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Alphabet of Thorn
  
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Alphabet of Thorn (Library Binding)

by Patricia A. McKillip (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
List Price: CDN$ 24.54
Price: CDN$ 16.87 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 39. Details
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Customers buy this book with In The Forests Of Serre by Patricia Mckillip

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Price For Both: CDN$ 32.20

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  • This item: Alphabet of Thorn by Patricia A. McKillip

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Product Details

Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Those who have bemoaned the death of the true fairy tale will be delighted by this charming foray from World Fantasy Award-winner McKillip (Ombria in Shadow). She skillfully weaves together two eras and two sets of believable characters to create a single spellbinding story that brilliantly modernizes a beautiful old formula: the clever orphaned foundling has no desire to seek out her parents nor ambition for high office; the powerful wizard is a disguised woman deeply in love with the conquering king, who treats his subjects kindly; the sullen young queen catapulted to her throne by her father's unexpected death turns out to have both skill and humor in unexpected places; the haughty witch finds herself honestly baffled by turns of events that she never predicted. Moreover, where another author might have played up slapstick clumsiness for cheap laughs, McKillip evokes compassion for the characters' frustrations as they take their befuddled steps toward their predestined meeting. Best of all, the strong female leads neither rail against nor submit to patriarchy. In this magical world blissfully free of bias, people are simply themselves, equally intelligent and witty and thoroughly capable while prone to the occasional error, in a manner that transcends feminism and becomes a celebration of essential humanity. The brisk sweep to the slightly abrupt conclusion leaves the reader longing for more.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


From Booklist

McKillip has a long record of creating magical stories and faery worlds that truly live, even if it takes a bit of reading to get into them. This book is an excellent example of her approach. Nepenthe, an orphan, is a scribe and translator in the royal library of Raine. Then, during the coronation of the new queen of Raine, a young mage brings her a book written in a language of thorns that no one can read. Discovering its secret becomes her obsession. Meanwhile, the young queen must deal with courtiers who seek to profit from her youth and inexperience. Her search for usable knowledge brings her secretly to the library. An old epic of forgotten times may have something to say of the fate of Raine, if the facts behind the poetry can be found, and the quest for those facts constitutes the heart of a novel that won't in the least disappoint McKillip's loyal readers or their high expectations. Frieda Murray
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Customer Reviews

18 Reviews
5 star:
 (11)
4 star:
 (4)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (18 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most helpful customer reviews

 
4.0 out of 5 stars amazing writer, May 5 2008
By greatedcorn (canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
Ce commentaire est de: Alphabet Of Thorn (Paperback)
i think that this is one of the better written books i've had an opportunity to come in contact with, her writing style is just amazing. i mean, no offence, but the plot is not the most fascinating i've come across... it's focus is on a librarian who's trying to translate a book written in some foreign language. kind of dry sounding. but the author does a phenomenal job at capturing a sense of passion and obsession that one can't help but get drawn in to.

my one complaint about this author in general is that her books are kind of detached from the reader, distant in a way. it's not so much that i don't care about what happens, but that i'm just not given enough information to be able to assess the situation in depth. on the other hand, this quality gives a lot of her books an air of mystery and unpredictability. like the detachment you feel on a rainy day, where things are kind of surreal and you don't feel quite connected to the world, feeling like you're interacting with the world from another place, not your own body. so while this is a negative, in certain moods i do enjoy it because of that almost dream like approach. unique to be sure.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly lucid..., Jul 16 2004
By temiak (Nebraska, USA) - See all my reviews
Ce commentaire est de: Alphabet Of Thorn (Hardcover)
I have read several of McKillip's books, and while I haven't always understood them completely, I've never disliked them. McKillip's style is vague and dreamy, more apt to give impressions rather than photographic descriptions. If you can appreciate that style, give her books a try; if not, might I suggest you look somewhere else?

As to the Alphabet of Thorn in particular, I found it surprisingly grounded in reality (as real as fantasy gets, anyways!) for one of McKillip's stories. (Never fear, it was still occasionally obtuse and mystifying, but less so than her previous works.) It was an interesting premise, and had me hypothesizing until nearly the end. Once the mystery was revealed, the book quickly drew to a close in a moderately anticlimactic finish. Don't get the wrong impression; this was more of a disaster-averted-at-the-final-moment sort of anticlimax rather than a disappointing conclusion. This is also one of the few of her books I'd be willing to reread at some future date (once I've forgotten the answer to the riddle of thorns). Give it a try.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous, of course!, Jul 1 2004
By Deborah Fredericks "fantasy author" (Spokane, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Ce commentaire est de: Alphabet Of Thorn (Hardcover)
I always expect the best from McKillip. Here the fascination was in two interwoven stories, coming together in a terrifying climax. McKillip threw out some great red herrings, too, as a major character who I thought was someone else in disguise turned out not to be.

In a rare turn, though, I was disappointed in the ending. A child's fate is in the balance, and nobody thinks to consult the father. He's more than just a sperm donor, you know!

Despite this, McKillip is my all time favorite and I will continue to look forward to new work.

Deby Fredericks, author of THE MAGISTER'S MASK

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 		 Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Rebirth
The Riddle of Stars is my favorite work of fantasy. This comes close to that great work. A wonderful trek through the minds of the main characters. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Published on Jun 25 2004 by J. Beck

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful
You don't just read McKillip's books, you savor them. The way she writes is just beautiful - more so than any other author I've read. Lisez davantage
Published on Jun 15 2004 by R. E. Reynolds

5.0 out of 5 stars Language of Mythos
For months I wait for a new McKillip novel, checking the revised dates for release, hoping that it will be released sooner rather than later. Lisez davantage
Published on Jun 13 2004 by nyliramedur

3.0 out of 5 stars Dreamy
The only thing I can truly praise about this book is the dream-like spell it casts over the reader. McKillip's prose flows gently along like water babbling over rocks in a brook -... Lisez davantage
Published on May 23 2004 by Book_Learning

2.0 out of 5 stars not as good as I hoped
I haven't read many of Patricia McKillip's books. I read the Riddlemaster series long ago as a child. I picked this one up out of sheer boredom from the library. Lisez davantage
Published on May 16 2004 by fezabel

5.0 out of 5 stars She continues to stay on top...
Patricia A. McKillip has done it AGAIN with this book, Alphabet of Thorn. It's just as good as her other books, but it IS easier to understand-it's much less dreamy than her other... Lisez davantage
Published on April 11 2004 by polkadots

4.0 out of 5 stars DELIGHTFULLY DIFFERENT
Ms. Mckillip has written a delightful little story weaving into one tapestry magic, love, war and conquest. Lisez davantage
Published on April 6 2004 by Phillip B. Spotts

5.0 out of 5 stars Orphan Nepenthe studies books in the royal library
Orphan Nepenthe studies books in the royal library but knows little of the world outside its walls, so when a young mage gives her a book which defies her translation skills, it... Lisez davantage
Published on April 4 2004 by Midwest Book Review

3.0 out of 5 stars Not up to her usual standards
I am a big fan of Patricia McKillip's work, and I have read most of her books. I was a little disapointed then when I finished Alphabet of Thorn and realized That Was It. Lisez davantage
Published on Mar 8 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars In the end, all endings are the same....
Fans of Patricia McKillip will know to some degree to what to expect in her novels -- magical atmosphere and beautiful, totally original plots. Lisez davantage
Published on Mar 8 2004 by E. A Solinas

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