Shannon C.’s review of Widdershins by Charles de Lint
Urban fantasy released by Tor 16 May 06
Charles de Lint is a comfort read for me. I find his stories are fairly similar, with many of the same archetypes and descriptions, but I always feel a sense of homecoming whenever I return to the world he’s created, particularly in his wonderful Newford series. I have loved Jilly Coppercorn, the cheerful, optimistic artist who is one of the more infamous Newford residents, and Geordie Riddell, a fiddler who has been her best friend for years. I’ve been invested in their relationship, and I keep hoping they’d eventually realize they were meant to be. So when I learned that Widdershins was going to eventually bring Geordie and Jilly together, I had to wait impatiently to get my hands on a copy as soon as I possibly could.
I’m not actually sure if people new to the Newford books would get as much out of this story. Certainly, it’s not one I’d recommend starting with, (For that I’d recommend the short story collection Dreams Underfoot, or even the novel Someplace to be Flying.). It certainly needs to be read after reading The Onion Girl, which introduces us to the horrors of Jilly’s past. But I have been a long time Newford reader, so for me, the book was like meeting back up with old friends.
The plot does follow what seems to be De Lint’s formula lately. This time, musician Lizzie runs into a group of boggans who have just killed a deer, which happened to be the daughter of one of the local clan of native deer spirits. This sets in motion a whole chain of events that eventually brings Lizzie and Jilly together and then traps them in the Otherworld, which is the spirit world that exists alongside of this one. Not only are they trapped in the Otherworld, but they are trapped with something ominous from Jilly’s past. Geordie, in an attempt to rescue Jilly, winds up in that world, too, and he and Jilly must finally face up to their feelings for each other.
De Lint does a lot of things well here. The Otherworld is a scary place, and there is a surprisingly dark undertone to the scenes found there. Which isn’t to say that De Lint doesn’t imbue Newford and the Otherworld with a certain magical quality that make it seem like you really could step into Dreamland if you wanted to, because he absolutely does, and it’s that sense of wonder that keeps me coming back. It’s that sense of wonder that I feel most other urban fantasy authors try to get at, but largely fail.
I liked the contrasting plots of Jilly’s very personal struggle with the demon she’s created for herself, and the very large-scale conflict between the native animal spirits and the fairy folk we’re used to. The plots are interwoven well, and both were resolved in what I thought was aa very satisfactory manner. I also liked the glimpses of popular Newford characters, including the Crow Girls, Mother Crone, and even Geordie’s brother, Christie.
On the other hand, sometimes it’s clear De Lint loves his characters beyond all reason. I have always disliked Joe Crazy Dog, mostly because he’s way more powerful than most of the rest of the people we meet, and De Lint tends to use a lot of superlatives when describing him. Still, he doesn’t actually get to *show* us what a bad ass he is. And sometimes the dropping in on old characters felt a bit unnecessary and drew the story out longer than it needed to. And since I am a lone voice crying in the wilderness about how much I dislike POV switches that go from first to third person, I won’t even mention how jarring that is for me.
All that being said, this is a good entry in the Newford series. I’m glad to see the question of Jilly/Geordie resolved in a satisfactory manner. I also loved watching Jilly vanquish her inner demons and truly begin to heal. I hope this means that De Lint will explore new characters and new aspects of this setting.
Grade: B
Summary:
Jilly Coppercorn and Geordie Riddell. Since they were introduced in the first Newford story, Timeskip, back in 1989, their friends and readers alike have been waiting for them to realize what everybody else already knows: that they belong together. But they’ve been more clueless about how they feel for each other than the characters in When Harry Met Sally. Now in Widdershins, a stand-alone novel of fairy courts set in shopping malls and the Bohemian street scene of Newford’s Crowsea area, Jilly and Geordie’s story is finally being told.Before it’s over, we’ll find ourselves plunged into the rancorous and sometimes violent conflict between the magical North American “animal people” and the more newly-arrived fairy folk. We’ll watch as Jilly is held captive in a sinister world based on her own worst memories—and Geordie, attempting to help, is sent someplace even worse. And we’ll be captivated by the power of love and determination to redeem ancient hatreds and heal old magics gone sour.
To walk “widdershins” is to walk counterclockwise or backwards around something. It’s a classic pathway into the fairy realm. It’s also the way people often back slowly into the relationships that matter, the real ones that make for a life. In Widdershins Charles de Lint has delivered one of his most accessible and moving works of his career.
Source: Tor BooksRead an excerpt.
