Chalice, by Robin McKinley

[keilexandra]

Chalice
by Robin McKinley
263 pages (hardcover)
Genre: Fiction/Fantasy/YA

Mirasol is a common beekeeper unexpectedly named the Willowlands' Chalice, a member of the ruling Circle second only to the Master--who is a third-level priest of Fire barely returned from the temple and not quite human. The usual power-grab complications ensue.

This was interesting but not absorbing; and I was only a little freaked out by the bees. (I'm just glad I don't live in the Willowlands, because I physically could not deal with that in real life. Fiction, though, is okay.) The societal structure appears very patriarchal--Chalice is always female, Master is always male, and the two remain unchanged, stereotypically gendered roles. I also disliked the unrounded, too-EVIL antagonist (not Deager, the Overlord). I guessed from the start that Mirasol and the Master would triumph and live happily ever after; the weird flashback-as-memory narrative structure implicitly promises a happy ending, and it would probably have worked better without cover blurb spoilers.

I hear that Chalice is not among McKinley's best works. Definitely not in the mood for fairytale retellings anytime soon, but what else does she have to offer? This one was not bad at all, just not outstanding. I did like the magic and political systems, the former twisting elemental tradition just a bit to be interesting.

Comments

[gsconahan.livejournal.com]

I'm rather fond of The Blue Sword and Sunshine. The former is a fairly traditional heroic fantasy, the latter urban with vampires and baking.

[fairfeather.livejournal.com]

Is this your first McKinley book? It's definitley not her best; too simple for me and I really didn't like the evilness of the antagonist. I really liked the honey, though :)
Most of her books are fairytale retellings, but The Blue Sword and the sequel Hero and the Crown aren't; they're both my favourites of my favourites. And Sunshine isn't really a fairytale retelling, but it's quite good. I'd read those first; she has another non-fairytale book, Dragonhaven, but I really didn't like it.

[fireriven.livejournal.com]

The Hero and the Crown was a very important book to me at 11 or 12, though I haven't read it since. It comes chronologically before The Blue Sword, set in the same world, although I don't recall them being very connected.

Other than that, I really enjoyed Sunshine. If you read that, though, I hope you like baking. Sunshine focuses on her baking a lot. Oh, and vampires of course.

[diatryma.livejournal.com]

McKinley's strength for me is that she does day-to-day life very well. Plots, endings, first-person narrators? Not so much.
Also: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs-tl6GBOBo