![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Title: Alphabet of Thorn
Author: Patricia A. McKillip
Published: New York: Penguin, 2005 (2004)
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 300
Total Page Count: 176,285
Text Number: 516
Read Because: fan of the author & mentioned in OK, where do I start with that? M (in comments), ebook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: Deep within underground libraries, an orphaned translator obsesses over a book written in thorns; an aged magician searches for a threat against the kingdom; a young queen comes into power as the monarch of Raine. This has the makings of epic fantasy, right down to the second world setting and the entwining prophecies of the plot, but McKillip's gaze is inward. The settings are domestic, the politics private; McKillip creates a dreamy, evocative magic that compliments rather than overshadowing subtle personal aspects. I find epic fantasy wearisome, but adored this deviation from tradition—it's beautiful, sympathetic, and the perfect escape. It's also the most accessible McKillip that I've read so far (though not the most profound), and probably a good starting place.
( Longer, later thoughts via Tumblr )
Author: Patricia A. McKillip
Published: New York: Penguin, 2005 (2004)
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 300
Total Page Count: 176,285
Text Number: 516
Read Because: fan of the author & mentioned in OK, where do I start with that? M (in comments), ebook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: Deep within underground libraries, an orphaned translator obsesses over a book written in thorns; an aged magician searches for a threat against the kingdom; a young queen comes into power as the monarch of Raine. This has the makings of epic fantasy, right down to the second world setting and the entwining prophecies of the plot, but McKillip's gaze is inward. The settings are domestic, the politics private; McKillip creates a dreamy, evocative magic that compliments rather than overshadowing subtle personal aspects. I find epic fantasy wearisome, but adored this deviation from tradition—it's beautiful, sympathetic, and the perfect escape. It's also the most accessible McKillip that I've read so far (though not the most profound), and probably a good starting place.
( Longer, later thoughts via Tumblr )
