It's ironic because, across the board, I like CdeL's short stories better than his novels. But this book is made up of two novellas and I wish they were longer -- particularly the first which I think could have easily been book length all by itself. It's also funny reading CdeL again now -- however many thousands of urban fantasy novels later and remembering when what he was doing seemed so unusual and creative. He's kind of the granddaddy of it all, or one of them anyway. There's an indescribab...

A great re telling if Hack and the Beanstalk

I wish there were half starts because I would give this 4.5. I really enjoyed the first book in this two book edition. I love other books by Charles de Lint, he is a master of urban fantasy. This book is no exception. The story really snares you in in the first few pages. A humanbeing transported into a world of fairie, but still taking place in Ottawa. Jacky Rowan having just broken up with her boyfriend stumbles on a group of otherworldly bikers beating up a strange old man in the park. She tr...

This was actually a reread, a book I have read many times and have now outgrown. The best part of the book is the foreword and preamble which explains how Terii Windling's retelling of faerie stories got it's start. Jack the Giant Killer I read under it's original separate cover, and had to look up te subplot Kate Crackernuts. The seven swan story was a vestigial memory but I hadn't heard of the Orney tale of Kate.This Jack is female and her best friend is Kate Hazel aka Crackernuts. I like the

Mediocre at Best I had high hopes for this book and was greatly disappointed. I will admit I’m a huge fantasy fan, but haven’t explored too much urban fantasy. Now normally I would question why fairies, hobs, and other mythical creatures—usually associated with the earth and Mother Nature—would be living in a polluted, crowded city and if mythical creatures did dwell in a city, I would imagine them to be more fiendish, evil type creatures. However, I was willing to put aside my initial biases an...

I thought I’d found all the magic worlds I could love and believe in but this book proved me wrong. It feels like it wasn’t written by a man and I mean that as a compliment since the protagonists are women. He did well.

Charles De Lint is a fairly well known name among urban fantasy authors and seems to be highly regarded. As I've read most of the books by his contemporaries (Emma Bull, recently, but I'd also include Tim Power and James Blaylock amongst that list) it seemed like someone worth trying at some point, especially since he has a decently fervent fan base.This is an omnibus of sorts, collecting two novels based around the same character, Jacky Kinrowan, a young woman recently reeling from a breakup wh...

Enjoyed these two books in one - 'Jack The Giant Killer' and 'Drink Down The Moon', because they were interesting, fast paced, and it did not drag on to the climax.

One of the best of the best. This book was my introduction to the writing of Charles de Lint. One of the very best authors ever. I started with his Jack of Kinrowan and then read Moonheart and ... never left.

Solid urban fantasy, set in Ottawa, and sticking pretty close to the traditional British Isles faerie creatures: Sidhe, the Slaugh, trolls, kelpies, giants, hobs, spriggans, the Wild Hunt, shapechangers, dwarves, pooka, hags, bogans, swan maidens (and swan-men), and goblins. Characters in these two books do mention that the fae came across to the New World with European settlers to find that the natives had their own magical beings already, but these beings are never seen in these stories. Jack

I'm re-reading all the Charles de Lint books I own and setting them free through BookCrossing.

I love Charles de Lint. He is one of my favorite authors. Jack of Kinrowan was the first book of his that I read. It made me want to read others books by him.

I wish Goodreads allowed half stars because I think this book is really a 3.5.Jack the Giant-Killer retells the Jack motif from folklore. de Lint has a good twist by making this Jack, a Jacky. The strange thing it that the more interesting character, for me at least, is her friend Kate "Crackernuts" Hazel. Kate seems to be more of a living character. The story makes wonderful use of fairy motif and allusions (and what de Lint book doesn't). The one weak spot was that romance, in particualr the c...

Not my favorite de Lint, but still a fun read.

In Jack the Giant Killer, the first of two novellas in this book, Jacky Rowan has just realized that her life is not going where she wants it to go. She drifts along, refusing to take care of her life and just staying at home doing nothing. She decides to change her life after a nasty breakup. In a fit of pique, she goes out drinking alone. Staggering home, she sees a little man being chased by 9 men on motorcycles. She tries to help him, but the little man is killed. She runs to a nearby house

This is one of my favorite Charles de Lint books. Yes, you will find the familiar formula of a young woman who, at first, feels uncertain about herself and her life, but then goes through a period of growth and transformation by embarking on a journey of sorts, making friends and enemies along the way, and then defeating a force of darkness in the final showdown. But there's a reason you see this formula in a lot of literature: it's a basic metaphor for what we all go through again and again at

I liked this book. It’s rough around the edges — apparently it’s one of de Lint’s earlier works — but it’s a great adventure, just the same.Jacky Rowan is the main character in this collection of two novels. She’s a “Jack” in the old sense of the word; she’s full of tricks and a lot of luck. If you’re a fan of de Lint, you know what comes next. Faeries are everywhere and they’re under attack. Jacky wants to help... but is she lucky enough for THIS?I'm a sucker for old-school fantasy and this fit...

The two books contained in this omnibus edition are about Jacky and Kate, two ordinary Ottawa women who get drawn into the machinations of Faerie. Definitely not my favorites by de Lint.

I enjoyed these two books, but was very disappointed in the ending. Still, I’ll read more from this author.

Jack Jack Jack!!!