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It took me a bit longer to get into this book than is usual with McKillip's work, but once I did, it was as if I had been ensorcelled-- rather like several of the characters in the book. There are several different towers in this book, and one of them is a tower where a young girl, Melanthos, goes to see things-- fragments of stories-- in a mirror, and then she embroiders what she sees. The reader of this book has a similar experience: you enter this tower, this book, and you glimpse fragments of several different stories, and slowly those stories are woven together until you become part of the story, too.

The main thread of this interwoven plot centers on a knight named Cyan Dag (whose emblem, incidentally, is three towers), who is sent on a quest by a mysterious woman bard-- but his quest is not quite what he thinks when he embarks. I had my doubts about the veracity of the reason for his quest early on, but I didn't guess the real reason for his quest. It is all the more beautiful and moving when you discover why it is that Cyan Dag, and he alone, was chosen for this quest. It is mentioned more than once that Cyan Dag sees with his heart, that he has ancient eyes. He could never have accomplished what he did if he'd been asked directly-- he would have thought it impossible for anyone, and perhaps his brain would have gotten in the way of his heart. The bard explains to him, after his quest is over:

We needed you... We wanted all your courage and your gentleness, your determination, your loyalty, and your gift for seeing and for doing, as when you heard the young boy crying in the rain, what must be done.

This is a beautiful book-- three towers (and more), three sisters, and one faithful knight bringing peace and magic back into his world.

Title:	The Tower at Stony Wood
Author:	Patricia McKillip
Date published:	2001
Genre:	Fantasy
Number of pages:	304
Notes:	This book was a birthday present.

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Another delightful fairy tale re-telling from Robin McKinley, this time (if you couldn't guess from the title), we get her version of Sleeping Beauty-- although there isn't so much slumbering in this story. McKinley creates a new country so saturated with magic that it settles around like dust and has the potential to invade such ordinary, every-day tasks as boiling water or slicing bread. This also allows McKinley to set up a dichotomy between the more academic and intellectual wizards, in contrast with the wilder, and ultimately more powerful magic of the fairies, both good and evil.

As with so many of McKinley's heroines, the girl who should be a slumbering princess is instead a tomboy who talks to animals, hangs around the smith's yard helping him shoe horses, and learns to be a horse doctor. Rosie detests the silly fairy-gifts she was given by her fairy godmothers at her christening (things like ridiculously long eye-lashes, curly blond hair, and the like), and has a stubbornness familiar to those who have encountered some of the other women in McKinley's books.

Because we all know the fairy tale, I'm not giving anything away when I say that the evil fairy Pernicia is defeated in the end. But the way that Rosie wins out is largly due to the strength of her own individuality, and also due to the loyalty of her many friends, both human and animal. Pernicia's strength is clear, and it is very obvious that things could have easily gone another way. This is one of the more creative retellings of a fairy tale I've read; the ending is fresh, and the characters (especially characters who never come into the traditional version of the tale) are delightful and lovable.

Title:	Spindle's End
Author:	Robin McKinley
Date published:	2000
Genre:	Fantasy
Number of pages:	354
Notes:	Second or third reading, at least.

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I don't read many comic books, but I am a big enough fan of Joss Whedon's work in other media that I thought it was worth giving Fray a try-- and it is well-worth the time. It doesn't take a long time to read, but it may take longer to process and think through the fascinating world and characters that Whedon (with the help of the visual artists, of course) have created here.

Melaka Fray is a street-savvy "grabber" who fetches (steals) things for a price. She lives in the darker part of the city, where the poor people live, and where mutated or deformed humans are common. There are vampires around ("lurks", in the street slang-- Fray doesn't even know them by the term "vampire"), but there hasn't been a Slayer for centuries-- so when the need for a new slayer arises and Fray is the chosen one, she doesn't get a lot of help. As was often the case for Buffy, there are always personal complications in the fight against vampires, and this story is no exception to that rule. I like that Fray is drawn fairly realistically (and not as some juvenile fantasy of what a woman might look like), and I also like the fact that she has a very particular and distinct style (there are some pencil sketches reproduced at the end of the book, and it is fun to see Fray next to Buffy).

One thing I wondered about is how Fray's world fits in with the end of the Buffy TV series, because at the end of the series they changed the rules about slayers-- and this seems to predate that rule-change, in a way. The story does reference a huge battle involving the last slayer, which banished all the demons (although if that is the case, why are there still vampires in the slums?). I suppose if it has been centuries since there have been any slayers, and even the watchers are a little bit crazy, there is a little bit of leeway for how the rules might apply to Fray-- after all, she doesn't seem like the type to follow them, anyway.

Title:	Fray
Author:	Joss Whedon
Date published:	2003
Genre:	Science Fiction / Horror
Series:	part of the Slayerverse
Number of pages:	216
Notes:	This is a graphic novel.

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So far as I am aware, this is the first book by Robin McKinley to be found in the Horror section of the bookstore (I know because I had to look it up in the bookstore computer when I went to buy my copy and couldn't find it). No doubt Sunshine is classified as horror because of the strong presence of vampires-- but in spite of this, there is a clear continuity with McKinley's earlier books, which include mostly fantasy and a few re-tellings of fairy tales-- and there is a definite connection with McKinley's two previous versions of the story of Beauty & the Beast.

I love this book and the characters-- even though Sunshine's world is a dark one I might not want to live in, it is a very believable world. This is partly accomplished through the minute details that flesh out Sunshine's world, in particular the slang. If there is a slang word for vampires (they call them "suckers"), then you know that they've been around for a while and people have sort of gotten used to the fact. The same goes for all the different kinds of magic and charms and the like that are a part of Sunshine's everyday world-- there is an incredible level of detail and logic to how these things work. Sunshine herself is also such a matter-of-fact narrator, with a very individual, believable, and even humorous voice.

In the past, when I've discovered a new book by Robin McKinley in my local bookstore, I've purchased it immediately without knowing anything about it (this actually happened with Spindle's End). That is how much I love McKinley's work (I own most of her books-- I think I probably have every full-length novel she's written). But when I first found out about Sunshine, I read some unflattering reviews on Amazon.com, which made me doubt this book. As a result, I didn't immediately pursue getting a copy, and forgot about it for a while. Somehow I was reminded about the book, but since I still had my doubts, I actually read a public library copy of Sunshine the first time... But I tore through the book, and I could hardly wait to get a copy of my own when the paperback edition came out.

I haven't read a lot of vampire fiction (in fact-- I'm not sure I've really read any besides Sunshine), but I'm familiar with Buffy & Angel, and I like the way McKinley spins the vampire tradition-- again, McKinley has thought things through and the details are completely fleshed out and logical. The character of Con, of course, is fascinating, and I love the idea that there are different ways of being a vampire. I think I prefer McKinley's descriptions of vampires-- It seems like vampires ought to look obviously different from humans (unless they are "passing"), although I can imagine that would be much more difficult and expensive to do on film or TV. In this world, vampires are clearly creatures of the night who are inimical to humans; their senses work differently, they travel differently, even though they are also very wealthy, powerful, and clever (they even have their own technology that hooks into this world's version of the internet).

The whole book is a treat to read, and even though it's a decent length book, it reads pretty quickly. The ending is perfectly suited to the rest of the book... but it also leaves me with some hope that perhaps McKinley will return soon to this fascinating world and the wonderful characters of Sunshine and Con.

Title:	Sunshine
Author:	Robin McKinley
Date published:	2003
Genre:	Horror
Number of pages:	405
Notes:	Third reading.

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G & I wanted to prepare ourselves for the release of Harry Potter book 6, and when G found an unabridged book-on-tape edition of book 5 at the library right before a long road trip, it seemed like perfect timing. Normally, I don't do books on tape very often (if at all); G does more since he has a long commute to work right now. At first it took me a while to warm up to the reader's voice, but he did such a great job with all the different character's voices that it was delightful to listen to. It was also fun to enjoy the book together and talk about what we remembered and didn't remember, or speculate about things. As long as our road trip was, The Order of the Phoenix was longer-- we didn't have time to finish the book on the road. But that worked out fine for me: G listened to the rest on his work commute for the next few days, and I just read the last few chapters in our copy of the book.

Reading this book made me want to go back and read all the other Harry Potter books, too (the practical part of me realizes both that I don't have time for that right now, and that there are lots of other books I want to read-- maybe I will re-read them all before book seven comes out). Sometimes I think that Rowling's writing is not so fabulous (on the level of wording or style), but somehow the characters she creates are so memorable and likable-- which is a far more powerful literary gift than perfect style.

One of the interesting things about this book is the different kinds of evil Rowling presents. Umbridge is clearly an awful woman, and she is evil-- she uses dark means to what she considers to be "good" ends, and she is very interested in power and control (without even the wisdom or the skill to be able to manage them well-- it's made quite clear she's not nearly as talented in magic-practicing as the other Hogwarts teachers, as exhibited by her inability to clean up the portable swamp Fred & George created in a hallway). Umbridge is clearly evil-- she is both like and un-like Voldemort. And, just as in the real world, Harry has to learn that not all evil people are in league with each other. There are plenty of evil people even in supposedly good institutions.

Title:	Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Author:	J. K. Rowling
Date published:	2003
Genre:	Fantasy / Young Adult
Series:	Harry Potter
Number of pages:	870
Notes:	Second "reading".

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The more I read Patricia McKillip, the more I think that she knows just where to end her stories. She doesn't tie up all the loose ends, she leaves you wanting more of the world & characters she's created. The main conflict is usually resolved (or begun to be resolved), but the other pieces are left more open-ended. At the end of Alphabet of Thorn, the Queen is wondering how she can possibly explain the recent, extraordinary events to her people in language they will understand. Her advisor, the Mage Vevay, says, "Just begin at the beginning and proceed whichever way you can into hope." I wonder if McKillip operates that way for her own work?

As might be expected from the title, much of this book is about language and writing; the main character is a foundling who has been trained as a translator, and she is a gifted one. Nepenthe finds a magical book written in thorny letters, and it ensorcels her so she spends every waking moment working to translate it. Similarly, as a reader, I found it easy to be drawn into this book of Nepenthe's world. This thorny alphabet also conveys a powerful message about the power of writing to communicate and connect people.

There are plenty of interesting characters and history in Nepenthe's world; I would have been pleased to read more about many of them. The forest and the floating Wizard school are delightful; the student of magic, Bourne, is just beginning to discover the extent of his powers; the mage Vevay has had a long lifetime, doubtless full of adventure; the young queen Tessera, who is trying to discover how to rule without being her father; the ancient first King of Raine, who awakes to warn Tessera of danger, and who turns out to be a warrior queen; and of course the fascinating legend and history of Axis & Kane.

Ultimately, the mystery behind the magic of the alphabet written in thorns is compelling, and does not disappoint. It is fascinating to see Nepenthe's story connect with the legends she is translating, and the resolution, while perfectly believable, is not the one you might expect.

Title:	Alphabet of Thorn
Author:	Patricia McKillip
Date published:	2004
Genre:	Fantasy
Number of pages:	291
Notes:	This book was an early birthday present.

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Told from the point of view of Anodos, a young man who has just inherited his father's house and possessions-- and who discovers that his grandmother was actually a fairy. At first he doesn't believe her, but expresses a desire to go to Fairy Land. The next morning when he wakes up, his bedroom gradually transforms into a forest glade in Fairy Land. The rest of the story is made up of his travels through Fairy Land, and the people and creatures he meets.

Phantastes is one of those books that I've heard about for a long time-- supposedly it inspired people like C. S. Lewis and Tolkien, and helped them believe that it was possible to write Christian fantasy and original fairy tales. Lewis says in his introduction that the imaginative world of MacDonald's works is "the divine, magical, terrifying and ecstatic reality in which we all live", and suggests that Phantastes sort of baptized his imagination, long before he became a Christian. So, I had some pretty high expectations, and as a result of that, I was a little disappointed. This book feels more like a series of short stories, which all happen to feature the same character, the narrator. It didn't feel like there was a great deal of progression, and it certainly didn't feel like a novel, as MacDonald's Lillith does.

Many of the episodes are obviously allegorical, and of course Anodos' whole journey is supposed to be some kind of spiritual progression. In one village, Anodos finds that all of the people look attractive until you get within a certain distance of them. One time, Anodos is protected by the lady of the Beech tree from the evil Ash tree. Another episode seems like a somewhat disturbing allegory of female sexuality; Anodos meets a young girl who is almost a woman, with a little crystal globe which is "at once her plaything and her greatest treasure"-- she doesn't want to him touch it, but when he does, the globe vibrates and makes beautiful music. Eventually the globe becomes irresistible to Anodos, and he wants it so badly that he fights the girl, and breaks it. Later on, Anodos meets her again, and she says losing the crystal globe was a blessing in disguise, because without it to make music for her, she learned to sing. At some point, Anodos finds a beautiful white lady asleep within a block of clear marble, so he sings her to wakefulness and freedom, and spends much of the rest of the story searching for her. Another time, Anodos opens a door he has been warned not to-- and his shadow finds him, and trails along with him for the rest of his travels through Fairy Land.

MacDonald's style is not always my favorite-- the story is interrupted with "songs" that the narrator translates and records for us (often noting that the words were different, but it was "something like this", or that "I could not understand, but which left in me a feeling like this"). The quality of this work seemed a little uneven; some of the stories are much more engaging and compelling than others. Anodos' journey didn't seem quite as life-changing as it ought to have been, although perhaps I have missed details or not understood aspects of MacDonald's story. Phantastes is definitely worth reading at least once, if only for the better stories and the influence it has had on other writers. It is a book I will probably come back to in a few years, and maybe I will understand it better then.

Title:	Phantastes
Author:	George MacDonald
Date published:	1858
Genre:	Fantasy
Number of pages:	185

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This is a mesmerizing, magical book full of fascinating characters. It begins and ends with two different stories that are told as if they were merely a folk-tale or a legend, but of course in the world of Ombria the tales hint at more truth than even the characters telling them realize.

Ombria is a city in political turmoil; the prince of the city has just died, and his young son and heir falls under the shadow of the dark, insidious Domina Pearl, an ancient woman with unknown powers and a desire to control Ombria.

After re-reading this book, I understand better why it might be classified as a Young Adult book-- much of the book focuses on the intriguing character of Mag, and in a way it is a "coming of age" story for her. Mag has grown up believing she is a "waxling" created by the powerful Sorceress Faey who lives under the city, but Mag gradually discovers she is human, and must struggle to discover where she belongs. It's easy to sympathize with Mag as she begins to take tiny actions of meddling in palace politics, through small gestures of help and small interferences in Faey's spells when she disagrees with their aims.

There are plenty of other fascinating characters in Ombria in Shadow. Kyel is the young prince, mourning his father and unsure who to trust, who speaks more truthfully through his golden, ornate puppets. Ducon is a handsome bastard son of the late prince, who could try to take advantage of the political upheaval for himself, but instead he does his best to take care of the young Kyel, and continues sketching the people and places and shadows in Ombria-- and discovers that there is a magical quality to his skill with charcoal. Lydea, the dead prince's mistress, is another character (like Ducon and Mag) who does not know where she belongs. Because of her love for Kyel, she persuades Faey to give her a magical disguise so she can be near the young prince without the dangerous Domina Pearl discovering her. I love the moment when Ducon cautions Lydea not to feel, because her passion is a stronger spell than Faey's disguise.

The most interesting character, however, is the sorceress Faey who is somehow connected with Ombria and its Shadow city, and who always wears different faces from Ombria's past. She seems somewhat sinister, especially at first, but is clearly offended when people compare her to the evil Domina Pearl; we learn the most about her through her relationship with Mag. I particularly loved her nonchalance during the climax of the book-- she is ancient enough to have experienced it many times, and doesn't seem to understand completely what is happening, but it doesn't worry her, either. Faey seems similar to some of the other powerful females in McKillip's other books, particularly Brume from In the Forests of Serre, who is also connected to her land, although more sinister.

The ending is lovely & masterful. We get a story that may be an answer to some of Mag's questions (but it also may not be), and although most of the characters don't remember what happened before the climactic shift in Ombria, it is suggested that Mag and Faey both remember what they have experienced, along with the reader.

Title:	Ombria in Shadow
Author:	Patricia McKillip
Date published:	2002
Genre:	Fantasy / Young Adult
Number of pages:	291
Notes:	Second reading. I purchased my copy of this book in London.

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