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Sep 29, 2010

In the author's note at the beginning of this volume of short stories, Charles de Lint says that he's taking a break from Newford for a while but that he still has enough short stories lying around to publish one more collection. I read that and my heart stopped for a second. I love Newford and all the characters in it! They have become my fictional friends over the years! The logical part of my brain can understand though. He's written 20+ novels and short story collections set in Newford, More...

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Sep 29, 2010

Libby rated it:

Another lovely collection from Charles de Lint. A number of the stories are in Newford and/or involve characters from Newford but you can still enjoy this if you haven't read any of his other work.

One of the things I really admire about De Lint as an author, is his ability to create wonderful and believable characters. A number of the stories collected in this book are told in first person and each character has a distinct voice. I imagine it's difficult to write from so many diffe More...

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Jan 20, 2011

Amanda rated it:

Muse And Reverie is a collection of thirteen short stories set in Charles de Lint’s Newford universe. As with most collections, some of these tales are of better quality than others but, it being Charles de Lint, there are more hits than misses.

The collection opens with ‘Somewhere In My Head There Is A Painting Box’, which sets the tone nicely, dealing with a situation where the worlds of human and faery collide. There is nothing new here but the descriptions of the woodland are gracef More...

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Sep 29, 2010

Alisa rated it:

It's a strange thing: I've never been able to truly love one of Charles de Lint's novels, but I adore his short stories. Reading them makes me feel as though I've fallen asleep and am dreaming some very strange dreams...the sort where everything is unknown and yet everything feels familiar. Characters wind in and out, and I learn to love his world in little snatches. Highly recommended, although if you're new to Newford I'd start with one of the earlier story collections.

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Sep 29, 2010

MB rated it:

I found myself wishing that I'd re-read the previous de Lint story collections before I started this one. (Unfortunately, I can't remember which titles I HAVE read already.) Many of the characters in this one were vaguely familiar to me, but it has been such a while between my readings that I've forgotten their backstories.

It would have been a much richer experience if I had. My fault...Aaargh!

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Sep 29, 2010

Alison rated it:

I love Charles de Lint's novels, but I find that his short stories are hit or miss. They are sometimes trite and cliched, and sometimes utterly magical, and sometimes one story is both. This collection of stories set in the fictional city of Newford is no different. There are a few gems, though, and I would certainly recommend the book to anyone who is a de Lint fan.

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Dec 06, 2010

Jacki rated it:

I should be reviewing this as I go, or I will probably forget details of stories as I read others, especially since Newford books tend toward character overlap.

1. "Somewhere in My Mind, There is a Painting Box": Meh. This story is a typical "guy gets back from Fairyland and doesn't feel comfortable in this world anymore" tale. The writing is the woodsy, lyrical folk song de Lint's fans have come to expect, but the story is flat. Two stars.

2. "Refinery More...

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Sep 29, 2010

Val rated it:

loved almost all of the short stories. I have never read anything by him before and I must say I am looking for more. I found my self not wanting the stories to end and eager to read the next.

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Mar 14, 2011

Andrea rated it:

Like Dreams Underfoot and The Onion Girl, this collection of short stories is set in De Lint's fictional city of Newford, a sprawling metropolis noted for its unusually high level of unusual activity, from goblins living in the buried old town to mischievous crow girls to rather nasty wizards to keys that can suddenly throw you back into the past.

Also like De Lint's previous stories and novels, the urban fantasy stories stem from the people within them, people lonely and lost and lovin More...

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Sep 29, 2010

Ray rated it:

A new collection, but somehow the first story was familiar. Was still very good, but it did seem like minor de Lint, like his heart is really in the novels.

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Feb 11, 2012

Jen rated it:

It is hard to believe that I have been reading Charles de Lint for 20 years, but this is indeed the case. Picking up Muse and Reverie was like catching up with old friends, or going home for a long overdue visit. The characters have continued to grow and change in my absence, and I was excited to see how. I'm not sure I can objectively review this book because of my long association with these characters and this setting. I enjoy the touches of magic and the realism of the life paths portrayed i More...

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Sep 29, 2010

Penelope rated it:

Perhaps not as good as some of his other Newford Tales but even average De Lint is miles above the rest.

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Sep 29, 2010

Chelsea rated it:

This wasn't my favorite of the Newford books, but four separate stories brought me to tears nonetheless.

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Dec 14, 2011

Carol rated it:

Three, three and a half stars. A later collection, mostly about Newford, although de Lint is stretching a bit and very few stories are about the standard Newford characters. Because of that, people who haven't read any de Lint won't find it any trouble to follow. Much of it is poetic in typical de Lint style, but some of the stories experiment with other techniques, almost as if de Lint set out to play with all the standard urban fantasy settings.

"Somewhere in My Mind There Is a More...

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Sep 29, 2010

Kerry rated it:

At this point, it should almost go without saying that I love Charles De Lint’s Newford series, and I always enjoy a new Newford book, whether it is a full length novel or a collection of short stories. I have read so much Charles De Lint in the past two years and have said so many great things about his work that I am running out of things to say. And so, it is difficult to know exactly what to write about Muse and Reverie, the latest collection of Newford stories.

It was a typicall More...

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Sep 29, 2010

Julia rated it:

A thoroughly delightful return to the people and others from Newford, de Lint’s created world. “Refinerytown” is about a graphic novel Mona is writing with Nina Kiriki Hoffman (yes, the real NKH) based on the Bordertown shared universe stories. She’s still with her boyfriend the shapechanger (not werewolf) Lyle from “Trading Hearts at the Half Kaffee Café,” in Tapping the Dream Tree, among others. “That was Radio Clash” is about second (and third) chances and what you have to do with them once y More...

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Sep 29, 2010

Sarah rated it:

I started reading Charles de Lint because he writes "Books to Look For" the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Since he lives in Canada and therefore qualifies for the Canada Reads challenge and the 42 Challenge I've been reading through my library's collection of his books. I knew Muse and Reverie was his new book having seen it reviewed on the book blogs I read.

Muse and Reverie is a collection of his urban fantasy short stories. Some are reprints and some are new. I More...

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Sep 29, 2010

Laurie rated it:

This is a collection of short stories that de Lint wrote from 2001 to 2005. All have been published before, but most people won’t have read them all unless you follow his work obsessively. I’d only read two out of the thirteen stories.

As usual, all are delightful. This collection is all Newford stories, which are always my favorites. There are some light, fluffy tales, like “A Crow Girls Christmas”. But there are also some darker tales, like “Riding Shotgun” and “Dark Eyes, Faith and More...

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Sep 29, 2010

Marsha rated it:

I think part of the appeal of de Lint is the attachment to the characters, and unfortunately, short stories normally are more about the tale than reflect the qualities of the characters in them.

However, this is an interesting collection of Newford stories, and I've been a long time fan of Newford...it was the first urban-fantasy that I ever had the pleasure of reading. It's nice to see the Crow Girls again, in "The Crow Girls' Christmas." Nice to encounter longer, more comp More...

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Feb 10, 2012

Mary Kathryn marked it as to-read

Disclaimer: I love good books and I love good looking books. :)

Covergasm
No real gasm over this one. It's not ugly and it's not spectacular. I actually bought this one because I have read the author before and liked him.

Real Review
Years into the future this will come, when I finally remember to review it!

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Apr 02, 2011

Callista rated it:

A gift from a friend. Which would explain why I attempted to read this when I have never read anything else by Charles de Lint. I won't give up on him yet; but after over 100 pages, I remained unimpressed by this collection and decided to throw in the towel. Maybe the stories appeal only to people who've read other de Lint works. I didn't much like the characters or the situations, which seemed too blah, too silly, or too grim. The short story is not my favourite format to begin with. I ended up More...

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May 12, 2011

Sigrid rated it:

A solid collection of urban fantasy short stories from one of the guys who started the whole thing. If you like urban fantasy, I highly recommend it. If not, or you're looking for a place to start with the genre, this is perhaps not the best introduction.

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Jul 27, 2011

Mary rated it:

I had a hard time rating this one- the stories were thoughtful and engaging, but the characters were SO ROUGH. Call me naive, but I don't think to think of a rough life as a normal life, and don't like reading about it like it is.

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Jan 15, 2011

Sarah rated it:

When it comes to short story compilations there is a mix of ok, bad, and great stories, but in this case I found myself enjoying every one. I'm going to have to check out the author's longer-form work. Oh, and also there was a bonus Hellboy story, which was awesome.

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Jan 08, 2011

Rich rated it:

deLint has gone back to the Newford well a few too many times - the stories and themes are really starting to get repetitive. There are a few that stand out, but not as many as in past collections.

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Feb 25, 2011

Nora rated it:

I always love Mr. de Lint's short story collections. His work is so infused with myth and music. You will be inspired!

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Jun 17, 2011

Stanislav rated it:

While some stories deserve 5 stars, others were mundane and quite boring. Overall a good read though.

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May 11, 2011

Elaine rated it:

Not my favorite of his, good enough. I like the urban fantasy, a nice break from the other sorts.

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May 10, 2011

JoyfulK rated it:

DeLint is riveting, as always. I was grateful that these are short stories so I could stand to take breaks.

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Sep 21, 2011

Denise rated it:

I love getting lost in the modern magic of de Lint's Newford story collections.

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