The Forgotten Beasts of Eld
by Patricia A. McKillip
Originally Published in 1974, re-releasing September 17, 2017
Tachyon Publications
Goodreads: See here
Fantasy / Fable
Synopsis at a Glance:
Young Sybel, the heiress of powerful wizards, needs the company of no one outside her gates. In her exquisite stone mansion, she is attended by exotic, magical beasts: Riddle-master Cyrin the boar; the treasure-starved dragon Gyld; Gules the Lyon, tawny master of the Southern Deserts; Ter, the fiercely vengeful falcon; Moriah, feline Lady of the Night. Sybel only lacks the mysterious Liralen, which continues to elude her most powerful enchantments.
But when a soldier bearing an infant arrives, Sybel discovers that the world of man and magic is full of both love and deceit—and the possibility of more power than she can possibly imagine.
Reviewed:
This year when I started book review blogging, I realized that I was reading an awful lot of brand new books that were garnering a lot of hype. Not that that’s a bad thing, but I decided along the way that when the opportunity presented itself I also wanted to better acquaint myself with older books.
Stories that had been around for a lot longer are often written in a different way than the books of today. There’s less focus on continuous action moving the plot, and in favor of more of a slow burn and lyrical prose.
In a lot of ways McKillip’s writing style reminded me of Robin Hobb’s Assassin’s Apprentice which I also read earlier this year. It’s lofty and ambitious, and while the prose sometimes feels a little like it’s meandering around descriptions and feelings, every word is purposefully chosen to deliver on the allegory of love and the unexpected places it takes a person. Aside from the comparison to Hobb, there’s also similarities shared with the old-style fairy tales, like the ones we might read as children. There are brief moments of darkness, but McKillip instead highlights all of the beauty and wonder of her world and it never stops feeling magical.
I can’t lie though, it certainly was a challenge at times. McKillip doesn’t serve every meaning to the reader on a silver platter. Instead, a lot is inferred during conversations or in the subtext. I think this is the type of story that I could read a dozen times over and pick something new out of it each time. There are also a lot of references to places, people and events in the world that the reader never sees. It all serves to make the setting feel more open and lived in, and while it can be overwhelming, fans of the fantasy genre will find a lot to love there.
As a parable about love and loss, motherhood and letting go, it truly is a wonderful read. A lot of fantasy novels become grounded in the fantastic. In the magical battles and swords and shields and plots for power. Those same topics are certainly brought up here, but they’re touched upon in an ancillary sort of way as Mckillip chooses to ground her novel in very human struggles instead.
It was a lovely take on fantasy, and in a lot of ways the story still feels timeless in spite of having first been published in 1974.
A lovely and beautifully written story.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ = 4/5 Stars!
What other classic fantasy have you read – published before the year 2000? What do you recommend?
xoxo
I have to read this! Great review. That cover is just gorgeous too. ❤
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Thank you Mischenko! ^_^
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Wow- that cover just blew my socks off! Lovely! 🙂
And I think it’s great you decided to read something ‘older’… I have been thinking about those books myself… the new and shiny takes majority of our attention, and I always wonder- how many fantastis books must be out there that are missing out on being created hype around?
The book sounds really good as well… I think it’s great that it doesn’t serve every meaning on a silver platter because that way this book serves a higher purpose as well- I love it when books make me think and search for meanings… 🙂
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Thanks Liz! I love that cover too. It was what drew me to requesting it on Netgalley in the first place. I agree that sometimes books that challenge us to gather our own interpretations are fun in their own way. 🙂
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I’ll have to check that out. I want to read a few older fantasy books but the TBR list is always forever long
Awesome review! And I love the unicorn GIF from Legend. I love that cheesy 80’s awesomeness
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I thought the unicorn gif was fitting. There’s not an actual unicorn in the book, but lots of fantasy creatures. Plus, I just love that movie so I had to use the gif! XD
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YAY another fan of the movie! Tim Curry is that whole movie 🙂
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Yes! That’s where I discovered him and where I’ll always think of him first. 🙂
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Yep, then sadly, it’s Pennywise for me…stupid clowns
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Nice review, and such a lovely cover too. Unfortunately, I am not a fan of McPhillips writing style.
Classic fantasy, hmm? Well, a lot of RA Salvatore’s work falls there for me. Also, The Neverending Story. Gordon R Dickson’s Dragon Knight books.
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Thanks for the suggestions Aislynn! I really do need to read some RA Salvatore. I just have no idea where to start!
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Nice review! Love the cover!
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Thanks!
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I got an ARC for this and now I’m doubly excited to get to it over the fall season! I really love older fantasy novels because they tend to have a more dream-like quality to them that I don’t get with newer releases. Now that I think about it I think you’re right that many current fantasy novels are driven heavily by action and romance, not that it’s a bad thing, it’s just different.
Some of my favorite older fantasy books that I’m constantly wishing I can find ones that give me that same fuzzy feeling are Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones and The Darkangel series by Meredith Ann Pierce. I can read them over and over!
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Jamie, did you get to read this yet? Or are you still planning on getting to it this fall? I’m excited to hear what you think of it.
I agree with you about old fantasy vs. new and how the new stuff tends to focus heavily on action. That being said, I need to better acquaint myself with older fantasy. I’m woefully underread in it, but slowly trying to improve myself.
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I’ll probably start it soon. 🙂 I’m on Goodreads and can send a friend request so you can see when I read the book.
I feel the same way about most genres, whenever I think about doing top 5 lists I feel like I haven’t read enough to make good recommendations. ^^; Every time I pick up an older fantasy book I fall in love, I don’t know why I don’t read more of them! I just get so distracted by all the new releases.
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Awesome! I’ve just accepted the request. Glad we’ve connected here and there. 🙂
I’m totally with you about feeling under-read sometimes. There’s simply so much out there to read. I just recommend the things I’ve enjoyed the most while knowing that there’s always something new to discover. Have you read anything by Robin Hobb? I feel like you may really like her Farseer Trilogy series. I’ve read the first book so far and it’s classic fantasy at its finest.
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I haven’t yet but Robin Hobb is on my TBR of famous fantasy authors I need to get to, it’s hard to know where to start with some of the big authors out there. Next library run I’ll see about picking up Assassin’s Apprentice, thank you for the rec. ^_^
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