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Summary: Review of a Great Book
Review: A Review by TaraThe book follows the adventures and awakening of Harry Crewe, a girl with past even stranger than her name. Taken from her boring life in a desert manor by the wild Hillfolk, she awakens to her past and a strange 'gift' only found in native Hillfolk. Upon visions of a great battle, she is taken into the desert for training for an epic battle to come' This was an excellent book. I've no complaints, save that it got a bit slow in the middle as the party was journeying towards the battle. The male characters were definitely well developed. For example, the writer delves into a bit of Corlath's (a supporting character) history and his struggles with his 'gift'. The way that it was written virtually painted a whole new world in front of the reader's eyes, yet leaving just enough familiarity as to not leave one feeling alienated. For example, they live on a completely different world, but still have trains, radios, and etcetera. The writer did a very good job with this. I recommend this book to a slightly older audience because of large words and perhaps concepts the younger readers might not understand. I think generally around the high school level would be a age range. People who like epics, such as Lord of the rings or Dune would most likely enjoy this book as well as those simply looking for an involved adventure. Having both male and female main characters makes this book desirable to both genders. Over all a great book. Read it.
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Summary: Bland heroine in a Well-crafted setting
Review: After hearing wonderful things about this book for years, I finally picked it up to read. The main character of the story, Harry, is an orphaned girl sent to live with Lord Charles and Lady Amelia in the desert of Damar, a land currently occupied by Outlanders. There, she idles away her days as a member of society similar to Victorian British occupation. And while she can't sleep at night for boredom, she slowly grows to love the desert, a land viewed as a hostile place by most other Outlanders. Things change when the Corlath, the frightening Hill King and a committee of his Riders, arrive at Lord Charles's seeking an alliance with the Outlanders against the Northerners. The Northerners are on the move into Damar with a massive army, yet the meeting erupts into a cultural clash and Corlath and his Riders storm out angrily, intending to return to their Hills. Yet Corlath is haunted by a single glimpse that he had of Harry, and for reasons he doesn't even know himself, he kidnaps her a few nights later to bring her back to his Hills. What follows is the tale of how Harry is quickly assimilated into Hill culture, learning the language and customs and trained in the art of combat until she is made one of the King's Riders. Harry quickly becomes Harimad-sol by dazzling the Hill-people with her skill and ability to wield the Blue Sword -- something no one has been able to do since Lady Aerin's time. Throughout this process, the kelar, or magical gift, within her gradually awakens. McKinley does a flawless job describing the fascinating Hill culture and the nuances of their language. The cultural clash between the Hill People and the encroaching Outlander occupation feels very real, as does the growing threat of the not-quite-human Northern army. Harry's animal companions Sungold and Narknon also take on personalities of their own, showing McKinley's talent with bringing animals to life. The real flaw of the book, I feel, is that things come to Harry too easily. It only takes her six weeks of training to become the best novice warrior in all the Hills. Her companions are more followers than friends. The way she resolves the conflict with the Northerners in the end is pretty melodramatic, not to mention alticlimatic. Harry acknowledges this herself with a little disbelief, which I think is McKinley's way of trying to get the heroine to deal, on a more human scale, of her ability to do superhuman things. Even when her teacher is mortally wounded in battle -- Surprise! There is a little of Harry's quick-fix magic to heal him. She experiences no real losses in the story that would make her more real to the reader, and I found I couldn't sympathize with her obstacles, accomplishments, and joys. The only truly interesting character in the book to me was the wildcat Narknon.
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Summary: One of my all-time favorites!
Review: An intoxicating world is summoned by Robin McKinley's evocative writing. The Blue Sword concludes the historical fantasy of Damar. This story takes place a few centuries after Aerin and her adventures in The Hero and the Crown, but the same spirit haunts its sequel. Our heroine extraordinaire is Harry, an ordinary, bored orphan living Daria with a military officer and his family. A political meeting with the rogue king of the Hills leads to Harry's reluctant kidnapping. King Corlath, whose sixth sense, called kelar, tells him his people need Harry. So he trains her as a warrior as the Damarians/Darians prepare for war. Harry's loyalties are tested as she grows and flourishes in her new role as Harimad-sol and find she cannot follow Corlath. Her choice carries massive repercussions for both her people and Corlath's people, who she has come to honor. This is an amazing story that layers itself into a breath-taking trip of empowerment and adventure. One of my all-time favorite fantasies, I return to this book for it's comforting, entertaining qualities. Its prequel is much more intense and heavy with realism. Critically, The Hero and the Crown is the superior, but the feel-good and fairy tale aura of The Blue Sword is much more accessible than the rich, but mature world of Aerin.
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Summary: You must own The Blue Sword
Review: I love all of Robin McKinley's books, but The Blue Sword is the undisputed favorite. I have probably read it through about 3 times a year since I picked it up about ten years ago, and I have yet to tire of it. I think it was published before The Hero and the Crown, but chronologically, it takes place afterwards. Harry, a young woman with no better prospects, moves to remote Daria where her brother Richard has been stationed. She finds that the desert and mountains of this foreign land are more familiar to her than the home she left. All the great adventures and mysticism still arise in the ancient country of Damar, especially when she is thrown together with its king Corlath. Much to the delight of Hero and the Crown fans, Luthe and Aerin appear again. McKinley's history, geography, and culture of this fantastic world fully engulfs the reader, making this one wish that sometimes that kelar would make a Damarian kidnap me, too.
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Summary: THE BLUE SWORD
Review: I Love this story I is a true classic and a wonderful adventure. Harri is my favorite character in any book she is wonderful to read about and thank you Robin for giving her life.
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Summary: wonderful read for children or adults
Review: I loved this book when I was 11 and I still re-read now that I'm 25. It was a miracle for me to finally find a book in which the girl is the hero. I will recommend this and The Hero and The Crown for my own daughter, when she's old enough to read them
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Summary: A great fantasy with romance and action!
Review: I read this after reading Hero & the Crown (glad I read them in that order too) and both books weren't initial page turners early on for me but after a few chapters...I couldn't hardly put either one of them down. You just get lost in the story and everything that's going on. Harry was a great heroine and I loved the romantic tension. The ending was awesome! I really enjoyed reading more about Aerin & Luthe too (from Hero & the Crown).
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Summary: A page turner
Review: I simply could not put this fascinating book down. After a bit of a slow start with tons of descriptions of the stodgy, dull, orange growing colony Daria, the book really took off. The abrupt switch from stolid Brititshy normalcy to outright magical fun is what makes this book so good. Robin McKinley never puts in too many unessecary details of describing the native's lives which she could have easily fallen into. I thought that the novel was much more consistent and interesting than The Hero and the Crown which started off great but got progressively boring. If you love fantasy and magic books you will just love this book. However, even if you don't like fantasy you will want to read this two or three times.
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Summary: Good Young Adult Fare
Review: Once again, McKinley spins a nice story with a fairy tale feel, a strong but not perfect heroine, and the usual Good Conquers All ending. Nice, engaging young adult fare (I borrowed the book from my kidlet, in fact). If you haven't read McKinley before, buy The Hero and the Crown as well and read them back to back.
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Summary: Magic, Mystery, and Adventure
Review: The Blue Sword brings to life, the sense of wanting and desire. In this great tale of of insightful adventure, nothing is ever what it might seem. Harry Crewe lived a normal life in what could only be paradise. But all that changed when she found herself in the middle of nowhere with her brother Richard. After being abducted in the middle of the night by Corlath the last King of Damar, Harry must find a way to fit in her new suroundings. Harry, while training to be a Damar warrior or King's Rider, learns more about the Hillfolk's culture and discovers startling secrets about her own past. Caught between feuding armies in an age old battle that could determine the fate of whether humans or demons would rule the last habital paradise in Damar, Harry must bring together the Homelanders and the last of the free Hillfolk to stop the monsterous invasion. I felt a sense of yearning to place myself in this epic story. Even though the story started out slow, I was more than glad to finish what I was reading. Robin McKinley is a great author that describes in great detail what is going on so that you feel like a part of story. I recommend if you start to read this book that you continue on through to the end. You will not be disappointed in this book.
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