Saturday, May 28, 2011

Review: The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley

Tags: YA, fantasy, political intrigue, magic

Summary

Outlander Harry Crewe, new to their newly colonized homestead in Damar, feels a connection to the deserts beyond her new home…a connection that she doesn’t understand until she meets—and is taken by—the Damarian king, Corlath. For Harry is part of a prophecy that tells of a female warrior’s destiny to save Damar from their enemies. In doing so, Harry becomes a part of a culture that’s strange and mysteriously familiar at the same time, and cannot even begin to comprehend the extent to which her legacy will be imprinted on Damarian history.

Review

Well, they don’t really write high fantasy as they used to, now do they? There has to be a reason that Robin McKinley’s THE BLUE SWORD, first published in the 1980s, is still being widely read and adored, and that is because it is arguably the absolute best in its genre, an unmatched blend of strong characters, political intrigue, and quite simply the best damn fantasy world ever imagined and written.

It’s a little strange for me to read THE BLUE SWORD for the first time, nearly ten years after I picked up The Hero and the Crown and read it to pieces for about four years straight, it having been my favorite book in middle school. THE BLUE SWORD was written before The Hero and the Crown. I can hardly wrap my mind around that! The depiction of the Damarian landscape is incredible: ranging from endless red deserts to the hidden valleys and villages within the mountains. Robin McKinley’s language is not quite lyrical, per se, but there is a certain hypnotic rhythm that her descriptions possess. That, combined with the scope of the worldbuilding—the politics, myths, fashions, traditions, everyday duties—is entrancing. McKinley inspires awe in readers.

Harry, of course, serves for many as the blueprint of the admirable fantasy heroine. True, at times it feels like the mysterious magic of Damar is carrying her along, instead of her leading it. But her magnanimity, her determination to succeed even as she does not completely understand what’s happening to her, is inarguably admirable. Corlath’s appeal, I think, comes less from his specific characteristics, and more from his inexplicable status as the archetypal complement to Harry’s heroine role. However little or much we perceive of Harry and Corlath’s personalities, beliefs, or desires, however, they are a pair for whom we feel absolute sympathy.

I have little more to say because I feel like this is one of those instances where the more I try to examine what made this book move me so, the less impressed I will be by it. So I’ll just say that the scope of what it accomplishes is unparalleled, and if you read it at the right stage of life—say, on the brink of adolescence, just when you’re searching for a role model—then THE BLUE SWORD will undoubtedly become your bible of sorts.


Cover discussion: McKinley's books have so many different covers each. I like the design of this edition. It's uniform and hints at epic majesty without feeling too heavy or too light.

Ace Trade / Dec. 4, 2007 / Paperback (reprint) / 320pp. / $15.00

Personal copy.

9 comments:

  1. it is arguably the absolute best in its genre

    *nods head* So glad you decided to review this one and you loved it! This and Beauty are my favorite McKinleys and she's on my auto-buy list because of them. :)

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  2. I can't believe I still haven't read this book. And I call myself a YA fantasy fan? Glad to hear the hype is justified.

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  3. I also read The Hero and the Crown first, and I credit it with my love of fantasy; but this book, also read years after I first read that one, was the one that I read to pieces. Literally. I am always on the lookout for a new copy just in case the ancient mass market pb I have becomes permanently unreadable.

    (ps. I can't remember if I've commented here before, but hi! Love your blog -- it's one of my must-reads. Now I will go back to lurking.)

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  4. The second you mentioned Damar I got transported back to 8th grade and reading and rereading these books. I think it might be time that I reread them again. I'd forgotten how much I loved them, but all it took was one word.

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  5. CORLATH!

    So glad you loved this one, but sad you didn't get to experience it earlier in life.

    Isn't Robin McKinley fabulous?

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  6. CORLATH!

    So glad you loved this one, but sad you didn't get to experience it earlier in life.

    Isn't Robin McKinley fabulous?

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  7. Nice man. Extremely informative post. I'll be sure to pass this along to my tech guys.
    1980 Chevrolet Impala AC Compressor

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  8. Yay for new reviews of older classics. This book . . . how I love this book. So glad you did, too.

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  9. GAWD, I love this book. It's definitely one that I pull out every year or so for another dip into the magic of Damar. Great review!

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Hello! I'm so excited to read what you have to say. Due to high amounts of spam, I'm forced to disabled anonymous comments for the time being. Sorry for any inconvenience this causes, and I hope you can understand and still appreciate the content here!

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