Jack of Kinrowan: Jack the Giant-Killer and Drink Down the Moon
by Charles de Lint
Jack of Kinrowan (Collections and Selections — 1-2)
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Hurled into the mythical land of Faerie by a faceless gang of bikers, young Jacky Rowan is stunned when she is immediately hailed as the legendary hero Jack of Kinrowan and directed to save the land from a treacherous evil force.Tags
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Another great classic fairytale turned on its head and given back to us in urban fantasy form by Charles de Lint! What I think makes his stories so compelling is not only do they have intricately crafted stories with plenty of adventure, but that he creates such interesting, relatable, and realistic characters for us to follow. Even though these books were originally published in 1987 and 1990 they still seem highly modern, even if the characters don't have the benefits of modern technology that we take for granted. De Lint's engaging writing draws us quickly into the adventures of Jacky (the Jack of Kinrowan) and brings the faerie-filled streets (and parks) of modern Ottawa alive as we see her being drawn unwittingly into a conflict show more between the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, and then have to fend off an evil wizard type who's hell-bent on stealing the luck of the court to feed his everlasting life. show less
In Jack the Giant Killer, the first of two novellas in this book, Jacky Rowan has just realized that her life is not going where she wants it to go. She drifts along, refusing to take care of her life and just staying at home doing nothing. She decides to change her life after a nasty breakup. In a fit of pique, she goes out drinking alone. Staggering home, she sees a little man being chased by 9 men on motorcycles. She tries to help him, but the little man is killed. She runs to a nearby house to try to get help, but no one answers the door. She runs back to where the little man's body was, only to see it disappear, leaving behind only a red cap.
The next day, she almost convinces herself that the alcohol was just making her see things show more that weren't there, but she can't explain where she got the cap from. She puts it on and starts to see people straight out of Faerie. She eventually finds out that the Unseelie Court has been getting stronger and stronger and has actually stolen the local Laird's daughter. The Seelie Court is so weak that everyone is afraid to go in search of the poor girl. Jacky decides to just go looking herself. With a hob's stitcheries giving her invisibility and swiftness, the help of her best friend Kate, and a whole heap of a Jack's luck, Jacky sets out to set the local Faerie courts to rights.
I loved how Jack becomes Jacky in this story. Who says women can't be clever, lucky tricksters? She fills the role of Jack perfectly, coming up with ingenious solutions to problems and avoiding pitfalls in the tradition of the best fairy tales. I also loved how Jacky reached out and took control of her life. It obviously can be done, but it's usually easier to just keep going with the flow. It takes real bravery to make a real change.
What I have always loved about Charles de Lint is the way he weaves fantasy into modern life. Yeah, urban fantasy is common now, but de Lint was one of the earliest authors in the genre. Reading this for the first time years ago, I loved how urban Faerie have developed a tolerance for iron. And why wouldn't the Wild Hunt appear on Harleys? This is taking place in the 20th century after all. I just liked the idea that there is more to the world than meets the eye, and fairies are not fragile creatures who can only survive in the wilds. They would have to be adaptable.
I love Charles de Lint because of his characters. I can't say that Jacky and her friend Kate are some of my favorites, but I do love to read about their friendship. They are silly and brave and honest with each other, and neither would ever abandon the other.
The other novella, Drink Down the Moon, was not as strong for me. Jacky has gotten a little over-confident and makes some big mistakes. As a result, an evil force has wrought havoc on the wild faerie and has started causing big damage in her area of Faerie, Kinrowan. Kate is the true hero who realizes what's going on and starts acting on it.
There are two parallel plots throughout most of this story. I was most interested in Jacky and Kate's story. On a straight read, it gets a little old to read about the humans Johnny and Henk going through the same bewilderment that Jacky and Kate went through as they adapted to Faerie in Jack the Giant Killer. The books were published years apart and reprinted together later, so that's not entirely de Lint's fault.
The wild faeries that Johnny and Henk stumble onto are a little too belligerent and blood-thirsty for my taste. They have been through a lot, but it's not the humans' fault. I did like mercurial Jemi and her relationship with Johnny, but the rest were very angry and bitter.
So, 4 stars for Jack the Giant Killer and 3 stars for Drink Down the Moon. I'll round up to 4 because I love de Lint so much. His Newford books are still my favorites, but this was a very strong entry in his body of work. show less
The next day, she almost convinces herself that the alcohol was just making her see things show more that weren't there, but she can't explain where she got the cap from. She puts it on and starts to see people straight out of Faerie. She eventually finds out that the Unseelie Court has been getting stronger and stronger and has actually stolen the local Laird's daughter. The Seelie Court is so weak that everyone is afraid to go in search of the poor girl. Jacky decides to just go looking herself. With a hob's stitcheries giving her invisibility and swiftness, the help of her best friend Kate, and a whole heap of a Jack's luck, Jacky sets out to set the local Faerie courts to rights.
I loved how Jack becomes Jacky in this story. Who says women can't be clever, lucky tricksters? She fills the role of Jack perfectly, coming up with ingenious solutions to problems and avoiding pitfalls in the tradition of the best fairy tales. I also loved how Jacky reached out and took control of her life. It obviously can be done, but it's usually easier to just keep going with the flow. It takes real bravery to make a real change.
What I have always loved about Charles de Lint is the way he weaves fantasy into modern life. Yeah, urban fantasy is common now, but de Lint was one of the earliest authors in the genre. Reading this for the first time years ago, I loved how urban Faerie have developed a tolerance for iron. And why wouldn't the Wild Hunt appear on Harleys? This is taking place in the 20th century after all. I just liked the idea that there is more to the world than meets the eye, and fairies are not fragile creatures who can only survive in the wilds. They would have to be adaptable.
I love Charles de Lint because of his characters. I can't say that Jacky and her friend Kate are some of my favorites, but I do love to read about their friendship. They are silly and brave and honest with each other, and neither would ever abandon the other.
The other novella, Drink Down the Moon, was not as strong for me. Jacky has gotten a little over-confident and makes some big mistakes. As a result, an evil force has wrought havoc on the wild faerie and has started causing big damage in her area of Faerie, Kinrowan. Kate is the true hero who realizes what's going on and starts acting on it.
There are two parallel plots throughout most of this story. I was most interested in Jacky and Kate's story. On a straight read, it gets a little old to read about the humans Johnny and Henk going through the same bewilderment that Jacky and Kate went through as they adapted to Faerie in Jack the Giant Killer. The books were published years apart and reprinted together later, so that's not entirely de Lint's fault.
The wild faeries that Johnny and Henk stumble onto are a little too belligerent and blood-thirsty for my taste. They have been through a lot, but it's not the humans' fault. I did like mercurial Jemi and her relationship with Johnny, but the rest were very angry and bitter.
So, 4 stars for Jack the Giant Killer and 3 stars for Drink Down the Moon. I'll round up to 4 because I love de Lint so much. His Newford books are still my favorites, but this was a very strong entry in his body of work. show less
I thought I'd read a few pages of Jack of Kinrowan before bed. This was a Very Bad Idea. I didn't get nearly enough sleep that night. The book was far too good - and too suspenseful - to put down. I managed to pause between the two books and get to sleep at 3 am, but I was up in a few hours to finish the second.
In a rut? Need to be reminded of how to find your true self? Real this one. Jacky will lead the way through a rollicking adventure in faeryland, sain and unsain. Sometimes that which must be done gets figured out in the middle of the doing. Deep, dark, rich, the characters draw you straight in. Love this book. Go Jacky Go!
Jack of Kinrowan by Charles de Lint
Comprising of :
1 - Jack the Giant Killer
This story, set in modern-day Ottawa, tells the story of Jacky Rowan, who stumbles across Faerie magic one night and impulsively offers her help to the beleaguered Sidhe (de Lint having transported Faerie-kind from the Old Country (Ireland) to the New Country (Canada)).
Though I can't find any fault with the book, somehow, the story didn't grab me. The genre (urban fantasy) doesn't usually work for me - the disparity between gritty, industrialised reality and ethereal fantasy realms is too harsh for me to reconcile. So I'm giving this 3 stars, though I suspect it deserves more.
2 - Drink Down the Moon
This story worked better for me. It is also about Jacky Rowan show more and her friend Kate Hazel (known as Crackernuts) in the seelie world (that's 'good guys' in kid-speak) helping to fend off the unseelie host (what my kids would call 'bad guys'); but it also introduces new characters, with musicians helping the fiaina Sidhe - in the person of the Pook of Puxhill - who owe no allegiance to either the seelie or unseelie courts.
Maybe there was more fantasy in this, or maybe I was used to the setting, but I found this more readable. I like the way the humans, now working in the Faerie (not fairy) world, find their way through the magic, and find allies in various faerie creatures along the way.
Just to add, native Ottawans - or anyone else familiar with the city - will probably be thrilled to recognise local landmarks (and discover their equivalent in Faerie) show less
Comprising of :
1 - Jack the Giant Killer
This story, set in modern-day Ottawa, tells the story of Jacky Rowan, who stumbles across Faerie magic one night and impulsively offers her help to the beleaguered Sidhe (de Lint having transported Faerie-kind from the Old Country (Ireland) to the New Country (Canada)).
Though I can't find any fault with the book, somehow, the story didn't grab me. The genre (urban fantasy) doesn't usually work for me - the disparity between gritty, industrialised reality and ethereal fantasy realms is too harsh for me to reconcile. So I'm giving this 3 stars, though I suspect it deserves more.
2 - Drink Down the Moon
This story worked better for me. It is also about Jacky Rowan show more and her friend Kate Hazel (known as Crackernuts) in the seelie world (that's 'good guys' in kid-speak) helping to fend off the unseelie host (what my kids would call 'bad guys'); but it also introduces new characters, with musicians helping the fiaina Sidhe - in the person of the Pook of Puxhill - who owe no allegiance to either the seelie or unseelie courts.
Maybe there was more fantasy in this, or maybe I was used to the setting, but I found this more readable. I like the way the humans, now working in the Faerie (not fairy) world, find their way through the magic, and find allies in various faerie creatures along the way.
Just to add, native Ottawans - or anyone else familiar with the city - will probably be thrilled to recognise local landmarks (and discover their equivalent in Faerie) show less
This is one of Charles de Lint earlier books and the writing is not as polished but still a great read. I like that the main character is a girl and that she is learning about herself and her power as a women. This is a great girl power story that would be appropriate for the tween and YA crowd. I like the twisting of the fairy tale character Jack the giant killer and the blending of old wild magic.
This is an omnibus edition containing "Jack the Giant-Killer" and its sequel, "Drink Down the Moon." I'd read the first novel before, but not the second.
Both concern two young human women – Jacky, and her best friend Kate, who turn out to be destined to be particularly useful to Faerie – the magical world which co-exists with our own, but which most people do not see. Although much reduced in modern times, the Seelie and Unseelie courts are still in conflict with one another – not to mention there may be other and greater threats. Although untried and seemingly unlikely heroes, Jacky and Kate may be the only ones who can save Kinrowan.
Both concern two young human women – Jacky, and her best friend Kate, who turn out to be destined to be particularly useful to Faerie – the magical world which co-exists with our own, but which most people do not see. Although much reduced in modern times, the Seelie and Unseelie courts are still in conflict with one another – not to mention there may be other and greater threats. Although untried and seemingly unlikely heroes, Jacky and Kate may be the only ones who can save Kinrowan.
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Charles de Lint, an extraordinarily prolific writer of fantasy works, was born in the Netherlands in 1951. Due to his father's work as a surveyor, the family lived in many different places, including Canada, Turkey, and Lebanon. De Lint was influenced by many writers in the areas of mythology, folklore, and science fiction. De Lint originally show more wanted to play Celtic music. He only began to write seriously to provide an artist friend with stories to illustrate. The combination of the success of his work, The Fane of the Grey Rose (which he later developed into the novel The Harp of the Grey Rose), the loss of his job in a record store, and the support of his wife, Mary Ann, helped encourage de Lint to pursue writing fulltime. After selling three novels in one year, his career soared and he has become a most successful fantasy writer. De Lint's works include novels, novellas, short stories, chapbooks, and verse. He also publishes under the pseudonyms Wendelessen, Henri Cuiscard, and Jan Penalurick. He has received many awards, including the 2000 World Fantasy Award for Best Collection for Moonlight and Vines, the Ontario Library Association's White Pine Award, as well as the Great Lakes Great Books Award for his young adult novel The Blue Girl. His novel Widdershins won first place, Amazon.com Editors' Picks: Top 10 Science Fiction & Fantasy Books of 2006. In 1988 he won Canadian SF/Fantasy Award, the Casper, now known as the Aurora for his novel Jack, the Giant Killer. Also, de Lint has been a judge for the Nebula Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Theodore Sturgeon Award and the Bram Stoker Award. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Awards and Honors
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Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1995-07-15
- People/Characters
- Jacky Rowan
- Important places
- Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Epigraph
- Red is the color of magic in every country, and has been so from the very earliest times. The caps of fairies and musicians are well-nigh always red.
—W. B. Yeats,
from Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry... (show all)i>
Though she be but little, she is fierce.
—William Shakespeare, from A Midsummer Night's Dream
Rowan am I and I am sister to the Red Man
my berries are guarded by dreamless dragons
my wood charms the spells from witches
and in the wide plains my floods quicken
—Wendlessen, from The Calendar of the Tree... (show all)s
Sun & fire & candlelight
To all the world belong
But the moon pale & the midnight
Let these delight the strong.
—Robin Williamson, from "By Weary Well"
Where the wave of moonlight glosses ...
We foot it all the night,
Weaving olden dances,
Mingling hands and mingling glances
Till the moon has taken flight...
W.B. Yeats, from The Stolen Child" - Dedication
- For MaryAnn and Terri and dedicated to the memory of K.M. Briggs (1898-1980)also for Donna Gordon
- First words
- The reflection that looked back at her from the mirror wasn't her own.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Above the gable peaks of the Tower, the Moon traveled west across the sky, and all of Kinrowan, and the Borderlands beyond, drank the bright luck of her light.
- Blurbers
- Card, Orson Scott; Blaylock, James P.
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