Dingo by Charles de Lint

Charles de Lint paved the road for contemporary/urban fantasy. And his most recent novel, Dingo, received the World Fantasy Award. My only question is...why?

Dingoes are wolf-dogs that are native to Australia. But that is the last piece of trivia on Miguel's mind when the beautiful and sun-swept Lainey walks into his dad's music shop. All Miguel can think about is "why in the world would a girl like this be flirting with a guy like me." His shock is enough to carry him through a whirlwind three days of she likes me-she likes me not mind games. And when his infatuation turns into loyalty he must test the boundaries of his belief to the supernatural world and back. Because Lainey has a sister named Em. And Em is a dog (technically, a dingo). Surprise surprise. Lainey is TOO! *collective gasp from crowd* On the run from a creepy ancient sacrifice requiring their blood, they can only be saved by betrothal. And Miguel is Lainey's lucky man.

Dingo was very short, the sort of book you might overlook as a juvenile read. But it most certainly is not. Random acts of swearing pop up here and there, as well as some crude comments (mostly about women) from a bully protagonist. But those weren't really my major complaints with the story. Miguel and Lainey fell for each other too fast, the action was too quick, and all the history and details seemed to be crushed together to allow for time. To synopsize: Sprintaroundindizzylove... stop/fight ancient creature.... sprintaroundsomemoreindizzylove...The end. I honestly feel that this book could have been much more enjoyable if prolonged and am somewhat disappointed in Mr. de Lint's latest creation.

4.5 out of 7 Lightnings for this light, afternoon read.

Perusing the local pound,