For years I have heard great things about Moonheart. So much hype centers around this as a defining work in the career of Charles de Lint. I had read several works by de Lint and liked them all. However, all the hype made it hard for me to get started and this book sat on my shelf for a year.Then I started reading. The book starts in 'real world' Ottawa with introductions for some of the recurring 'main' characters. This part moved nicely along and set up the blend of mystery, urban fantasy, and folklore that I had been told about. I was pulled into the story of mages, Paranormal Research Branch agents, and Celtic myths awakened in present day Canada. Then things slow down as a landslide of characters are introduced.There are a lot of characters in this book! Many are featured in their own sub-plots. Sometimes the switching from one character's story to anothers gets really disconcerting and makes for a really tough read. I felt overwhelmed and had to take it very slowly through the middle of the book (about pages 150-350). Then, suddenly the action ratchets up around page 350 and all the characters begin to weave together into the primary plot line. The great story that has been hyped suddenly presents itself over the final 80-90 pages.Overall, I liked the story and enjoyed the weaving of fantasy and modern mystery. I was most impressed by the development of the Tamson House as a character (a house that is a living being straddling several worlds while sitting downtown Ottawa). As one of the fore-runners of today's Urban Fantasy, this is a great book in many ways. I still like de Lint's earlier works better(Riddle of the Wren, Harp of the Grey Rose). As the book is split into 4 parts, I will rate the parts first.Part 1 and Part 4 - 4.5 StarsPart 2 and Part 3 - 2.0 StarsOverall - 3.0 StarsIf you like a fast pace and lots of action, you may want to skip this one. If you like Urban Fantasy and want to see one of the original stories that got it kick-started as a genre, then read this. If you are a fan of Celtic myth, nature magic, and other-dimension exploration, read this book.
Who among you remembers the first book you read? Or, shall we say the first which made a real impression on you? For me, I grew up on a household that didn't read, and didn't really provide books for a budding bibliophile. So, I did what I could, mostly snitching school books to read from my older cousins. The first I really remember? Being six years old and sneaking my cousin's high school mythology books from her room. The ideas there absolutely fascinated me. Gods and monsters. Far distant lands with strange languages and customs. I was truly hooked on mythology, fantasy and reading itself. It was an epiphany of massive personal proportions.Back in the middle/late 80's, I was gifted with “Moonheart.” Another epiphany of massive personal proportions. I fell into the story, into it's world of myth and legend, and became an Urban Fantasy fan for life. Moonheart's story was, for it's time, groundbreaking. While most mythology of the time retained the ancient characteristics of other myths and legends, Moonheart brought the stories into the modern day, creating the modern Urban Fantasy genre. Of course, Emma Bull's “War For The Oaks” winner of the Locus Award for Best First Novel , Terri Windling's “The Wood Wife” and Ellen Datlow's various compilations of UF helped cement my love at the time. I spent years collecting all the works I could get my hands on, including a rare, signed copy of de Lint's “The Buffalo Man,” illustrated by Charles Vess, that I cherish. Moonheart is perfect for anyone who wants to study the beginnings of UF, but it is a tremendous story for what it is – a beautifully written tale combining music (another of my passions), fairie, mystical forests, mythical artifacts and beings and layers upon layers of worlds. De Lint is a musician himself, and his writing is a paean to the musical heart of myth and mystery. A living house which straddles two worlds, a cast of characters who I love dearly. Moonheart is a beautiful story I return to over and over again.
What do You think about Moonheart (1994)?
a really, really difficult read. it might work for a young teenager.this was one of many books by the author that hit the user-selected top 100 books of the 20th century put out by some publishing group, i forget who. at the time i was making an effort to go through and read the top 100 picks from both the academics and the popular list. this book was the highest rated by this author. if this is his best book, i would never dare open another.poor characterizations, uncompelling plot, lack of dramatic tension, and very non-scary monsters. i guess it is popular because it is about earthy magic. not enough for me.
—John
I just reread this fantasy classic for the first time in twenty years. I had forgotten how much I liked it. Sarah Tams lives with her uncle, Jesse Tams, at a large and mysterious house that occupies an entire city block in Ottawa. Sarah also runs an "antiquarian" store, where they sell all sorts of odd objects. Going through storage boxes in the back room, Sarah finds some odd but intriguing items, including what appears to be a ball of clay but turns out to have a golden ring hidden inside. From that day on, strange things begin happening, and soon Sarah finds herself in Otherworld, a forested land where magic operates on certain fairly clear rules, and Sarah must learn how to use her ring to defeat an entity who is evil incarnate. While she is in Otherworld learning, Tamson House is under seige from a magical attack. It's a good thing the house is very protective of its residents. The author juggles several different story lines featuring a number of very likeable characters, all of whom are in big trouble. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and have already purchased the sequel for my Kindle.
—Casceil
I am not a regular reader of Fantasy (though I have read Heinlein's "Glory Road" and "The Hobbit...") I admit, I am a bit of a snob about this genre. My step daughter Shaela defends and debates, all in fun of course, it with me all the time. I say it's all Goblins, Unicorns, Elves, Wizards, Dragons... and plots based on a group of people along with Trolls, Ogres (or Oafs...) and so on, walking around in the woods with bows and arrows, swords or sling shots in search of some kind of trinket or another that will liberate... and when the author gets to a point where he can't explain why this or that is possible, he then simply solve it by introducing magic which is but the convenient tool used to explain the unexplainable; the implausible. Shaela defends her favorite genre by pointing out that the characters are colourful, strong, empowering... and I do agree that the genre is the truest for escapism (if escapism is why you read). And I've heard the argument a hundred times that spaceships and aliens are no more real than Fairies and Sorceresses... Okay, fair enough.Shaela liked, in particular the novel, "The Onion Girl" by this author, so I thought I'd look into him and found that this author de Lint writes fantasy in a way I could accept and enjoy. It is a sub-genre entitled "Urban Fantasy", which seems to mean that it is more grounded within the real world rather than the fictitious. My own world at that: The setting is Ottawa, Ontario (I am from Ontario). From there, real characters are developed and then things get all mixed up in the fantasy worlds with a strange mix of Welsh mythology and North American aboriginal myth and yes, magic but, the way it was written, overall, it worked and I liked it just fine (you hear that Shaela?). As well as this being typically a fantasy novel, it had elements of mystery, SF and drama. It was even a bit like reading Stephen King.
—Denis
