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14th out of 55 books
—
17 voters
The Wild Wood
A young artist returns to her cabin in the deep woods of Canada to concentrate on her illustrations. But somehow, strange and beautiful creatures are slipping into her drawings and sketches. The world of Faerie is reaching out to her for help--and she may be its last chance for survival.
Paperback, 205 pages
Published
June 1st 2004
by Orb Books
(first published 1994)
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3.5 stars
This is the third book that I've read in the Brian Froud's Faerielands series and is unfortunately my least favorite of the bunch so far. Brian Froud invited four of the top fantasy authors to pick their favorite piece of his work and write a story based upon it. The four authors and their respective books are:
Something Rich and Strange by Patricia A. McKillip
The Wild Wood by Charles de Lint
The Wood Wife by Terri Windling
Hannah's Garden by Midori Snyder
The Wild Wood tells the story of...more
This is the third book that I've read in the Brian Froud's Faerielands series and is unfortunately my least favorite of the bunch so far. Brian Froud invited four of the top fantasy authors to pick their favorite piece of his work and write a story based upon it. The four authors and their respective books are:
Something Rich and Strange by Patricia A. McKillip
The Wild Wood by Charles de Lint
The Wood Wife by Terri Windling
Hannah's Garden by Midori Snyder
The Wild Wood tells the story of...more
This book, along with a dozen or more others, came to me in the mail from a friend one day. They were all random books said friend was trying to get rid of, so I had no idea what they would be like. Some were so-so, one (at least so far) was awful, but this one really took me by surprise. As soon as I started to read it, it was hard to put down. The language is simple but engrossing, and even though the story unfolds slowly, it never felt like it was plodding along. It set its pace early and stu...more
Aug 25, 2009
Rose
added it
I didn't finish because I sympathized too closely with the protagonists fear of hallucinations in the first few chapters, as a person with a neurological condition that sometimes causes trees to come alive and layers to reveal other layers and suchlike. I wondered if de Lint is epileptic, because his first chapter is just like a temporal lobe seizure. Terrifying. Beautiful prose, though, probably the most beautiful I've read in the fantasy genre.
1 like · like · see review
I really loved this book. The idea is that Brian Froud did a series of ilustrations, which the artists in the series let inspire their tales. And boy this these. The faeries/fey of the drawings are in the world of this story. You never know what is real or notnor does Eithnie the artist main character. It is wholey satisfying and a magical story
Sep 15, 2008
CJ - Secret Charm
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Sheri S. Tepper & Robin McKinley fans.
Shelves:
fantasy,
just-plain-good
Like reading poetry. This is my first Charles de Lint book though I have a bunch of them. It reminded me of Sheri S Tepper's eco-sensibilities with a dash of Robin Mckinley's prose. I loved it.
Meh. I adore de Lint's Newford series, but I find his other books hit or miss. The Wild Wood was a regrettable miss. I was bored by it and now barely remember the story.
It's notable only for the Brian Froud association and illustrations and while I agree his work is very interesting, it doesn't appeal to me.
Review specific to illustrated 1994 edition, 0553096303.
Brian Froud's Faerielands, A Collaborative Series:
Something Rich and Strange by Patricia McKillip
The Wild Wood by Charles de Lint
The Wo...more
It's notable only for the Brian Froud association and illustrations and while I agree his work is very interesting, it doesn't appeal to me.
Review specific to illustrated 1994 edition, 0553096303.
Brian Froud's Faerielands, A Collaborative Series:
Something Rich and Strange by Patricia McKillip
The Wild Wood by Charles de Lint
The Wo...more
Eithnie lives in the Canadian woods near Ottawa. She is a painter who is struggling to find the lost passion in her art. She returns to the woods for inspiration and discovers Faerie instead. Strange creatures began to creep into her sketches and then into her dreams and then into her life. The world of Faerie is crying out to her for help, but what can she do? What is it they want her to remember? Can she save their world and what will happen to her world if she does? One of De Lint's early mas...more
When I picked this up at the library today, I thought there was a mistake. Written in large letters across the top of the book: "Brian Froud's Faerielands". Huh. Brian Froud? The guy that did Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal? I love those movies, but... I wanted a book by Charles de Lint.
It is, in fact, a book by de Lint-- the title of the book and the author's name are surprisingly small, and I didn't notice them at first glance.
Froud painted some pictures and had a couple authors pick out their...more
It is, in fact, a book by de Lint-- the title of the book and the author's name are surprisingly small, and I didn't notice them at first glance.
Froud painted some pictures and had a couple authors pick out their...more
To me, Charles de Lint is primarily the book reviewer for The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Although he started writing fantasy at the time I was completely addicted to the genre, I somehow missed his books. It's only through the magazine that I have discovered de Lint's fantasy.
I picked at semi-random The Wild Wood because I loved the cover art by Stephen T. Johnson and the book design by Heather Saunders that mimics his painting of the stick people before the forest. I read the firs...more
I picked at semi-random The Wild Wood because I loved the cover art by Stephen T. Johnson and the book design by Heather Saunders that mimics his painting of the stick people before the forest. I read the firs...more
The Wild Wood was a long anticipated experience for me. I had seen a review of it long before I had ever picked up a Charles de Lint book and put it on my “to-read” list immediately. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to track down a copy of the actual book for a long time after that and some time later, in a moment of unrelated coincidence; I discovered Dreams Underfoot and became a huge fan of De Lint’s work, specifically his Newford series.
When I eventually got my hands on The Wild Woods, I didn’t...more
When I eventually got my hands on The Wild Woods, I didn’t...more
I should explain that I came to Charles de Lint's writing because a fellow writer whom I admire for common interests of exploring the intersections of folklore, mythology, and "reality," speaks highly of his work, for the possibilities he attempts to mine. I am totally with this. This is the first de Lint novel I've read, and I understand this is early work, so I will be forgiving and not write off the possibility of reading more of him.
The reason I did not enjoy this book is because its plot w...more
The reason I did not enjoy this book is because its plot w...more
When Canadian painter Eithnie starts experiencing strange day dreams, she thinks her mind is failing. Soon she begins seeing fey beings in her landscapes, which she has no conscious memory of painting. Worried for her sanity, Eithnie seeks advice, only to discover something even more bizarre than madness. Representatives of Faerie are reaching out to her, in need of her help. As she unwinds the riddles surrounding her fey beseechers, she is led to face the demons of her past, and discover hersel...more
I loved this story! I wasn't sure what to expect in this work but I was pleasantly surprised. The story is full of beautiful metaphors with great parallels that are soothing and at times romantic. I felt it dealt with the ecological problems mother earth is facing in a positive manner. It felt as a warning but not alarming. It truly takes an artists to convey such things in such a soothing manner. The best part is the reader is left wondering what was real and what was fantasy. All aspects of th...more
Very true to form for DeLint, with a story much more driven by ideas than by plot points. And, as always, heartbreakingly beautiful prose! Oddly, however, the design of the book itself distracted me from my reading on almost every page. The outer margins are huge, the inner one much to small, and the indents on the paragraphs much too large. Unfortunate, indeed, because the illustrations and the story deserve much better treatment.
Typical de Lint, although the focus primarily on just one character is less typical. Not the best of his work -- some of the transitions from faerie to reality and back were awkward, and I think the resolution wasn't handled well at all...didn't seem authentic to the character, and as a way to "help" in terms of environmental assistance, it really seems like a cop-out.
While this is not de Lint's first work, unfortunately (to me) it does show some amateurish writing. The pace is a little slow as in most of his work but already you get that dream-like quality that I found to be a hallmark of de Lint's work. The plot is well defined although it becomes a little too blunt at times but it is easily overlooked within the context of modern characters facing the fantastic.
I think this is a good read for the lovers of the Fey - especially a teenage audience
Brief (the...more
I think this is a good read for the lovers of the Fey - especially a teenage audience
Brief (the...more
This book is weird. Really weird. However, I think that it is definitely worth reading if you are into fantasy and strange symbolism. There certainly is a lot of that going on. Plus, it takes place just outside of Ottawa which is kind of cool.
This is one of de Lint's less attractive works, in my opinion but that is only to say it is really good instead of excellent. It didn't engage me at first the way some of his others books have done, but it was worth the effort to read it.
An early deLint novel. The main character is intriguing, an artist who has lost her edge. The depiction of the back woods in Ontario are vivid. Not a fan, though, of the climax and resolution. Seemed rushed and rather cliche.
I didn't care for the ecological message, but it is a short sweet book, great concept. I like to read about anything faerie, so I enjoyed that part of it.
A brief but beautifully written novel that reminds me yet again just why Charles De Lint is my very favourite author.
Lovely story for a rainy day. It makes you think that the world we live in is so much more alive than we realized.
The first book I ever read by Charles de Lint--I so wish they would have finished this Faerielands series!
Awesome fantasy. Young, lonesome girl finds solace and love in the northern wilds.
This was a short, easy-to-read story full of beautiful imagery and imagination.
I really enjoyed this book almost as much for the concept behind it as for the story itself. In the forward by Brian Froud, he explains that he gave three authors some of his illustrations and then let them craft stories around it. I thought that was a pretty cool idea, and Charles de Lint didn't disappoint. It's not an action packed story, but it's not really supposed to be. It's more of an inner journey of the main character, which I like. And Froud's drawings are scattered throughout, which a...more
I liked this book because it's Charles de Lint and his faerie stories always appeal to me, but I don't think it's one of his best. It's clearly from early in his career, when he was still figuring out dialogue and plot flow.
A lot of it dragged, particularly the too-sweet and naive conversations between characters. The plot also needed to be tighter.
But of course, there is an under-abundance of faerie stories such as these, and it's worth the read, if even just to see small areas of Canada actu...more
A lot of it dragged, particularly the too-sweet and naive conversations between characters. The plot also needed to be tighter.
But of course, there is an under-abundance of faerie stories such as these, and it's worth the read, if even just to see small areas of Canada actu...more
Great story and beautifully told.
Aug 06, 2011
Anne
added it
Short fiction pub by de Lint
As always, I enjoyed deLint's dream-like descriptions of the world of fairie and of the creative process. I knew this was an earlier work of his, and so I wasn't surprised that the character-development and story-development was less mature that other of his works that I've read. As a writer, it was fascinating to me that I could see the points I was disappointed by because I knew they were things he would have developed more fully if he had included them in later works.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Endicott Mythic F...: The Wild Wood - Discussion | 17 | 42 | May 25, 2009 09:47am |
Charles de Lint (born December 22, 1951) is a World Fantasy Award winning author. In 1974 he met MaryAnn Harris, and married her in 1980.
Along with writers like Terri Windling and John Crowley, de Lint popularized in the 1980s the genre of urban fantasy, most notably through the Bordeland series of books. His fantasy fiction is described under the fantasy sub-genres Urban Fantasy, contemporary M...more
More about Charles de Lint...
Along with writers like Terri Windling and John Crowley, de Lint popularized in the 1980s the genre of urban fantasy, most notably through the Bordeland series of books. His fantasy fiction is described under the fantasy sub-genres Urban Fantasy, contemporary M...more
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