Play Audiobook Sample
Dreams Underfoot: The Newford Collection Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(4.00) - 4,000 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
Myth, music, and magic—and dreams underfoot
Welcome to Newford—to the music clubs, the waterfront, and the alleyways where ancient myths and magic spill into the modern world. Gemmins live in abandoned cars and skells traverse the tunnels below, while mermaids swim in the grey harbor waters and fill the cold night with their song. Come meet Jilly, painting wonders in the rough city streets; and Geordie, playing fiddle while he dreams of a ghost; and the Angel of Grasso Street, gathering the fey and the wild and the poor and the lost.
Like Mark Helprin's A Winter's Tale and John Crowley's Little, Big,Dreams Underfoot, a collection of nineteen stories, is a must-read book, not only for fans of urban fantasy but for all who seek magic in everyday life.
Download and start listening now!
"This is the first book about the town of Newford and is a collection of short stories. This town only exists in the book and Charles deLint makes it seem real and he makes the characters seem real. Newford could be a town anywhere in America. Perhaps creating a whole town gives the author more freedom for his characters to roam about in."
— Erren (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
-
“[Kate Reading’s] wide vocal range serves the listener well, as she is able to voice the many different characters distinctively and lend each the emotional weight he or she commands in turn.”
— SFSite.com -
“In de Lint’s capable hands, modern fantasy becomes something other than escapism. It becomes folk song, the stuff of urban myth.”
— Phoenix Gazette -
“Charles de Lint shows that, far from being escapism, contemporary fantasy can be the deep mythic literature of our time.”
— Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction -
“This collection of conceptually innovative, thematically simple stories proves again that de Lint is a leading talent in the urban fantasy subgenre.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Kate Reading tells their stories as if she knows her characters well and is familiar with their tales. She uses pace, timing, and tone to reflect the personalities of the main characters without neglecting the minor players. With a light touch she takes the unexpected and bizarre in stride and provides continuity and a unifying voice to the collection.”
— AudioFile -
“Superior work that upholds de Lint’s high reputation [and] definitely recommended for fantasy collections.”
— Booklist
Dreams Underfoot Listener Reviews
-
—
Lyle Beck, 6/15/2016
-
" Only made it half-way through this one. The premise is interesting -- intertwined short stories with a fantasy twist -- but ultimately not interesting enough! The writing was average at best and most of the stories just didn't grab me. "
— Georgesear, 2/10/2014 -
" short stories, couldn't keep my interest so I stopped reading which I almost never do "
— Leiani, 1/15/2014 -
" Really creative urban fantasy, a departure from the common fantasy...Good Stuff. "
— David, 12/25/2013 -
" This was my favorite book when I was in middle school. It still holds its own for most of the short stories. "
— Charlotte, 11/29/2013 -
" Fun short stories, if sometimes slightly underdeveloped. Still really great, original ideas and a good blend of folklore with an urban setting. "
— Erika, 10/16/2013 -
" One of my favorite books... "
— Nia, 10/4/2013 -
" I absolutly loved these stories when I read them! 'Urban fantasy' it's called, and its super cool if you like fantasy stuff. I liked this book more than anything else I read by this author. Check it out! "
— Jesse, 9/3/2013 -
" This set of interconnected short stories does a great job portraying the wonder and mystery of magic springing from an urban setting. The stories are at their best when they don't get too heavy-handed with their message, leaving room for a little enigma. "
— Katie, 6/7/2013 -
" The second book I read by de Lint, it's a collection beautiful and lyrical. One of his best. "
— Derek, 4/6/2013 -
" The first couple of chapters are slow moving - as are the last couple. I flew through the middle stories. I don't know why some were so much easier to read and enjoy than others. I'd borrow this book from the library if I were you. "
— E, 8/21/2012 -
" Very nice collection of fantasy in places where you would least expect to see it. "
— Sumayyah, 6/17/2012 -
" I read this as a teen and have been trying to find it again ever since! Thanks, Autumn, for posting it now I can finally find it! "
— Reaca, 5/21/2012 -
" This is the first book I suggest to people who are interested in reading Charles de Lint. It introduces our anchor characters in the city of Newford, and clearly delineates de Lint's style of urban fantasy. Cannot, cannot recommend it highly enough. "
— Samantha, 10/30/2011 -
" This was the first book I read by Charles de Lint. I loved the stories, my favorite being the one with the bicycles. It was one of those books that felt completely real, and I wanted to find the door to that world. Amazing work. "
— Haengbok92, 9/16/2011 -
" My introduction to Charles de Lint. Dreams Underfoot more or less defines urban fantasy for me. "
— Kevin, 6/19/2011 -
" I loved this book <3 "
— William, 6/4/2011 -
" I had forgotten how much I used to enjoy de Lint's books. This collection of stories is remarkable and made me regret ending the book. "
— Karen, 5/5/2011 -
" I've been reading de Lint for ages and love his blend of urban decay and fairy magic. "
— Jo, 4/13/2011 -
" Didn't get the book finished yet. Might come back to it, might not. I started with de Lint's novels and found I didn't like the short stories as well. What I read I enjoyed, just didn't love. "
— Lee, 4/11/2011 -
" A collection of some of de Lint's finest short stories, a magical yet realistic journey through the streets of the fictional city of Newford.<br/>Wonderous. "
— Karly, 3/25/2011 -
" De Lint has an amazing way of blending the magical with every day life, reminding us that we are the mythmakers... "
— Judy, 3/2/2011 -
" I LOVE the way de Lint writes. His stories will change your world. "
— Cristi, 11/24/2010 -
" This is a series of urban legends at the intersection of the world we understand and faery. I was always engaged by the end of every tale and the reappearing characters gave a sense of community "
— Lisa, 8/29/2010
About Charles de Lint
Charles de Lint is the award-winning author of fantasy fiction, including urban fantasy, contemporary magical realism, and mythic fiction. He is best known for his fantasy novels in the Newford series, but he also writes novellas, short stories, poetry, lyrics, literary criticism, and a children’s book. Among his many awards are the Ontario Library Association’s White Pine Award, the Great Lakes Great Books Award, the Canadian SF/Fantasy Award, and the 2000 World Fantasy Award. His evocative novels have earned him a devoted following and critical acclaim as a master of contemporary mythic fiction.
About Kate Reading
Kate Reading, named an AudioFile Golden Voice, has recorded hundreds of audiobooks across many genres, over a thirty–year plus career and won the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration. Among other awards, she has been recognized as an AudioFile Magazine Voice of the Century, Narrator of the Year, Best Voice in Science Fiction and Fantasy, and winner of an Publisher’s Weekly’s Listen-Up Award. She records at her home studio, Madison Productions, Inc., in Maryland.