Helpful Score: 1
This book is McKillip's not so much re-told, but re-imagined legend of the witch Baba Yaga and the Firebird.
Princess Sidonie is sent to wed a prince from a neighboring kingdom to form a political alliance and keep peace. But Prince Ronan is still mournng the death of his previous wife and his child, and wants nothing to do with another woman, no matter how lovely. He flees into the wild country - country known to be inhabited by the dangerous and powerful witch Brume. Ronan ends up not only grief-stricken, but cursed and bewitched. Sidonie is left, with even her escort, the wizard Gyre, mysteriously absent, to negotiate a difficult political situation in a hostile environment.
McKillip uses the familiar elements of traditional fairytales, but weaves them together into a complex story of very real people, each with their own emotions and motivations, moving through a tale replete with symbolism and meaning.
As with all McKillip's books, excellent.
Princess Sidonie is sent to wed a prince from a neighboring kingdom to form a political alliance and keep peace. But Prince Ronan is still mournng the death of his previous wife and his child, and wants nothing to do with another woman, no matter how lovely. He flees into the wild country - country known to be inhabited by the dangerous and powerful witch Brume. Ronan ends up not only grief-stricken, but cursed and bewitched. Sidonie is left, with even her escort, the wizard Gyre, mysteriously absent, to negotiate a difficult political situation in a hostile environment.
McKillip uses the familiar elements of traditional fairytales, but weaves them together into a complex story of very real people, each with their own emotions and motivations, moving through a tale replete with symbolism and meaning.
As with all McKillip's books, excellent.
Helpful Score: 1
Amazing.
Helpful Score: 1
A haunting fantasy.
This lovely and complex book is beyond words, it's so good. Patricia McKillip always makes you feel like you're breathing poetry and not reading prose. I loved this book so much that I had to keep picking it up after I read it through, reading parts at random, and falling in love all over again with _In the Forests of Serre_. This is one of my comfort books now - a story I re-read many times.
Patricia generally writes such beautiful and marvelous stories that I come back to them constantly. I can recommend ten in a heartbeat!
And no, I won't tell you anything that happens. Follow the path into the Forests of Serre and be enchanted and transformed...
Patricia generally writes such beautiful and marvelous stories that I come back to them constantly. I can recommend ten in a heartbeat!
And no, I won't tell you anything that happens. Follow the path into the Forests of Serre and be enchanted and transformed...
McKillip's writing style is simply lovely, her imagery stunning. Half the beauty of the book is simply the wording and ideas. The other half is the plot, which doesnt disappoint. It is so full of twists and turns that at several points I wasnt sure who was good, who was bad, and who I was rooting for. Despite having 4-5 main characters (not including the firebird or the witch) in at least three places at once, it was never confusing. Everything comes together at the end just the way it should. I think I would have loved this book when I was a pre-teen just as much as I did as an adult.
McKillip's writing style is simply lovely, her imagery stunning. Half the beauty of the book is simply the wording and ideas. The other half is the plot, which doesnt disappoint. It is so full of twists and turns that at several points I wasnt sure who was good, who was bad, and who I was rooting for. Despite having 4-5 main characters (not including the firebird or the witch) in at least three places at once, it was never confusing. Everything comes together at the end just the way it should. I think I would have loved this book when I was a pre-teen just as much as I did as an adult.
McKillip's writing style is simply lovely, her imagery stunning. Half the beauty of the book is simply the wording and ideas. The other half is the plot, which doesnt disappoint. It is so full of twists and turns that at several points I wasnt sure who was good, who was bad, and who I was rooting for. Despite having 4-5 main characters (not including the firebird or the witch) in at least three places at once, it was never confusing. Everything comes together at the end just the way it should. I think I would have loved this book when I was a pre-teen just as much as I did as an adult.
Awesome fantasy. Beautifully written, highly engaging, unputdownable. I read this years ago and this story is one that will stay with you for all time!
