Nicely turned story about a ring, a house, and various "real" and mythic characters. I particularly enjoy de LInt's ability to blend the mythic aspects of Celtic and other histories with modern day characters and to make it all seem very probable. ( )

Not my cup of tea. There's nothing obviously wrong with this book. It just isn't what I'm looking for. There's no real central plot, no story. Just a window in a certain time in the lives of the characters. By the time we get to the point, it's too late. ( )

It all starts when Sara Kendell finds a little pouch full of odd small items in the stockroom of her antiques shop. Sara, the quirky daughter of a wealthy family, has no interest in her inheritance and instead lives with her uncle Jamie and a various crew of outcasts in large, mystical Tamson house. Kieran Foy arrives in Ottawa having lost tabs on his mentor in the Way, Tom, only to discover the police are after him thanks to this very connection. When Sara and Kieran meet, they are thrown into a new world, into a conflict they don’t fully understand, but they must learn quickly as their friends are in danger.

Before this, I’d only read one book by Charles de Lint, The Onion Girl, which I enjoyed a lot. I knew this one wasn’t set in the same universe but was reputed to be very good and since I was in the mood for fantasy, I thought it might be a perfect fit. It wasn’t perfect, but it was pretty good and I liked it.

This book is fairly long, so I was glad it didn’t take much time to get going. This seems like another varient of the urban fantasy genre, but it is indeed more magical than the current offerings, particularly when two of the main characters are sent back in time. The magic system was interesting and seemed to be based from a combination of Native American and Welsh myth, at least in the book’s world. I managed to read more than half of it on a very stressful set of flights, so the fact that it managed to keep my attention during all that is a definite stroke in its favor.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about the characters, though. The two main ones, Kieran and Sara, fall in love with minor characters over the course of the book, but I felt both affairs were too sudden to be believable. I know their lives were under threat and people feel more strongly during those times, but I had a hard time buying it. I’m not sure why I didn’t care about any of them, I just know that I didn’t and it lessened the book for me.

In the end, I liked it but I didn’t love it, so I’m not sure if I would recommend it. I’ll probably still read the sequel, Spiritwalk, which was a free e-book on tor.com, but I think for now I will stick with reading more Newford stories.

http://chikune.com/blog/?p=710 ( )

One of my all-time favourites. I found the exploration of the psychological aspects of wearing another person's body and being treated as though you were them particularly interesting. ( )

i have read this one a couple of times; there isn't much that compares to it. i grew up in ottawa, and having the story happen on streets and in locations that i am familiar with is a treat. the action is gripping, the characters are people i would like to have over for dinner, conversation and board games in my own living room. ( )

Summary: The story starts with Sara Kendall, a young woman who discovers some strange items in the storeroom of an Ottawa antique store she runs with her uncle, Jamie Tamsin. The objects are interesting in themselves -- a detailed painting depicting the meeting between a Native American shaman and a European bard, a bone disk with strange engravings on it, and a gold ring encased in clay -- but even more extraordinary is the way that these artifacts seem to tug on Sara's consciousness, pulling her into the forest primeval, into a world of magic, mystery and danger.

Sara soon realizes that this danger is not only coming from the ancient evil that stalks the other world, but also from her own world. A secret branch of the RCMP investigating paranormal activity is looking for Thomas Hengwr, a one-time associate of her uncle. When the bone disk gets linked to Hengwr, then Sara, Jamie, and other residents of the vast and mysterious Tamsin House are put under investigation by an Inspector Tucker -- who is also being unknowingly tailed by other more sinister forces. Before the situation can come to a head on the streets of Ottawa, however, the characters find themselves facing a conflict that is older still, and a hatred and malice that spans time and worlds and threatens everything they hold dear. However, they are not without allies -- residents of the Otherworld who also oppose the ancient evil with all of the magics at their disposal.

Review: Moonheart is unlike any other fantasy novel I've read: it's a unique blend of ancient legend and modern lives and sensibilities (well, if the early 80s can still be considered modern.) It has elements of urban fantasy, strong underpinnings of Native American and Celtic mythology, and more than a hint of The X-Files-type government conspiracy thrown into the mix, and yet, it defies simple categorization into any of these genres.

The number one strength of this book, I thought, was its characters. Sara, Jamie, Tucker, Kieran (an apprentice of Thomas Hengwr), and Blue (an ex-biker resident of Tamsin House) all felt familiar -- not clichéd, but like people I already knew. They were detailed and multi-layered, and immediately sympathetic: their peril drew me into the story from the beginning, and I have a feeling that they'll remain memorable long after I finished the book.

However, while the central characters were excellently drawn, the supporting cast suffers from sheer numbers. Between the people in the government, the RCMP, the other residents of Tamsin House, the human inhabitants of the Other World, the supernatural inhabitants of the Other World, etc., there are a whole host of people (and spirits) who appear for a minute or two, and then disappear for most of the rest of the book. Personally, I had a hard time keeping the names, affiliations, and motivations of the tertiary characters straight, and felt like they at times distracted from the main story of Tamsin House and its inhabitants.

There was a similar overabundance of themes, plots, and motifs running through the book. I can certainly appreciate Charles de Lint's intent to interweave ancient mythology into the modern world to give both a deeper resonance, and on the whole, it works well. However, there is just so much going on -- not only the battle of good and evil and the traveling between worlds, but also multiple types of magic, two separate romances, Celtic legend, the effect of Europeans on Native American beliefs and culture, political conspiracy, time travel, police procedural, and so on -- that some pieces can't help but fall through the cracks. De Lint mostly keeps a deft hold on these disparate threads, weaving them together into an exciting and satisfactory conclusion. Unfortunately, several subplots simply don't have enough time devoted to them to give them the depth and completeness they deserve, leaving me feeling a little scattered. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Overall, I did really enjoy listening to this novel -- it may have needed a little tightening in places, but the themes and ideas it tackles are ambitious and original, and the story exciting and absorbing. This was my first de Lint novel, but it won't be my last.

This review is also posted at www.sfsite.com. ( )

This is my second Charles de Lint novel, and the second one I have been slightly disappointed in. de Lint, should be an author I love and I should want to read everything he has written, but something is missing that elusive little thing that moves an author from being someone whose work you can enjoy to someone whose works you devour...

Read my full review at:

http://www.bartsbookshelf.co.uk/2008/... ( )

Mountie magic fighters, motorbikes, and massive houses.

Have a secret ghostbusting organisation would definitely not seem to be de Lint's forte - at least in this earlier book. His Hellboy crossover later on is ok, though.

This is a hodgepodge of various mystic and fantasy elements and mythos, as a motely crew of people come together to end up in an Otherworld setting via the huge and strange Tamson House.

Doesn't really hang together all that well.

http://notfreesf.blogspot.com/2007/12... ( )

Good, albiet long, urban fantasy. When I first read it, I remember being irritated by the character who kept stopping to roll cigarettes. :P ( )

December 1985, 3rd printing edition. Yellowed pages but inside and cover in good shape and tight binding.

Like others this was my first CDL book and whilst not his best, it will always be special to me. A great twist of Celtic and NA indian folklore mixed with a bit of suspense and a touch of a horror, a thriller and some romance, something for everyone ( )

This book held me riveted from start to finish. It was my first book by DeLint, and I have been tracking them down ever since. This book holds a special place in my heart for turning me on to such an amazing author. ( )

A page turner!! ( )

A most excellent story. The characterization isn't, IMO, as good as in some of de Lint's later novels, but it is still a great, magical adventure. ( )

this book is distressingly good, charles de lint is a god among insects but, i will tell you, my favorite books by him are really, someplace to be flying and forests of the heart - neither of which i own, both of which i should own and i completely recommend to you, gentle reader (in addition to pretty much anything else by de lint). ( )