Her staunchest ally, however, is her best friend Kate Hazel. Several faery beings join her quest or help her because of her name. Jacks are tricksters and heroes they have to manage the bravery and quick thinking on their own, but the archetype comes with a generous helping of luck. All the faeries know enough legends to realize that when a bold young human named Jack (or Jacky) sets off to rescue a princess from evil giants, she might actually manage it. This is where the fairy tale part starts to come in. And then, partly because it needs to be done and partly because she wants something meaningful to do, she offers to rescue the Laird’s daughter from the Unseelie Court.
In short order, Jacky meets Dunrobin Finn, a hob who stitches some spells into her clothing for slight extra protection, sees a giant prowling for victims, and goes to confront the watcher in the darkened house - a wizard in his tower, even if the house loooks less than tower-like from the outside. Jacky fails to stop the bikers, who kill their quarry, and after they’ve left she takes the victim’s red cap.Īnd that’s the event that really gets the plot going, because the cap is a hob’s spellcap and it allows the wearer to see the things and beings of faerie. This book is fairly short - eventful, but short - and the story moves fast. She has a distinct impression of someone watching her from the blacked-out windows of one house, but before she has time to reflect on that, she witnesses what appears to be a biker gang chasing down what looks like a small man.Īll this happens in the first nine pages. Partly because of his accusations, partly because of feeling empty and numb, she cuts off her waist-length hair, goes drinking, and then wanders down to a park, reflecting on her life and whether or not it means anything. Her boyfriend stormed out after declaring her a predictable, boring shut-in.
Jacky Rowan has just been through a moderately poor breakup. Fortunately, geographic familiarity is not required to enjoy this story. It’s set in Ottawa and makes frequent references to streets and landmarks I have a feeling I’d get even more out of it if I were the least bit familiar with the city. Jack the Giant Killer, by Charles de LintĪce (202 pages, hardcover, November 1987)Ĭharles de Lint’s Jack the Giant Killer is an urban fantasy novel, but it feels more accurate to call it an urban fairy tale.
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