Fantasy

This epic fantasy/romance won a Newbery Honor in 1982. It tells the story of orphaned Harry Crew who is sent to live with her brother in a Homelander colony named Damar. Her brother is stationed at the far end of the colony near the land the Free Hillfolk still contol.

Harry lives with the head of the Homelander delegation and his wife and tries to make a new life for herself. Unlike most who have come to the far reaches of Damar, Harry falls in love with the bleak desert and enjoys being there.

But there are problems. The Northerners are threatening an invasion though the Homelanders don't believe that they are much threat. King Corlath of the Free Hillfolk come to see the head of the Homelanders to ask for alliance against the Northerners and is rather rudely dismissed.

But he gets a look at Harry and his magic demands that he kidnap her. Harry is thus taken into the culture of the Hillfolk and taught to be one of the King's Riders. Harry fits right in. Learning a new language, learning to ride the Hill horses, and learning to fight with a sword come easy to her - as if she had known those skills all before.

Harry's path seems to echo that of an earlier lady hero - Lady Aerin - who is something of a legend to Cortlath's people. Harry also manifests the Hill magic that is gradually leaving the Hillfolk which gives her visions of the future and visions of Lady Aerin.

As they prepare for battle against the Northerners, Harry comes to believe that Corlath is overlooking a potential point for the coming invasion. When she can't convince him, she sneaks out to return the the Homelander outpost to try to recruit help to secure this mountain pass. She's accompanied by two Hillfolk companions but recruit some other help along the way including a Homelander Colonel who is also in love with Damar.

This was an excellent fantasy story. It is also a romance since Harry and Corlath fall in love over the course of her captivity. ( )

Still one of my favorite books decades after reading it for the first time. ( )

My library is encouraging reading this year by giving us a theme every month from which to choose a book. January's theme is a book published the year you were born. I used Goodreads' handy "popular by date" feature to find The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley (published in 1982).

It was in the children's section of the library which, I can say after reading it, might not be the best place for it. I pictured the heroine Harry Crewe as maybe 15 or 16, until she ended up getting (SPOILER!!!) married to a character I'd pictured as 25 or 30. Whoops.

So I'd be more inclined to put this in the teen section. McKinley's writing has an old-fashioned formal feel that can be challenging to comprehend until you get into it. And, while there is adventure and action, there are also several slow spots.

Harry's horse Tsornin and her cat Narknon are a couple of the best non-speaking animal characters I've come across in fiction. Their bond with Harry is enviable, especially if you're an animal lover, and they have lovable, entertaining, distinct personalities.

The story is classic fantasy, so it feels familiar, which can be good or bad depending on your taste. Of course, most classic fantasy doesn't feature a woman as the main hero. Though I didn't read this when I was a young girl, I did find great female heroes in books like [b:The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle|310146|The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle|Avi|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1200883701s/310146.jpg|997358], [b:Dealing with Dragons|150739|Dealing with Dragons (Enchanted Forest Chronicles, #1)|Patricia C. Wrede|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1285973718s/150739.jpg|1178402], and [b:On Fortune's Wheel|95914|On Fortune's Wheel (Kingdom, #2)|Cynthia Voigt|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171307406s/95914.jpg|1069267]. ( )

I enjoyed this. For me, the pacing was good, spending enough time on small things and interactions and still moving the story along by summarising e.g. the training section in a few pages. I was glad that the power dynamics were as absent as they could be. Despite the kidnapping in the beginning, Harry is treated with respect and consideration.
Of course, a lot of the story is moved along by magic and fate, but I wasn't bothered by it. ( )