Stayed up half the night reading this, so I'm glad it gets the full five stars. No idea why I never finished it the first time I got a hold of it, but I'm guessing it was all those tedious dude wizard lineages in the first few pages (and by that I mean one wizard spawning another in mythically solipsistic fashion with a dubiously consenting woman as the vehicle). Once you get past that necessary bit of scene setting, it's magical, complex, heartbreaking.

A quiet, beautiful story about family and freedom and love. Unfortunately I wasn't in the right frame of mind for it, but I appreciated the writing flair and philosophical struggles I now come to associate with Patricia Mckillip.

Reading this book was like eating desert. The writing is simple but deeply evocative. There's lots of depth to the interpersonal conflict. Really worth reading, even if you think talking animals aren't your thing (like I did)!

This was beautiful. It reminded me mostly of reading something very old, like The Faerie Queene. I'll have to find more by McKillip (and luckily it looks like there's plenty more)

Originally published in 1975, this book still stands today as a masterfully told tale of a woman who learns that revenge isn't enough. Beware though - if you read this story you may find most of the fantasy being published today to be flavorless nothings.

This is one of those stories that has such a pure truth to the story, but told in the fantasy genre, that it will make your heart ache. On the surface it seems like a typical tale: a hermit witch who takes in an orphan baby who grows to be a man and who must follow his destiny to become king.

Instead of the story following he-who-would-be-king, we follow Sybel and how she gets drawn into the politics, only to be destroyed, and eventually saved, by decisions she makes.

But there is so much more here, because Sybel, powerful witch and mistress of fantastical and dangerous beasts, learns that love cannot be controlled. In the end she learns the greatest wisdom.

Anyone who has read McKillip knows she is a poet. Her words and imagery are her own. There are traces of Tanith Lee's voice here, but changed, softened and twisted to be McKillip's own voice.

I hope you take a chance with this old favorite of mine. It has everything good in it that is fantasy: a witch, magical beasts that talk, kingdoms that need saving, big battles, and in the end, human truth.

Enjoyable high-fantasy with lyrical prose. It took some getting used to; the story weaves and turns in refreshing ways. The dialogue is sometimes a bit melodramatic, but fits with how the story is written. A fun, enjoyable read.

Okay first of all guys, what's going on with the cover here? I mean... who?? What?? When you scroll through McKillip's other books on Goodreads you're treated with a real feast for the eyes. Absolutely lovely pieces on her covers. For example, the cover for this book:



I mean, totally gorgeous, right? And then what shows up on Goodreads...



I mean???? Wow. I'm no illustrator but........

ANYWAY I DIGRESS. This is a fantastic wee book. It took me totally by surprise, being one of the very first books I plonked down on my Goodreads to-do list, and one of the hardest ones to find. I'll admit first and foremost that I got Patricia A. McKillip mixed up with Ursula K. Le Guin (author of the Wizard of Earthsea and others) right from the start--a shameful thing, but there it is. Still a bit understandable as both female authors left their works in the fantasy fiction realm, with most notables in the '60s and '70s... I mean. Give a girl a break here!

Still, the comparison earns merit, with delightfully strong female characters painted within both authors' books. The Forgotten Beasts of Eld instantly transported me back to my younger years, spent pillaging my high school library for any sort of fantasy read I could get my nerdy lil mits on (especially, Jesus christ this is still true now, those with ANY mention of dragons). This book has a really great throwback feel to it, and even though our heroine here does have a tiny bit of a "holy shit every single man she ever meets has fallen irrevocably in love with her, she's so perfect" vibe, there's so much more to it than that! This story has a lot of depth, a lot of learning and mistakes, and some of the prose is just effin great.

Be gentle with yourself, my white one. Come with me tomorrow through the forest; we will gather black mushrooms and herbs that, crushed against the fingers, give a magic smell. You will feel the sun on your hair and the rich earth beneath your feet, and the fresh winds scented with the spice of snow from the hidden places on Eld Mountain. Be patient, as you must always be patient with new pale seeds buried in the dark ground. When you are stronger, you can begin to think again. But now is the time to feel.

If you're looking for magical creatures in a fantastical, and somewhat nostalgic (at least for me) story, look no further. I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

I can't believe this beautiful book has slipped by me all these years, and I'm so glad I finally found it!