Moonheart is quite aways beyond my usual range, chosen out of (GR/Amazon) recommendations based on recommendations thrice removed from books I've actually read. So, although I realize based on other reviews that this is considered "classic urban fiction", for me, it was quite bizarre and different (a good thing).

Moonheart has its flaws, and it probably won't appeal to many, but I give it a 4 for the intersection of (1) weird/made me think (2) well-written, if not "literary" (3) Native American/Celtic lore (4) Tamson House.

The story weaves between real-world Ottawa and "the Otherworld", a land of myths in which legendary creatures and powers manifest. The cast of characters is lively, but not terribly well-developed. There is a battle (between good and evil of course), and there is much to learn about mysticism/the Way/tao/Native American & Celtic stories/inner silence/the like. Some of that is pretty hoakey (a la magic mushrooms & Timothy Leary), some probably horribly distorts Native American rituals (I, sadly, do not know enough to say - one thing is clear, though, that de Lint is absolutely smitten with Native American cultures, so if he misrepresents anything, it's done out of sincere admiration. Not that this excuses his work completely, but at least it's no Heidegger writing about Jews).

Finally, perhaps my favorite aspect of this story, is the centrality of Tamson House, a magical and mysterious haven and character in Moonheart. I'm obsessed with ... dwellings, and I often daydream (and night-dream) about impossible, sprawling, crazy houses. So based on Tamson House alone, I'd rate this book as a 4/5 (I am not to be trusted).

Not highly recommended, but definitely highly enjoyed.