The Wild Wood

For fans of Charles De Lint, this is a fantastic read. It's quik and it stands alone from his other works, set apart from Newford but with just as much fantasy and magick to keep you hooked! I love how De Lint writes, how he mingles the darker edges of faerie tales in with the whimsical. The Wild Wood is just such an example of Magicks sometimes dark beauty.

This is a reporint of the very best of the early works by Charles De Lint. The character is Eithnie, an artist trapped by family patterns, afraid to trust, who becomes involved with Coyote Joe, the Trickster. An allegory about the 'butterfly effect', this small book is sheer magic and love upon the pages.

This is not a fairy tale for children. There's too much of everything in it: fear, love, certainty, and uncertainty. There isn't any "happily ever after." The story ends up happy, for as long as we can see it, but the ever after has a dark cloud hanging over it. Froud and DeLint have written a compact story about a modern woman's encounter with the other side of nature. It comes and goes at the edge of her mind, until it takes her in completely. When it does, she finds a man there - someone who seems to step between the worlds at will. Each chapter starts with some of Froud's spidery artwork. Unfortunately, the artwork isn't the book's main content. The story mostly makes up for that disappointment, though. It's a completely modern story, but projects a timeless sense of mystery. This one is definitely worth coming back to. //wiredweird

Well, what can I say? Charles De Lint has done it yet again...he's masterfully woven another evocative tapestry of magic, mystery, faeries and characters you can't help but love :)Charles De Lint's words flow smoothly off the pale page and into the imagination of those who Believe...and Brian Froud's illustrations leave their magical imprint on the soul of those who search out the fae eyes glowing in the darkened forests...So what is The Wild Wood about, I hear you ask. Well...Eithnie is a woman confounded and confused by the recent spate of Faerie visitations and the cryptic messages these wild creatures bring..."You must remember" Pleads the Masked Woman... Remember? Remember what? A childhood so magical it now seems unreal and impossible...a past filled with the haunting image of a field of bones...Eithnie must remember her past before it's too late to fulfill the promise she made...If you love Charles De Lint's enchanting stories and can't make it through the day without gazing upon the Faerie images brought to life by Brian Froud, then this book is a must!If you haven't read any of Charles De Lint's work, then I recommend you set aside a weekend, stock up on the herbal teas, this book (Greenmantle, Moonheart and Yarrow are a recommendation too) and get set to be whisked off to places of such magic and surreal reality, that time will cease to exist.Blessed Be.

More info on the "Brian Froud Faerielands" series: Charles de Lint's lovely novel, "The Wild Wood," was the first book in a 4-book series based on Brian Froud's exquisite artwork. The second novel is also highly recommended: "Something Rich and Strange" by Patricia McKillip. The series was cancelled by the original publisher after the first two books, but the third book is now available in both U.S. and U.K. editions: "The Wood Wife" by Terri Windling. The art is tied-up with the original series producer so we were not able to use it, but Brian Froud's fans may be interesterd to know that text is indeed inspired by Brian's art, and he painted a new cover for the UK edition. The fourth Faerieland book is "Hannah's Garden" by Midori Snyder, and it's quite a wonderful story. Look for it to come out sometime in the next 2 years.