Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #223360 in Books
• Published on: 2004-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Amazon.co.uk
In her beautifully written novel In the Forests of Serre, Patricia McKillip (author of Riddle-Master, The Forgotten Beasts of Eld and Ombria in Shadow) again demonstrates her intimate understanding of the mysteries of magic and the human heart. Like Ursula K. Le Guin and Jane Yolen she is one of today's great fantasy writers.

Everyone in the kingdom of Serre avoids the Mother of All Witches, an ugly, powerful and dangerous woman who lives in the Forest of Serre. Then the grief-blinded Prince of Serre rides down the witch's white hen and earns her curse. Prince Ronan believes nothing can be worse than what he has already experienced: the death of his wife and their newborn. But soon the curse destroys what little the prince has left and he wanders lost and half-mad through the Forest of Serre, pursuing a beautiful, elusive firebird that may be an illusion or his doom.

The prince's only hope may be the young Princess Sidonie of Dacia, to whom his brutal father betrothed him against his will and hers. But Princess Sidonie may have no interest in helping a man she's never met. And her powerful, mysterious magician-guardian, Gyre, has secret intentions and desires of his own. --Cynthia Ward, Amazon.com

Customer Reviews

... where nothing is predictable
Patricia McKillip has gained a reputation as one of the few truly original fantasy authors out there. With her exquisitely ethereal prose and haunting stories, she is on top form in "In the Forests of Serre." Princes, princesses, witches and wizards, firebirds and black jewels are all spun together by a master.

Prince Ronan of Serre lost his wife and child, and now he tries to die by going off to fight in wars for his tyrant father. When returning from a battle, he accidently kills a chicken belonging to the witch Brume; the old woman curses him, but Ronan doesn't take it seriously. Yet when he returns home, his father reveals that he's betrothed Ronan (the only heir) to Princess Sidonie of Dacia, a small but magical kingdom. While Ronan broods about this, he sees a beautiful firebird pass by the castle, and is enspelled by it.

Princess Sidonie is no happier about being married off in a barbaric land, but she has to marry Ronan to keep Dacia from being invaded. She travels to Serre with a wizard, and encounters Ronan wandering in the forest without knowing who he is. When she comes to Serre, she finds that her future husband has vanished -- Ronan is searching for the firebird, because he can't find his way home until he gives it to Brume. But things have become more complicated -- because a wizard has taken Ronan's identity...

Like all McKillip's books, this novel is deceptively simple and intriguingly written. She uses simple concepts (witch, wizards, scribe, prince, princess, firebird, a country's magic, and talking animals) and spins her unique prose around them. This is not a book for people who like all the usual elements used in the same old way.

McKillip's prose is detailed and lush, bringing to mind the best of medieval tapestries and Loreena McKennitt music; when Ronan is in the woods, McKillip describes moths clinging to him, and spiderwebs covering rips in his clothes. The dialogue is more flowing and natural than in some of her other books; the sentences are longer and less flowery. At the same time, her descriptions of things like transformation into a firebird are exquisite.

Ronan is a slightly less vivid character at the beginning, compared to his faded mother and half-nuts father; he becomes more interesting as he stops moping and starts obsessing on the firebird. Princess Sidonie is a likable heroine, not gung-ho but very interesting and determined. The wizard Gyre adds an element of mystery to the plot, while the witch Brume will creep you out.

Venture into "Forests of Serre," where "nothing is predictable." It's haunting, beautiful and magical, not just for fans of fantasy.

Masterful and enchanting...
Although 'Winter Rose' remains my very favourite McKillip novel, 'In the Forests of Serre' is woven with every magical drop of colour and life that makes her story-telling utterly unique. It is the author's way with words that elevates this book above others. That and the way in which she seems to see things that lie beneath the surface of fact and fiction.

The emotional choices characters face are portrayed with feeling and elegance, leading to conclusions that seem more truthful and realistic than those reached in many other fantasies today. This book is not overly long; McKillip finds that balance between economy of words and lyrical brilliance by choosing her phrases with care.

The plot winds its way - with never a predictable moment - through the story action at a steady pace. The briskness at some places is made up for by the author's detailed descriptions of the scene.

One of the things that impressed me the most was McKillip's ability to retain the enigmatic air and mystery surrounding the character Gyre. Although at the end of the book, we have learned more about him - as he has learned about himself - I came away with the feeling of never truly understanding who and what he was, something I felt the author wanted to achieve when dealing with the wizards; setting them apart from other humans.

All in all, McKillip's books are certainly worthy of attention. When reading through her words and while looking back at the end of her stories, I feel there is an element of didacticism there, that plays an important role in the way a reader views the story as a whole and ponders lessons learnt by the characters.

As with all McKillip's work, a magical read, flavoured with myth and lore and exploring the complexities of life.