The main interest here is that it is one of de Lint's very first published novels -- high fantasy and almost preposterously derivative of LOTR in the basic movement of the story however also well-written and with some of its own twists and indicative of potential. I've had this on my tbr shelf forever and, as I have played harp for yonks, am surprised that I hadn't read it. Only for fans, I'd say. Read quickly. *** ( )

Any book that contains the sentence "A darkness came washing over me and I knew no more" is a bit hackneyed. Even the worst of it could be a lot worse, and there are fine things about it, but this is unmistakeably the work of a still-developing author. ( )

I'm on a quest to reread all the early Charles de Lint, because I want to see the way his particular world began. The Harp of the Grey Rose is, structurally, a fairly traditional sword-and-sorcery bildungsroman. What it definitely isn't is beholden to older fantastical fiction races, simple in its portrayal of traveling peoples (both the tinkers in the story are delightfully non-stereotypical), conventionally one-punch in its plot (there are actually several events, not just one climactic battle), or afraid of a little dialect, which de Lint gets away with using because he uses it sparingly, for emphasis, and without unnecessary gimmicks (like apostrophes).

Yarrow and Jack the Giant-Killer are two other early works that demonstrate more of the urban/faerie crossover we all now know and love, but The Harp of the Grey Rose is a useful return trip for one crucial reason: there are races blending at geographical and educational margins who have competing stories about the nature of the world and - this is crucial - know that the world was already old when they arrived. In that cultural map lies a key clue to how the juxtaposing peoples of de Lint's later work interact.



Is it a beautiful story? Well, if you're into buddy films, the friendships between the main character, Cerin, and his unlikely pals Hickathrift and Calman are rounded and yet as random as real friendships. If you like weird landscapes and creatures, de Lint has a quiverful. Like your protagonists imperfect, yet willing? Cerin's that kind. The love story element, however, falls victim to one of the classic 1980's blunders, so look to de Lint's later stories if that's what you're after. Mostly this book is fun for people who, having fallen in love with de Lint around the time of Memory and Dream or The Little Country, want to know how the author's internal landscape looked during the early years of its formation. ( )

This isn't one of de Lint's "urban fantasy" books. I believe it takes place on an imaginary world. It's good, but I do prefer his urban fantasy. ( )

Reading a lot of de Lint I can definitely see how his writing has developed and improved. This just doesn't live up to his later standards. ( )