Like The Hero and The Crown this read is a reread...for the manyeth time. (Manyeth is not a word except in the fact I just made it up to mean I've read this book many many times, so there). To be honest I like The Blue Sword more than The Hero and the Crown, though it's a thin line of liking and they're both excellent.

Much like The Hero and The Crown, McKinley continues to break rules and go her own way in The Blue Sword. And it still works and for the same reasons. I love Harry. I love Corlath. I want a giant cat of my own right now!

On another note, it was interesting to read these books back to back and see the echoes between them. I don't actually remember which one was written first ((Yes, I know I could go look it up, but that would spoil the mystery)) but I like how they intertwine. There are a few shared characters and lots of shared history and a love for the land, the horses and the people.

A wonderful reread. I'm sure I'll be back to it again soon.

This book is one of my all-time favorite books. I re-read a few weeks ago and I just can't get over how much I love it still.

Robin McKinley just has this ageless style of writing and it's just so amazing. I mean, it seems like it should be old-fashioned. Maybe because it's not very fast-paced. But it's not, it's just, timeless.

One reason I love this book so much is because of the simple sweet love story between Hari and Corlath. It's just so cute.

Also Hari is just a strong character. She's interesting and practical. i like characters who are quietly strong and quietly passionate. And very capable.

I'm so glad it held up to a re-read. Still one of my favorite books.

Hace bastantes años que leí 'The hero and the crown' (que es una precuela de esta novela) y tengo que decir que aquel me gustó bastante más que este.
Y aún así he disfrutado mucho de esta historia... aunque sentí bastante conflicto personal porque la protagonista se tome TAN BIEN su rapto (ocurre al inicio de la novela), y luego lo del colonialismo que cierra un poco regular... cosa que podemos perdonar quizás, porque fue escrito en los años 80.
De todas maneras, es único y original, como todo lo que he leído de esta maravillosa autora.

I'm making it my mission this year to read more classic fantasy, and felt motivated to start with an author who has run hot and cold for me: Robin McKinley. I'm less familiar with her expanded body of work, but have vague memories of reading and enjoying The Hero and the Crown when I was a teenager. It somehow flew over my head that it was a prequel to her original Damar book, so I dove into this eager to fill in the gaps surrounding the characters I had originally enjoyed.

Overall, I liked but wasn't blown away by this story. The strength of the narrative lies in McKinley's geographical prowess, as she creates a vivid image of the sand-blasted Damarian desert, populated by the nomadic Hillfolk and their stoic king Corlath. It was easy to see how various locations linked together and the setting was highly believable. I was less inspired by the characters: I know this is an early entry into the female led fantasy cannon but Harry felt two-dimensional and wasn't especially divergent from the typical hero archetype. Was also not expecting this to be a horse girl novel, but
the extensive discussions into Harry and her relationship with her horse quickly catapulted this solidly into horse girl fantasy territory. Corlath, too, felt ill-defined beyond his role as King and uniter of his people. I would have been interested to learn more about his history and his relationship with the mysterious kelar. My favorite characters were, to my surprise, the gruff old men: kind and loyal Jack Dedham and Harry's grizzled mentor Manthin. I think it helped that they had more of an established history in canon (literally just due to their age). The writing style was also not my cup of tea: it is vivid and Toilken-esque but often expounds upon minor details for longer than I appreciate. Overall I enjoyed and respect this novel for its importance to the fantasy genre (and the YA fantasy genre in particular) but unfortunately think that this era of fantasy may not be for me.

So bummed out!! Sadly, I cannot listen to this audiobook. Diane Warren's narration is good (enough), but the audio is poor quality, outdated (1992), with loud gasping breaths between sentences. Returned it to Audible.

I asked Audible to re-narrate this one, since it is an award winner. Or I will buy the e-book and read it, instead. Cancel that. It doesn't come in kindle ebook in the USA??

*******
"This is the story of Corlath, golden-eyed king of the Free Hillfolk, son of the sons of the Lady Aerin.

And this is the story of Harry Crewe, the Outlander orphan girl who became Harimad-sol, King’s Rider, and bearer of the Blue Sword, Gonturan, the sword Lady Aerin carried, the sword only a woman may wield, for it will turn in the hands of a man."

This book has a marvelous sense of place. As much as I enjoyed the characters, the beauty of the dessert and clash between cultures were really what stood out. The plot has a very archetypal structure, making satisfying if not particularly surprising. Harry is multifaceted and appears not only strong and controlled but worried and lost, as the situation demands it. I thought she grew in very realistic way and her self-discovery went side-by-side with our discovery of her. I wish I'd first read it as a teenager and been able to enjoyed it then. The writing is intelligent and sensitive enough, however, to work perfectly well as an adult novel.

2014 Review:
HARRY. OH HARRY. I loved her. I have a lot of feelings about Harry and how she reacts to becoming a pawn in some bigger puzzle and trying to balance that with who she believes herself to be, and lkdfjkdj more Harry.

AND CORLATH YOU BEAUTIFUL ANGRY KING.

One minute complaint: when Corlath first recognizes Harry's gift, he thinks that she has never been in love because she couldn't look at someone with that amount of emotion. And it's never brought up again. :( I desperately wanted some resolution to that thought! Does Corlath have nothing to fear because of his own gift, or what? THESE ARE MY THOUGHTS.

Also read: 5 February 2013; 8 December 2014; 6 December 2019

I loved this book. With all my heart. It starts with a girl who doesn't quite fit, then builds from there. There are demons and heroes and enchanted swords and true love. Also legends and big loving cats and semi-supernatural archers. Did I mention evil? Oh, and kings and proto-British cavalry? And horses from the fever-dreams of Alec Ramsey! Palatial tents. The best kinds of friendship, the kinds which transcend rank and sex and age.

The plot is classic, the story arc undeniably satisfying, and the writing superb.

Where was I when this book came out? I wish I'd had it earlier, but I'm glad I have it now. Another for the permanent collection.

I read it with interest, even though the heroine, very conveniently, is able to do everything perfectly and trusts everybody, and they really are trustworthy. The only conflict is the war, with enemies that we don’t get to see, and who are defeated by magic in less than 2 chapters.

3.5

First let me say that I did enjoy the story. There were some parts I really liked and was really into, but others that I had some issues with.

Harry Crewe is the kind of protagonist I tend to instantly relate to - a girl a bit too wild to be "proper", looking for her place in the world. And I did relate to her, for the most part, except for the way that she sort of went with everything. The book called it pride and stubbornness, to not challenge your kidnappers, I've seen some reviews call it stoicism... but, to me, it just seemed kinda weird.

Also, while I give McKinley a bit of a pass since the book was written back in the early 80s - before the glut of fantasy of the shelves - but the overall story is just a bit too typical: Outsider is discovered to have the magical power needed by a people, and which lets her learn their language, how to fight, and all sorts of other nifty stuff, in 6 weeks because she has kelar - it's like the Force, but different.

As much as I liked Harry, she was a bit Mary Sue-ish, what with everything coming so easily to her. And I couldn't help thinking that, if this were a movie, the whole training bit would totally be a montage, which got me thinking of the Team America song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JU9Uwh...

Honestly, I felt like the writing was a montage in places.

There were times where the writing connected with me, and other times where I found it too sparse and distracting. Not to mention the way it jumped around... doing a summary type thing of "this is how the six weeks were spent" and then going back and filling in some details.


But, that said, I did like it. I liked Harry's growth, and that her stubbornness and pride actually carried through and were important parts of the story. I liked learning about the Hillfolk, who I kept thinking of as vaguely Bedouin-based.

At the end of the day, it's a pretty standard story, but well told enough to make up for this fact. As I did say, I struggled with the jumpy writing in places but, overall, I liked the characters and the world and would make this one a keeper.

Robin Mckinley’s books, simply put, are scrumptious. There is something so compelling about her writing, the flow of it, words carefully chosen, written so as to lull you quietly into the magical world she created. You become slowly embedded deep within the characters minds until their thoughts resonate inside you, and you just curl into the lyrical prose, and you become part of the story, and the land rises vividly in your mind, and you feel the kelar just as surely as Harry does.

To me, The Blue Sword is a luscious feast, a delicacy to be savored. I found as I read it that I hang onto every word, feeding slowly on it. It won’t appeal to everyone’s tastes, but this is my type of read, with vivid descriptions of the land, careful insight into the characters thoughts, and the slow evolvement of the plot. This story is about Harry, who feels that there is no one place she can call her home, and her discovery of where that home is, or more specifically, who. As a result, there is less action (and romance), and more of Harry’s journey of finding herself and her place in her world.

What puts the true feeling into the book is the relationships Harry has with the people (and animals) she loves and comes to love. She discovers more of herself through their eyes and respect of her. Her relationship with Corlath isn’t quite defined. As her abductor, she shouldn’t feel anything for him. But he treats her with such respect and kindness she comes to see him as a friend, perhaps a very dear friend that could be something more. There are some scenes between these two that are just so endearing and precious. Moments when you can see into Corlath’s heart and can feel his aching for this girl who is in pain. My favorite part is when the two profess their love for each other.

The Blue Sword is truly a work of art. Dare I say a almost a lost art, with the quality of young adult novels lessening drastically and leading more and more to disappointment and boredom? I want more books like The Blue Sword. Fantasy at its finest, with beguiling prose and real characters, and a magical, vivid world built precisely and carefully. I’m glad McKinley’s books have been recognized and received honors or medals. They certainly deserve them.

I missed my “Robin McKinley window” by about thirty years. If I had had the good fortune to come across this novel when I was fourteen, I’m sure I would have sought out more of her work and enjoyed them to the same extent as I enjoyed authors such as Andre Norton or Lloyd Alexander (whom I did have the luck to meet around this time in my life). As it happens, I’m too experienced a reader (and, mayhap, too cynical?) to fully appreciate the spirit in which the book is written. There were too many niggling “off” things for me to immerse myself, and chief among them was the heroine, Harry, who never became sufficiently “real” enough for me to care for her.

But I don’t want to come down on McKinley too harshly or suggest that this isn’t a good book. In fact, I’m including it (and its sequel, The Hero and the Crown) in my nieces’ Xmas care package this year because I think they’d enjoy it. (And, I’m happy to say, I’m enjoying the aforementioned sequel much more than The Blue Sword, the reasons for which I’ll elaborate on in my review of that work when I’m finished.)

Recommended? Yes, though not for middle-aged, curmudgeonly sticks in the mud.