I actually never managed to get even remotely into Robin MacKinley's 1983 Newbery Honour winning young adult fantasy novel The Blue Sword when I tried reading it in 2002 (and in fact I pretty much with no guilt and contrition whatsoever completely stopped reading The Blue Sword quite soon after main protagonist Harry Crewe's kidnapping). For I am not a regular reader and lover of fantasy as a genre anyway, and well, compared to my absolute favourite fantasy novel ever, compared to the read at least ten times and counting by me over the decades The Lord of the Rings, sorry but with J.R.R. Tolkien's brilliant focus in The Lord of the Rings on world and myth building, on the wonderful languages he has both envisioned and created and yes the way that The Lord of the Rings textually and delightfully totally and utterly always reminds me of my favourite French, German and British Mediaeval epics, sorry, but for me, The Blue Sword and Robin McKinley utterly and totally do not even somewhat measure up to J.R.R. Tolkien's brilliance and knowledge.

So sadly, frustratingly, right from page one of The Blue Sword I have thus felt majorly bored and annoyed with everything about and concerning Harry Crewe and certainly not at all interested in continuing both in 2002 and now in 2022 (with my reluctant rereading attempt for the Newberry Club in the Children's Literature Group) when it becomes tediously and painfully obvious that in The Blue Sword Harry is basically just too good to be true, that after she is kidnapped, Harry becomes an expert linguist, horseback rider and warrior with such ease and speed that it totally borders on the ridiculous. And since I am not enough into fantasy as a genre to proverbial grit my teeth and plow through The Blue Sword even without any true reading joy, yes, I am gladly and for the second time not bothering continuing with The Blue Sword (and that I also think my two star rating is rather generous on my part, considering how very little of The Blue Sword I was actually able to read for both of my perusal attempts). And yes, I will now also want to reread both The Lord of the Rings and The Simarillian (as for me, J.R.R. Tolkien is kind of the only fantasy author I really and truly do both appreciate and love with all my reading heart and soul, now, forever and longer than forever).

Effusion warning: the following is not a review - it's more like a wordy shrine to Robin McKinley.

This is one of my favorite books of all time. One of the many reasons is that I discovered it all by myself (well, not quite by myself; a librarian put it on the shelf where I could find it - thank you, librarian!).

I was browsing the shelves at the Lee Library, and I think it was the title that first caught my attention. If I remember correctly, I took it down and flipped through it. I wasn't completely sure about it, but I checked it out. And that was that! I've been an ardent Robin McKinley fan ever since. Later I took a Children's Lit class in which McKinley was discussed, so I am reassured that even if I hadn't checked out the book that day, my life would not have been McKinley-less for too much longer.

As an English major, I (supposedly) read a lot of good books during my time at college. The ones that have stayed with me, however, are the young adult books I read for fun, and I maintain that reading Robin McKinley's books was one of the most important literary experiences I had during my time at school.

This is my first Robin McKinley book, though I do have a couple others in my possession that need to be read.

I wasn't really thrilled with this one though. Up until about 50% I was liking it quite a bit, though I couldn't tell you why, because nothing at all had happened. But it didn't take long (or, rather, it took too long) and I started to feel like the story would never actually start, and now that I've finished, all I can say is that it didn't really do anything for me.

It seemed that everything was just a little too easy, a little too square-peg/square-hole... it fit together just too perfectly. There's never a feeling of true conflict or danger that Harry will fail, because she fails at nothing... at least nothing that she does after joining the Hillfolk. Everything that she does, she's the best at. Instantly - or close enough to seem like it.

Learn a new language from the ground up? Ain't no thang! She's fluently translating in no time.

Learn to ride a crazy big, amazingly bred, best-of-the-best, super-smart, intimidating war-horse? She's riding circles around her teacher in weeks.

Learn to sword-fight after never having held anything bigger than a butter-knife in her life? She's winning competitions in less than 2 months.

Defect from the main army to defend an underrated weak flank point and command battles? Got it in one... day.

Need to drop a mountain range on your enemy? 30 minutes. 15 if you exclude travel time to climb to the top of said mountains.

I mean really? I know that she's got this whole "kelar" magical insight/guiding force... thing. But can't she be bad at something? ANYTHING? The fantasy itself was... typical. Nothing special, nothing really compelling or impressive, except that the main character is a girl who has an unknown ability that, unsurprisingly, comes into play all the time to benefit her at just the right times, without her having to do anything at all. Sure, she has to swing the sword and ride the horse, but the magic in her makes her the best at it almost without even trying, and then all the really big stuff just happens by "instinct". There's nothing at all special or impressive about Harry aside from an accident of birth, but this book apparently thinks she's the greatest thing since sliced bread.

And the "Northerners"? The mysterious danger that is such a threat that they are mentioned a handful of times in passing? Aside from them being "different", it's not until they are actually IN BATTLE that there's any kind of information given about why they are so dangerous or scary. And again, most of that is that they are just "different"... oh, and their leader is bloodthirsty and maybe part demon and their horses are double-jointed?

KILL THEM WITH FIRE.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I found this book to be boringly predictable in the worst way. The story progressed through trope check-points like it was going out of style.

Outlander finds her true "home" with the "enemy"? Check.
She becomes the best of the best of the bestest at everything? Check.
She inspires all the peoples and the beasties to love and follow her? Check.
Saves all the things? Check.
She gets the guy/King? Check.
Bridges the gap between THEM and US? Check.

Boring.

I also felt like the writing style itself was... odd. Sentence structures felt awkward and out of order, leading to this stilted kind of narration/dialogue that felt too formal and too informal at the same time. Maybe that's due to the fact that this book is 25 years old... it's just dated, and feels like it.

I was hoping to like this book, but it was just disappointing in the end. I hope McKinley's other books are better.

I've read this so many times, and at so many different times in my life (I think I first picked it up very near it's original publication date) that a review is practically impossible. I'm sure I've absorbed this story in my bones. So some random-ish observations.

This may be the first time I've noticed that it's third-person omniscient perspective, which may be some of what lends it its old-fashioned tone. Frankly, I loved getting bits of Corlath and Mathis and even Dicky and Tom so I'm glad she made this choice.

I always forget the massive slow-down in pace once they get to the castle. it's foreshadowed by Mathis telling Hari that she can expect a crash, but there's a definite dreamlike quality to these scenes. This time I was conscious of Corlath being largely absent. He pops in for a periodic interaction but I missed him and had been looking forward to a slow-down to see more of him.

Luthe continues to be a huge mystery to me. I'm not sure what his purpose in the story is supposed to be, though I'll take the support for Hari that lets her do what she must in spite of everything/everyone else telling her different. I noticed, this time, that this section isn't dreamlike, particularly in contrast with the castle we just left. It isn't supposed to be, for Hari, because she has enough kelar to weather the atmospere, so that makes sense.

Anyway, it remains a favorite and I'm sure I'll read this one again sometime in the not-so-distant future. Hari finding her home, her people, and her purpose reaches deep inside me, every single time.

I've read this book well over a hundred times in the last twenty years; it's probably my favorite comfort read ever, and I know the text even better than the screenplay of The Princess Bride. This is the first time I've read The Blue Sword since reading Chalice a few months ago, and I tried to read it with fresh and critical eyes just to satisfy my curiosity about McKinley's writing style.

Fresh eyes were impossible after such a long acquaintance, but I did realize that it's more floridly written than I had ever noticed... and in a way that would get in the way if I were reading it now for the first time. I mean, I'm completely intolerant of overwriting, and yet this is a book that I read over and over; and what's more, I was thrilled to find echoes of its style and vocabulary in every other book McKinley wrote, up until the last one. Huh.

Regardless of how my tastes in prose have changed, this one still feels like a big cozy hug of a book to me. I know I'll pick it up again in a few months when I'm faced with an empty library shelf and a cold foggy afternoon with my kitties.

An excellent fantasy book.

Fun, easy and the ending is just what you’d expect. This is a well written YA book that I would recommend to anyone trying to get into the fantasy genre.

This book is better than it ought to be, and I'm honestly a bit bamboozled why I received it as well as I did (or why it has such a good rating here on Goodreads). Let me break it down, then, into the Good, the Bad, and the My-Theory-On-Its-High-Rating, starting with...

The Bad

1. Many technical aspects of this book are just bizarre. There are point of view switches MID PARAGRAPH. Much of the story is told in a third-person-limited focusing on Harry Crewe, a girl sent to the wild and uncivilized Darian steppes where she... FINDS HER DESTINY!!! (surprise!) But every so often, whenever its convenient, we'll get the thoughts of Corlath, the king of the Darian Hillsmen, or Malin, her teacher, or X. It's annoying and lazy.

In addition, there is some writing that is just plain nonsensical. Especially near the end, I read through several lines and said, what? Where's the editor? I promise I was not drunk nor high nor sleep-reading.

2. Nothing happens in the first 50 pages. I have rarely read a book which has so little momentum for so long. The only reason I kept reading was the high rating it had here. I'm glad I did finish it up, but still.

3. Almost nothing happens in the entire book. Now I got through it, and I wouldn't say that I ever felt bored. Actually yes I would. Occasionally, I was bored. Honestly, very little happens - there's all sorts of unnecessary interludes to the action, especially a visit to this mountain wizard Luthe, who serves literally no purpose in the story. And the end, when it does come, is so anti-climactic, which in turn leads me to...

4. So easy. In this book there is a magic called kelar whose limitations are never really explained. In fact, this magic becomes essentially an omnipotent force that helps Harry whenever she needs it. Wall blocking your way? NO PROBLEM KELAR TO THE RESCUE. Learn a new language in a couple of weeks? NO PROBLEM KELAR TO THE RESCUE. Learn to fight with a sword and ride a horse in 3 weeks better than people who have been doing it their entire lives? NO PROBLEM KELAR TO THE RESCUE. Confronted with a massive army and a diabolical warlock who has kelar of his own and has been using it his entire life? NO PROBLEM KELAR TO THE RESCUE. Friends mortally wounded? NO PROBLEM KELAR TO THE RESCUE. Confused, not sure where to go in life? NO PROBLEM KELAR TO THE RESCUE.

The real hero of the story isn't Harry or the king Corlath, it's... KELAR!

The Good

1. The world is fully and nicely realized. While there are some claims that a new language was invented... not really. There are a few words here n there and that's all. Nevertheless, it is quite easy to imagine the Darian landscape and its people. They have a real heft to them, the weight of existence.

2. Writing is very plain. Which is a negative. But it is very earnest. Which is a positive. While the story is lackluster, the writer never tries to spruce it up with fancy writing. A simple and easy read.

3. It's a perfect YA book - it's a coming-of-age (fancy word: bildungsroman) experience through and through. That is its entire point even. My complaints about the lack of conflict are, therefore, not entirely valid when the book is viewed in this guise. The conflict then, would be person-against-self, Darian-Harry vs old Outlander-Harry.

My Theory On Its High Rating

1. People love a good destined hero or heroine. I don't. I think that having the hero be magically-destined ruins the humanity of that character. An external magic power forcing her destiny removes (or weakens) the element of choice. Which makes for a far less compelling character.

2. The book is escapist. The plot itself is about Harry escaping her civilization. Harry is a Mary Sue (very little actual characterization). The detailed setting and culture is perfect for a fantastical escape. I don't think escapism is bad; in fact, I love the idea of a book as a portal into other minds and places.

But I do hate Mary Sues. If you were to ask me to describe Harry, I would have trouble writing more than a paragraph or two.

3. It's a simple, easy read. People like that, and I have no beef. I actually read books as an almost visceral experience, the pure sense delight of seeing a well-crafted metaphor or a fabulous line of dialogue. But that doesn't mean I don't appreciate plain, unpretentious writing either.

Feb. 2018 reread (for the umpteenth time) with my real-life book club. One of my all-time favorite comfort reads!

If you're wondering why YA fantasy lovers praise Robin McKinley (and based on her more recent novels that's a fair question), this book is one of the reasons.

The Blue Sword is one of those magical fantasies that I've read more times than I can count, and love beyond reason. I also think this 1982 book has been a little bit forgotten over the years, at least if you're not a Robin McKinley fan, and that it beats most of what passes for YA fantasy nowadays. It's certainly (IMO) much better than most of McKinley's more recent works, so if you've tried one of her later books and think she's not for you, you need to give this one a try. (Or The Hero and the Crown. I recommend both without reservation.)

This story is set in a fantasy world very reminiscent of British colonial-era India in the 1800's. A young woman named Angharad, known as Harry to her friends, has traveled across the sea to the outskirts of this desert country, known as the Royal Province of Daria (nope--no echoes of the British empire here) to join her brother at a military outpost. Harry is tall and quiet and a little awkward and doesn't feel like she fits in, despite the fact that there are only a few unmarried women at this outpost and their company is in high demand at dances and dinner parties among all the young soldiers.

But more important things are afoot: Sir Charles, the officer in charge of the outpost, is trying to negotiate with the Hillfolk, a nomadic desert people who ride magnificent horses. BTW I love the intelligent, brave horses and cats in this book; that's probably one of the reasons it's so near to my heart.

Corlath, the leader of the Hillfolk, is trying to get Sir Charles to commit the British army to help fight against a horrible magical horde from the north whose attack is soon coming. In the process of negotiations, Corlath catches a glimpse of Harry, and his kelar, the magical power in his blood, insists that he kidnap her and take her with him to the hills. So he does, not knowing why, but knowing it is necessary for some reason.

So begin the adventures of Harry, as she learns to ride a Hillfolk horse, fight with a sword, and come to terms with the kelar that runs in her own blood as well as Corlath's. She also needs to come to terms with her own heritage, her relationship with Corlath, and what her role will be in the fight against the inhuman Northern army.

This story takes place in the same world as The Hero and the Crown, which is set in an earlier time but was written later, so you can read these books in either order. And you should. They both have a permanent place on my "favorites" shelf, for good reason. In these early books, McKinley pulled me right into this magical world; I felt like I was living and experiencing all these adventures with Harry and Aerin (from Hero and the Crown). I'm just sad that there are only two novels, and a handful of short stories, that Robin McKinley wrote about this world.

Hell must have frozen over because this book has everything I absolutely hate in a novel, yet I didn't hate it (I didn't love it either, but what can you do?). In it, we find:

A sloooooooooooooow moving story where, from the first page to the last, barely anything happens.

A Mary Sue protagonist that is perfect at everything she attempts.

A very by-the-numbers, bland romance.

I think I didn't hate it because it kind of reminded me of Juliet Marillier novels, which I generally like. Indeed, anyone who likes Juliet Marillier will probably find something to like here.

I'm not rushing to read the prequel, but I don't feel like I wasted my time on this.

Do you have a teenager who loves horses and cats? This is the book for them ! This tale is a very readable fantasy with a likable heroine named Harry. Looking for a summer family read? Add this to the list.

A great example of old school Young Adult, which IMO, puts new school YA to shame.

The story of Angharad, known as Harry, who suffers the loss of her parents and is shipped off to an army outpost. There she is given into the care of one of her brothers commanders. The outpost, just close enough to unwanted allies and unforeseen enemies, seems to agree with Harry and she thrives there.

From the unwanted allies camp comes Corlath, who is drawn to Harry in a magical sense that he cannot explain.

Except for the first few chapters this is a fast paced tale of family, national pride and the awakening of magic that had been lost for years. I found it refreshing and am happy to have discovered this book, There is prequel, which I have already added to my TBR.