The Ivory and the Horn: A Newford Collection

by Charles De Lint

Hardcover, 1995

Status

Available

Call number

813

Publication

Tor Books (1995), Edition: 1st, 318 pages

Description

In the city of Newford, when the stars and the vibes are right, you can touch magic. Mermaids sing in the murky harbor, desert spirits crowd the night, and dreams are more real than waking. Charles de Lint began his chronicles of the extraordinary city of Newford in Memory & Dream and the short-story collection Dreams Underfoot. In The Ivory and the Horn, this uncommonly gifted craftsman weaves a new tapestry of stark realism and fond hope, mean streets and boulevards of dreams, where you will rediscover the power of love and longing, of wishes and desires, and of the magic that hovers at the edge of everyday life.

User reviews

LibraryThing member AltheaAnn

A collection of short stories, all set in DeLint's imaginary city of Newford. DeLint is a good writer. I can't deny that a couple of these stories even made me cry. But, overall, their quality is really diminished by being too social-agenda-oriented. Too many of them seem to be written For

Disadvantaged Youth; To Have a Positive Influence. It's been a recurring criticism I've had of DeLint's writing - he's good enough to just let his characters Be People, rather than Girl-With-An-Eating-Disorder, Abused-Homeless-Boy, or etc. But he doesn't. I generally agree with DeLint's messages of tolerance, diversity, multi-culturalism, ecology, and especially the importance of artistic ..and the one story about the girl who gets her life together, goes back to school, gets a job - and finds herself with not enough time for things that really matter to her, definitely spoke to me) - but too often pop psychology takes over and the writing begins to feel preachy. And it's no fun to be preached at, even when you agree with the message of the sermon.

Contents:
"Waifs and Strays"
"Mr. Truepenny's Book Emporium and Gallery"
"The Forest Is Crying"
"The Wishing Well"
"Dead Man's Shoes"
"Bird Bones and Wood Ash"
"A Tempest in Her Eyes"
"Saxophone Joe and the Woman in Black"
"The Bone Woman"
"Pal o' Mine"
"Where Desert Spirits Crowd the Night"
"Dream Harder, Dream True"
"The Pochade Box"
"The Forever Trees"

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LibraryThing member isabelx

was quickly drawn into this book when I found that the first two stories followed on from stories in "Dreams Underfoot", which I read a while ago. There's always something magical just around the corner in Newford, and characters you've met before keep reappearing. I think that if you read too many

of Charles de Lint's stories too close together you could find them slightly cloying, and the amount of repetition can be a little annoying, but if you spread them out they are wonderful reads for anyone who wishes that they had a little more magic in their life.

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LibraryThing member arelenriel

Another of De Lints excellent Newford books. The characters are charming and well written. I always enjoy reading about Jilly Coppercorn and her friends.

LibraryThing member Crowyhead

Another great collection of Newford stories.

LibraryThing member weeksj10

Another awesome Newford collection that takes a look in the shadows to reveal the magic that hides around us. These stories give us more insight into the lives of the bohemian artist/musician/writer inhabitants of Newford.

LibraryThing member RBeffa

This is a collection of 15 stories first published between 1992 and 1995 and collected here in 1995. They are mostly short stories though a few edge close to novella length. I'm not sure how I'd class these stories; they are sort of seedy urban fantasy. I read one or two at a time and for me that

was the best way to appreciate them. There are some really good stories in here, but most I'd call so-so; good but not great.

I've enjoyed de Lint's work in short story form in the past although not everything and I think I grew a little tired of him. I am just not a big fan of faerie stuff by anyone, but de Lint approaches it unconventionally. I'm planning to read some more of him in the future. The urban fantasy genre isn't one of my favorites, and De Lint is practically credited with inventing it. This collection is certainly a good example of it being done well.

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LibraryThing member leslie.98

This collection of short stories came together to mean more to me than the individual stories did, adding to my picture of Newford. I was pleased to greet some old friends, Jilly in particular

LibraryThing member ritaer

Even the stories with a happy ending seem sad somehow

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