Review of MUSE AND REVERIE by Charles de Lint

Review of MUSE AND REVERIE by Charles de Lint (see his website)

A NEWFORD COLLECTION

Tor, December 2009

In a series of short stories set around Newford, author Charles de Lint (see more BooksForABuck.com reviews of novels by de Lint) takes a look at cursed musicians, second chances to make dreams come true, Hell-boy, changes in the demon underworld, and the charming crow-girls who create a crisis in the shopping mall when they serve as Santa's elves--but manage to eat all the candy canes.

De Lint is at his best when he's writing about music and about the intersection of magical with the everyday world. His ordinary people could be any of us, and their brushes with the magical and mythical aren't bloody vampire-hunts. Instead, they're emotionally moving moments--a chance to pursue dreams rather than chase the boy, a second chance when a car wreck destroys lives. The crow-girls are sort of the opposite of this...but it still works. The crow-girls have forgotten who they are, live a life that's fully human, yet when they recall their memories, the world ends. It's strong stuff and beautiful, and it doesn't rely on cheap tricks, fire spells, or vampire sex.

De Lint's strong writing drew me into these stories--and frankly, short stories are a hard sale for me. I picked up this collection because I've loved de Lint's works in the past--despite it being a short story collection. MUSE AND REVERIE is definitely a good one.

Four Stars

Reviewed 1/16/10

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