The Blue Sword - Robin McKinley

The Blue Sword
Robin McKinley
Ace Fantasy
Copyright: 1982
Ace edition 1987
00441068804

According to the back of the book:

This is the story of Corlath, golden-eyed king of the Free Hillfolk, son of the sons of the Lady Aerin.

And this is the story of Harry Crewe, the Homelander orphan girl who became Harimad-sol, King's Rider, and heir to the Blue Sword, Gonturan, that no woman had wielded since the Lady Aerin herself bore it into battle.

And this is the song of the kelar of the Hillfolk, the magic of the blood, the weaver of destinies...

The Blue Sword

The one line description of The Blue Sword that I use a lot is "British India, set in the desert." There's a lot more to the story than that, but it describes the set-up pretty well. This is one of my favourite fantasy novels, and for the longest time I thought it was a regular fantasy novel. Now, though I know it's actually a teen novel, and one that was a Newberry Honor book in 1983. Not that that changes my opinion of the story in any way.

I've loved nearly every single one of Robin McKinley's books that I've read - but this one remains my favourite. The Blue Sword is a book which you can read, and then turn around and start to read again, right after finishing the last page of the book. I've done that at least twice now. I've also reviewed The Blue Sword one other time, a couple of years ago. That review is here, and it's still one of my favourites.

A perfect book for anyone who loves both fantasy novels and horse stories. I have to say that I wish I could see some of the Hill horses, though I don't think I'd do very well riding them. I need my stirrups and reins too much. Not only that, but it's been more than ten years since I really did any riding. Still, I love the descriptions so much. Sungold is an incredible horse.

I said it before, and I'll say it again this time: There's so much to the book - it's a bit like Tolkien in the sense that there's a lot of stories left untold and history that's barely referenced at all. And, the main character, Angarahad Crewe, or Harry, as she prefers to be called is very real feeling. I can't help but sympathize with her so much.

A favourite novel that I know I'm going to love over and over again. Perfect for everyone from teens on up into adults of all ages. As always with this book, if I were rating books with stars here, I'd give The Blue Sword a five star rating. Thanks again for a wonderful read, Robin.

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.

Chalice - Robin McKinley

This review originally appeared at Royal Reviews on the fifth of September, a bit earlier than I'd expected. Here is an edited and slightly expanded version, posted in honor of the one year release date for the hardcover edition:

Chalice
Robin McKinley
Putnam
Copyright Date: 2008
978-0399246760
272 Pages
Young Adult

The Amazon.com description:

As the newly appointed Chalice, Mirasol is the most important member of the Master’s Circle. It is her duty to bind the Circle, the land and its people together with their new Master. But the new Master of Willowlands is a Priest of Fire, only drawn back into the human world by the sudden death of his brother. No one knows if it is even possible for him to live amongst his people. Mirasol wants the Master to have his chance, but her only training is as a beekeeper. How can she help settle their demesne during these troubled times and bind it to a Priest of Fire, the touch of whose hand can burn human flesh to the bone?

Robin McKinley weaves a captivating tale that reveals the healing power of duty and honor, love and honey.

I love Robin McKinley, her Blue Sword is one of my favorite books of all time, and until just recently, I hadn't realized that it was actually a Young Adult novel. The same thing is true of Chalice. It reads as just a fantasy novel, good for any age.

Chalice is the story of Mirasol, newly chosen as the Chalice of Willowlands after the death of the previous Master and Chalice in a horrific fire. When the story begins, Mirasol is waiting ceremonially for the new Master, who was something never seen before: someone who had returned from a life as one of the priests of Elemental fire. Mirasol herself is something never seen before: a honey Chalice, when most of the previous Chalices were focused through water or wine.

Everything is beautifully described, from the tastes of various types of honey to the details of the characters. Even the bees come in for description several times, all of which adds to the book and its' atmosphere.

Not only does Mirasol have to figure out her new role "on the job" as it were, because she was chosen for the role of Chalice with no warning, soon there are outsiders scheming for control of Willowlands, her home.

As the story builds, we learn of the role of the Master and the Chalice in the magic of this world, where everything seems to be done in a very ritualistic manner. The roles of Master and Chalice are not the only ones though: there's also the Landsman, Oakstaff, Clearseer and Prelate, among others who make up the Circle that runs the Demesne. This is my one real complaint about the book. Even by the end of the story, I still had no clue what these other members of the Circle actually did, what their roles in the world McKinley had created are. Also, the conflict in the story could have used a slight bit more fleshing out. I didn't quite see the motivations some of the "villain" characters had.

Really, the story is focused on a very small part of the world, and we never leave it, although there are hints of things going on outside of the region of Willowlands. It actually makes for a nice change in a way, where the story isn't revolving around world-shaking events, although, for the people involved in the story, the outcome is vitally important.

I've got to make a special note about the cover art for Chalice. It's absolutely gorgeous! In fact, I think it might be one of the prettiest covers I've seen this year. Simple and clean, but beautiful. There's a slight celtic feel, but it seems like the sort of thing you might see painted on English chinaware (on the Antiques Roadshow, usually).

Robin McKinley's Blog

I've added a link to Robin McKinley's blog in the section titled "In Their Own Words". She's got some neat posts there, and what's more, it looks like she updates on a very frequent basis.

The reason I've added it is she's written a couple of my favorite books to date, namely The Blue Sword and sequel.

The Blue Sword - Robin McKinley

Edited on Feb 23, 2009 to add review links.

The Blue Sword
Robin McKinley
Ace Fantasy
Copyright: 1982
Ace edition 1987
00441068804

According to the back of the book:

This is the story of Corlath, golden-eyed king of the Free Hillfolk, son of the sons of the Lady Aerin.

And this is the story of Harry Crewe, the Homelander orphan girl who became Harimad-sol, King's Rider, and heir to the Blue Sword, Gonturan, that no woman had wielded since the Lady Aerin herself bore it into battle.

And this is the song of the kelar of the Hillfolk, the magic of the blood, the weaver of destinies...

The Blue Sword

This is honestly one of my favorite tales of all time. It's certainly my favorite of the books Robin McKinley has written. The first time I read The Blue Sword, it must be ten years or more now since, I was reading it at a friends, and they loaned it to me to finish. I finished it that night, and the next day started reading it from the first page again, enjoying it just as much the second time. The book hasn't lost its' fascination for me since. I reread it regularly.

The set up for the cultures reminds me strongly of the British Empire in India, at least how it's described in M.M. Kaye's books, with the Homelanders being the British. On the other hand, the Hillfolk remind me somewhat of the Beduin, so it's not a complete parallel.

Harry Crewe is an interesting character, she's certainly not perfect in any sense of the word, but she's very 'real'. Confident when she needs to be, but also very uncertain about what has happened to her, and why. Loves horses and books. The way she's blamed some of her actions on reading too many novels is perfect. I've done the same, although nowhere to the degree she has (In my case, it's learning to spin with a drop spindle). I like her, and if it were possible to have characters from books for friends, I think I'd like to have her for a friend.

There is a sense in The Blue Sword of stories and history untold. The book is simply filled with background details that are enough for the story, but leave the reader wanting to know more. Why have the Hillfolk dwindled the way they have? Who (and what) is Luthe? Why is strong kelar so rare? Why have many of it's gifts been lost? And these are just a few of the questions. Some are answered in The Hero And The Crown, but not most of them.

The story is dramatic and serious while remaining funny where it needs to be, mostly through little jokes in the dialogue between the characters, and in Harry's thoughts. There's a familiarity to the world which makes the magic and unexplained even more real. Perhaps it comes from the similarities to our world that I've already mentioned.

The one thing that bothers me a little, is the love story at the end. It seems to come out of nowhere, with not more than the slightest hints of what's to come. The relationship fits the story, and makes for the perfect ending to the book, I just think it would have been interesting to get a bit more on the characters' thoughts about each other before the marriage proposal.

I think there are some short stories set in this world, but I'm not sure. I certainly remember reading them (I think) but I can't remember in what books, or what the titles are.

Interestingly, when I first bought The Blue Sword years ago, I found it categorized under 'Fantasy'. Now, it can be found in Teen Fiction. I don't know why it's been changed, but I wonder if it has made the book more visible to readers, or less. The story certainly doesn't read like a teen novel to me.

Well worth the read, this book is one I'd almost class as being too short. I certainly give it a five star review.
Medieval Bookworm: The Blue Sword
Arch Thinking: The Blue Sword
The Book Smugglers: The Blue Sword
Crimson Cloud Nine: The Hero And The Crown and The Blue Sword