Greenmantle

[[Charles de Lint]] seems to always be on point with his urban fantasy, and this is no exception. He folds a mafia hit man on the run into the mix, living in the same neighborhood where a woman on the run from her abusive and criminal boyfriend lives. The rural area also is home to a group of villagers living off-the-grid and hidden from the larger world save for a haunting sound of a flute that echoes through the forest to have varying effects on those who hear it. The mafia comes for their man and the boyfriend comes for his daughter but they are overshadowed by a larger mystery in the forest.

The book loses a half bone for some anachronistic handling of the main female character who accepts some rare stupid explanations about the show more happenings. The daughter is a fairly strong female character but the mom and some of the other female characters are wanting.

4 1/2 bones!!!!!
Highly Recommended! show less

I found this to be an incredibly fast, breezy read (I finished it in about 24 hours) though the concept of the book is rather odd: Italian mobsters clashing with ancient mysteries in the deep woods outside of Ottawa. de Lint's characters, as always, as realistic and complex. There's a mobster framed for a don's murder, living in hiding; a divorced mom graced with a big lottery win, and her bright teenage daughter; a cast of baddies include the mom's ex-husband, a callous murderer who finds out about her jackpot; and in the backdrop of everything, soul-touching music that drifts from the woods, and a magnificent stag who is not always a stag.

The ending didn't quite satisfy me, though I understand why de Lint took it the direction he did. show more The magical angle doesn't seem like it will be as memorable for me as the Italian mob angle. Even with my criticism, though, I am reminded that I need to read more of de Lint's work. show less

This novel's blend of urban fantasy elements with Italian mob intrigues was an unexpected, but clever, combination of opposites. Canadian folk-lore (remnants from British settlers) is a major element of the plot here, but it is overshadowed by the human concerns of the real world: a potential kidnapping for money and a crime-sydicate feud. Even though the focus was more on the urban than the fantasy elements, I still found this novel to be highly interesting because Charles touches on a theme that is prevalent regardless of content. The primal Mystery of the world is never going to leave, no matter how industrialized things get, because no one can explain everything and some things are better left to being Secrets. We may have explained show more the "magic" in gunpowder with science, but it's still a spark that had to come from somewhere!

Though I totally just realized that we never get to find out of the problems with the Don in New York ever get resolved! He may have gotten taken out, along with his sons, BUT that doesn't mean that Valenti's problems are all over! show less

3.5 stars

14-year old Ali and her mom, Frankie, have moved to Frankie’s old house after she won the lottery. They are going to fix the house up and stay. But when Frankie’s ex, Earl, learns that Frankie won the lottery, he’s coming after her for the money. Meanwhile, Ali is making friends with their neighbour, Tony. They don’t know at first, but Tony is hiding from the mafia, which he used to be involved in until there was a “hit” out for him. But Ali can tell Tony’s a good guy. In the forest behind their homes are some odd things though: a piper that plays eerie music that makes people do odd things, a stag that appears, a young girl who is a little odd…

This was good. I’m not always a fan of fantasy, but this is urban show more fantasy (though not an urban area, the bulk of the story is in the “real” world, with parts of fantasy in the forest), and I usually do better with this type of fantasy. Based on the description and cover, there was less fantasy that I expected, so I was happy about that. The book followed many different characters at different points, and I’m not always as interested in the “bad guys’” perspectives when books do this. This was the case, once again, particularly following Tony’s crew. Overall, though, I did like the story, and I like Ali and Frankie, especially. And even Tony. There were some pretty terrible characters, though (looking at you, Earl! For one). show less

Not as good as the collection The Very Best of Charles De Lint which is the only other book I've read by this author. Still an intriguing modern Fantasy.

Well written, although not what I expected at all. It still had a flavour of the De Lint I've come to love, but felt like his early work where he's still working on what he wants his story to convey.

There's a fair amount of violence, sexual assault and mentions of drugs in this book which means it won't be suitable for all readers. Not an upbeat read. But if you'd like a different type of urban fantasy which leaves you room to think for yourself, I'd recommend it.

I first read this book in 1991 and it seemed very contemporary. It has dated since then — that’s a generation ago, yikes — but it’s still a very interesting book. The poetic evocation of mystery in the form of Old Hornie, aka Greenmantle, is very powerful.

This is one of Mr. de Lint's earlier works. It showcases his style but is much earthier than most of his writing. It incorporates the mythology of Pan/the Green Man with a mafioso-like story that feels odd at times but is still a very enjoyable read.
Frankie and her daughter have moved into an old farmhouse out in the wilds of Ottawa. Their nearest neighbor is a retired mobster. All of them hear magical piping at times coming from the woods behind their homes. When their past lives come back to haunt them, they find more than trouble in a world where legends become real.