In The Forests Of Serre (Paperback)

I think the few complaints about characterisation stem from a failure to appreciate McKillip's deliberate homage to the allegorical nature of the traditional fairy tale. Personally, I found everyone from the scribe to the Queen to be brilliantly unique yet still representative of an archtype.

"In the Forests of Serre" is the best novel McKillip has written in the past few years.

When Ronan reaches his home, the king wastes no time telling him that he will marry Princess Sidonie in four days. Although Ronan tries to demur from this wedding, saying that he is still grieving his lost wife and child, the king refuses to delay the wedding and, when Ronan continues to deny his command, the king puts Ronan under guard prior to the ceremony. Ronan's mother is sympathetic but is powerless to change the king's plans.

While Ronan is in his guarded room, he sees the Firebird in the forest and hears her singing. Ronan leaves his room, walks down the staircase and, while the guards are following him at a slower pace, slips out of the castle gates and down the cliff to the forest. There he follows the Firebird, running and running, then standing still to watch and listen, and then running again. He is soon lost in the woods, enthralled by the beauty and song of the Firebird. As he follows, the prince is asked by various distressed animals to help them with their troubles, which he does in an absent-minded way.

In Dacia, Princess Sidonie is told of the impending marriage and runs to Unciel, a formerly powerful wizard, to convince him to urge her father to change his mind. The king is relentless, however, and soon persuades Sidonie and Unciel that the marriage must occur to preclude an invasion of Dacia by King Fergus. Unciel suggests that a wizard should accompany the marriage party to protect against the wild magic of Serre. He is still too weak and powerless from a long and strenuous battle against a mighty foe to provide such protection, but he calls upon the wizard Gyre, who owes him a favor, to accompany Sidonie's party.

After many long and hard weeks of travel, Princess Sidonie and her escorts finally enter the forests of Serre. While playing with her bow and arrows in the forest, Sidonie comes upon a wild and ragged looking man following the Firebird. She talks to the confused and somewhat incoherent man for a while and gives her bow to him as he starts to run after the Firebird. When they reach the Castle in Serre, Sidonie soon determines that the deshelved man must have been Prince Ronan.

This novel is a story of wizards and witches, princes and princesses, kindness and cruelty, and warm passion versus cold intellect. The witch Brume is devious, but can sometimes be fooled. King Fergus is powerful and determined, but has only limited perception. The story is full of light and mystery and ends with a hint of still other secrets not quite seen.

Highly recommended for McKillip fans and anyone else who enjoys adult fairy tales written with a light and fanciful touch.