The Little Country

I like this book because it stands alone. It is lyrical and breathtaking. It's a story that reader's everywhere can relate to. The story comes to life. It's not saccharine or sappy, but vigorous and satisfying. When I get friends and family to read de Lint, this is usually what I choose for them.

The Little Country is my first foray into Charles de Lint country, and needless to say, it was a wonderful trip. Janey Little is a successful musician who nevertheless feels a growing sense of inertia. When she finds a mysterious manuscript written by her favorite author, Janey's world simultaneously gets better and worse. Old friends and lovers drift into her life, secret societies threaten members of her small town, and startling revelations are made. Intertwined with Janey's story is the saga of young Jodi, a girl who finds herself face to face with curiouser and curiouser situations. Do Smalls really exist? Can music really mend whole worlds?The Little Country is a tale of urban fantasy with epic proportions. What really makes this rather long novel (500 plus pages) work is the beautiful development of secondary characters. Janey's friends Clare and Felix, for example, are indispensable pieces of the puzzle. Even the most minor of characters are realistically rendered as three-dimensional people with their own unique outlooks and problems.Music IS magic, as The Little Country so beautifully conveys. Mysterious, charming works of fiction are also rather magical, themselves.

I bought this book because of the cover illustration, and the first sentance, thinking these things to be enough for me to actually buy it. Upon delving into the book I realized I was reading something very, very different and interesting. This author has altered the way I view things. I have appreciation for things that I never thought of before. I have read 3/4ths of his books, and I will complete them all soon. Anyone seeking mystery in life should read this book.

This book changed me. It will change you too. It is one of the most 'complete' books I've ever read. The characters are so real that I have contemplated writing them letters.de Lint is a better storyteller than most - I've described his writing to friends as "as clear and inventive as Steven King, but with actually well-written prose and resolved characters - not just good storytelling." But don't let any mention of Steven King push you away if it's likely to. My main point is that his writing is going to appeal to a broader market than the typical SF/Fantasy crowd that it's aimed at.

Once again DeLint has woven a beautiful story of magic, mystery and myth. I was immediately in love with the West Country, Janey Little and her grandfather, known as The Gaffer. There are two stories interlocked and connected by the music of the universe, and the magickal energy we all share. If you want to be transported to another country....try "The Little Country!"