A new language, a new landscape, and a new people—all unforgettable.” –Horn Book
“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.” –Asimov’s Science Fiction
“McKinley knows her geography of fantasy, the nuances of the language, the atmosphere of magic…” –The Washington Post
“This is a zesty, romantic heroic fantasy with an appealing stalwart heroine, a finely realized mythical kingdom, and a grounding in reality that enhances the tale’s verve as a fantasy.” –Booklist
“McKinley has reworked many familiar mythological motifs into a tale that is completely fresh; her spare and eloquent prose is sheer delight. The novel succeeds not only as fantasy/adventure, but also as a compelling portrait of the vibrant, wryly humorous Harry.” –School Library Journal
“It is a fresh and interesting setting for a novel of high fantasy. Like the desert air, the tone is open and bright and brilliant.” –Marilyn H. Karrenbrock
Alywn Hamilton’s debut novel, Rebel of the Sands, combines a hardbitten western setting and hardboiled narrative style with eastern myth and a restrictive, patriarchal social structure. Heroine Amani is an orphan forced to live in her brutal uncle’s home, in a tiny, dusty town without prospects. But she’s also a brilliant sharpshooter who dreams of using her talents […]
Like so many readers, I first discovered Robin McKinley’s Newbery Award—winning epic fantasy novel The Hero and the Crown as a teenager. Dragged along to a yard sale with my mother, I decided to look through a jumble of old books piled into a crate marked “.10 cents each.” The novel was buried at the bottom, and while […]
This month I reached out to many of our previous Mind Melders to chat about the books they always find themselves thrusting upon their fellow readers. Tell us about a book that was particularly amazing, possibly one that flew under everyone’s radar, that you always find yourself recommending to people. These are the books you constantly […]