I bought this Subterranean Press grab bag and I've been trying to wade through all the novellas that came in it. I've never read anything by the hallowed De Lint before but this just wasn't very good so I wouldn't start here. The sentiments are right but the story is too preachy. It is some kind of Robin Hood fairy tale updated to contemporary times and given a drug war bent. And then it has this resurrection theme too but also involves a high body count(Is it Christian or just Magic?). It involves mainly teenagers then why was it written as though it should be read to an 8 year old? Good question, because you would never read this to an 8 year old. The story isn't even very good. The only thing that saves it from two stars are the cover and the all too few illustrations by [a:Charles Vess|10763|Charles Vess|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1273720560p2/10763.jpg]. ( )

Short, sweet novella that merges de Lint's ability to weave classic fantasy tropes into the American southwest almost seamlessly.

This one's a bit more of a political story than some of his work, but as the titular character's an embodiment of Robin Hood, what else would you expect?

Very well done and as always, Vess' illustrations are perfect complements to the text. ( )

A nice, little retelling of Robin Hood that is told in de Lint's plain, straight forward writing, Jack in the Green finds Robin (known as Jack this time around)brought to the modern day Southwest barrio. I've still not read that much de Lint, but I do like how he handles magic in his stories: that there really isn't an explanation for how it works, you just accept it how it is. However, I found the socio political context of the story a little heavy handed; given that it's a Robin Hood retelling, we already know it's about how the rich are oppressing the poor (this time seen from the point of view of the recent recession), but to have it made such a large point in the story, so many times, felt too much like de Lint was simply writing this to express his views and was trying to hide it poorly in this novella. I'm not sorry I read it, I'm just not sure this will ever rank up there as a favorite for me.

I want to mention a little on the physical book itself. It's beautiful. Charles Vess' cover illustration is fantastic, and fits the tone of the story quite well, as do his interior illustrations. Subterranean Press did an excellent job with the production of the book. The green, leaf embossed endpapers are gorgeous and the graphic design of the book is really top notch. This book is another of the reasons I think Sub Press is one of the finest small press run printers in the country. ( )