Patricia A. McKillip

Alphabet of Thorn

Christine

Isabella

After many a recommendation from fellow fantasy readers, I finally caved in and checked out Patricia McKillip. I would have liked to start with the much acclaimed Riddle-Master trilogy, but when you don't have easy access to books in English, you take what you can get.

The plot, slightly reminiscent of The Fall of the Kings, unfurls through old books, dead kings and ancient magic while history acquires new life in the present in a distressingly literal sense.

Like many of the female fantasy writers I love, Patricia McKillip's lyrical writing creates a unique fantasy world (enough with the pseudo-Tolkien already!) with an enchanting atmosphere. It all feels very much like the work of a mature writer, expertedly mixing the ingredients to a satisfying story.

As a whole, the book being short and the plot compact, the story is, as I said, satisfying. The ending, however, while kind of making sense, felt a little out of place to me. I wish we were told at least what happened to all the other characters.

Indeed, probably due to the shortness of the book, many of these characters seem underdeveloped. Nepenthe's "friendzoned" colleague could have been more than a plot device, for instance. Even Bourne or Tessera could have used some more fleshing out.

This was an enjoyable but not mindblowing read, whose main achievement was to make me want to read more stuff by this author to see what she's capable of.

Deep inside a palace on the edge of the world, the orphan Nepenthe pores over books in the royal library, translating their languages and learning their secrets. At sixteen, she knows little of the outside world. But when a young mage gives Nepenthe a book that has defied translation - a book written in a language of thorns - it speaks to Nepenthe's soul, and becomes her secret obsession. As the words escape the brambles they reveal themselves - and begin to reveal Nepenthe's destiny ...

Paul Chapdelaine

A little more work with the character development

Alphabet of Thorn

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