tinker, witch and tinker she must track down and destroy the magic consuming trap

An ancient artifact of evil is found by chance and enters the world. A young woman named Angharad, who is "Summerborn" i.e. a witch, learns that it is her mission to track down this artifact (a puzzle-box) and face its evil at the risk of great danger to herself, lest all magic be destroyed by its great evil. Her task is complicated by the fact that the general public in her pseudo-medieval world are severely prejudiced against witches, and sometimes lynch them - or worse.
With the help of a young boy, a wizard, and an alcoholic veteran - and the more ambiguous association of an enigmatic assassin - she sets out on this quest.
This book is not up to DeLint's usual standards. It's overwhelmingly typical, and overall quite mediocre. It's further compromised by the fact that the first half of the book was rewritten (?) from previously published short stories, which means it just sort of meanders around, and the plot doesn't actually get going until the second half of the book.
Not dreadful, if you're a fan of classic fantasy, but there's much better out there. ( )

Reasonably good, Celtic-lite fantasy that was a nice, quick read. As per usual, de Lint has a lovely way with words, but the overall story was somewhat patchily written and the main character was a bit thin (indeed, I would have liked to spend more time with some of the other, more interesting characters). Enjoyable but forgettable. ( )

As always, Charles de Lint weaves magic and music in a way that feels True. I never put down one of his books that I don't feel that I'm saying good-bye to a dear friend.

"Today we are all that is left of the old magic," the tale-teller went on. "Our small echo of the gift sets us apart from those around us. But in the old days, when the Blood still ran strong, there was a deeper magic still - held by those who knew the calling-on magic, born of threes. Tinker, harper and witch. Moon, music and the stoneworks of old."

"Into the Green" is not one of de Lint's Newford-set urban fantasies, but takes place in a world based in part on Celtic mythology. Angharad, a Summerborn witch, goes on a quest to destroy the glascrow, the dark power that feeds on the Summerblood of the witches and could even destroy the green itself, taking away the last traces of magic from the Green Isles.

De Lint proves that there is no need for fantasy novels to be 1000 pages or more long, as he fits this story into a book only 1/4 of that length. It's always best to to leave your audience wanting more rather than burnt out. ( )