A Robin McKinley Collection: Spindle's End/the Hero and the Crown/the Blue Sword

Rating:
Summary: Good collection
Review: Robin McKinley is best known for her tales about the mythical land of Damar, and the occasional retelling of time-honored fairy tales. This collection includes both -- the stories about Damar, "The Hero and the Crown" and "The Blue Sword," and Sleeping Beauty with a twist in "Spindle's End."

"The Blue Sword" introduces us to Harry (Angharad) Crewe, a bored, rather plain young woman in the remote colony of Daria. That changes when she encounters Corlath, the golden-eyed Hill-King of Damar, and the powerful young man realizes that she is a part of his future. So he kidnaps her, and Hary soon begins experiencing visions of the hero queen of Damar, Aerin -- and those visions will lead her to her destiny.

"The Hero and the Crown" is the story of Aerin, the daughter of a king and a witch -- allowed to remain, but never accepted. Despite this, she yearns to be a hero, and her discovery of a fireproofing agent gives her the chance to be one. After slaying the Black Dragon, an ancient monster, Aerin pays a price and must go to the mysterious wizard Luthe for help -- only to find herself embroiled in a battle against a dangerous foe.

"Spindle's End" takes readers to a lighter place. Princess Rosie is under a curse put on her by an evil fairy: on her 21st birthday, she will prick her finger on a spindle and die. In an effort to save her, Rosie is given to matter-of-fact good fairy Katriona, and grows up as a strong, independent girl who can speak to animals (a remarkably well-done touch) and assists a blacksmith. Needless to say, things get complex as the deadline for the curse approaches...

The range of McKinley's writing is shown in this collection. "Hero" and "Sword" are grittier, more complex, more mature and more nuanced. Damar is a lot like India, and McKinley clearly worked on making the cultures and conflicts believable, while dashing in some interesting magic. "Spindle's End" is frothier and lighter. The kingdom is more generic, and the magic more cutesy. But all the books have quirky, unconventional heroines, realistic animals (especially horses), and detailed writing.

Robin McKinley's works usually hit the mark, whether they are light and sweet or darker and grittier. This collection will entertain and amuse fantasy fans who appreciate a sword, a strong hero (of either gender), and plenty of unusual twists.

Rating:
Summary: Good collection
Review: Robin McKinley is best known for her tales about the mythical land of Damar, and the occasional retelling of time-honored fairy tales. This collection includes both -- the stories about Damar, "The Hero and the Crown" and "The Blue Sword," and Sleeping Beauty with a twist in "Spindle's End."

"The Blue Sword" introduces us to Harry (Angharad) Crewe, a bored, rather plain young woman in the remote colony of Daria. That changes when she encounters Corlath, the golden-eyed Hill-King of Damar, and the powerful young man realizes that she is a part of his future. So he kidnaps her, and Hary soon begins experiencing visions of the hero queen of Damar, Aerin -- and those visions will lead her to her destiny.

"The Hero and the Crown" is the story of Aerin, the daughter of a king and a witch -- allowed to remain, but never accepted. Despite this, she yearns to be a hero, and her discovery of a fireproofing agent gives her the chance to be one. After slaying the Black Dragon, an ancient monster, Aerin pays a price and must go to the mysterious wizard Luthe for help -- only to find herself embroiled in a battle against a dangerous foe.

"Spindle's End" takes readers to a lighter place. Princess Rosie is under a curse put on her by an evil fairy: on her 21st birthday, she will prick her finger on a spindle and die. In an effort to save her, Rosie is given to matter-of-fact good fairy Katriona, and grows up as a strong, independent girl who can speak to animals (a remarkably well-done touch) and assists a blacksmith. Needless to say, things get complex as the deadline for the curse approaches...

The range of McKinley's writing is shown in this collection. "Hero" and "Sword" are grittier, more complex, more mature and more nuanced. Damar is a lot like India, and McKinley clearly worked on making the cultures and conflicts believable, while dashing in some interesting magic. "Spindle's End" is frothier and lighter. The kingdom is more generic, and the magic more cutesy. But all the books have quirky, unconventional heroines, realistic animals (especially horses), and detailed writing.

Robin McKinley's works usually hit the mark, whether they are light and sweet or darker and grittier. This collection will entertain and amuse fantasy fans who appreciate a sword, a strong hero (of either gender), and plenty of unusual twists.

Rating:
Summary: Robin Mckinley 3-pack
Review: The first thing you need to know is that this is not hardcover. Its three books.
Spindle's End is a very good book (all of robin mckinley's books are), but not as good as most of her books. It's a twisted Sleeping Beauty, where sleeping beauty is named Rosie. After Pernicia casts the curse on her, she is kidnapped by a fairy named Katriona. She grows up without knowing her identity, until her 21st birthday, when it is revealed who she is. They then have 2 find a way to outsmart Pernicia.

In The Hero and the Crown, Aerin is the daughter of the king of Damar and a witchwoman of the North, and is barely tolerated as the king's daughter by the people of Damar. After discovering a secret recipe for dragonfire protection, Aerin starts slaying the small dragons of Damar, and when the Black Dragon, Maur, shows up, Aerin kills her and is nearly killed herself. She has to be healed, and defeat her uncle, Agsded, who is bringing all of the trouble on Damar. This is Robin Mckinley's second best book in my opinion.

The Blue Sword is the best of her books. Its about a girl named Harry (Angharad) Crewe, who lives a bored life in the Homelander part of Damar, many years after Aerin's time. She is seen by the Damarian king, Corlath, a young man of great power, and is kidnapped by him. He then learns that she has kelar, the royal Damarian magical Gift. Harry then has to do some really cool stuff, that i wont tell u wut, but its good.

All three of these books are really good. And, to all of you romantic freaks like me, all three of these books are quite romantic.