Dreams Underfoot: A Newford Collection

A collection of short stories that actually works very well as a 'novel.' They all share a setting and theme - that of troubled, often creative young people encountering myth and magic in the imaginary city of Newford. Having never been to either city, for some reason Newford conjures up a sort of cross between the Seattle and Vancouver of my mind.

Some of these stories are very, very good. I'd say some of them are some of de Lint's best work.

However, around the second half of the book, it began to bother me in the same precise way that so much of de Lint's work ALWAYS bothers me. And this time, I pinned it down:

de Lint reminds me, exactly, of any one of a number of usually well-meaning counselors, teachers and other 'adult' figures, show more who, when I was a teenager, were CONVINCED that due to my 'alternative' look, creative bent, and independent, rebellious attitude, that I must be suffering from low self-esteem, and hiding some sort of dreadful trauma that had 'made me that way.'


There's even a story here where a girl tells a counselor a story of trauma and then says, "Oh, I'm lying, I just said that because I knew it was what you wanted to hear." I said "YES! FINALLY! He's admitting that sometimes counselors TRY to elicit this stuff from you whether it happened or not!" But then the twist ending to the story is that it really DID all happen to her. Ugh.

Believe it or not, some people are just creative and adopt an unusual look because it fits their personal aesthetic. Some people are eccentric without being mentally ill. Some people leave home early and go their own way because they are naturally more independent than others.

de Lint's writing makes me feel conflicted, because while people with the kind of attitude I've described are DEEPLY ANNOYING, his stories also make a reader (if the reader is me) feel guilty for being annoyed by them, because of course you have to have sympathy and empathy for any character who's been through the traumas his characters have, and appreciate people that are trying to 'help.' And bad things DO happen to lots of young people; and some of them are impelled out of the 'mainstream' due to those things.

So - I feel it's a good and helpful thing to encourage empathy and understanding of people who've been through a rough time. But on the other hand, I DON'T think it's helpful at all to encourage the false stereotype that people that are non-mainstream are always depressed, abuse survivors, or 'damaged goods' in some way. show less

Good reviews are always harder for me to write than bad ones. This book just sings to me--I love the sparse, clean prose; the engaging, three-dimensional characters; the twisted but familiar storylines and the city of Newford. I love that de Lint sets his urban fantasies in a Canadian city, which is a welcome change from the UScentric urban fantasy I usually read. I was sad to close the book after reading the next page, and I want more.

I've read a good bit of fantasy, and yet I never read Charles de Lint. Go figure. I'm glad I remedied that situation.

Dreams Underfoot consists of short stories all set in the city of Newford, with most of the characters overlapping from story to story. This is early urban fantasy, and still excellent. Many of the stories involved the seedier side of Newford called the Tombs, where prostitutes peddle and Bigfoot wanders the alleys. Magic is everywhere in Newford, though most cannot see it. There are balloonmen who tumble along on the breeze, mermaids who yearn for human music, and bridges that may leads to a realm of more bridges. Some stories have a light touch of fantasy, others hold an undercurrent of horror, but all share one major show more theme: humanity, in all its shades. The power of music is also a prevalent theme.

At first I thought the book seemed just plain weird, but by the end of the first story I was hooked. As a writer of short stories, I loved seeing how the mechanics and voice varied with each story among these characters who often knew each other. I didn't dislike a single story, and I felt sad when it ended and I had to leave Newford behind. show less

Dreams Underfoot is a fitting title for this book. It wraps us into Newford, a city where dreams and magic and fantasy is only a glance away. Buried inside each person's heart is a bird of magic, unless you choose to give it away. And in this book we meet the homeless, violinists, the lost, good-dooers of Newford who all encounter this subtle magic in their own way. We even meet the city herself.

It's a strange collection of novellas that weave and intertwine and somehow relate. But it works. We might meet a character and then see her from different pair of eyes later on. Jilly is introduced to magic when she meets the sullen Goodn, and then in future novellas she is a listening ear, a best friend, a passer-by in this city. Every show more character has their own story and hidden past, hidden sorrows, and quiet moments with magic. It's a juggle of characters with a thin weave of magic connecting all of them.

His writing has a certain appeal. It's soft and dreamy. It's wistful. It tells you stories that make you wonder if maybe balloon men are just outside your window rolling around in the clouds. I drifted through each page and had to stop reading sometimes to catch my breath and just imagine if my own eyes were clear enough to see magic in this world.

It is also beautiful because it seems more real with the darkness. Not magical sparkles and unicorns. And even more than beautiful gommies to take a dying man away and mermaids or whimsical meetings with Big Foot. These is darkness. Boogers with angry red eyes and great teeth. A love torn away by space and time. Monsters that kill, freaks that steal life's fire, etc. This is a sort of magic that lies parallel to life. It is not more or less, it is not good or bad. But it is there, if only you have the eyes to see.

The only major problem I had with this book is that there was no change in voice, even when we're reading first person perspective of completely different characters. All the characters all sound the same. I think it's because it's very rare for a book to contain first person POV for multiple characters. But since a character's voice is tied to the writing style (and obviously de Lint has the same style, even for different characters), the voices all end up sounding the same. I'm not sure if this is a flaw that could even be fixed, unless one were talented at writing in completely different styles. Well, I guess that's possible too.

Also, the story I disliked the most was the mermaid story. I didn't dislike the way the story was written or characters or anything like that. I disapprove because it followed the little mermaid story too closely. This book should not be a retelling of old fairy tales. That's not what the first 200 pages were about, but somehow that one was.

I imagine many people will dislike this sort of book. There is hardly any plot. There is really no direction. But I think it's lovely in and of itself.

4.5 stars. I rounded down because I am not sure I'll reread this book, but I might. And if I do, it will be 5 stars.
Recommended for those who can take a slower book. For those who are trying to see a little magic in their own lives. show less

Dreams Underfoot is a fitting title for this book. It wraps us into Newford, a city where dreams and magic and fantasy is only a glance away. Buried inside each person's heart is a bird of magic, unless you choose to give it away. And in this book we meet the homeless, violinists, the lost, good-dooers of Newford who all encounter this subtle magic in their own way. We even meet the city herself.

It's a strange collection of novellas that weave and intertwine and somehow relate. But it works. We might meet a character and then see her from different pair of eyes later on. Jilly is introduced to magic when she meets the sullen Goodn, and then in future novellas she is a listening ear, a best friend, a passer-by in this city. Every show more character has their own story and hidden past, hidden sorrows, and quiet moments with magic. It's a juggle of characters with a thin weave of magic connecting all of them.

His writing has a certain appeal. It's soft and dreamy. It's wistful. It tells you stories that make you wonder if maybe balloon men are just outside your window rolling around in the clouds. I drifted through each page and had to stop reading sometimes to catch my breath and just imagine if my own eyes were clear enough to see magic in this world.

It is also beautiful because it seems more real with the darkness. Not magical sparkles and unicorns. And even more than beautiful gommies to take a dying man away and mermaids or whimsical meetings with Big Foot. These is darkness. Boogers with angry red eyes and great teeth. A love torn away by space and time. Monsters that kill, freaks that steal life's fire, etc. This is a sort of magic that lies parallel to life. It is not more or less, it is not good or bad. But it is there, if only you have the eyes to see.

The only major problem I had with this book is that there was no change in voice, even when we're reading first person perspective of completely different characters. All the characters all sound the same. I think it's because it's very rare for a book to contain first person POV for multiple characters. But since a character's voice is tied to the writing style (and obviously de Lint has the same style, even for different characters), the voices all end up sounding the same. I'm not sure if this is a flaw that could even be fixed, unless one were talented at writing in completely different styles. Well, I guess that's possible too.

Also, the story I disliked the most was the mermaid story. I didn't dislike the way the story was written or characters or anything like that. I disapprove because it followed the little mermaid story too closely. This book should not be a retelling of old fairy tales. That's not what the first 200 pages were about, but somehow that one was.

I imagine many people will dislike this sort of book. There is hardly any plot. There is really no direction. But I think it's lovely in and of itself.

4.5 stars. I rounded down because I am not sure I'll reread this book, but I might. And if I do, it will be 5 stars.
Recommended for those who can take a slower book. For those who are trying to see a little magic in their own lives. show less

This is a collection of Newford stories and a great introduction to De Lint's Newford and the recurring characters that inhabit it. These tales are all connected; some of the connections are obvious and others are very slight. This book was one of my first experiences with an author who can weave characters and stories so thoroughly through a world that the effect is often subtle but effective -- nothing hits you over the head here, but recognizing the connections is always a pleasure.

The stories themselves are always breathtaking, delicate, a little dark, sometimes uncomfortable. They are lyrical and vivid and combine elements of different families of folktales. And these stories always stir a very bittersweet longing in me, for any show more number of reasons I can't quite name.

I think this particular collection is De Lint's best, but that might be coloured by the fact that it was the first I read and therefore will always hold a special place on my shelf. The characterization of both people and places is so strong that reading anything else from Newford is like visiting old friends. show less

The fictional city of Newford lies at the crossroads of our world and all of the shadowy worlds of spirit, faerie, and myth. Beings out of folklore and mythology go about their daily lives and mingle with artists, musicians, and dreamers of all stripes along the way. It’s a world where reality is relative and sometimes strong enough belief is all it takes to make a change.

Dreams Underfoot is the first collection of DeLint’s beloved “Newford” stories. Interconnected and sharing characters from one story to another, the collection is more than a simple anthology and less than a cohesive novel, but powerful and affecting regardless of definition. DeLint’s characters share a profound joy in the Otherworlds that surround them, but show more never forget the suffering all too prevalent in their own. Uplifting and sensitive, the stories will make you look at the world around you and wish for a little magic of your own.

This book, and this entire series, are highly recommended to anyone, even those people who think they don't like fantasy. This is the kind of book that proves fantasy is more than swords and dragons. Compelling, dreamlike, intelligent, and deeply philosophical, these stories practically glow. Putting the book down is like waking from a dream. show less