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A review by rootytootyrissa
The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip
4.0
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 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.