Riveting Reading
I have a new favorite author: Robin McKinley. I had never heard of her before, never read anything of hers until about a year or so ago. Then while browsing the YA fiction section of the library, I stumbled across one of her recent novels, Pegasus. It was the cover that caught my attention. Isn't that so typical? We have the saying "Don't judge a book by its cover," but let's face it, it's often the cover that convinces me to pick up and read the description. Unappealing cover (or one that tells me the book clearly isn't my type) and I don't even bother unless someone recommended it to me. I don't know what it was about the cover of Pegasus that attracted me, but something in it spoke to me. The description for the book seemed possibly interesting, but I really checked out the book based on the cover.
It didn't disappoint. Though the opening chapter was a bit tough to slog through (I hadn't yet gotten used to McKinley's circuitous beginnings), the characters soon drew me in and I was deeply involved in the story. It wasn't the plot. In this novel it feels like McKinley is mostly setting the stage; there is a plot but it moves very slowly building toward the main conflict, which doesn't even really show up until the end of the book. Rather, I fell in love with the characters. I loved Sylvi and Ebon and their friendship. Though the book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger (a sequel is supposed to be released in 2014), I finished the book feeling uplifted. This was a story about good, strong characters trying to do good things even with plenty of opposition.
I eagerly got my hands on the next McKinley book I could track down from the library, Chalice. I enjoyed this one as well, enough that I ordered McKinley's two most well-known novels to take with me during labor at the hospital when I had S. This was a risk-- to use a book for distraction during labor it needs to be uplifting, upbeat, and gripping enough to provide an escape from contractions. The Hero and the Crown and The Blue Sword more than met my expectations. More characters that I could admire and enjoy and a good deal more action and romance than the other books.
During the last year I have also managed to get my hands on nearly everything else that Ms. McKinley has published (I deliberately skipped Sunshine and Deerskin though; reviewers described them as darker and different from her norm. "Dark" is a code word that tells me to stay away, unless I want to read something depressing.) Dragonhaven was very different in tone and style than anything else she had written-- the narrator is a teenage boy, for one-- but I enjoyed it just as much as the others.
McKinley's writing style is not for everyone-- she does tend to wind a bit back and forth in time and her wording may be difficult for some. (Though she doesn't have objectionable material in the stories, I don't recommend them for younger readers just because of the more challenging vocabulary and general style.) But if you are looking for something in the fantasy genre that makes you feel good, with characters you wouldn't mind spending time with, check out Robin McKinley. Like me, you just may find her work a treasure.
It didn't disappoint. Though the opening chapter was a bit tough to slog through (I hadn't yet gotten used to McKinley's circuitous beginnings), the characters soon drew me in and I was deeply involved in the story. It wasn't the plot. In this novel it feels like McKinley is mostly setting the stage; there is a plot but it moves very slowly building toward the main conflict, which doesn't even really show up until the end of the book. Rather, I fell in love with the characters. I loved Sylvi and Ebon and their friendship. Though the book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger (a sequel is supposed to be released in 2014), I finished the book feeling uplifted. This was a story about good, strong characters trying to do good things even with plenty of opposition.
I eagerly got my hands on the next McKinley book I could track down from the library, Chalice. I enjoyed this one as well, enough that I ordered McKinley's two most well-known novels to take with me during labor at the hospital when I had S. This was a risk-- to use a book for distraction during labor it needs to be uplifting, upbeat, and gripping enough to provide an escape from contractions. The Hero and the Crown and The Blue Sword more than met my expectations. More characters that I could admire and enjoy and a good deal more action and romance than the other books.
During the last year I have also managed to get my hands on nearly everything else that Ms. McKinley has published (I deliberately skipped Sunshine and Deerskin though; reviewers described them as darker and different from her norm. "Dark" is a code word that tells me to stay away, unless I want to read something depressing.) Dragonhaven was very different in tone and style than anything else she had written-- the narrator is a teenage boy, for one-- but I enjoyed it just as much as the others.
McKinley's writing style is not for everyone-- she does tend to wind a bit back and forth in time and her wording may be difficult for some. (Though she doesn't have objectionable material in the stories, I don't recommend them for younger readers just because of the more challenging vocabulary and general style.) But if you are looking for something in the fantasy genre that makes you feel good, with characters you wouldn't mind spending time with, check out Robin McKinley. Like me, you just may find her work a treasure.
Comments