Rating: 
Summary: Standard de Lint¿ but still not growing old
Review: After reading several of Charles de Lint's works, I've formed a pretty standard picture of how his books work. He introduces the characters, some of who are distinctly odd or have some kind of magical connection. Then there is a conflict between characters and some magical element culminating in a final showdown or serious conflict that tests the characters and always results in the good guys winning.In this case, de Lint is following his standard formula, using both familiar and new characters. I want to make it clear that this is not intended as a criticism of this book. I really did enjoy it, but it really isn't that different than many of de Lint's other books. De Lint returns to familiar territory by setting this story in the odd and magical city of Newford. Strange things are always happening in Newford and there is always a magical spirit or two around. I felt a little bit lost in the "introduce the characters" section because there were several new characters in this book. Bettina is from the US Southwest and brings a Native American and Hispanic element to the story. She doesn't know why she has been drawn to Newford (although heck if you were interested in the supernatural, Newford would be the place to be). Other characters include Miki and Donal (siblings originally from Ireland who are part of Newford's Celtic scene), Hunter (who runs a record shop), and Ellie (who is a sculptor). All of these characters are brought together by their dislike for The Hard Men or The Gentry, spirits described at points as being from Ireland who are homeless in the new world. There is, as per normal in de Lint, a conflict between the humans and between the supernatural. The conflict takes many individuals working together to resolve. Overall, although this work is pretty much formula de Lint, I did enjoy this book and had a hard time putting it down. I don't feel that it makes a good introduction to de Lint or to Newford. I would strongly recommend that newcomers to his work and to Newford read one of his two anthologies set in Newford first (Dreams Underfoot or The Ivory and the Horn) - they're much better introductions than this book, as this book assumes familiarity or at least a comfort level with the supernatural goings on in Newford. Another good read from a master of urban fantasy.
Rating: 
Summary: Deja vu all over again
Review: Anyone who has read de Lint's previous work will find themselves treading in very familiar territory here. Forests of the Heart is entertaining and engaging, but certainly nothing new. It's almost as thought de Lint put himself on autopilot while writing this book, it's that formulaic. Charles, if you're reading this, please take note that some of your biggest fans are starting to get bored! After reading Forests of the Heart, it is highly likley that instead of running out and buying a hardback copy of the next novel, I will wait until I can find a paperback copy in a used bookstore.
Rating: 
Summary: Intriguing and beautiful, if slightly familiar
Review: As other reviewers have commented, this book is reminiscent of Mr. De Lint's earlier works. The villians, with one or two exceptions, were fairly standard, cookie-cutter, "bad guy" types. The heroes, too, are typical De Lint: one or two recovering types, a few morose guys without a life, a few interesting standouts, and cameo appearances from Angel and Jilly. That being said, this is still a marvelous read: the supernatural characters are creepy and intriguing, Mr. De Lint's language is, as always, superb, and some of the supporting characters, like Bettina's abuela and the Aunts are very, very funny. Mr. De Lint's focus on personal choices and individual actions in the context of larger battles between good and evil is always thought-provoking. Especially gripping is the realization that one can slip from a so-called "normal life" into a vehicle for evil, almost without realizing it. Or consenting to it. I almost gave this book four stars, due to its familiarity, but, frankly, I find Mr. De Lint to be one of the finest writers in his field. If he chooses to write the same sort of story in the next ten books he writes, I will still probably read them. I would like to hear more about how the lives of Angel, Jilly, Geordie, etc. are "going" - maybe we will need to wait for the next collection of short stories for that? A very, very good fantasy novel.
Rating:
Summary: Pierced now has the viel covering reality been!
Review: Best Fantasy read in the last year. I loved this book. Not as long and drawn out as some Charles de Lint stories. Very fast and interesting and well written. Highly recommended to those that find Stephen King and Anne Rice a little on the slow side!
Rating:
Summary: Quite diverting...
Review: But that's about it. In Forests of the Heart, Charles de Lint returns us not only to his city of Newford, but to what seems to be his standard formula for writing a novel: Take a half-dozen interesting characters, explore their lives for a bit, introduce some magical shenanigans, add in a few cameos from Newford regulars (Jilly, Geordie, Angel, etc.) pull the characters and their different lives closer and closer together till everyone's met, pop a few of them into some sort of Otherworld to fix the magical shenanigans, throw in a bit of self-sacrifice and maybe a twist or two, and wind up with a maybe not entirely happy ending, but one that is certainly satisfactory. If you've read, as I have, Yarrow, Memory and Dream, The Little Country, Trader, and/or Someplace to be Flying, then this should all sound very familiar. So why have I given this book four stars? Because I enjoy the formula thoroughly. If you're looking for something new and earth-shattering, don't look here. But if you want a good read to while away a few hours, pick up this-or any one of Mr. de Lint's novels.
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Summary: Perfect Braid.
Review: Celtic, Native American, and Latin myths and spirit entwine seamlessly. What an amazing read... I took it with me on vacation and read it straight through uninterrupted. It was everything I wanted from this book and more. A friend had handed me DREAMS UNDERFOOT to read some time ago and I wanted another book that so captured the bits of dream and magic I sometime see in people. Good stuff here...
Rating:
Summary: Magic a la Charles de Lint
Review: Charles de Lint operates best in that twilight world where our reality and faerie intersect. However those beings from across the border (from the myth time as he calls it in Forests of the Heart) are not the fey creatures of popular fairy tales. They exhibit all too human emotions; greed and lust and petty minded violence. Somehow that makes them all the more believable. In Ireland they are called the Gentry, ancient spirits of the land, and they are amoral and very dangerous. When the Irish emigrated to the new world, some of the Gentry went with them. But America already had spirits of its own, the Manitou, and the Gentry had nowhere to call their own any more. Bettina is a part Indian, part Mexican girl who has moved to Canada. She lives in the artist colony of Kellygnow on the outskirts of Newford. She sees the Gentry as dark men, squatting in the snow, smoking cigarettes and waiting and watching. Something in their attitude reminds her the wolves she knew in her childhood. She calls them los lobos. Those few others in Newford possessed of the ability to see them call them the hard men. They congregate in folk clubs where Celtic music is played. Always they huddle together, drinking canned Guinness and smoking their endless cigarettes. Sometimes they pick fights for no good reason. Hunter, the proprietor of a music store, meets Ellie Jones, a sculptor. The hard men beat him up and warn him off her. Although she doesn't know it yet, Ellie is under their protection for they have a use for her. Ellie is invited to Kellygnow where she is given a commission - she is to cast a metal mask, a replica of an old, broken Celtic mask. The hope is that with the new mask, a powerful Celtic earth spirit can be reincarnated Perhaps then the hard men will finally gain a proper place for themselves. But the plans go awry and Bettina, Ellie, Hunter and their friends are joined together with the manitou in a hard and dangerous fight that plays itself out in the cold, wintery streets of Newford and in the myth time, the spirit lands that surround the town. Normally I have little patience with this kind of thing, particularly when it involves terribly trendy things like Celtic culture and myth. All too often the thing turns into a new age hodgepodge of touchy-feely syrup. However that never happens with de Lint. There's always a hard edge, always a cold reality at the heart of even the deepest myths and he never loses sight of the relationships between myth, superstition, magic and the mundane need to eat breakfast and go to the toilet. Perhaps that's why I keep coming back to his books and why I devour them so avidly. He seldom disappoints and Forests of the Heart is one of his very, very best.
Rating:
Summary: Urban Magic in Two Keys
Review: De Lint is the true master of modern magic tales that seem plausible. It is easy to believe that you "could" see what the characters see, if you just had the gift. In this book he expands on the artist academy he's noted before to show art to magic connections. He also contrasts the old world magic to the new. The story is gripping, transforming, plausible and magical, all at once. Buy it, read it!
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Summary: The fairies versus the manitous in a fantasy Ottawa.
Review: De Lint, who gets better with each new novel, is at his best when combining folkloric traditions as he does here with Mexican brujeria, Native American, and Celtic. The blend is becoming more seamless and the mix makes for fascinating reading. His plots are strong and his characters linger long after the last page is turned. His vision of the larger than life aspects of the mythos he so adroitly imagines is tempered by some very genuine, foible-full humanity. This is a grand tale in the greatest storytelling traditions and while he manipulates the myths and folklore to his purposes, he does with respect and the essence remains true. Captivating reading. If you enjoy the adult fairy tales of Angela Carter, Tanith Lee, Jane Yolen, and the similar series of short tales editing by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling, you'd likely appreciate this, as would readers of Borges, Garcia Marquez, and Jonathan Carroll.
Rating:
Summary: Another winner
Review: DeLint is quickly becoming my favorite author, or at least sharing the title with Neil Gaiman. FotH is the 3rd De Lint book I've read in the inviting city of Newford, and the familiarity with the city is a huge part of my enjoyment reading these. The place is starting to really feel like home, becoming someplace I can see when I read about it. Of course, the inhabitants, human and otherwise, are the main draw though. De Lint has a magic touch for reaching out and putting a very real soul, very real pain and very real love into every character he explores, from the main protagonists to the smallest side character. Forests of the Heart again deals with a beautiful blend of the old world faerie stories and native America mysticism, and the two worlds, even in their clashing that this book centers on, fit together like a perfect puzzle. I try to save 5 star ratings for the absolutely best books, like De Lint's own Memory & Dream, but this is damn close. If you believe there are other things in the world with us, that most people don't see all there is to see and that reality is much deeper than the world at large accepts, read this book. Read as much De Lint as you can get your hands on.
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