Drink Down the Moon by Charles de Lint
"Drink Down the Moon" is a novel that intertwines the lives of humans and fairies in a contemporary fantasy setting. The story follows Johnny Faw, a young fiddler, whose grandfather, Old Tom, has passed down the legacy of playing fiddle during fairy moon rides. Set in Ottawa's Vincent Massey Park, Johnny encounters Jenna, a fairy pook, who gifts him a luck amulet before revealing her struggle against a dark force that hinders her ability to conduct the rades. After Jenna's mysterious death, her twin sister, Jemi Pook, a punk saxophone player, mourns the loss while navigating her dual heritage as a half-fairy living among humans.
As Johnny becomes further embroiled in fairy troubles, he must confront the reality of the magical world, including the ominous threat posed by a sorcerer named Cumin. The narrative escalates as Jackie, a guardian of fairy magic, and her assistant, Kate, work to combat Cumin's dark influence. The climax involves a gathering of characters as they unite to confront the sorcerer and restore balance, leading to a resolution where Jemi and Johnny forge a new life together. This tale blends themes of love, loss, and the intersection of human and fairy realms, inviting exploration of both mystical and emotional journeys.
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Drink Down the Moon
First published: 1990
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Fantasy—Magical Realism
Time of work: The present
Locale: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
The Plot
The novel begins with a young fiddler named Johnny Faw, whose grandfather, better known as Old Tom, played fiddle for the fairy moon rides, or “rades.” Shortly before his death, Old Tom instructs Johnny to play fiddle in Vincent Massey Park in Ottawa. There, Johnny is greeted by the fairy pook, Jenna, who gives him an amulet for luck. Jenna, however, has her own worries in that there is some dark force keeping her from conducting her rades, riding the moon roads to replenish the fairy luck. Jenna goes to find Bucca, her old teacher, but never finishes her quest.
Luck leads Johnny to stumble on Jenna’s identical twin, Jemi Pook, a punk saxophone player for a local band. Jemi is a half fairy, living in the world of humans and to some extent turning her back on the fairy way of life.
Jenna’s body is found. Jemi goes into mourning for her sister, and Johnny is drawn deeper into the web of fairy troubles. He has an abrupt change of perception facing him, as he must learn to accept the existence of fairies, knocking on stone outcrops to get under hillsides, beasts coming out of the river, and the dark menace of a magician who can steal the life and luck from living beings. He also finds himself falling in love with Jemi.
Jack of Kinrowan (known as Jackie, who appears in Charles de Lint’s 1987 Jack, the Giant-Killer) guards the heart of fairy in her tower, where she keeps the old wizard’s library. She is informed of the pook’s death and becomes involved. Jackie also senses that something evil seems to be darkening the moon roads. The large black dog that was seen at the scene of Jenna’s death has Jackie’s scent. Soon, Jackie is the next target of the evil wizard Cumin’s conquest. Cumin approaches as a friend but quickly takes over the wizard’s tower and then tries to force Jackie to give him the secrets of the old wizard, Bhruic.
Jackie escapes before Cumin can learn her secrets. Meanwhile, her assistant, Kate Crackernuts, creates for herself a magical guide by using Wallystane magic. She learns that the secret of killing a black sorcerer is to find the secret hiding place of his heart. Kate looks for the hiding place of Cumin’s heart in a darkening of the moon roads. Jackie returns to steal back her magic when she is confronted with the dark sorcerer. Meanwhile, Jemi Pook struggles to learn the name of the sorcerer so that she can lead a rade against him.
All come together in the end. Jemi Pook finds her way into the tower, finds the sorcerer’s heart, and destroys it. Henk Van Roon, Johnny’s friend, leads the rade for luck, with the moon as a guide. Jemi and Johnny begin a life together.