That’s an interesting cover.  What is this book about?

I have gotten that comment several times while reading Charles de Lint’s Someplace to Be Flying recently. It is a reminder of the importance of book covers.  The artist, John Jude Palencar, has produced some of the best book covers in the science fiction & fantasy genre for many years. (I love the covers he did the Octavia Butler’s Patternist and Parable novels). Onto what Someplace to Be Flying is about….

Lily is a photojournalist in the city of Newford (de Lint has created a fictional city where most of his novels & stories are placed) and wants to look for animal people that dwell in the poorest section of the city. She is a victim of an incident that alters the course of her life and connects her to a man named Hank. Even though both of them come from two different parts of the city, their connection unravels the mysteries of the animal people and how they affect Newford.

Lily and Hank discover a city secret that reveals a long-standing feud between various groups of animal people.  Their feud could change Newford forever unless a certain talisman can restore the natural order of things. De Lint explores several European and Native American mythologies to create a story that speaks to how the world we see every day is much larger than we could ever imagine.

Someplace to be Flying is a solid, standalone urban fantasy novel by one of my favorite authors and continues his reputation as one of the best imaginative fiction writers we have writing currently.