Dingo Hardcover – March 13, 2008

I am a fan of many of Charles de Lint's books, and when I picked up this one, I was hoping for another good young adult fantasy along the lines of "The Blue Girl". However, "Dingo" fell far short of my expectations.The writing felt flat to me. I never really got a feel for who the characters were. This could be due to the fact that they all spoke the same way, using the same words, and that the teenagers didn't really speak like teenagers. Without the speech attributions, it would be difficult to tell the difference between Miguel, his father, Lainey, Em, Johnny, or even the villain. A few Aussie slang words did little to help the reader differentiate between the characters; without them, the speech patterns were basically the same.At times, I even wondered if I was reading a book for much younger readers... but with the addition of a few choice swear words from the book's quasi-villain, Johnny Ward, that theory was soon quashed. Miguel's comment about homeschooling and evolution further showed that de Lint really doesn't know much about today's young people.There were also a number of editing problems. Just off the top of my head, I can recall inconsistent capitalization, inconsistent names, an extra unnecessary pronoun, and a missing paragraph break. I expect more from the books I read. Sadly, it seems today's publishers do not.Basically, "Dingo" follows the pattern of many of de Lint's novels: protagonists meet person(s) with strange qualities, get sucked into world of mythical creatures/dreams/spirits, and find their way out again. But "Dingo" didn't seem original or exciting enough to really stand on its own as a good example of de Lint's work. I found the ending to be especially disappointing, as the protagonist didn't really solve anything (that was left to another character).I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone, even if they are a de Lint fan. "The Blue Girl" is a much better introduction to de Lint's work, especially for younger readers.

Once again another wonderfully written story by Charles De Lint. I have to say I'm never disappointed when I read any of his books and I've been reading them for years. It doesn't matter if they were written for kids or adults they're all great. I recommend him to everyone, once you start you can't stop. The characters are just wonderful, you fall in love the moment you meet them, the locations are magic. I love how he describes and manages the meld the cross over from fantasy to reality, the blend is perfect, seamless. You don't know where one begins and the other ends. I catch myself wondering more about the things I encounter and can't explain and think, if only... You won't be disappointed with any of his books, you'll enjoy them for a long time.

I'll agree that most of the tropes here were pretty obvious... but it did make an entertaining novella.I agree it's pretty cliche, but it's nicely-done cliche. I thought the characters were reasonably well-drawn and sympathetic- I expect less subtlety in a YA novel than in one for adults- and the dreamtime was fairly depicted.There was some good character growth, too, both in our protag and in his nemesis, of a kind that is often missing in current novels.I enjoyed it.

I've been a huge fan of this author my whole life. I got this book years ago and I have no idea why I didn't write a review of it then.. but alas.This book is a fantastic book for teens. I'm an adult and enjoyed the hell out of it. It carried his usual magic and fun and a little bit of dark right in the heart of it. Plot is fantastic and of course you get to love and grow with his characters.Still my favorite Author.

Charles de Lint takes me to a better place with every story he weaves. I enjoy reading his 'young people's' novels because he doesn't ever talk down to youthful thinkers like other authors tend to do. I was young once and have always appreciated people who treated me like my brain was fully developed (and it was). His characters admit their flaws, embrace their weaknesses and, even those that shape-shift, are more human than most humans tend to be.

I'm not going to say this was my favorite book, but it definitely is a fun read. He has a great way of creating a fascinatingly complex world within a short number of pages. It only took me a couple hours to read it, but I'm definitely glad I added this one to my collection. If you are a fan of De Lint you will like this book.

I really enjoyed this book, and encourage others to read it. It is aimed at youg readers, but I liked it very much. Pretty basic plot, but the character developement was excellent.

intended for young adults but a good read for adults too. Brings in Australian mythology and folk tales in this book.

I enjoyed this short story

Love the mind of this author. He thinks outside the square with a great intelligence.