|
Over My Head: Wildlings Book 2
Life is complicated in the once-quiet beach town of Santa Feliz. Over the past six months many teens have inexplicably
become animal shape-shifters known as Wildlings. The town is rife with fear, and Wildlings have quickly learned to keep
their animal identities hidden or face persecution.
Now that Josh Saunders has a mountain lion living under his skin, his life seems to careen from one crisis to another. His
best friends have just helped him narrowly escape cruel medical experimentation, and now that he's back home Josh wants
at least a few more days of living like a normal teenager. But the FBI is tailing him, a vengeful school bully is out to
hurt and expose him, and a formidable Wildling Elder has secretly arranged to have him killed by the hand of one of his
own Wildling friends.
In Charles de Lint's dramatic follow-up novel to Under My Skin, Josh must confront all the inherent dangers of
his new life, including violent street gangs and the threat of treachery on the part of some his very best friends. His
longtime confidante, Marina, is once again keeping secrets from him, and as Josh discovers how to harness and wield his
newfound powers, he faces crucial decisions about the bonds of leadership, love and loyalty.
Source: Triskell Press
|
Yellow Dog (2008) Chapbook
|
Yellow Dog
Yellow Dog is a short story set near Charles de Lint’s fictional desert town of Santo del
Vado Viejo, where his novels The Mystery of Grace and The Painted Boy
take place, and where some of his recent short fiction has been set.
Ernie Grant is a decent guy, a bit of a desert rat who works at a scrap yard where he has to put
up with racist comments from his crass, bullish boss. The boss works by night as a self-proclaimed
Minuteman protecting the U.S. borders from the influx of illegal Mexicans. Ernie and his friend
Salvador also search the desert at night, but they carry food, water and blankets to help the
same travellers in the unforgiving desert.
One day a mysterious stranger shows up at the scrap yard, unable to speak, but willing to help in more ways than one.
Yellow Dog first appeared in 2007 as one of Charles de Lint’s personal chapbooks that he gave
to family and friends. It was reprinted the following year as a limited edition chapbook from
Subterranean Press. This is its first worldwide release in an inexpensive format.
|
|
|
|
Sheriff Poole & The Mech Gang
Sheriff Poole & The Mech Gang is set near de Lint's fictional desert town of Santo del Vado Viejo, where his
novels The Mystery of Grace and The Painted Boy take place, and where some of his recent short fiction
has been set. It is available here for the first time in any format.
Dan Cutler lives with his wife Mason in the foothills of the Hierro Madera Mountains near the ruins of Showdown Ranch,
his father's old amusement park. Although the ranch is now owned by developers, nothing has been done with it since the
day Dan's father died there in a mysterious explosion.
Four generations of Cutler men have worked with carnival machines called animatrons—large metal figures whose clockwork
workings delight and captivate audiences.
Ever since the explosion Dan has been salvaging parts of these mechanical men from the ruins and bringing them home to
try to put them back in working order. But there is a greater reason to make these machine men operational once
more—something that threatens the Cutlers' very existence.
Cover art by Ben Garrison.
|
|
Jack in the Green
Jack in the Green is an original novella, set in the fictional Southwestern desert city of Santo del Vado Viejo,
and is available here for the first time in any format.
Best friends Maria and Luz grew up in the barrio and were inseparable until Luz left town to fight against social
injustice. They lose track of one another until one day, while at her job cleaning rich people's homes, Maria spots
Luz among a gang robbing the house next door. Luz later tells Maria that her gang robs from the rich and
gives to the poor, like a modern day Robin Hood. Luz says she brought the leader and his men to their city by magic.
Maria isn't sure if she believes that, but she does know that she feels an undeniable romantic connection
to their handsome leader, the mysterious Jack Green, and the feeling is mutual. Between her rekindled
friendship with Luz and her attraction to Jack, she gets drawn into a life that’s 180 degrees opposite to
how she’s been living. But when things go awry, it’s Maria who must pay the final price.
|
|
Dog Boys
Dog Boys is an original short story, set in the fictional Southwestern desert city of Santo del Vado Viejo.
Brandon is the new boy at Rose Creek High and he quickly figures out that the one thing you don’t do in this
school is get mixed up in the struggle between the Latino streetgangs and the Native kids from the rez.
|
|
Crow Roads
Set outside of Newford in 1967, Annie lives in Tartown with the rest of the poor kids. When a handsome,
longhaired hippie shows up outside Ernie's Poolroom, Annie is smitten by his exotic good looks and long black
hair. The local boys just want to beat him up, but before they can, the stranger suggests an irresistible contest,
which reveals that he may be even more mysterious than he appears.
Crow Roads first appeared in The Coyote Road: Trickster Tales, edited by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling, Viking, 2007
|
|
Companions to the Moon
Set in Newford in 2007, record shop owner Mary begins to suspect her common-law partner is cheating on her. Edric is a musician
whose out-of-town concerts happen to coincide with every full moon. Mary decides to secretly follow Edric to his next full moon
gig, and makes an unexpected discovery. De Lint's love of combining real life with myth shines in this story.
Companions to the Moon first appeared in Realms of Fantasy, June 2007.
|
|
Dharma
Set in Newford during 1967's Summer of Love, Beirut-born teen Dharma, runs away from his Muslim home and
reinvents himself as a hippie poet-musician. Street-busking one day at an impromptu music jam, Dharma meets a
lovely young hippie girl called Button. Love is in the air. Button and Dharma share a gorgeous, magical night
at a huge music festival. But is this newfound love as perfect it seems?
Dharma first appeared in Dreams and Visions: Fourteen Flights of Fantasy, edited by M. Gerry Weiss & Helen S. Weiss; Tor Books, 2007.
|
|
The Butter Spirit's Tithe
Conn O'Neill is trying to make a go of it as a Celtic guitarist until he inadvertently
runs afoul of a vengeful spirit. Cursed for seven years, at the end of which his soul
is promised as a tithe to the fearsome Grey Man, Conn's only hope lies with his musical
partner Miki Greer. Miki knows a thing or two about Irish spirits, having lost her brother
to them in Charles de Lint's novel Forests of the Heart. She's not about to let them claim someone else.
The Butter Spirit's Tithe first appeared in Emerald Magic, edited by
Andrew M. Greeley; Tor Books, 2004, and was most recently reprinted in Muse and Reverie, Tor Books, 2009.
|
|
That Was Radio Clash
The story was written as a memorial to The Clash's Joe Strummer.
Charles de Lint's love of music shines in this story. Set in 2002,
guitarist Sarah Blue meets mysterious trumpeter Eddie Ramone in a bar and is given a chance to return to a pivotal
moment in her life to correct one of her deepest regrets.
That Was Radio Clash first appeared in Taverns of the Dead,
edited by Kealan Patrick Burke (Cemetery Dance 2005), and was most recently
reprinted in The Very Best of Charles de Lint, Tachyon, 2010.
|
|
Under My Skin: Wildlings Book 1
For the past six months, something has been happening to young people in Santa Feliz. Week
after week, there's news of another teen changing shape, transforming from human to wild animal
and back again. The federal government has stepped in, running public service announcements
calling for affected youth to turn themselves in for "orientation and training."
Josh Saunders has seen the news reports, but he is still unprepared when it happens to him. One
minute he's arguing with his mother's boyfriend and the next, he is looming over the man, blood
dripping from his claws—he has transformed into a mountain lion. When he switches back to his
human body, he knows his life has changed forever. He has become a Wildling.
Trusting only his best friends des and Marina with his secret, Josh tries to return to regular
living. But an encounter with Elzie, another Wildling, brings him unwanted attention from the
authorities. And when an accidental betrayal reveals Josh's secret, his carefully constructed
cover is ripped apart, forcing his friends to intervene. They must grudgingly put their trust
in others, including other Wildlings—and, most challenging, in each other— if they ever hope to save him.
Source: Penguin Canada
|
|