Rating: 
Summary: Not bad, but not de Lint's best
Review: This book wasn't that bad. However, I found it lacked some of the excitement of de Lint's other books. The ending sort of fell flat for me. Although I liked the premise (a spirit that takes over a website and begins to literally suck people in), I thought that it could have been done a little better. De Lint has left the ending open for a sequel (I don't know if that's what he has planned), but I think the loose ends could have been tied up a little better, and with more excitement (I'm used to more explosive crescendos from de Lint).I'd recommend de Lint's "Trader", "Yarrow", or "Jack of Kinrowan" over this book. None of the three feature the Internet as a main player, but they are better examples of the urban fantasy for which de Lint is famous.
Rating: 
Summary: A good choice for de Lint fans
Review: This is a solid novel, set in Newford but mostly featuring characters not much developed thus far. It displays de Lint's excellent tight pacing and explores some interesting ideas about magic and the electric/digital world he's alluded to in short stories but never really gone for. Unfortunately, after a wonderful build up, it resolves...just a little too easily. Stephen King occasionaly displays the same weakness. It's as if the author tires of the game and sweeps the board clean just when things are as engrossing and fantastic as they can get. The story does advance the development of some great characters, including the two living Riddel brothers and the delightful Holly Rue - who gets a love interest! If you're a fan of this author and of urban fantasy, pick this one up - in hardback, even. Not his best - I can only give it four stars, he's so much better than this - but still very, very good.
Rating:
Summary: A good choice for de Lint fans
Review: This is a solid novel, set in Newford but mostly featuring characters not much developed thus far. It displays de Lint's excellent tight pacing and explores some interesting ideas about magic and the electric/digital world he's alluded to in short stories but never really gone for. Unfortunately, after a wonderful build up, it resolves...just a little too easily. Stephen King occasionaly displays the same weakness. It's as if the author tires of the game and sweeps the board clean just when things are as engrossing and fantastic as they can get. The story does advance the development of some great characters, including the two living Riddel brothers and the delightful Holly Rue - who gets a love interest! If you're a fan of this author and of urban fantasy, pick this one up - in hardback, even. Not his best - I can only give it four stars, he's so much better than this - but still very, very good.
Rating: 
Summary: Charming urban fantasy
Review: When a book reviewer blackmails a hacker into sending a computer virus into the wordwood website, things get ugly. Because wordwood left the simple world of computing long before and migrated into the spirit workd. A virus there is a lot more serious, and hundreds of people getting sucked into their computers is just the start of the problems. When his girlfriend is one of those sucked in, Christy Riddell resolves to go after her--even if it means entering into the spirit world. Of course he's never actually been in the spirit world and isn't even sure he believes in it, but he's willing to do whatever it takes to save her. Gathering a group of friends and questionable allies, he sets off. But things have gone downhill in wordwood and its problems are starting to spread even more widely. If he and his band don't succeed, the problems may become a lot more serious than just a few missing persons. Author Charles de Lint brings new life to the concept of merging the computer and fantasy world. The fairy people aren't all involved with computers, but many shadows are given strength by people's belief in them and lots of people believe what computers tell them. de Lint's writing is lyrical, engaging the reader and giving the story a tang of its own. The power of this novel comes not from the conclusions, although there are some charming twists there as well, but from the progression through adventure, from de Lint's descriptions and concepts, and from the way he paints his story rather than simply telling it. SPIRITS IN THE WIRES takes a fairly standard concept and really breaths light into it. de Lint fans will be happy to see many familiar characters return, as well as enjoy meeting some of the new characters and concepts that de Lint brings to the light. It's a charming story. Well done.
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