The blue hawk

Rating:
Summary: Excellent YA fantasy; quasi-Egyptian setting
Review: This is the best of the Peter Dickinson juveniles: in a kingdom somewhat like ancient Egypt, with failing harvests and contracting horizons, a young man has adventures. He winds up participating in the rescue of the whole land, joined by the new young king and an exiled priest.

While the above sounds like the standard fantasy, the book is both more subtle and less predictable. It is also very well written. The description of the hero's journey down the pseudo-Nile while hidden in the coffin of the old king is a high point.