Jack the Giant-Killer by Charles de Lint
"Jack the Giant-Killer" is a novel by Charles de Lint, part of the Fairy Tale Series that offers a modern retelling of classic folklore. The story centers on Jacky Rowan, an ordinary woman whose life takes a transformative turn when she discovers a magical red cap in Windsor Park. This cap allows her to glimpse the enchanting parallel world of Faery, where the benevolent Seelie Court is in distress due to the capture of Lorana, the Laird’s daughter, by Gyre the Elder, a giant from the malevolent Unseelie Court.
Determined to find purpose in her life, Jacky embarks on a perilous quest to rescue Lorana and restore balance to the Seelie Court. Along the way, she faces numerous challenges, including capture by the Wild Hunt and encounters with various magical beings. With the help of her friends, Kate and Eilian, she bravely confronts giants, ultimately defeating Gyre and freeing the Wild Hunt.
As the narrative unfolds, Jacky not only proves herself as a hero but also transforms her own destiny, accepting her new role within the magical realm of Faery and forging deep connections with its inhabitants. The story blends themes of courage, self-discovery, and the interplay between mundane and magical worlds, appealing to readers interested in contemporary fantasy narratives.
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Jack the Giant-Killer
First published: 1987
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Fantasy—high fantasy
Time of work: The mid-1980s
Locale: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; and the parallel world of Faery
The Plot
Jack the Giant-Killer is one of several novels in the Fairy Tale Series created for Ace and later for Tor. This Charles de Lint novel, published by Ace, is an early book in the collection. Each novel is written by a different author and is a twentieth century retelling of a classic tale.
The basis of this novel is the trickster Jack of Scottish folklore. The heroine of Jack the Giant-Killer is Jacky Rowan, an ordinary woman living a commonplace life, one so ordinary that her boyfriend leaves her for being too predictable. Jacky despairs of doing anything meaningful with her life until she finds a strange red cap in Windsor Park. When she wears it, she sees into the parallel world of Faery, on which the mundane world is superimposed. In this magical realm, she learns that the benevolent Seelie Court of Faery is threatened. The Lairds daughter Lorana has been captured by Gyre the Elder, the giant who rules the evil Unseelie Court. Without Loranas magic, the Seelie Court is helpless. No one has tried to rescue her: The Unseelie Court is too strong, and the Seelie Courts greatest wizard, the Gruagagh, is kept in his tower for his own protection. Jacky decides to help the Seelie Court in the hope that this quest will give her life meaning.
Confronting the Gruagagh, she volunteers to capture the Horn used by Gyre to control his army, the Wild Hunt, which can then aid Loranas rescue. Although the Gruagagh warns Jacky that she must not underestimate the risk of entering Giants Keep to steal the Horn, he admits that the name Rowan is lucky according to faeries beliefs. Her offer is accepted, but the Hunt sees her leaving the Gruagaghs tower and chases her to the home of her friend, Kate Hazel.
Jacky confides in Kate, who believes the story after using the red cap herself to see the Hunt watching her house. The two women decide to visit the Gruagagh, but on the way, Jacky is captured by the Hunt and taken to Giants Keep. While in prison, Jacky meets Eilian, a royal member of the Seelie Court. They escape when he transforms into a swan, creating a diversion for Jacky, who kills a giant by pushing him down the keeps stairs.
Jacky is now established as the last hope of the Seelie Court, but her feat puts her in even more danger. The Hunt follows her everywhere. Jacky, Kate, and Eilian head toward Giants Keep again with no real plan. They are apprehended by the Hunt, and Jacky is carried off by a third party—Kerevan, a magical creature whose origin is unknown even to the faeries. With his help, Jacky witnesses Loranas torture outside the keep by Gyres minions. Jacky slips into Giants Keep through a ventilation shaft. Her friends have been thrown into the keeps prison, but they plan to escape and rescue Lorana. Kate uses a small penknife to destroy their faery bonds, which cannot resist metal. The group, including Kate and Eilian, escapes, but they are caught and brought to Gyre as Lorana is being brought back from her ordeal. From her concealed position, Jacky watches the giant interrogate her friends; when he reaches for Kate, Jacky attacks. Stabbing Gyres eye with a silver brooch given to her by the Gruagagh, she kills him, and she takes the Horn. Jacky summons the Wild Hunt, but instead of commanding them to kill their former masters, she gives them the Horn and their freedom. Without the Hunt, the Unseelie Courts threat is much reduced. The Seelie Court is saved. The Gruagagh resigns his position and his tower to Jacky—now a resident of Faery as well as Ottawa” and she begins a new relationship with Eilian.