The Harp of the Grey Rose

I'm on a quest to reread all the early Charles de Lint, because I want to see the way his particular world began. The Harp of the Grey Rose is, structurally, a fairly traditional sword-and-sorcery bildungsroman. What it definitely isn't is beholden to older fantastical fiction races, simple in its portrayal of traveling peoples (both the tinkers in the story are delightfully non-stereotypical), conventionally one-punch in its plot (there are actually several events, not just one climactic battle), or afraid of a little dialect, which de Lint gets away with using because he uses it sparingly, for emphasis, and without unnecessary gimmicks (like apostrophes).

Yarrow and Jack the Giant-Killer are two other early works that demonstrate more show more of the urban/faerie crossover we all now know and love, but The Harp of the Grey Rose is a useful return trip for one crucial reason: there are races blending at geographical and educational margins who have competing stories about the nature of the world and - this is crucial - know that the world was already old when they arrived. In that cultural map lies a key clue to how the juxtaposing peoples of de Lint's later work interact.



Is it a beautiful story? Well, if you're into buddy films, the friendships between the main character, Cerin, and his unlikely pals Hickathrift and Calman are rounded and yet as random as real friendships. If you like weird landscapes and creatures, de Lint has a quiverful. Like your protagonists imperfect, yet willing? Cerin's that kind. The love story element, however, falls victim to one of the classic 1980's blunders, so look to de Lint's later stories if that's what you're after. Mostly this book is fun for people who, having fallen in love with de Lint around the time of Memory and Dream or The Little Country, want to know how the author's internal landscape looked during the early years of its formation. show less

Any book that contains the sentence "A darkness came washing over me and I knew no more" is a bit hackneyed. Even the worst of it could be a lot worse, and there are fine things about it, but this is unmistakeably the work of a still-developing author.

The main interest here is that it is one of de Lint's very first published novels -- high fantasy and almost preposterously derivative of LOTR in the basic movement of the story however also well-written and with some of its own twists and indicative of potential. I've had this on my tbr shelf forever and, as I have played harp for yonks, am surprised that I hadn't read it. Only for fans, I'd say. Read quickly. ***

Charles de Lint's first completed novel. A fine first book rooted in a traditional style folk tale. This tells of the young orphan Cerin; his falling in love and his quest to battle evil. Most of the traditional elements are here and it shows the promise of de Lint's future work.

I picked up this predictable, derivative Pringle of a book because the other two books I'm reading are too brainy for me to read without a break (and one of them is too heavy for the subway). Just in time for Valentine's day, it's a romantic fantasy, the story of one young hero's love for an otherworldly princess ... or perhaps it's really the story of Charles de Lint's love for the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Some of the more obvious recycled plot points include:

- The hero is an orphan whose parents turn out to be magical.
- He falls in love with a girl whom everyone mistakenly thinks is evil.
- He kills a big baddy with a magical sword.
- When he gets to the big city, the high court is under the influence of an evil power (i.e. Wormtongue).
- show more Elves and dwarves.
- The dwarf rediscovers the long-lost underground dwarven kingdom (i.e. Mines of Moria).
- In the end it turns out the big baddy wasn't who the hero thought it was; it was someone else equally obvious.

The book held my interest enough for me to finish it -- after all, it's a formula I know and love -- but when I was finished I moved on to another piece of relative mind candy. Maybe it's just time for February school vacation.
Original post on "All The Things I've Lost" show less

This was the first or second book he wrote, and you can tell. Lots of stuff happens, but the plot feels too pat. Lots of pseudo-Irish stuff with psychic harper powers. The plot felt very constructed. The author gets better in later books. On the other hand, I'd probably have enjoyed it 30 years ago.

This reads more like a short story than the short novel it is. This leaves you wanting more stories about Cerin Songweaver. You quickly learn to like Cerin and his friends and wish him luck in his quest for the Grey Rose.