The Blue Sword - (Newbery Honor Roll) by Robin McKinley (Paperback)

About the Book

Living in the desert country of Damar, shared by the Homelanders and the secretive magical Hillfolk, orphaned Harry Crewe is kidnapped by Corlath, the Hillfolk king, who intends to train her in the arts of war until she is a match for any of his men.

Book Synopsis

Read this modern classic of young adult fantasy from award-winning, New York Times bestselling author Robin McKinley

Harry Crewe is an orphan girl who comes to live in Damar, the desert country shared by the Homelanders and the secretive, magical Free Hillfolk. When Corlath, the Hillfolk King, sees her for the first time, he is shaken--for he can tell that she is something more than she appears to be. He will soon realize what Harry has never guessed: She is to become Harimad-sol, King's Rider, and carry the Blue Sword, Gonturan, which no woman has wielded since the legendary Lady Aerin, generations past.

* "This is a zesty, romantic heroic fantasy with an appealingly stalwart heroine, a finely realized mythical kingdom, and a grounding in reality that enhances the tale's verve as a fantasy."--Booklist (starred review)

"McKinley knows her geography of fantasy, the nuances of the language, the atmosphere of magic . . . ."--The Washington Post

A Newbery Honor Book
An ALA Notable Book
An ALA Best Book for Young Adults

Review Quotes

Praise for The Blue Sword

* "This is a zesty, romantic heroic fantasy with an appealingly stalwart heroine, a finely realized mythical kingdom, and a grounding in reality that enhances the tale's verve as a fantasy." --Booklist, starred review

* "McKinley has reworked many familiar mythological motifs into a tale that is completely fresh; her spare and eloquent prose is sheer delight." --School Library Journal, starred review

"A new language, a new landscape, and a new people--all unforgettable!"--The Horn Book

"McKinley knows her geography of fantasy, the nuances of the language, the atmosphere of magic . . . ." --The Washington Post

"Any book that, at one point or another, reminded me of The Sheikh, Gunga Din, Islandia, and The Lord of the Rings can't be anything but a true original." --Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction

About the Author

Robin McKinley has won various awards and citations for her writing, including the Newbery Medal for The Hero and the Crown and a Newbery Honor for The Blue Sword. Her other books include Sunshine; the New York Times bestseller Spindle's End; two novel-length retellings of the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Beauty and Rose Daughter; and a retelling of the Robin Hood legend, The Outlaws of Sherwood. She lives with her husband, the English writer Peter Dickinson.