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Charles de Lint

(Charles Henri Diederick Hoefsmit de Lint)
Canada (b.1951)

aka Samuel M Key

Charles de Lint is a full-time writer and musician who makes his home in Ottawa, Canada. This author of more than seventy adult, young adult, and children’s books has won the World Fantasy, Aurora, Sunburst, and White Pine awards, among others. Modern Library's Top 100 Books of the 20th Century poll, voted on by readers, put eight of de Lint's books among the top 100. De Lint is also a poet, artist, songwriter, performer and folklorist, and he writes a monthly book-review column for The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy

Series

Moonheart
   Moonheart (1984)
   Ascian in Rose (1987)
   Westlin Wind (1989)
   Ghostwood (1990)
   Spiritwalk (1992)

Cerin Songweaver
   The Harp of the Grey Rose (1985)
   And the Rafters Were Ringing (1986)
   Ghosts of Wind and Shadow (1991)
   The Bone Woman (1992)

Jack of Kinrowan
1. Jack the Giant Killer (1987)
2. Drink Down the Moon (1990)

Newford
   1. Dreams Underfoot (1993)
   2. Memory and Dream (1994)
   3. The Ivory and the Horn (1995)
   4. Trader (1997)
   5. Someplace to Be Flying (1998)
   6. Moonlight and Vines (1999)
   7. Forests of the Heart (2000)
   8. The Onion Girl (2001)
   9. Tapping the Dream Tree (2002)
   10. Spirits in the Wires (2003)
   11. Widdershins (2006)
   12. Promises to Keep (2007)
   13. Muse and Reverie (2009)
   14. The Dreaming Place (1990)
   15. The Blue Girl (2004)
   16. Little (Grrl) Lost (2007)
   17. Dingo (2008)
   18. The Cats of Tanglewood Forest (2013)
   19. Seven Wild Sisters (2002)
   20. Medicine Road (2004)
   21. Juniper Wiles (2021)
   Paperjack (1990)
   The Wishing Well (1993)
   The Hour Before Dawn (2005)
   Newford Stories: Crow Girls (2015)

Wildlings
   1. Under My Skin (2012)
   2. Over My Head (2013)
   3. Out Of This World (2014)

Novels

   The Riddle of the Wren (1984)
   Mulengro (1985)
   Yarrow (1986)
   Greenmantle (1988)
   Wolf Moon (1988)
   Svaha (1989)
   Angel of Darkness (1990) (as by Samuel M Key)
   The Little Country (1991)
   Our Lady of the Harbour (1991)
   Uncle Dobbins Parrot Fair (1991)
   From a Whisper to a Scream (1992) (as by Samuel M Key)
   Into the Green (1993)
   I'll Be Watching You (1994) (as by Samuel M Key)
   The Buffalo Man (1999)
   Road to Lisdoonvarna (2001)
   The Mystery of Grace (2009)
   Eyes Like Leaves (2009)
   The Painted Boy (2010)
   Jodi and the Witch of Bodbury (2014)
   The Wind in His Heart (2017)

Omnibus

Sheriff Poole & The Mech Gang (2013)

Collections

   Hedgework and Guessery (1991)
   Triskell Tales (1993)
   Waifs and Strays (2002)
   A Handful of Coppers (2003)
   Quicksilver and Shadow (2005)
   Triskell Tales 2 (2005)
   What the Mouse Found (2008)
   Woods and Waters Wild (2008)
   The Very Best of Charles de Lint (2010)

Chapbooks

Old Man Crow (2008)
Yellow Dog (2008)

Picture Books

A Circle of Cats (2003)

Novellas

   Timeskip (1989)
   Berlin (1989)
   The Forest Is Crying (1994)
   Where Desert Spirits Crowd the Night (1995)
   The Butter Spirit's Tithe (2012)
   Companions to the Moon (2012)
   Crow Roads (2012)
   Dharma (2012)
   That Was Radio Clash (2012)
   Dog Boys (2012)
   Jack in the Green (2012)
   Riding Shotgun (2015)
   Somewhere in My Mind There Is a Painting Box (2016)
   Horsepower & Medicine (2019)
   Barrio Girls (2019)

Chapter Books

This Moment (2005)

Series contributed to

Philip Jose Farmer's The Dungeon
   3. The Valley of Thunder (1989)
   5. The Hidden City (1990)
   The Dungeon 2 (omnibus) (2003) (with Robin Wayne Bailey and Philip José Farmer)
   The Dungeon Vol. 3 (omnibus) (2017)
   The Dungeon Vol. 5 (omnibus) (2017)

Dragonflight
The Dreaming Place (1990)

Brian Froud's Faerielands (with Brian Froud)
1. The Wild Wood (1994)

Anthologies containing stories by Charles de Lint

Short stories

	A Pattern of Silver Strings (1981)
	Ascian in Rose [short story] (1986)
	Uncle Dobbin's Parrot Fair (1987)
	The Soft Whisper of Midnight Snow (1988)
	That Explains Poland (1988)
	Romano Drom (1989)
	The Sacred Fire (1989)
	Stone Drum (1989)
	Westlin Wind [short story] (1989)
	Freewheeling (1990)
	Ghosts of Wind and Shadow [short story] (1990)
	Merlin Dreams in the Mondream Wood (1990)
	But for the Grace Go I (1991)
	Death Leaves an Echo (1991)		Bram Stoker (nominee)
	Our Lady of the Harbour [short story] (1991)		World Fantasy (nominee)
	Pity the Monsters (1991)		World Fantasy (nominee)
	Tallulah (1991)
	There's No Such Thing (1991)
	We Are Dead Together (1991)
	Winter Was Hard (1991)
	The Bone Woman [short story] (1992)
	Bridges (1992)		World Fantasy (nominee)
	The Conjure Man (1992)		World Fantasy (nominee)
	Mr Truepenny's Book Emporium and Gallery (1992)
	Waifs and Strays [short story] (1992)
	Coyote Stories (1993)
	Dead Man's Shoes (1993)
	Dream Harder, Dream True (1993)
	In the House of My Enemy (1993)
	The Moon Is Drowning While I Sleep (1993)		World Fantasy (nominee)
	Pal o' Mine (1993)
	Small Deaths (1993)
	The Wishing Well [short story] (1993)
	Heartfires (1994)
	In This Soul of a Woman (1994)
	The Pochade Box (1994)
	Saxophone Joe and the Woman in Black (1994)
	A Tempest in Her Eyes (1994)
	The Big Sky (1995)
	Bird Bones and Wood Ash (1995)
	Crow Girls (1995)
	The Forever Trees (1995)
	Passing (1995)
	Seven for a Secret (1995)
	Birds (1996)
	Held Safe by Moonlight and Vines (1996)
	The Invisibles (1996)
	My Life As a Bird (1996)
	Saskia (1996)
	The House on Spadina (1997)
	In the Pines (1997)
	Wild Horses (1997)
	China Doll (1998)		British Fantasy Society (nominee)
	May This Be Your Last Sorrow (1998)
	The Pennymen (1998)
	Twa Corbies (1998)
	Forest of Stone (1999)
	If I Close My Eyes Forever (1999)		British Fantasy Society (nominee)
	In the Land of the Unforgiven (1999)		British Fantasy Society (nominee)
	Pixel Pixies (1999)
	Making a Noise in This World (2000)
	Masking Indian (2000)
	Trading Hearts At the Half Kaffe Cafe (2001)

Awards

	Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature Best Book nominee (1985) : Moonheart
	Bram Stoker Best Novellette nominee (1992) : Death Leaves an Echo
	World Fantasy Best Short Story nominee (1992) : The Conjure Man
	World Fantasy Best Novel nominee (1992) : The Little Country
	World Fantasy Best Novella nominee (1992) : Our Lady of the Harbour [short story]
	World Fantasy Best Short Story nominee (1992) : Pity the Monsters
	World Fantasy Best Short Story nominee (1993) : Bridges
	World Fantasy Best Novella nominee (1993) : Paperjack
	World Fantasy Best Collection nominee (1994) : Dreams Underfoot
	World Fantasy Best Short Story nominee (1994) : The Moon Is Drowning While I Sleep
	World Fantasy Best Collection nominee (1996) : The Ivory and the Horn
	British Fantasy Society Best Novel nominee (1997) : Trader
	British Fantasy Society Best Short Story nominee (1998) : China Doll
	British Fantasy Society Best Novel nominee (1998) : Someplace to Be Flying
	Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature Best Book nominee (1998) : Someplace to Be Flying
	Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature Best Book nominee (1998) : Trader
	World Fantasy Best Novel nominee (1998) : Trader
	British Fantasy Society Best Short Story nominee (1999) : If I Close My Eyes Forever
	British Fantasy Society Best Short Story nominee (1999) : In the Land of the Unforgiven
	World Fantasy Best Novel nominee (1999) : Someplace to Be Flying
	Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature Best Book nominee (2001) : Forests of the Heart
	Nebula Awards Best Novel nominee (2001) : Forests of the Heart
	World Fantasy Best Novel nominee (2002) : The Onion Girl
	World Fantasy Best Collection nominee (2003) : Waifs and Strays

Charles de Lint recommends

The Long Night of the Grave (1986)
(Oxrun Station)
Charles L Grant
"Grant is one of the finest...the prose always sets a dreamy mood, no matter how terrifying the events."

Slob (1987)
(Chaingang, book 1)
Rex Miller
"Real muscle! Scenes so chilling, so repugnant, so seamlessly portrayed in their intensity, they can't help tear a reaction from the reader."

The Last Coin (1988)
(Christian Trilogy, book 1)
James P Blaylock
"Blaylock allows us to see the mundane world through new eyes, to perceive the familiar as strange, and therefore exciting."

The Jigsaw Woman (1996)
Kim Antieau
"A brilliant novel ... One of the best writers we have today."

The Wood Wife (1996)
Terri Windling
"This is a novel of muscle and tenderness, of sharp edges and great delights."

The Wild Road (1997)
(Tag, the Cat, book 1)
Gabriel King
"While The Wild Road owes somewhat to Tolkienesque fantasy -- with its mysterious Gandalf-like figure and its cat protagonists setting out on a quest in a motley entourage that also includes a magpie and a fox -- it's saved from the more cloying aspects of many animal fantasies by the author's delightful prose and warm characterizations. The quest takes place in contemporary England, which, through the eyes of these cats, becomes a marvelous new world of wonders and danger. An engaging addition to the growing subgenre of animal-based fantasies, it's the sort of book that will appeal equally to mainstream and fantasy readers."

Daughter of the Blood (1998)
(Black Jewels, book 1)
Anne Bishop
"Anne Bishop is a terrific writer. I loved this book."

Voodoo Child (1998)
Michael Reaves
"It takes some doing to write a novel of a struggle between two Haitian Voudoun houngan, set it in New Orleans, and still have it come up as feeling fresh, but that's exactly what Reaves has managed to pull off here. It's a novel of horror, to be sure, but it's also a contemporary fantasy filled with compassion and great empathy for its characters."

Hitler's Angel (1998)
Kristine Kathryn Rusch
"I've alway's been fascinated by [Rusch's] ability to tell a story ... Rusch has style."

Kings of the High Frontier (1998)
Victor Koman
"The various spacecraft are lovingly detailed, utilizing both contemporary technology and classic designs, and we watch each of them being built under such a close eye that we feel we have as much stake in them as do the book's characters. There are any number of plot twists and turns -- far too many to properly convey in the space we have here -- but if you ever shared the dream of manned space flight, imagined it could be you heading up there into orbit and beyond, then you'll love this book."

Rumble Tumble (1998)
(Hap Collins and Leonard Pine, book 5)
Joe R Lansdale
"There's a depth and maturity in his character and story lines....One of the best writers there is, period."

The Fox Woman (2000)
(Fox Woman, book 1)
Kij Johnson
"The Fox Woman is a wonderfully evocative and gripping novel, a book that will stay with you and resonate in your heart long after the final page is turned."

My Life in Speculative Fiction (2001)
Richard Bowes
"Bowes stands, as the best authors always do, in a class of his own."

Eccentric Circles (2001)
Rebecca Lickiss
"A charming debut from a writer who already shows great promise."

St. Patrick's Bed (2001)
(Ashland Trilogy, book 3)
Terence M Green
"Terry Green... certainly one of Canada's finest writers, and soon to be considered one of North America's"

Wolf's Head, Wolf's Heart (2002)
(Firekeeper Saga, book 2)
Jane Lindskold
"I adore Jane Lindskold's writing, and Through Wolf's Eyes is her best book yet. Courtly intrigues that would make Dorothy Dunnett proud shouldn't mix so well with the story of a feral child, but they do, they do. Lindskold's novels are a rarity for me--fat, engrossing novels that still don't seem long enough."

The Fall of the Kings (2002)
(Swords of Riverside, book 3)
Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman
"Splendid....one of my favorite books this year!"

Hannah's Garden (2002)
Midori Snyder
"Any new book by Midori Snyder immediately tops my must read list."

The Summer Country (2002)
(Summer Country, book 1)
James A Hetley
"Like an old irish whiskey - dark and smokey, abounding in flavor and detail... all the things a good novel should be."

The Briar King (2002)
(Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone, book 1)
Greg Keyes
"The characters in The Briar King absolutely brim with life. It's been awhile since I've been this taken with a traditional fantasy novel, but Keyes hooked me from the first page."

Murder of Angels (2004)
(Silk , book 2)
Caitlín R Kiernan
"Lyrical and earthy, Murder of Angels is that rare book that gets everything right."

The Beast of Noor (2006)
Janet Lee Carey
"Carey is a generous and lyrical author... magical moments that will have your heart sing in one meoment then shiver in the next. Highly recommended."

How to Make Friends with Demons (2008)
Graham Joyce
"The new novel from Graham Joyce is pure genius."

Wild Hunt (2010)
(Evie Scelan, book 2)
Margaret Ronald
"Ronald has done a terrific job with the Celtic mystical matter."

On the Banks of the River of Heaven (2010)
Richard Parks
"The supernatural should create a sense of wonder. Richard Parks has never disappointed me. Ever."

Of Blood and Honey (2011)
(Fey and the Fallen, book 1)
Stina Leicht
"Stina Leicht is one of my favourites among the new writers we have today. She writes with depth and heart and tells a story with all the resonance of an old whiskey: dark with an edgy flavour."

Nightshades (2016)
(Nightshades , book 1)
Melissa F Olson
"Melissa F. Olson writes with razorblades made of moonlight, cutting through shadows to share with us the beating heart of her characters and story. My only problem with being immersed in Nightshades is that I had to keep coming up for air. If I could breathe words, they'd be hers."

Weave a Circle Round (2017)
Kari Maaren
"I adored this brilliant book from start to finish. It left me reeling with delight and I can't wait for the rest of the world to get as lost in its pages as I was."

Finding Baba Yaga (2018)
Jane Yolen
"This is a Worm Ouroboros of a story, the old made new, the new made old, metaphors rubbing shoulders with painful truths. A book-length poem, Finding Baba Yaga is no gimmick but rather the only way the story could be told to deliver the impact that it does."

The Tangleroot Palace (2021)
Marjorie M Liu
"This is a superb collection from start to finish. Mysterious, beautiful and strange, harsh and charming, it fires the emotional palate."

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