Alphabet of Thorn
Format: hardcover
ISBN:
9781417689354 (1417689358)
Publish date: February 1st 2005
Publisher: Turtleback Books
Edition language: English
As far as I can tell, I first read Alphabet of Thorn in 2009. At that point I said, “This is one of McKillip’s strongest books, with a lot of palace intrigue and politics, fascinating characters, and a feeling of strangeness lurking just around the corner.” I do think it’s one of her stronger books,...
Fun fantasy read. One of my favorite hobbies, learning languages, was an important part of the story, which was really cool. Characters were engaging, love interests weren't overly mushy and were in keeping with motivating character and plot. Occasionally I found some lines of truly lovely prose.
After reading wonderful things about McKillip's abilities with fantasy, I was very disappointed with this title. The writing style alternated between intensive detailing of the environment and dream-like ramblings through the characters' thoughts. I alternated between being bored and being confuse...
With The Riddle of the Stars, the other Patricia McKillip books that I've read, there was an immediate empathy and affection for the characters. That was not true with this book, although by the end I did have sympathy for them. There just was not enough depth to them, or flesh, perhaps. It was a...
What can I say about this book that hasn't already been said? I bought the book when it first came out, read it once, and promptly lost it (ie lent it out and never got it back) and yet it still haunts me. The building tension between Nepenthe and the text she is translating, the young queen who jus...
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