The Hero And The Crown by Robin McKinley
May. 2nd, 2011 02:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
This is the story of Aerin Dragon-Killer ... a story you will never forget.
Although she is the daughter of Damar’s king, Aerin has never been accepted as full royalty. Both in and out of the royal court, people whisper the story of her mother, the witch-woman, who was said to have enspelled the king into marrying her, to get an heir to rule Damar – then died of despair when she found she had borne a daughter instead of a son. But none of them, not even Aerin herself, can predict her destiny – for she is to be the true hero who will wield the power of the Blue Sword ...
Aerin is the only child of King Arlbeth but knows that she will never inherit the throne. Firstly, she lacks the Gift (a magical ability that only members of the royal family have). Secondly, her mother (Arlbeth’s second wife) was whispered to be a witch from the North who cast a spell on her father, only to die of despair when she gave birth to a daughter rather than a son. Aerin’s content not to be queen, but the cruel words directed against her by people such as her cousins Perlith and Galanna, reinforce the fact that she lacks a role.
Salvation comes in the form of her father’s lame warhorse, Talat, who’s in need of rehabilitation. Slowly they heal together and when Aerin finds a book that describes how to make a special salve to repel dragon fire, she realises that she could work as a dragon killer. But as she sets about her task, she cannot know that her actions will spark a chain of events that will see her wielding the legendary Blue Sword and see the return of the long-missing Hero’s Crown ...
Although this is a prequel to THE BLUE SWORD (which I haven’t read) you don’t need to know that to read this. It’s a character-driven more than a plot-driven novel and it’s easy to see why it won the Newberry Medal. The writing is lyrical and there’s a dreamy quality to the narration which adds to the overall fantasy feel.
I liked the fact that Aerin’s a strong-willed character who works doubly hard to overcome her lack of ability and who has the intelligence and patience to study and experiment. Her relationship with Talat is effective and I enjoyed the arrogance and pride that McKinley gives to his character and the developing trust that builds between them.
However.
I never really connected with Aerin and the discoveries that she makes in the final third of the book offset the hard work she undertakes. Also, in contrast to her relationship with her cousin Tor, the relationship with Luthe is underdeveloped and told in a heavy-handed manner. In fact, the story is exposition heavy, so much so that it slows the pace at times.
It’s an interesting novel with some good writing, but it didn’t grab me as much as I’d hoped. I’d read more of McKinley’s work, but I’m not in a rush to.
The Verdict:
This prequel to THE BLUE SWORD is a lyrical, dreamy novel that puts character before plot and revolves around a strong-willed female character who has to work hard to overcome her situation. However it is a slow read and very exposition heavy – so much so that it slows the pace at times. I’d be interested in reading more of McKinley’s work, but I’m not in a rush to.
Although she is the daughter of Damar’s king, Aerin has never been accepted as full royalty. Both in and out of the royal court, people whisper the story of her mother, the witch-woman, who was said to have enspelled the king into marrying her, to get an heir to rule Damar – then died of despair when she found she had borne a daughter instead of a son. But none of them, not even Aerin herself, can predict her destiny – for she is to be the true hero who will wield the power of the Blue Sword ...
Aerin is the only child of King Arlbeth but knows that she will never inherit the throne. Firstly, she lacks the Gift (a magical ability that only members of the royal family have). Secondly, her mother (Arlbeth’s second wife) was whispered to be a witch from the North who cast a spell on her father, only to die of despair when she gave birth to a daughter rather than a son. Aerin’s content not to be queen, but the cruel words directed against her by people such as her cousins Perlith and Galanna, reinforce the fact that she lacks a role.
Salvation comes in the form of her father’s lame warhorse, Talat, who’s in need of rehabilitation. Slowly they heal together and when Aerin finds a book that describes how to make a special salve to repel dragon fire, she realises that she could work as a dragon killer. But as she sets about her task, she cannot know that her actions will spark a chain of events that will see her wielding the legendary Blue Sword and see the return of the long-missing Hero’s Crown ...
Although this is a prequel to THE BLUE SWORD (which I haven’t read) you don’t need to know that to read this. It’s a character-driven more than a plot-driven novel and it’s easy to see why it won the Newberry Medal. The writing is lyrical and there’s a dreamy quality to the narration which adds to the overall fantasy feel.
I liked the fact that Aerin’s a strong-willed character who works doubly hard to overcome her lack of ability and who has the intelligence and patience to study and experiment. Her relationship with Talat is effective and I enjoyed the arrogance and pride that McKinley gives to his character and the developing trust that builds between them.
However.
I never really connected with Aerin and the discoveries that she makes in the final third of the book offset the hard work she undertakes. Also, in contrast to her relationship with her cousin Tor, the relationship with Luthe is underdeveloped and told in a heavy-handed manner. In fact, the story is exposition heavy, so much so that it slows the pace at times.
It’s an interesting novel with some good writing, but it didn’t grab me as much as I’d hoped. I’d read more of McKinley’s work, but I’m not in a rush to.
The Verdict:
This prequel to THE BLUE SWORD is a lyrical, dreamy novel that puts character before plot and revolves around a strong-willed female character who has to work hard to overcome her situation. However it is a slow read and very exposition heavy – so much so that it slows the pace at times. I’d be interested in reading more of McKinley’s work, but I’m not in a rush to.
