Charles De Lint's Books

[Kristen]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to put this, so if not, I apologize.

I was wondering if anyone knows the actual reading order to Charles De Lint's Newford books? *Is* there even a preferred reading order? I went to his website but couldn't really make heads or tales tails of it. Thanks! =)

[Stephanie]

I don't know if there is a preferred reading order, but I can tell you how I started reading them. I started with the short story collection Dreams Underfoot. The first short story ("Uncle Dobbin's Parrot Fair"?) is sort of an intro to the magic and mystery of Newford, and the rest of the short stories flow together beautifully. From there I went on to Memory and Dream. What I just now discovered is that I was reading his works almost as they were published, so what I did was read them almost in publication order, which you can find on wiki.

I didn't read the Samuel M. Key books until later (I believe they have more of a horror tinge than the others). And I honestly can't remember The Dreaming Place well enough to tell you if it's a better place to start than Dreams Underfoot...but my thought is no, because I remember DU so vividly.

Hope this helps a little!

[Kristen]

Awesome! Thanks to both of you! I have read several of his books, but they are all over the place and not all from the Newford series. I adored The Onion Girl. And The Blue Girl. :)

I think I will be picking up some of these with my Yule gift money! :) Happy New Year!

[Lioness]

Don't forget his earlier books set in Ottawa. I think he decided to set the rest in Newford so that he could play with the location more than he could with a real city. But books like Jack the Giant Killer fit very well into the Newford oevre

[Stephanie]

Yes, the Ottawa books are also very enjoyable. I liked Jack the Giant Killer but preferred the Tamson House books myself. :) I really need to reread those this year!

[The Flooze]

He says in the paragraph above that reading order list that Dreams Underfoot is where to start.

I couldn't find it, so I went to The Dreaming Place and loved it. YA, but nicely dark and complex. I have to start reading all of them!