Review of TAPPING THE DREAM TREE by Charles de Lint (see his website)

TOR, November 2002

A killer who reads minds, a group of young women who find pixies coming from their computers, hobs in their bookstores, and lovers in their dreams, people who sell their souls to the devil, and seven red-haired sisters who live in the forest and discover the war between the sang fairies and the bee fairies. Author Charles de Lint (see more BooksForABuck.com reviews of novels by de Lint) provides a delightful assortment of modern fairy tales. De Lint's stories are charming and fresh, dealing with authentic people rather than shallow fairy-tale heros--and with real magic.

TAPPING THE DREAM TREE is a wonderful collection of stand-alone stories, connected stories about the dream tree and a dream city, and a short novel of the seven sisters. This isn't a dark cyber-punk return-of-magic story, but a modern version of folk stories where fairie creatures may be powerful and beautiful, but are frequently indifferent to humans. Most of the stories are set in the countryside rather than in the city and reflect a peaceful pacing.

De Lint's writing paints pictures for his stories, compelling the reader without any sense of hurry. I found myself savoring the stories even though a part of me wanted to plunge on and find out what happens next. If you've read de Lint before, you know what to expect and you'll be delighted to find it. If you haven't, you're in for a treat. De Lint is a winner and TAPPING THE DREAM TREE is a powerful collection of stories that needs to be added to your must-read pile.

Four Stars

Reviewed 6/27/03

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