Perchance to dream (of Newford)

Its been a long time since a book completely enveloped me. Few authors have made me want to live inside the pages of their books and I have to count Charles de Lint among them. From what I gather, many readers of science fiction and fantasy have already discovered de Lint but I had never found his books until now.

I found a copy of The Onion Girl which had recently been re-released and I was taken by the title. I did a little research and discovered that it was one of about a dozen stories set in his world called Newford, a fictional city that rubs close to the mythical and the magical. I was able to find a list on de Lint’s site of the recommended order in which to read his books as characters often appear and reappear.

What is so striking is that normally, I am not a fan of short story collections. I may love the first story in a collection but not the second or third and then I lose momentum and put the book aside. This is not the case with Dreams Underfoot. Every story left me enrapt, riveted and, in some cases, in tears. There are stories loves lost and loves found, of magic lost and found, or unadulterated innocence and in some the harsh realities of city living. The stories intertwine too. The protagonist in one story is a bit player in the next giving a sense of continuity and letting the reader get to know each character. In the end, the book reads like vignettes rather than stand-alone short stories which made me like it even more.

I finished the book over a week ago but I still think about the characters and how much I would like to read their stories again. With so many other books available about the world of Newford though, I will probably read some other stories before making time to re-read this gem.

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