A big thank you to Friend of the Blog, AnnaB, for recommending The Blue Sword to me. Although this is technically Young Adult fiction (fantasy), it is a well-written, engaging book and fully available to adult readers.
The story focuses around Harry Crewe, a young woman who thinks she's nothing special but who becomes enmeshed in the lives and magic of aboriginal Hillfolk. Kidnapped by Corlath, king of the Hillfolk, Harry comes into her own as one of the King's Riders and the bearer of the Blue Sword, a legendary weapon untouched by a woman's hands for hundreds of years.
McKinley is a fabulous storyteller, wry and smart. She has done a wonderful job of fully realizing a new fantasy world in under 250 pages. In fact, I wished the book was longer - the last couple of chapters felt a little rushed and I can only imagine how good it would have been if Harry Potter-length books were the norm for YA back in 1982 (when TBS came out).
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1 day ago
Yay! Glad you liked it. Seriously, I used to sleep with this book under my pillow in case I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't get back to sleep.
ReplyDeleteMe too! I read and re-read the Blue Sword and The Hero and The Sword (another powerful heroien book by McKinley)countless times!
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