Name: In the Forests of Serre
ISBN: 9780441011575

Patricia A. McKillip

Shattered by the loss of his wife and child, a grieving Prince Ronan of Serre accidentally tramples a white hen in the road and earns himself a witch's curse, which draws him in an irresistible pursuit of a mysterious firebird, a quest that takes him into another world. By the author of Ombria in Shadow. Reprint.

In the Forests of Serre

Story Eater

Would that all books I have to read were written like this one. Complex yet simple. Simple yet profound. With no need for excessive violence, sexual content, profanity, or nastiness. Like Ursula LeGuin’s Earthsea, Serre is a place to wander in search of or in flight of oneself until the battle is unavoidable. Then the outcome makes for a better story than the beginning. 

I will definitely be reading more of this author’s writing. I hope it’s all like this.