":206,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/206","url_meta":{"origin":5316,"position":2},"title":"The Onion Girl","author":"Michelle","date":"March 13, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"The Onion Girl (2001) Charles de Lint First things first, this is an excellent book. It's the Jilly book that you always wanted, getting inside her head and learning why she's the way she is. However, I have to admit that this is one Charles de Lint book that I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2004\/01\/Onion-Girl.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":102,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/102","url_meta":{"origin":5316,"position":3},"title":"A Circle of Cats","author":"Michelle","date":"July 31, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"A Circle of Cats (2003) Charles de Lint Illustrated by Charles Vess I received this book for my birthday from Brian and Stacie. (THANKS!) I'd placed it on my wish list solely because it was written by Charles de Lint, and as usual, I wasn't disappointed. A Circle of Cats\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fantasy"","block_context":{"text":"Fantasy","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/fantasy"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2005\/07\/Circle-of-Cats-e1520944758677.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":115,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/115","url_meta":{"origin":5316,"position":4},"title":"The Wild Wood","author":"Michelle","date":"August 21, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"The Wild Wood (1994) Charles de Lint Eithnie feels like she has lost something in her paintings, and is wandering the woods near her home searching for the soul that used fill her paintings. Originally published in '94, Orb rereleased The Wild Wood in 2004. It's a very short book,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fantasy"","block_context":{"text":"Fantasy","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/fantasy"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2005\/08\/Wild-Wood.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1616,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/1616","url_meta":{"origin":5316,"position":5},"title":"Dingo","author":"Michelle","date":"February 14, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Dingo (2008) Charles de Lint","rel":"","context":"In "Fantasy"","block_context":{"text":"Fantasy","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/fantasy"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/02\/Dingo.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5316","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5316"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5316\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5316"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5316"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}