cpark2005 reviewed The forgotten beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip
Review of 'The forgotten beasts of Eld' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Patricia A. McKillip’s The Forgotten Beasts of Eld is a fantasy classic. I’m not sure how I’ve managed to avoid reading it until now. I’m very glad I finally made time to read it though. It’s easy to see why this one is a classic and much beloved by readers. Plus, it’s always interesting to read a book that’s forty years old and see how the genre has changed.
McKillip excels at crafting emotional connection through both her prose and her characters. The words on the page are always evocative in The Forgotten Beasts of Eld. I don’t mean to be cliché, but I think I have to call the prose here magical. The words themselves are beautiful in a way that engages readers. This is fantasy prose in the vein of Tolkien, Kay, and Rothfuss. In addition to the prose—and possibly partially because of it—McKillip has given us …
Patricia A. McKillip’s The Forgotten Beasts of Eld is a fantasy classic. I’m not sure how I’ve managed to avoid reading it until now. I’m very glad I finally made time to read it though. It’s easy to see why this one is a classic and much beloved by readers. Plus, it’s always interesting to read a book that’s forty years old and see how the genre has changed.
McKillip excels at crafting emotional connection through both her prose and her characters. The words on the page are always evocative in The Forgotten Beasts of Eld. I don’t mean to be cliché, but I think I have to call the prose here magical. The words themselves are beautiful in a way that engages readers. This is fantasy prose in the vein of Tolkien, Kay, and Rothfuss. In addition to the prose—and possibly partially because of it—McKillip has given us some wonderful characters that feel real and quite fleshed out. Make no mistake, this is a character story. The plot takes a back seat to the development of the characters and they are driving the plot, the plot is not driving them. This is a perfect fire-side read for those longing for a less complex fantasy (in terms of plot), something that feels very much like a fairy tale passed down from generation to generation.
It is hard to name weaknesses for this book without seeming to simply name conventions of the genre that are now different than they were in the 1970s. There is a bit of instalove that takes place, and while later parts of the book resolve this slightly, the fact remains that Coren seems to suddenly fall in love with Sybel. The book is rather romantic, in this regard, that it reads like a legend told countless times around a fire. At times the dialog—unlike the narration—felt stilted. The third person omniscient narration sometimes made the characters feel distant. As I mentioned, however, this is mostly a litany about how fantasy novels are different now than they were 40 or 50 years ago.
The Forgotten Beasts of Eld is a classic that deserves to be read today. The prose is beautiful and the characters have a story to tell. This is fantasy of the fairy tale variety that feels like it could have been told by mothers to children for countless years. 4.4/5 stars.
5 – I loved this, couldn’t put it down, move it to the top of your TBR pile
4 – I really enjoyed this, add it to the TBR pile
3 – It was ok, depending on your preferences it may be worth your time
2 – I didn’t like this book, it has significant flaws and I can’t recommend it
1 – I loathe this book with a most loathsome loathing
