Title: MoonheartAuthor: Charles de Lint
Pages: 447
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Tom Doherty, 1984
Series: Moonheart, Book 1
Synopsis: When Sara and Jamie discovered the seemingly ordinary artifacts, they sensed the pull of a dim and distant place. A world of mists and forests, of ancient magics, mythical beings, ageless bards...and restless evil.
Now, with their friends and enemies alike--Blue, the biker; Keiran, the folk musician; the Inspector from the RCMP; and the mysterious Tom Hengyr--Sara and Jamie are drawn into this enchanted land through the portals of Tamson House, that sprawling downtown edifice that straddles two worlds.
Sweeping from ancient Wales to the streets of Ottawa today, Moonheart will entrance you with its tale of this world and the other one at the very edge of sight...and the unforgettable people caught up in the affairs of both. A tale of music, and motorcycles, and fey folk beyond the shadows of the moon. A tale of true magic; the tale of Moonheart.
Review: This is book is fabulous. It's easily in my top five all-time favorite fantasy novels list. Set in Ottawa, Canada and the Otherworld, there are quin'on'a (fairies) and little mysteries and Indians and an ageless, horrible evil. There are ties to Myrrdin (Merlin) through his apprentice, Taliesin the Bard.
This story takes place in the present, with the Tamson House and its secrets and the RCMP and its inspectors. It also takes place in the distant past, where Taliesin meets Sara on a beach. History and the future are changed by their meeting and hope blossoms -- perhaps this time, the evil can be vanquished.
It was a glorious ride and I so want to visit the Otherworld and hear the drummers. I want the Summer Country to be real. And I want to meet Pukwudji, the little mystery with the heart of a lion. All of the characters, even the 'make believe' ones, were drawn with such precision and such emotion that I believed. And that's good because I really, more than anything, want to believe in this tale.
The best news is -- there's a sequel -- and I'll be starting it tomorrow.
Rating: 10 / 10
I loved the folk music that wandered through this one. I think it was this book that got me to check out the group Silly Wizard.
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