Into the Green

Oh, did I need this book right now. It is pensive and thoughtful and kind and while there is plenty of evil, there is also a stronger good.

The book begins with a visit to young Angharad's tinker home, a visit that leaves her vaguely uncomfortable. It seems that the stranger has seen into her soul where she keeps her connection to her gift at bay. In this land that de Lint brings to life, some folk have a touch of the Green, allowing them to stay connected with Nature and feel more deeply its many paths. And also in this world are those who mistrust this gift, either in themselves or in others, and those ramifications.

Early in Angharad's life her extended tinker's family is wiped out by plague, taking with them her love, Darrow, and show more leaving her devastated. She tends their graves until a visit confronts her that she is among the living, still, and needs to continue with her life.

This book is truly a piece of fantasy and wonder, of self-discovery and seeing beyond what is a mundane life. De Lint keeps his descriptions brief, which helps move the story along, and Angharad's struggles and eventual triumphs at several spots along the way show her growth. show less

"Today we are all that is left of the old magic," the tale-teller went on. "Our small echo of the gift sets us apart from those around us. But in the old days, when the Blood still ran strong, there was a deeper magic still - held by those who knew the calling-on magic, born of threes. Tinker, harper and witch. Moon, music and the stoneworks of old."

"Into the Green" is not one of de Lint's Newford-set urban fantasies, but takes place in a world based in part on Celtic mythology. Angharad, a Summerborn witch, goes on a quest to destroy the glascrow, the dark power that feeds on the Summerblood of the witches and could even destroy the green itself, taking away the last traces of magic from the Green Isles.

De Lint proves that there is show more no need for fantasy novels to be 1000 pages or more long, as he fits this story into a book only 1/4 of that length. It's always best to to leave your audience wanting more rather than burnt out. show less

An ancient artifact of evil is found by chance and enters the world. A young woman named Angharad, who is "Summerborn" i.e. a witch, learns that it is her mission to track down this artifact (a puzzle-box) and face its evil at the risk of great danger to herself, lest all magic be destroyed by its great evil. Her task is complicated by the fact that the general public in her pseudo-medieval world are severely prejudiced against witches, and sometimes lynch them - or worse.
With the help of a young boy, a wizard, and an alcoholic veteran - and the more ambiguous association of an enigmatic assassin - she sets out on this quest.
This book is not up to DeLint's usual standards. It's overwhelmingly typical, and overall quite mediocre. It's show more further compromised by the fact that the first half of the book was rewritten (?) from previously published short stories, which means it just sort of meanders around, and the plot doesn't actually get going until the second half of the book.
Not dreadful, if you're a fan of classic fantasy, but there's much better out there. show less

Reasonably good, Celtic-lite fantasy that was a nice, quick read. As per usual, de Lint has a lovely way with words, but the overall story was somewhat patchily written and the main character was a bit thin (indeed, I would have liked to spend more time with some of the other, more interesting characters). Enjoyable but forgettable.

Angharad gets mad about life when her husband dies. She seems to feel it's okay for other people to suffer but not her. Then she receives a harp from the kowrie and is sent "to wake the Summerblood where it lay sleeping in folk who never knew they were witches." This idea is pursued through several very loosely related episodes - this is not a novel with a plot, more a series of short stories with the same protagonist. Finally, there is a violent encounter with witch-finders in a dungeon (Barbara Hambly does this sort of thing better) and ... yawn.

As always, Charles de Lint weaves magic and music in a way that feels True. I never put down one of his books that I don't feel that I'm saying good-bye to a dear friend.

Angharad was born into the life of a tinker. She also, through her mother, was born with the magic of the summerborn. To keep from feeling out of place when she was young she chooses to ignore her gifts for a simpler life. The magic that runs through her veins can not be contained and reemerges one night when a couple of travelers stir up the old magics inside of her. She must venture out into the world to keep the green from fading away and being destroyed by an ancient evil.

I kept expecting some something important to happen but it never did. Like the previous poster there were a lot of separate short stories that never really were brought together. I liked it okay but it wont be a favorite.