Friday, January 28, 2011

Pegasus - Robin McKinley

Pegasus
Robin McKinley
Putnam Juvenile
Copyright: November 2010
978-0399246777

The amazon.com product description:
A gorgeously written fantasy about the friendship between a princess and her Pegasus.

Because of a thousand-year-old alliance between humans and pagasi, Princess Sylviianel is ceremonially bound to Ebon, her own Pegasus, on her twelfth birthday. The two species coexist peacefully, despite the language barriers separating them. Humans and pegasi both rely on specially-trained Speaker magicians as the only means of real communication.

But its different for Sylvi and Ebon. They can understand each other. They quickly grow close-so close that their bond becomes a threat to the status quo-and possibly to the future safety of their two nations.

New York Times bestselling Robin McKinley weaves an unforgettable tale of unbreakable friendship, mythical creatures and courtly drama destined to become a classic. 
I've read and enjoyed a number of Robin McKinley's other books before, especially The Blue Sword (one of my favourites) and Chalice. As a result, I knew I had to get my hands on a copy of Pegasus. The e-book version was the easiest - and worked out to be very readable.

Pegasus is a story that works for more than just teens, just as The Blue Sword was (is). The world (shared by humans, pegasi and other magical creatures) is well written and makes a lot of sense to me as a reader. I loved the sense of history that the passages from the old notebooks added to the story. The land itself is beautiful, described with rich colours and detail.

Sylvi is a character I think I could quite get to like as a person, while some of the mages...
And the pegasi. The one thing about them is that even after finishing the book, I don't have a good mental picture of what they look like. Beautiful, yes, but it sounds like their proportions are all different than those of horses (which is what I was visualizing when I started reading the book). Not that it made any difference in my enjoyment of this novel.

I think I remember reading that there is going to be a sequel to Pegasus, but I can't remember where, though I believe it was on Robin McKinley's blog. I really hope there is one, as Pegasus leaves a lot of issues unresolved at the end. I know that I'm definitely looking forward to reading more in this world.

Recommended for anyone from an older child through teens and adults if you like fantasy.

4 comments:

Allie said...

I read this back in December and LOVED it! Looking at reviews, however, and it seems as if only McKinley lovers really enjoyed it.

She is writing a sequel, although, no news on when it will be out.

Have you read Hero and the Crown?

Elena said...

Thanks for commenting, Allie. I haven't seen any other reviews of Pegasus yet. Maybe I should go looking.

I'm really glad to hear about the sequel.

Yes I have, several times, although I don't like it as much as The Blue Sword.

Unknown said...

I recall her saying (on her blog, mostly) that the "sequel" isn't really a sequel (because she doesn't *do* sequels) but that she had to split this story in half in order to publish it. She is still working on the second half. She seems a little concerned that people will think she's going to get in the habit of writing sequels (wouldn't mind one for Chalice, for example, but I know it's wildly unlikely...)

I haven't read this yet. I am saving it for when I need it. Reading McKinley is one of my special pleasures in life. There doesn't seem to be another writer out there who does quite what she does with language and characters.

Elena said...

That makes a lot of sense, Kiirstin, given the way the book ended. I know I'm really looking forward to reading the next book.

Thanks for stopping in with a comment, and I really hope you enjoy Pegasus when you do read it.

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