Waifs and Strays

Warning. I've started reading another book of short stories, so expect this post to show up frequently, with updates on the latest ones I've read. Waifs and Strays is a Charles de Lint collection. It has fewer Newford stories than other collections of his (or else my memory's off). Anyway, here's the first second fourth fifth sixth installment (and I'll migrate old installments (are) below the fold as this continues): Reviews are all below the fold now. Please excuse the chaos of the preceding introduction, as I didn't want to delete it, so I thought I'd make it look insane.

Overall Verdict: Unsurprisingly, I loved it. Of course, it's Charles de Lint, so of course I loved it. Even the stories that I thought had a few problems were very enjoyable. Seriously, anyone who has not read de Lint, go forth to the Bookstore/Library/Amazon and do so!


25 April

Merlin Dreams in the Mondream Wood: Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. I'm not sure I've ever heard that Merlin was trapped in a tree, but it's still an awesome story.

There's No Such Thing & Sisters: These two go together. They're de Lint's take on the vampire mythos. I have to admit that these surprised me a bit, as de Lint usually finds a way to avoid his main characters engaging in unseemly/semiviolent behavior. There's no major violence, but it surprised me that his vampires do kill on occasion. That's pretty rare for a de Lint character who is not a villain. And I did enjoy these stories. Very thoughtful.


26 April

Fairy Dust: Sad but charming.

A Wish Named Arnold: This is an awesome story. Clearly aimed at kids, but it's one that works for any age. Makes me curious about some of the raven/crow rock carvings I've seen. ;^)

Wooden Bones: Coming of age story. It's a bit heavy-handed, but in the intro de Lint says that it's one of his earlier works: the first, in fact, to feature his now-ubiquitous animal-people. It's one of those "messed up girl turned around by mystery and a five minute talk" things, but better done than most.


27 April

The Graceless Child: This one has a strong Celtic feel to me, despite being set in de Lint's "other" world. Trying to think why... Well, there's an entry into a sort of Underworld, and a somewhat tragic ending. The external story is about two identical brothers battling for control of the Dreamworld. One is the bringer of Nightmares; the other brings more pleasant Dreams. However, the story is not really about them, but about a small half-Trow who gets in the way.

A Tattoo on her Heart: Any other author would have turned this into a biting social commentary and a warning about how the future might be. Any other author. Somehow de Lint manages to put this device for social control in a post-apocalyptic world into a positive light. I can't decide if I'm impressed or disturbed.


28 April

Stick: This is the longest tale in the book, not quite 60 pages. It's an intriguing glimpse into the Borderlands, which were the settings for a series of short stories by various authors. The solution towards the end...isn't quite satisfying. It's too neat somehow. It almost works for me, but I just feel like something's missing.

May This Be Your Last Sorrow: This one's also set in the Borderlands, needlessly imo. There's nothing in it that wouldn't have worked just as well in, say, Newford. The story itself is a bittersweet one, with no resolution.

One Chance: This is the first of the Newford group in this book. It's not actually set in Newford, but features a character who eventually winds up there. This is a story about escaping to someplace better, and whether or not that is always the best choice.


29 April

Alone: This one's interesting. In essence, it's a story about guilt, and how no one wants to bear the burden of guilt alone.

But For the Grace Go I: I could swear that I've read this one before, though I thought that all the stories in this book had only been released in magazines or various-author-collections before. It's possible that I read a summary of the events from a different character's POV, since both Maisie and Angel show up in other Newford stories. Anyway, it's about the strange things that can turn a life around. Like not getting killed.

Ghosts of Wind and Shadow: This may well be my favorite so far in the collection. It's about a lot of things: what's real and what's not; parents who have forgotten their childhood; the power of music; the lure of mystery vs. the lure of normalcy. Beauifully written.


30 April

Waifs and Strays: Okay, I'm going to have to dig out my other de Lint collections, since I'm pretty sure I've read this one as well. Same main character as But for the Grace Go I. This one's about taking time for yourself as well as doing all the things that need to get done.

Somewhere in My Mind There Is a Painting Box: My first thought is "Beautiful." This one is a story about paths taken and not taken, paintings on canvas and in the heart.