Newford
#1544.14 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 3 books Status Ongoing 1990–present Reading commitment Low Charles de Lint Last reviewed 2026-08-21
Overview
Newford is Charles de Lint’s fictional North American city, the setting for many urban fantasy novels and short story collections that mix folklore and myth into modern life.
Urban fantasy, Mythic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (3 works) counts toward ranking
Newford, core novels Charles de Lint
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Dreaming Place | 1990 | core | 3.92 (1,798 ratings) |
 | Memory and Dream | 1994 | core | 4.20 (3,616 ratings) |
 | The Onion Girl | 2001 | core | 4.17 (7,467 ratings) |
Widely-cited central novels of the fictional city of Newford, an urban-fantasy setting for many further novels and story collections.
Library / Expanded (4 works)
Newford, further novels Charles de Lint
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Trader | 1997 | N/A | |
 | Someplace to Be Flying | 1998 | N/A | |
 | Forests of the Heart | 2000 | N/A | |
 | Widdershins | 2006 | N/A |
Further Newford novels; de Lint also wrote many Newford short-story collections not catalogued individually here.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Newford? Newford's Core Canon is 3 books, plus 4 more in the wider Library/Expanded material.
- What is the reading order for Newford? Publication order, starting with The Dreaming Place. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Newford finished? Ongoing (1990–present).
- How much reading does Newford take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 3 Core Canon books · ~1,046 pages).
- How is Newford ranked? #154 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 12,881 reader ratings across 3 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #154?
Ranked #154 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 4.14 across 3 core books.
- A smaller readership (12,881 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #153, Warrior Bards (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Highly rated · 3 books · Ongoing · 13k ratings · Ranks #154 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment urban fantasy universe that's still ongoing, with new books still coming.
Reading order
Publication order (3 Core Canon books)
- The Dreaming Place (1990)
- Memory and Dream (1994)
- The Onion Girl (2001)
Awards (verified)
- World Fantasy Award (Best Collection), 2000: won: The Dreaming Place; Won by Moonlight and Vines, a Newford-set short story collection (not itself catalogued as a novel here).
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Suggestions computed from what Newford and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- The Master and Margarita Mythic fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.28
- The Others Urban fantasy · Ongoing · High commitment · 4.27
- The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi Historical fantasy / Mythic fantasy · Ongoing · Low commitment · 4.26
- The Song of Achilles and Circe Mythic fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.25
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.14 across 12,881 ratings on 3 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Newford admitted; three widely-cited novels are the Core, further novels are Expanded accepted 2026-08-21
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: Charles de Lint Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-08-27
Rule: Core Canon is three novels most consistently cited as central entry points to the setting (1990–2001); further novels are Expanded Canon. Newford short-story collections are a known future research item.