Yvonne Coats

Celebrating Charles de Lint

Jack the Giant-Killer was the first Charles de Lint book I ever read, and it made me think about fantasy in new ways. I picked up a copy just after moving from Oregon to New Mexico in 1990, at a time when my world had been upended – by my own choice, but I was still in a place where I knew virtually no one other than my family. My sort of lonely person turns to books, and I am so grateful to the bookstore employee who steered me in Charles’ direction.

Until Jackie Rowan’s tale (and its sequel, Drink Down the Moon), I had read lots of science fiction but very little fantasy. I had never thought about work that entwined the fantastic with the modern world, where adventures happened to ordinary people whose eyes had opened to previously unseen realities. I thought that Charles had invented the idea of urban fantasy. As a reader I was delighted to discover that he had plenty of company, but it was Charles’ books that first caused me to look at the world a little differently.

When hiking in the woods, I had always found it easy to imagine that movement glimpsed from the corner of my eye might be something amazing; now I found myself looking closely at city gardens, trees in the park, or cacti on Albuquerque walking paths, trying to see more deeply into every shadow, attempting to hold my own breath longer than anyone or anything that might be hiding in dark places. Watching people paint, play music, put together a meal, work in a garden–any person absorbed in craft–showed me that mystery was all around, waiting to be noticed.

I can’t say that I have ever encountered anyone from a fantastical realm, but I find myself looking for magic in everyday life. The ability to make close observations of people and things around me is something I value tremendously, and I believe that Charles’ work was a proximal influence. Certainly, my moods and attitude have been influenced by books, Charles’ among them.

I am never bored or impatient when I am wondering what someone’s story might be, or why plants favor one yard but not the one next door, or why two people using the same recipe get distinctly different results, or how a horse/dog/cat whisperer is created. I am certain that close, sympathetic observation is critical. After that, magic may be involved. So thank you, Charles, for making the world a more magical place, and for managing to do so while not ignoring real world problems and grief. You have great gifts. Thank you for sharing them so well.

Yvonne Coats lives and writes in New Mexico, where she finds rich inspiration for developing science fiction, fantasy, and horror stories. She also designs and makes elaborate and sometimes genre-related knitware for friends and charity auctions.