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A Robin McKinley Collection

Robin McKinley

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Good collection 4 out of 5 stars.
35 of 37 people found this review helpful.

Robin McKinley is best known for her tales about the mythical land of Damar, and the occasional retelling of time-honored fairy tales. This collection includes both -- the stories about Damar, "The Hero and the Crown" and "The Blue Sword," and Sleeping Beauty with a twist in "Spindle's End."

"The Blue Sword" introduces us to Harry (Angharad) Crewe, a bored, rather plain young woman in the remote colony of Daria. That changes when she encounters Corlath, the golden-eyed Hill-King of Damar, and the powerful young man realizes that she is a part of his future. So he kidnaps her, and Hary soon begins experiencing visions of the hero queen of Damar, Aerin -- and those visions will lead her to her destiny.

"The Hero and the Crown" is the story of Aerin, the daughter of a king and a witch -- allowed to remain, but never accepted. Despite this, she yearns to be a hero, and her discovery of a fireproofing agent gives her the chance to be one. After slaying the Black Dragon, an ancient monster, Aerin pays a price and must go to the mysterious wizard Luthe for help -- only to find herself embroiled in a battle against a dangerous foe.

"Spindle's End" takes readers to a lighter place. Princess Rosie is under a curse put on her by an evil fairy: on her 21st birthday, she will prick her finger on a spindle and die. In an effort to save her, Rosie is given to matter-of-fact good fairy Katriona, and grows up as a strong, independent girl who can speak to animals (a remarkably well-done touch) and assists a blacksmith. Needless to say, things get complex as the deadline for the curse approaches...

The range of McKinley's writing is shown in this collection. "Hero" and "Sword" are grittier, more complex, more mature and more nuanced. Damar is a lot like India, and McKinley clearly worked on making the cultures and conflicts believable, while dashing in some interesting magic. "Spindle's End" is frothier and lighter. The kingdom is more generic, and the magic more cutesy. But all the books have quirky, unconventional heroines, realistic animals (especially horses), and detailed writing.

Robin McKinley's works usually hit the mark, whether they are light and sweet or darker and grittier. This collection will entertain and amuse fantasy fans who appreciate a sword, a strong hero (of either gender), and plenty of unusual twists.

The Outlaws of Sherwood

Robin McKinley

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 65 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

...A ROBIN WHO COULDN'T HIT THE SIDE OF THE BARN... 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Undoubtedly there are other versions of the Robin Hood mythology just waiting to be thought up, written and published. The Sherwood legend is too well loved and too much of an archtype to be left alone for long. When these new stories come out, I'll read them and give them the benefit of a doubt. But, thus far, of all the Robin Hood books currently circulating, I would recommend four titles: Howard Pyle's "Merry Adventures of Robin Hood"; Parke Godwin's "Sherwood" and its sequel "Robin & the King"; and my favorite version, Robin McKinley's "The Outlaws of Sherwood".

I swear on a stack of pancakes this woman is a heck of a wordsmith!! She makes every reading of her books seem effortless. "The Outlaws of Sherwood" had such a clean style and flow that within minutes I was fully caught up in the tale and totally unaware of my surroundings. I tore thru it in a few hours and on finishing, I had to blink really hard a few times just to readjust to reality. I was that immersed in her mythical world. Since then I've read the book 5 times and have massively enjoyed all 5 experiences. I have pimped this book to a number of folks and they have all thanked me for it.

Robin McKinley writes her Robin Hood not as an lordly Earl of Locksley but as a struggling young forester, more the everyday working man type. Robin is portrayed as a reluctant down-to-earth hero, being shoved towards a destiny he doesn't want, amidst admiration and awe he feels is unmerited. Along the way, the author throws in a few twists, the biggest of which is that Robin turns out to be as inept with the bow as Shaq is with the freethrow shot. In fact, of all the bowmen in Sherwood Forest, he turns out to be one of the worst. On the other hand, Marian is practically the Kobe Bryant of that very same weapon. There are also fresh takes on Little John and Will Scarlett. The book fills out convincingly the details of rigorous survival of the outlaws in the often wet outdoors and the misery that often accompanies it, coupled with the desperate knowledge that they were one misstep away from the gallows. It's interesting how McKinley stays within the frame of the well-known story arcs, yet manages to stay consistent with the changes she'd implemented. We all know, for example, that Robin Hood enters the shooting tournament for the golden arrow prize and wins it. How does this incarnation fare in that famuos scene? Read the book, my friend, and find out. It was nicely done.

I only wish she would write a sequel! The ending of her novel takes the characters out of their well-known story paths and plants them into new territory. I would dearly like to know what happens next!! Are you listening, Robin McKinley, you heck of a wordsmith?!? But until that sequel comes, dear reader, may I in the meantime also recommend her classic novel "Beauty", her own take on the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast." You'll enjoy it - I swear on a stack of pancakes.

Editorial Review:

New York Times bestselling author Robin McKinley's vivid retelling of the classic story of Robin Hood breathes contemporary life into these beloved adventures-with Marian taking a pivotal role as one of Robin's best archers.

Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits

Robin McKinley, Peter Dickinson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Six short stories (3 by each author) 4 out of 5 stars.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.

On the whole, I was drawn into RM's stories more quickly than PD's (my favourites are "The Sea King's Son" and "The Water Horse"), although after repeated exposure I've developed some liking for two of his three. McKinley's stories herein seem to me to have more detailed and polished world-building. None of the six, to my knowledge, have been published previously.

"Mermaid Song" (PD) Setting = very like Puritan New England. (I'd have enjoyed it more if PD had simply made it an alternate Puritan history.) While the mundane setting may be off-putting at first, the sea-people's introduction is well handled when it comes. In a way, this is two stories - a family tradition (handed down from mother to daughter) and the story of the protagonist, young Pitiable Nasmith, left with her maternal grandparents upon her mother's death in childbirth.

Near the end of her life, Pitiable's grandmother tells her the story behind the most unusual of her songs - how their ancestress Charity Goodrich really survived shipwreck upon arriving in the new world as a girl. Although the People's culture isn't fleshed out much, the first contact scene between Charity and her sea-children rescuers is realistically detailed. In a neat reversal of some sea-people stories, the air-breathing person was a pet, kept in an undersea cave with no way out.

The present-day story turns grim when the grandfather takes to drink after his wife's death, which seems to have quenched what little of his heart survived his daughter's passing. Eventually he takes to walking along the seashore, and finds something that only Pitiable has learned to recognize, shaping up to a possible reversal of the secret tradition.

"The Sea-King's Son" (RM) Jenny, only child of a well-off farming family, grew into shyness as she grew up, and never let on that she had fallen in love with Robert, a good-looking younger son of another farming family from a village on the far side of the harbour separating the small towns they live in - a harbour under a curse by the king of the sea people, to avenge an injustice inflicted by the land people in the days when the two races had dealings with one another (though only a trade in luxury items, never friendship, each race considering the other too alien to grow close to). But when Jenny's parents make plans to send her away to the city for a season, in the hope that she might shake off her shyness, and perhaps find a good husband, Robert finally makes a move - for love of Jenny's inheritance rather than for her. But late in their courtship, Jenny makes an unannounced visit alone to Robert's family home, and what she learns there is more terrible for her than any ancient tale of sea-curses, and drives her onto the shortest road home - the direct route across the harbour.

"Sea Serpent" (PD) I was disappointed with the initial scene-setting, although the wave-riders eventually won me over a bit. The conflict between the New religion's chief god and the Old's chief goddess comes to a head as the builder of a new temple seeks building stone taken from the goddess' shrine (which seemed unoriginal). The magic-working temple-builder forces the neutral wave-riders, worshippers of the Sea God, to help transport the stones. The details of the minutiae, practical politics, and ethics of the wave-riders' work make the latter portion of the story a decent read.

"Water Horse" (RM) "This island is a strange place...a threshold between land and water; and the boundary between us is striven for, and fought over, and it shifts sometimes this way, and sometimes that...it is over this one island that the war is fought, and if once we yielded, then all those lands behind us - farther from the boundary we protect - would immediately come under threat, and they have no Guardians. We are the Guardians; and here we hold the line." So says Western Mouth to her inland-born apprentice, Tamia, who began her training at fourteen as do all apprentices, and can't help worrying that she's not really suitable for the work. But Western Mouth was a very old woman by the time Tamia came along...When Western Mouth has a stroke five years into Tamia's apprenticeship, the defenses are torn open, allowing a creature of sea-magic to slip through that Tamia must face in her Guardian's stead.

"Kraken" (PD) Somewhat similar to "Mermaid Song", although the two humans swept into the water are saved by more supernatural means and for more complex reasons. The protagonist, a young sea-princess indulging in her last rule-breaking before coming of age, runs serious risks to try to return them to the upper air.

"A Pool in the Desert" (RM) The only Damar story herein - not surprising, for a country bordered by desert in the more recent ages of the world. The protagonist, a present-day Homelander (not unlike our own present), begins dreaming of a time so far in Damar's past that it has become legend, and finds it far more like home than her parents' household, with their stranglehold on their children.

Editorial Review:

What magical beings inhabit earth’s waters? Some are as almost-familiar as the mer- people; some as strange as the thing glimpsed only as a golden eye in a pool at the edge of Damar’s Great Desert Kalarsham, where the mad god Geljdreth rules; or as majestic as the unknowable, immense Kraken, dark beyond the darkness of the deepest ocean, who will one day rise and rule the world. These six tales from the remarkable storytellers Robin McKinley and Peter Dickinson transform the simple element of water into something very powerful indeed.

Beauty

Robin McKinley

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 25 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Enchanting "Beauty" 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 7 people found this review helpful.

The best-known and best-loved of Robin McKinley's books is also one of the best of the fairy-tale retellings -- "Beauty," a more enlightened, fully-drawn version of "Beauty and the Beast." There's a depth and a richness to the story and characterizations, as well as a beauty of atmosphere and writing.

Beauty (real name is "Honour") is the ironically-named heroine of the story -- she isn't beautiful, but is very intelligent. She has two sisters, the beautiful Hope and Grace, and a benevolent, wealthy father. Then all their lives change suddenly: the ships their father owns are lost, and the money goes with them. One of the sisters marries a poor but worthy country lad, while the other lost her beloved fiancee who captained one of the ships. After selling their possessions the family moves to the countryside.

The father leaves on a trip -- and returns with a single rose, a gift for Beauty, which carries the price of either his life or his daughter. Beauty leaves to go live at the castle of the mysterious Beast, with only her plowhorse to accompany her. She arrives at a castle of invisible servants, magical books, friendly animals, and a melancholy Beast who asks her to marry him every evening...

There is nothing new in fairy tale retellings now, but when McKinley first wrote "Beauty," it was a relative rarity. And even now, few of them are as intelligently written and have such solid heroines. Rather than giving her story a contrived "twist," McKinley merely fleshes out the storyline and gives the characters personalities.

The writing is excellent; McKinley writes the more prosaic passages of cottage life and the surrounding friendly village, as well as the more dreamlike, fantastical scenes in the Beast's castle. Lots of atmosphere, either in the poor but warm surroundings of the house, or the eerie feel of the castle.The dialogue is nearly flawless: McKinley doesn't write ye-olde-formal prose, but the characters never sound -- or think -- like modern Americans.

Beauty is a great heroine -- brainy, kind, wry-humored, brave and strong. Though the "Beauty" element is discarded, it is done so with the apparent understanding that this "Beauty" has brains and guts rather than a pretty face. The Beast himself is a little more shadowy; we never get inside his head the way we do Beauty's, but then the book is hers, not his. Beauty's father and sisters are equally well-done, avoiding the cliches of nastiness in favor of being likable or haunted.

Robin McKinley's debut "Beauty" is still among the best-loved fairy-tale retellings. With the help of a gutsy, brainy heroine, it rises above a mere retelling and becomes THE retelling.

Editorial Review:

When the family business collapses, Beauty and her two sisters are forced to leave the city and begin a new life in the countryside. However, when their father accepts hospitality from the elusive and magical Beast, he is forced to make a terrible promise - to send one daughter to the Beast's castle, with no guarantee that she will be seen again. Beauty accepts the challenge, and there begins an extraordinary story of magic and love that overcomes all boundaries. This is another spellbinding and emotional tale embroidered around a fairytale from Robin McKinley, an award-winning American author.

The Stone Fey

Robin McKinley

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Beautifully Written, Beautifully Illustrated 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 9 people found this review helpful.

Really, they should have a separate scale for Robin McKinley. _The Stone Fey_ is vividly written and illustrated, capturing one's imagination in the first page. It's particularly well suited for reading aloud &/or for a "coffee table book" -- eye catching, ear enthralling, and a dang good story.

"Passionate and Haunting" 3 out of 5 stars.
7 of 8 people found this review helpful.

First off, this book is not for children. As another reviewer stated, it *is* convoluted, but I think McKinley wrote that way to give the book a slow, thoughtful pace appropriate to the plot and setting. The inside cover of the book called it "passionate" and "haunting". Those two words describe it better than any review I have seen up here.

Editorial Review:

Maddy has been roaming the hills of Damar with her sheep since she was a girl. The Hills hold everything she desires: her family; her beloved dog, Aerlich - and soon, her fiancé, Donal, who has been away for a year. But one evening a lamb is lost. And when Maddy returns to the Hills to find it, she discovers something else the Hills possess - something that will change her forever...

A Knot in the Grain and Other Stories

Robin Mckinley

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 22 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Lily. A woman with power to heal, but no powers of speech. Then she meets a mage---a man who can hear the words she forms only in her mind. Will he help her find her voice?

Ruen. A princess whose uncle leaves her deep in a cave to die at the hands of a stagman. But when she meets the stagman at last, Ruendiscovers fatehas a few surprises in store for her.

Erana, As a baby, she is taken be a witch in return for the healing herbs her father stole from the witch's garden. Raised alongsidethe witch's troll son, Erana learns that love comes in many forms.

Coral. A beautiful young newcomerwho catches the eye of an older widowed farmer. He can't believe his good fortune when Coral consents to be his wife. But then the doubts set in---what is it that draws Coral to Butter Hill?Annabelle. When her family moves, the summer befre her junior year of High School, Annabelle spends all her time in the attic of their new house--until she finds the knot in the gain which leads her on a magical mission.

The Hero And The Crown

Robin McKinley

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Editorial Review:

Young Adult Fiction

Imaginary Lands

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Great Author 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 36 people found this review helpful.

This is one of the best books I have read. Robin McKinley paints such beautiful pictures with her words. I started reading her books for a book report, but now I read them every chance I get! If you need a book to keep you occupied, this is the one for you!

A good find 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I have never seen this book in a store, and as a collector of Robin McKinley's many works, I had to have this anthology. It is a fairly quick read, as it keeps you turning pages. Of course, some of the stories are to be preferred above others, based on the tastes of the reader. McKinley's story in particular was haunting, much darker than her usual stories. I found this a great opportunity to find other fantasy and sci-fi authors to read.

Imaginary Lands 2 out of 5 stars.
0 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Imaginary Lands is a collection of Fantasy stories . I think that it was a dull book, the sentence fluency was choppy and some of the words used I couldn't understand at all. I only read three stories which were kind of interesting, the first one that I read was about a man named Arram who helps an old woman see the inner beauty in herself with magic. I thought it was a nice story but there was too much information that was a waste of time to read and had no relation to the story line. The next story was a little better, it was Evian Steel. Evian Steel was about a girl named Elaine who is sent to become a magic sword forger and is befriended by a girl named Veree who is about to make her first sword. Veree knows a secret about the sword that Elaine hasn't learned yet, Veree has to cut herself and make her vein bleed into a basin, the blood gives the sword its uniqueness. Will Veree be able to do it? The third story I enjoyed quite a bit, it was the curse of Igamor. The story starts with a legend of a horse who steels children and evil, greedy adults, like the lord of Aigues Mortes, his Chancellor, and constable. Is Igamor as mean as he sounds?

The Blue Sword [UNABRIDGED] (Audio CD) (Unabridged)

Robin McKinley

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Editorial Review:

Harry Crewe, the Homelander orphan girl, is pleased with her new home. Life in Istan is certainly easy, but a voice in her ear whispers that the home of her heart is among the Hillfolk, among the descendants of Lady Aerin, who once wielded Gonturan, the Blue Sword.

Elementals: Water

Peter Dickinson, Robin McKinley

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Tales from a Magical World 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I just finished reading this compilation of stories and I LOVED IT.

They were all great short stories that stood alone well, tales of magick and adventure.

The very best part was the last story which is set in Robin McKinley's world of Damar, familiar from her books The Hero and The Crown and The Blue Sword.

On the bookjacket, it was said that there would be more books written in this series. I can't wait!

Editorial Review:

Six magical, fantasy tales from two major award-winning authors The shriek of the wind, calling the waters to rebel - and a silver man from the sea with a voice like the roar of a seashell...A long-told story of the sea people and their song - and a golden eye, glittering in a pool at the edge of a desert...A ferocious serpent, its body as thick as the trunk of a large tree - and the immense, unknowable Kraken, dark beyond black, cold beyond ice, waking on the ocean floor...A mesmerising collection of short stories inspired by the element of Water - readers will be swept away by the superb storytelling skills of two major award-winning authors.