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Pegasus #1
Pegasus
On her twelfth birthday, Princess Sylviianel is ceremonially bound to her own Pegasus, Ebon. For a thousand years humans and pegasi have lived in peace, relying on human magicians and pegasi shamans to converse. But close friends Sylvi and Ebon can talk. As their bond strengthens, can their friendship threaten to destroy the peace between their nations?
404 pages, Hardcover
First published November 2, 2010
About the author
Robin McKinley
42 books7,086 followersBorn in her mother's hometown of Warren, Ohio, Robin McKinley grew up an only child with a father in the United States Navy. She moved around frequently as a child and read copiously; she credits this background with the inspiration for her stories.
Her passion for reading was one of the most constant things in her childhood, so she began to remember events, places, and time periods by what books she read where. For example, she read Andrew Lang's Blue Fairy Book for the first time in California; The Chronicles of Narnia for the first time in New York; The Lord of the Rings for the first time in Japan; The Once and Future King for the first time in Maine. She still uses books to keep track of her life.
McKinley attended Gould Academy, a preparatory school in Bethel, Maine, and Dickinson College in 1970-1972. In 1975, she was graduated summa cum laude from Bowdoin College. In 1978, her first novel, Beauty, was accepted by the first publisher she sent it to, and she began her writing career, at age 26. At the time she was living in Brunswick, Maine. Since then she has lived in Boston, on a horse farm in Eastern Massachusetts, in New York City, in Blue Hill, Maine, and now in Hampshire, England, with her husband Peter Dickinson (also a writer, and with whom she co-wrote Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits in 2001) and two lurchers (crossbred sighthounds).
Over the years she has worked as an editor and transcriber (1972-73), research assistant (1976-77), bookstore clerk (1978), teacher and counselor (1978-79), editorial assistant (1979-81), barn manager (1981-82), free-lance editor (1982-85), and full-time writer. Other than writing and reading books, she divides her time mainly between walking her "hellhounds," gardening, cooking, playing the piano, homeopathy, change ringing, and keeping her blog.
Her passion for reading was one of the most constant things in her childhood, so she began to remember events, places, and time periods by what books she read where. For example, she read Andrew Lang's Blue Fairy Book for the first time in California; The Chronicles of Narnia for the first time in New York; The Lord of the Rings for the first time in Japan; The Once and Future King for the first time in Maine. She still uses books to keep track of her life.
McKinley attended Gould Academy, a preparatory school in Bethel, Maine, and Dickinson College in 1970-1972. In 1975, she was graduated summa cum laude from Bowdoin College. In 1978, her first novel, Beauty, was accepted by the first publisher she sent it to, and she began her writing career, at age 26. At the time she was living in Brunswick, Maine. Since then she has lived in Boston, on a horse farm in Eastern Massachusetts, in New York City, in Blue Hill, Maine, and now in Hampshire, England, with her husband Peter Dickinson (also a writer, and with whom she co-wrote Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits in 2001) and two lurchers (crossbred sighthounds).
Over the years she has worked as an editor and transcriber (1972-73), research assistant (1976-77), bookstore clerk (1978), teacher and counselor (1978-79), editorial assistant (1979-81), barn manager (1981-82), free-lance editor (1982-85), and full-time writer. Other than writing and reading books, she divides her time mainly between walking her "hellhounds," gardening, cooking, playing the piano, homeopathy, change ringing, and keeping her blog.
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November 16, 2010
UPDATE! 1/3 of A BOOK ALERT!
HALF A BOOK ALERT!!!
I thought I would get this out of the way first. Truly, there was not even an attempt to wrap up anything in this novel, not even temporarily. Pegasus ended mid-scene, mid-conflict, almost mid-sentence. It will be quite a laugh if McKinley never finishes this sequel.
Now onto the story itself. I was glad to be back to the old-school princess-fairy-tale McKinley, after the genre detour Sunshine was. If you ever read fantasy written by the author, you already know the key elements of her stories: meticulous, imaginative world building, a young, strong heroine who has to come to terms with her own powers and grow into her responsibilities and attain self-confidence, friendships with animals, magic, all accompanied by the most gorgeous writing. All of this was in Pegasus.
The moment I opened the book, I was completely enchanted by the world McKinley had created and by the words she used to describe it. The centuries-old alliance between humans and pegasi, their complicated communications, binding rituals - all of it was so new, so unique, so detailed and well thought-through. And then the moment Ebon, the main character's Sylvi's bond-mate, entered the picture, I totally fell in love with this naughty, outspoken, mischievous pegasus. And the way MckKinley described Ebon tumbling into Sylvi's window, or spreading his wings, or a tiny pegasus playing with Sylvi, it made me grin in delight. McKinley just has such a genius way with words, I can't explain it.
But (of course there is a but), as much as I loved the world building and gorgeous writing, it just wasn't enough for me. It wasn't that the book was light on plot, but like in all McKinley books, the plot was driven by the main character's internal struggles and growth. And again, it's fine by me, generally. I loved Harry's personal journey in The Blue Sword, but that book was only 270 pages and Pegasus - 400 and only half of the story. I don't know about other readers, but I can enjoy luscious, descriptive and reflective writing for only so long, at about page 200 I want some action, and so happened here. By the middle of the book my attention started to waver and I began skimming a bit, trying to get to the end or at least some excitement faster. Basically, it seemed the narration got a little too indulgent. For what the plot was, the book was way too long. I could literally summarize the entire novel in one paragraph. I would have enjoyed it much more if the whole story only took one 300-page volume to tell.
I can see how Pegasus's reviews can be all over the place. Fans of McKinley's writing and those who enjoy leisurely, slow paced quality of it, will love the novel, and rightfully so. Those who prefer books with more action and despise being left with no resolutions, will hate it. I am somewhere in the middle. At this point I am moderately interested to know how it all works out, but will I still be in 2014(!), when the sequel comes out?
HALF A BOOK ALERT!!!
I thought I would get this out of the way first. Truly, there was not even an attempt to wrap up anything in this novel, not even temporarily. Pegasus ended mid-scene, mid-conflict, almost mid-sentence. It will be quite a laugh if McKinley never finishes this sequel.
Now onto the story itself. I was glad to be back to the old-school princess-fairy-tale McKinley, after the genre detour Sunshine was. If you ever read fantasy written by the author, you already know the key elements of her stories: meticulous, imaginative world building, a young, strong heroine who has to come to terms with her own powers and grow into her responsibilities and attain self-confidence, friendships with animals, magic, all accompanied by the most gorgeous writing. All of this was in Pegasus.
The moment I opened the book, I was completely enchanted by the world McKinley had created and by the words she used to describe it. The centuries-old alliance between humans and pegasi, their complicated communications, binding rituals - all of it was so new, so unique, so detailed and well thought-through. And then the moment Ebon, the main character's Sylvi's bond-mate, entered the picture, I totally fell in love with this naughty, outspoken, mischievous pegasus. And the way MckKinley described Ebon tumbling into Sylvi's window, or spreading his wings, or a tiny pegasus playing with Sylvi, it made me grin in delight. McKinley just has such a genius way with words, I can't explain it.
But (of course there is a but), as much as I loved the world building and gorgeous writing, it just wasn't enough for me. It wasn't that the book was light on plot, but like in all McKinley books, the plot was driven by the main character's internal struggles and growth. And again, it's fine by me, generally. I loved Harry's personal journey in The Blue Sword, but that book was only 270 pages and Pegasus - 400 and only half of the story. I don't know about other readers, but I can enjoy luscious, descriptive and reflective writing for only so long, at about page 200 I want some action, and so happened here. By the middle of the book my attention started to waver and I began skimming a bit, trying to get to the end or at least some excitement faster. Basically, it seemed the narration got a little too indulgent. For what the plot was, the book was way too long. I could literally summarize the entire novel in one paragraph. I would have enjoyed it much more if the whole story only took one 300-page volume to tell.
I can see how Pegasus's reviews can be all over the place. Fans of McKinley's writing and those who enjoy leisurely, slow paced quality of it, will love the novel, and rightfully so. Those who prefer books with more action and despise being left with no resolutions, will hate it. I am somewhere in the middle. At this point I am moderately interested to know how it all works out, but will I still be in 2014(!), when the sequel comes out?
April 30, 2018
April 2018 update: Robin McKinley has just posted a blog post here (including her typical multilevel footnoting, which is always confusing to me but cracks me up as well) in which she announces that yes, REALLY, she's going to start writing the second half - or perhaps middle third, she's not even quite sure yet - of this series, Ebon. Which is wonderful. BUT if you haven't read this first book yet, I still don't recommend reading it until Ebon actually makes its way into print, because (a) who knows when that'll actually happen, and (b) Pegasus ends with one of the most awful, hair-pulling-out cliffhangers I have ever had the dubious pleasure of reading in my life. SERIOUSLY, I MEAN THIS.
I read this book when it first came out in 2010, back when I was still auto-buying everything McKinley writes (I've since become more leery of her recent output). Pegasus is a charming if rather leisurely paced YA fantasy, set on another world where there's an alien race of Pegasi (Pegasuses?) that communicate telepathically with the human royal family that arrived on their world several generations ago. (This all takes place on another planet, so arguably this is technically SF, not fantasy, but it quacks more like a fantasy so ...)
The Pegasi have a fairly complex society of their own, though until now no human has ever been exposed to it. But Princess Sylvi has a much stronger connection to her Pegasus, Ebon, than any human before her has had, and as a result becomes much closer to the entire Pegasus race. Unfortunately this runs her afoul of some political intrigue ...
Here is the problem, and it's pretty much a showstopper at this point in time: the novel just Stops! at the end in mid-scene, and several years later we're all still waiting for the rest of the story to be published. Ebon was promised, I think, originally for 2012, but it's never happened. There may also be a third, separately published part to this story. Who knows at this point? McKinley has published several other books in the interim; I guess she just lost the inspiration for this story.
In an earlier version of this review I had a rant here about Robin McKinley's muses/mental editorial board that, she says, tells her what to write and when. Which is fine, except when you leave an already-published novel clearly unfinished. But out of respect for McKinley's recent loss of her husband, I'm deleting my rant. It's just that I really can't recommend that anyone read this novel, unless and until the rest of it gets published.
2.5 stars as a stand-alone. It might go back up to 4 stars if the rest is ever published. For now I'm compromising at 3 stars.
I read this book when it first came out in 2010, back when I was still auto-buying everything McKinley writes (I've since become more leery of her recent output). Pegasus is a charming if rather leisurely paced YA fantasy, set on another world where there's an alien race of Pegasi (Pegasuses?) that communicate telepathically with the human royal family that arrived on their world several generations ago. (This all takes place on another planet, so arguably this is technically SF, not fantasy, but it quacks more like a fantasy so ...)
The Pegasi have a fairly complex society of their own, though until now no human has ever been exposed to it. But Princess Sylvi has a much stronger connection to her Pegasus, Ebon, than any human before her has had, and as a result becomes much closer to the entire Pegasus race. Unfortunately this runs her afoul of some political intrigue ...
Here is the problem, and it's pretty much a showstopper at this point in time: the novel just Stops! at the end in mid-scene, and several years later we're all still waiting for the rest of the story to be published. Ebon was promised, I think, originally for 2012, but it's never happened. There may also be a third, separately published part to this story. Who knows at this point? McKinley has published several other books in the interim; I guess she just lost the inspiration for this story.
In an earlier version of this review I had a rant here about Robin McKinley's muses/mental editorial board that, she says, tells her what to write and when. Which is fine, except when you leave an already-published novel clearly unfinished. But out of respect for McKinley's recent loss of her husband, I'm deleting my rant. It's just that I really can't recommend that anyone read this novel, unless and until the rest of it gets published.
2.5 stars as a stand-alone. It might go back up to 4 stars if the rest is ever published. For now I'm compromising at 3 stars.
February 19, 2011
This review may also be found on A Thousand Little Pages.
There is a horse-drawn carriage rolling through a scenic meadow. The sun is shining; there are delightful fragrances in the air. The only catch is the you are the sweaty and straining horse, and the carriage you were pulling happened to be occupied by three rather large sombrero-wearing rainbow-colored elephants.
I admit, the sombreros and colors were unnecessary, but you have a vivid mental image now, yes...?
OK, so you're struggling to haul three elephants behind you. But you keep going, because there might just be something satisfying greeting you at the end of the path. maybe some water, a nice cool shade, or a huge pile of oats and other delectable munchies. Instead, what greets you is the edge of a cliff. Apparently, the scenic route has suddenly decided to stop existing. Poof. Gone, just like that.
Thus was my experience while flipping through the pages of Pegasus. Robin McKinley is undeniably one of the best fantasy world-builders I have ever had the honor to read; but the pacing -- it was horrendously slow. I could not read more than two chapters without feeling the urge to bang my head against something hard.* This had to be stomached in small doses, which is why it took me a staggering total of 15 days to read. I had to stop periodically and read other, more frivolous books before plunging back into the story of a princess and her pegasus. This book is truly a test of patience.
Pegasus does redeem itself and earn an extra star for its setting and background history, and the writing style fits nicely with the type of story it is describing. The novel would be a great source for artists trying to paint a fantasy scene. But for readers who are looking for a plot? Not so much...
The ending makes the sequel (exp. publication date: 2012) almost mandatory. There was a slight build-up, and then the book just ended. The expression on my face would probably have scared a few children if I were reading this in public.
Tidbit of random: I want to taste some fwhfwhfwha, too.
*We were working on a rather annoying Chem lab when my dear friend -- always oh so helpful -- offered to print out the picture at the very top of the review for me. Seriously, what have I done to deserve such amazing friends like this? Sarcasm is the spice of life.
Book Source: Borrowed
There is a horse-drawn carriage rolling through a scenic meadow. The sun is shining; there are delightful fragrances in the air. The only catch is the you are the sweaty and straining horse, and the carriage you were pulling happened to be occupied by three rather large sombrero-wearing rainbow-colored elephants.
I admit, the sombreros and colors were unnecessary, but you have a vivid mental image now, yes...?
OK, so you're struggling to haul three elephants behind you. But you keep going, because there might just be something satisfying greeting you at the end of the path. maybe some water, a nice cool shade, or a huge pile of oats and other delectable munchies. Instead, what greets you is the edge of a cliff. Apparently, the scenic route has suddenly decided to stop existing. Poof. Gone, just like that.
Thus was my experience while flipping through the pages of Pegasus. Robin McKinley is undeniably one of the best fantasy world-builders I have ever had the honor to read; but the pacing -- it was horrendously slow. I could not read more than two chapters without feeling the urge to bang my head against something hard.* This had to be stomached in small doses, which is why it took me a staggering total of 15 days to read. I had to stop periodically and read other, more frivolous books before plunging back into the story of a princess and her pegasus. This book is truly a test of patience.
Pegasus does redeem itself and earn an extra star for its setting and background history, and the writing style fits nicely with the type of story it is describing. The novel would be a great source for artists trying to paint a fantasy scene. But for readers who are looking for a plot? Not so much...
The ending makes the sequel (exp. publication date: 2012) almost mandatory. There was a slight build-up, and then the book just ended. The expression on my face would probably have scared a few children if I were reading this in public.
Tidbit of random: I want to taste some fwhfwhfwha, too.
*We were working on a rather annoying Chem lab when my dear friend -- always oh so helpful -- offered to print out the picture at the very top of the review for me. Seriously, what have I done to deserve such amazing friends like this? Sarcasm is the spice of life.
Book Source: Borrowed
January 4, 2011
This is the first book I've read this year and it's a major disappointment. For all the gorgeousness of the cover, it does not in any way make up for the lack... of everything I find within this book.
If a book takes me longer than two or three days to read (considering my busy work schedule), than that's definitely not a good sign. The first seventy or so pages of this book are atrocious to read. There is so much background information thrown at us that your mind cannot wrap around it at all. Not to mention the prose is so dry it's akin to reading a textbook. In fact, there are even textbook passages in the beginning pages. Meh.
And as the story progresses, you find that there's not really... much of a plot. There's a lot of day to day stuff and then many sequences of events that don't seem all that major or important to the reader, so you're left wondering, "why am I reading this?" There's not even an inkling of one until maybe the last 70 or so pages. It doesn't help that the pacing of this book is very, very slow and her chapters are pretty hefty.
I think one of the major problems has to do with her writing style. It's very dense, filled with unusual names and fantasy words that your tongue will probably stumble over. And she tries to make it very elegant and long-winded and invoke a sort of epic fantasy type of feel, which fails. This is not a book you're going to zip through. After every 3-5 pages I had to take a break because my eyes were starting to cross and my head was beginning to swim.
But the one thing that pissed me off the most was the ending. I would have originally given this two stars but after that rage-inducing ending, I had to detract a star. There isn't even an actual climax to this story, there's this sudden build up in the last five pages and then it stops abruptly. There isn't even any semblance of a resolution. This was deliberate and it's a cheap way to end a book and get someone to read the sequel. It's disrespectful to the reader and makes me wanna gnash my teeth together. Once you get to the end the only emotion you'll have left is "I struggled and persevered through this book for that?!" Ugh.
Okay, now why would I keep reading something if I disliked it so much? Well, actually, there are many things that were great about this book. I loved the whole world she built, it's so intricately thought out and quite complex. I loved the whole bonding idea and the friendship between Sylvi and Eron (her pegasus). And I loved the culture and mannerisms the pegasi had in their lands. It was a different spin on an old mythical creature rather than just having them be pretty flying horses. Which, of course, they aren't in Robin McKinley's word because she states in her blog that they are more bird-like creatures than anything else. But I'm going to say sorry to her because I firmly envision them as flying horses.
If you're a fan of the author, then perhaps you'll enjoy this more than I did. My only exposure to her before this was Beauty and I thought that was a good read but Pegasus is definitely not. It left me numb and unable to care about the rest of the series. I'm sure I'll probably pick it up when it releases but for now I'm going to put a good distance away from this book and the author before I even think about reading her stuff again.
If a book takes me longer than two or three days to read (considering my busy work schedule), than that's definitely not a good sign. The first seventy or so pages of this book are atrocious to read. There is so much background information thrown at us that your mind cannot wrap around it at all. Not to mention the prose is so dry it's akin to reading a textbook. In fact, there are even textbook passages in the beginning pages. Meh.
And as the story progresses, you find that there's not really... much of a plot. There's a lot of day to day stuff and then many sequences of events that don't seem all that major or important to the reader, so you're left wondering, "why am I reading this?" There's not even an inkling of one until maybe the last 70 or so pages. It doesn't help that the pacing of this book is very, very slow and her chapters are pretty hefty.
I think one of the major problems has to do with her writing style. It's very dense, filled with unusual names and fantasy words that your tongue will probably stumble over. And she tries to make it very elegant and long-winded and invoke a sort of epic fantasy type of feel, which fails. This is not a book you're going to zip through. After every 3-5 pages I had to take a break because my eyes were starting to cross and my head was beginning to swim.
But the one thing that pissed me off the most was the ending. I would have originally given this two stars but after that rage-inducing ending, I had to detract a star. There isn't even an actual climax to this story, there's this sudden build up in the last five pages and then it stops abruptly. There isn't even any semblance of a resolution. This was deliberate and it's a cheap way to end a book and get someone to read the sequel. It's disrespectful to the reader and makes me wanna gnash my teeth together. Once you get to the end the only emotion you'll have left is "I struggled and persevered through this book for that?!" Ugh.
Okay, now why would I keep reading something if I disliked it so much? Well, actually, there are many things that were great about this book. I loved the whole world she built, it's so intricately thought out and quite complex. I loved the whole bonding idea and the friendship between Sylvi and Eron (her pegasus). And I loved the culture and mannerisms the pegasi had in their lands. It was a different spin on an old mythical creature rather than just having them be pretty flying horses. Which, of course, they aren't in Robin McKinley's word because she states in her blog that they are more bird-like creatures than anything else. But I'm going to say sorry to her because I firmly envision them as flying horses.
If you're a fan of the author, then perhaps you'll enjoy this more than I did. My only exposure to her before this was Beauty and I thought that was a good read but Pegasus is definitely not. It left me numb and unable to care about the rest of the series. I'm sure I'll probably pick it up when it releases but for now I'm going to put a good distance away from this book and the author before I even think about reading her stuff again.
June 26, 2012
I was pretty excited to read this book when I got it as a Christmas gift. Robin McKinley's been one of my longtime standby fantasy authors and I was looking forward to reading her latest work.
God, was I disappointed.
Another reviewer here commented that this book seems to end in mid-chapter and mid-sentence. They were not very far off. The book (all 300+ pages of it) feels like a long, extended and protracted prologue for another book down the line. We get tons (and tons and tons) of world-building descriptions of the world of the "heroine" (not that she does anything particularly heroic).
We get descriptions of the human castle, the history of their alliance with the pegasi, the pegasi's upper lands and infamous Caves. We get descriptions of Sylvi's childhood and lessons and sword drills. We get descripts of Sylvi feeling woefully inferior to her pegasus allies at least once per paragraph. We get a lot of Sylvi and her pegasus, Ebon, walking around and talking to people and flying on the secret during the night.
What we do not get is an actual plot.
I really don't know what happened to my beloved McKinley this time around, because I thought this book was frankly a boring load of suck. There are no major battles or fights--the closest we get to that is seeing Sylvi learn to use a sword, and frankly after seeing Aerin and Harry from the Damar universe to the same thing and continue on to win the freedom of an enire people, this looks like nothing. There are no major villians. Technically, the court magician Fthoom (and wtf kind of a name is that, anyway?) is the main antagonist, but he appears for perhaps a dozen pages and is never alluded to when out of the action. Oh, and his main act of villainy? Doing a bunch of research in a libary.
Seriously, McKinley? A villian that just stays quietly in the library and does the job he was assigned? And I'm supposed to think this guy is a threat?
I think my biggest complaint is that nothing happens. The main character and her pegasus are bound and they hang out together while she angsts about not being as cool as a pegasus. All they do is talk to people, visit each other and whine about not being human or a pegasus. The side references to other malicious magical creatures beginning to attack the land were more interesting than the main plot and I dearly wanted to read about that instead. C'mon, just let me have one battle sequence with a wyvern! Please??
Honestly, it was just a big, huge letdown. This isn't a book, it's just authorial self-indulgence.
God, was I disappointed.
Another reviewer here commented that this book seems to end in mid-chapter and mid-sentence. They were not very far off. The book (all 300+ pages of it) feels like a long, extended and protracted prologue for another book down the line. We get tons (and tons and tons) of world-building descriptions of the world of the "heroine" (not that she does anything particularly heroic).
We get descriptions of the human castle, the history of their alliance with the pegasi, the pegasi's upper lands and infamous Caves. We get descriptions of Sylvi's childhood and lessons and sword drills. We get descripts of Sylvi feeling woefully inferior to her pegasus allies at least once per paragraph. We get a lot of Sylvi and her pegasus, Ebon, walking around and talking to people and flying on the secret during the night.
What we do not get is an actual plot.
I really don't know what happened to my beloved McKinley this time around, because I thought this book was frankly a boring load of suck. There are no major battles or fights--the closest we get to that is seeing Sylvi learn to use a sword, and frankly after seeing Aerin and Harry from the Damar universe to the same thing and continue on to win the freedom of an enire people, this looks like nothing. There are no major villians. Technically, the court magician Fthoom (and wtf kind of a name is that, anyway?) is the main antagonist, but he appears for perhaps a dozen pages and is never alluded to when out of the action. Oh, and his main act of villainy? Doing a bunch of research in a libary.
Seriously, McKinley? A villian that just stays quietly in the library and does the job he was assigned? And I'm supposed to think this guy is a threat?
I think my biggest complaint is that nothing happens. The main character and her pegasus are bound and they hang out together while she angsts about not being as cool as a pegasus. All they do is talk to people, visit each other and whine about not being human or a pegasus. The side references to other malicious magical creatures beginning to attack the land were more interesting than the main plot and I dearly wanted to read about that instead. C'mon, just let me have one battle sequence with a wyvern! Please??
Honestly, it was just a big, huge letdown. This isn't a book, it's just authorial self-indulgence.
January 14, 2011
A new Robin McKinley book is always a rare treat, and this is a treat with extra chocolate on top. Her writing is so elegant, it brought me to tears in places. This book is as delicate and beautiful as the brush of a pegasus wing across your face. She made me feel the brush of the pegasi's feathers, the warms of their silky hides. I could smell the grass and the flowers, hear sound of hooves and the crash of swords in the practice yard. I became so immersed in this book that all day since I've finished it I keep reaching for it, remembering that I'm done, and feeling disappointed. My only consolation is that it's actually just the first of a two book series (or really, just a long book that was broken into two parts), and soon I will be able to go back to the land of Sylvi, youngest daughter of the gentle king and fierce queen, and Ebon, her pegasus.
February 14, 2015
"My Little Pony" for smart girls.
But still.
I've read everything Robin McKinley has published, I'm pretty sure, and 'The Blue Sword' is in my top-10 favorite books of all time.
I was really excited to read this book - and it wasn't horrible, but it was rather disappointing and mildly annoying. I might have liked it much more if I were eleven.
In a far-off kingdom, for centuries, an alliance has held between the humans and the pegasi, who cooperate to fight off an assortment of evil and dangerous creatures who threaten the realm. However, although royal children of both species are magically 'bonded' to each other, there's an ongoing inability to effectively communicate.
UNTIL now... the young princess and her pegasus counterpart can speak to each other perfectly, telepathically! But rather than rejoicing, both sides - especially the human magicians - find this to be a dire threat. The head magician is really mad.
But he doesn't do much about it. The princess is invited to visit the secret lands of the pegasi. She does. It's all cool and magical and stuff.
The end.
Yeah, not much happens. I know that sequels are on the way, but really, unless you are *completely* *enthralled* by the idea of having a best friend that is a beautiful, intelligent flying horse, there's not much to this book.
But still.
I've read everything Robin McKinley has published, I'm pretty sure, and 'The Blue Sword' is in my top-10 favorite books of all time.
I was really excited to read this book - and it wasn't horrible, but it was rather disappointing and mildly annoying. I might have liked it much more if I were eleven.
In a far-off kingdom, for centuries, an alliance has held between the humans and the pegasi, who cooperate to fight off an assortment of evil and dangerous creatures who threaten the realm. However, although royal children of both species are magically 'bonded' to each other, there's an ongoing inability to effectively communicate.
UNTIL now... the young princess and her pegasus counterpart can speak to each other perfectly, telepathically! But rather than rejoicing, both sides - especially the human magicians - find this to be a dire threat. The head magician is really mad.
But he doesn't do much about it. The princess is invited to visit the secret lands of the pegasi. She does. It's all cool and magical and stuff.
The end.
Yeah, not much happens. I know that sequels are on the way, but really, unless you are *completely* *enthralled* by the idea of having a best friend that is a beautiful, intelligent flying horse, there's not much to this book.
November 7, 2010
I liked this book, but that's not much of a surprise since it was written by McKinley and I tend to adore all of her books. The thing is, about Pegasus, is that if you're going in to read the story with an air of fast paced happenings and something very plot centered, then you're going to dislike this book. Reading Pegasus is more like the reader is being submerged into the world and the character's lives more than anything else. Oh, there is a plot, of course there is (and a wicked cliffhanger that I wish that I knew about before I read the book, aha), but the book wanders down that road slowly, instead letting the reader know more about the world they are reading than anything else.
Pegasus is beautifully written (nothing less expected of McKinley) and I have a great fondness for the characters (except the ones you're supposed to dislike, of course). Sylvi felt like a real person to me--someone with real fears and holds a great deal of responsibility on her shoulders, even if she just says she's the surplus fourth child of the king. She flounders a lot and holds a great deal of insecurity, but it's understandable. Ebon, her bonded pegasus, is a great character in his own right. He's the boldness to Sylvi's shyness, and they work so well together that it's a delight to read them interacting with one another.
I really can't wait until the next book comes out. That cliffhanger--gah.
Pegasus is beautifully written (nothing less expected of McKinley) and I have a great fondness for the characters (except the ones you're supposed to dislike, of course). Sylvi felt like a real person to me--someone with real fears and holds a great deal of responsibility on her shoulders, even if she just says she's the surplus fourth child of the king. She flounders a lot and holds a great deal of insecurity, but it's understandable. Ebon, her bonded pegasus, is a great character in his own right. He's the boldness to Sylvi's shyness, and they work so well together that it's a delight to read them interacting with one another.
I really can't wait until the next book comes out. That cliffhanger--gah.
January 3, 2019
That ending is horrible, and the fact that there might never be a sequel makes it even worse.
June 30, 2010
Well, what can I say...?
I was lucky enough to borrow an ARC. I realize that that is a privilege and I really don't want to hurt sales for one of my favorite authors. BUT, I really didn't enjoy this book, largely because I took a strong dislike to the heroine.
This has been my least favorite book of McKinley's, topped only by Deerskin which I found too painful to re-read due to its subject matter. I was really looking forward to this one!
BTW, I knew going in that this was going to end on a cliff-hanger and that Book 2 was still being written. This was not a problem for me because it turned out to be much less 'fraught' than I was expecting. In fact, I was glad that there was finally some action going on--even if mostly off-stage.
That was one of my main problems with this book. It went on-and-on-and-on-and-ON with internal monologues, Sylvi's whining and explaining everything at length but with very little happening. Not a lot of action, and the most intriguing happening off-stage.
My second problem is that I took a strong dislike to the heroine Sylvi. (Robin McKinley is known for her strong heroines so Sylvi was expecially disappointing to me.) This is a girl who has EVERYTHING! She's a princess, the only daughter, has two loving and supporting smart and caring parents, 3 loving and supporting brothers, dedicated and caring servants and teachers. She has THE SPARKLY MAGIC GIFT of being the ONLY one who is able to talk to the amazing Pegasi, her countries allies and SPARKLY MAGIC BEAUTIFUL AMAZING creatures who are everything that you can think of and who are fully sentient with a fully developed culture and religion of their own. Plus she is bonded with the most amazing beautiful Pegasi Prince who becomes her best friend for ever and ever and who she is able to talk and joke with mind to mind. (Writing this is making me think of Bella and Edward for some reason. But I haven't read Twilight so maybe I'm wrong in this. Of course Edward Cullen is vampire and Ebon is Pegasi, I know that.)
Not only does Sylvi have all these advantages, but she is also the only human (or nearly) who is able to experience flight. Her only flaw, is that of being small for her size which she bemoans ad nauseum throughout the book and which, again, turns out to be to her advantage, because not only is she able to communicate with the Pegasi, be BFF with Ebon--the most sparkly, charming, hot (for a Pegasi), mind-connect and joke around with him, but he also enables her to fly by carrying her on his back when they sneak out at night!
Well, what does this young woman do with all these magical gifts and opportunities you say? Very little I'm afraid. She is incredibly passive, whiny, and doesn't do much of anything--even when she really really needs to. (And has a responsibility to her family, her country, and her allies and friends the Pegasi to do so!) She just talks. And talks. And talks. And moans to herself. She does get to do some really neat things when she visits the Pegasi as well as become even more of the magical/sparkly/annointed by-the-gods/chosen one/human.
Well! That sounds terrible. I'm being really snarky! I would hate to discourage anyone from reading this book! But it really didn't work for me, obviously. Maybe if I were still 13? But I'm not and passive and ineffective heroines don't really work for me anymore--I don't have the patience for them. Plus there was so little that actually happened in this book action-wise, that I feel it really should have been condensed to about 3-5 chapters of a synopsis and added to the beginning of Book 2, or told in a flashback. Sylvi is no Aerin, Sunshine or Harimad-sol. Maybe if I would have been younger, more patient, or one of those females who LOVED HORSES this would have worked for me?
I did really like the world RM created! I loved the Pegasi and the glimpses of their country, religion, culture, arts and crafts. That was fascinating and unique to me! BTW, the Pegasi' anatomy as described doesn't make sense to me. If I understand the description they have a wing like a bird or a bat that has a hand attached to the knuckle? Biologically and skeleton-wise, wouldn't this mean a hand attached to the knuckle end of a finger/wing bone? Then feathered? While horses are theoretically mammals? With hair. So feathers & hair...? And a hand on top of a finger? Magical creatures don't have to make sense, I guess.
I also loved Sylvi's parents and thought their story--which is only alluded to in this book--would have been something I would have loved to read. Danacor, Sylvi's brother had tons of possibilities, the history of the country is fascinating, the magical scary creatures were interesting, Ebon was a total fantasy male soulmate (in spite of being equine, as I mentioned before. And his family is also very interesting. But unfortunately most of the book was filled with Sylvi's interminable unspoken rambling monologue and I grew to dislike her by the end of the book.
Well! I'm now looking forward to the next book (Pegasus II). Because I have hope that now I've waded through the world set-up that I will finally get some action. And maybe, just maybe, it might focus on someone more interesting than Sylvi??? Or that just maybe she might grow up a little and be more interesting and do something to justify her having all these advantages and magical sparkling abilities that would make her worthwhile heroine material?
If anyone actually reads through this looooong rambling rant of a review, and if you want to, please comment after you've read the book. Am I crazy? Did this book work for you? Why? Did the issues that bothered me affect you at all? I'm really starting to doubt myself. Please comment if you feel to.
I also want to stress that Robin McKinley is one of my VERY FAVORITE authors. Please let me encourage you to go out and read everything that she's written. She's that good! That's why I'm wondering if I'm overreacting here. Maybe when I go back and re-read it, I'll like it better. I often do.
But now? Should have been a 4, I enjoyed like a 2, rounded out to a 3 for the world and characters (except Sylvi) and potential for next book.
I was lucky enough to borrow an ARC. I realize that that is a privilege and I really don't want to hurt sales for one of my favorite authors. BUT, I really didn't enjoy this book, largely because I took a strong dislike to the heroine.
This has been my least favorite book of McKinley's, topped only by Deerskin which I found too painful to re-read due to its subject matter. I was really looking forward to this one!
BTW, I knew going in that this was going to end on a cliff-hanger and that Book 2 was still being written. This was not a problem for me because it turned out to be much less 'fraught' than I was expecting. In fact, I was glad that there was finally some action going on--even if mostly off-stage.
That was one of my main problems with this book. It went on-and-on-and-on-and-ON with internal monologues, Sylvi's whining and explaining everything at length but with very little happening. Not a lot of action, and the most intriguing happening off-stage.
My second problem is that I took a strong dislike to the heroine Sylvi. (Robin McKinley is known for her strong heroines so Sylvi was expecially disappointing to me.) This is a girl who has EVERYTHING! She's a princess, the only daughter, has two loving and supporting smart and caring parents, 3 loving and supporting brothers, dedicated and caring servants and teachers. She has THE SPARKLY MAGIC GIFT of being the ONLY one who is able to talk to the amazing Pegasi, her countries allies and SPARKLY MAGIC BEAUTIFUL AMAZING creatures who are everything that you can think of and who are fully sentient with a fully developed culture and religion of their own. Plus she is bonded with the most amazing beautiful Pegasi Prince who becomes her best friend for ever and ever and who she is able to talk and joke with mind to mind. (Writing this is making me think of Bella and Edward for some reason. But I haven't read Twilight so maybe I'm wrong in this. Of course Edward Cullen is vampire and Ebon is Pegasi, I know that.)
Not only does Sylvi have all these advantages, but she is also the only human (or nearly) who is able to experience flight. Her only flaw, is that of being small for her size which she bemoans ad nauseum throughout the book and which, again, turns out to be to her advantage, because not only is she able to communicate with the Pegasi, be BFF with Ebon--the most sparkly, charming, hot (for a Pegasi), mind-connect and joke around with him, but he also enables her to fly by carrying her on his back when they sneak out at night!
Well, what does this young woman do with all these magical gifts and opportunities you say? Very little I'm afraid. She is incredibly passive, whiny, and doesn't do much of anything--even when she really really needs to. (And has a responsibility to her family, her country, and her allies and friends the Pegasi to do so!) She just talks. And talks. And talks. And moans to herself. She does get to do some really neat things when she visits the Pegasi as well as become even more of the magical/sparkly/annointed by-the-gods/chosen one/human.
Well! That sounds terrible. I'm being really snarky! I would hate to discourage anyone from reading this book! But it really didn't work for me, obviously. Maybe if I were still 13? But I'm not and passive and ineffective heroines don't really work for me anymore--I don't have the patience for them. Plus there was so little that actually happened in this book action-wise, that I feel it really should have been condensed to about 3-5 chapters of a synopsis and added to the beginning of Book 2, or told in a flashback. Sylvi is no Aerin, Sunshine or Harimad-sol. Maybe if I would have been younger, more patient, or one of those females who LOVED HORSES this would have worked for me?
I did really like the world RM created! I loved the Pegasi and the glimpses of their country, religion, culture, arts and crafts. That was fascinating and unique to me! BTW, the Pegasi' anatomy as described doesn't make sense to me. If I understand the description they have a wing like a bird or a bat that has a hand attached to the knuckle? Biologically and skeleton-wise, wouldn't this mean a hand attached to the knuckle end of a finger/wing bone? Then feathered? While horses are theoretically mammals? With hair. So feathers & hair...? And a hand on top of a finger? Magical creatures don't have to make sense, I guess.
I also loved Sylvi's parents and thought their story--which is only alluded to in this book--would have been something I would have loved to read. Danacor, Sylvi's brother had tons of possibilities, the history of the country is fascinating, the magical scary creatures were interesting, Ebon was a total fantasy male soulmate (in spite of being equine, as I mentioned before. And his family is also very interesting. But unfortunately most of the book was filled with Sylvi's interminable unspoken rambling monologue and I grew to dislike her by the end of the book.
Well! I'm now looking forward to the next book (Pegasus II). Because I have hope that now I've waded through the world set-up that I will finally get some action. And maybe, just maybe, it might focus on someone more interesting than Sylvi??? Or that just maybe she might grow up a little and be more interesting and do something to justify her having all these advantages and magical sparkling abilities that would make her worthwhile heroine material?
If anyone actually reads through this looooong rambling rant of a review, and if you want to, please comment after you've read the book. Am I crazy? Did this book work for you? Why? Did the issues that bothered me affect you at all? I'm really starting to doubt myself. Please comment if you feel to.
I also want to stress that Robin McKinley is one of my VERY FAVORITE authors. Please let me encourage you to go out and read everything that she's written. She's that good! That's why I'm wondering if I'm overreacting here. Maybe when I go back and re-read it, I'll like it better. I often do.
But now? Should have been a 4, I enjoyed like a 2, rounded out to a 3 for the world and characters (except Sylvi) and potential for next book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 19, 2012
Pegasus was readable, to me, but I didn't come away very impressed.
I did like it better than (my memory of) Dragonhaven and Chalice. It's less rambling than Dragonhaven (which isn't saying very much, but everything McKinley writes is rambling to some degree and I think Pegasus is in the high, but tolerable range) and it's less ... vague? than Chalice.
Structurally, "vague" and "rambling" are still good words to characterize Pegasus with. McKinley does most of her exposition by interrupting herself in the middle of describing the main character having a conversation. In fact she sometimes interrupts the exposition with even more exposition.
I would say that this style of exposition mirrors a significant setting of the story -- the Pegasi Caves, which are miles and miles of underground tunnels and caverns that have been carved by the pegasi over millennia to represent scenes from their history and culture, and where someone who's just walking along can suddenly fall into a trance and have visions of the past coming to life. Actually, though, McKinley always writes like that, so I think it's more the other way around.
Because I am used to McKinley's writing, I didn't mind it in Pegasus, except on some occasions when the narrator doesn't mention something crucial to the here-and-now plot until after pages and pages of reflection, when the protagonist would have known it and have been thinking about it for a long time.
The other structural issue that you should really know about if you're thinking about reading Pegasus is that it's not a stand-alone novel. I knew this from McKinley's website, but the publisher foolishly doesn't mention anything at all about a sequel on the dust jacket. I won't say how Pegasus ends, but I think it would be a horrible jolting experience to turn the last page and not realize that there's supposed to be more story someday.
Knowing there's going to be a sequel is also helpful in making sense of the plot -- such as it is. What happens in Pegasus is: at the very beginning, the princess Sylvi is ceremonially bound to a prince of the pegasi kingdom, Ebon. Contrary to all known history, Sylvi and Ebon discover that they can communicate with one another easily without an interpreter. Then, for the rest of the book, Sylvi learns more about the pegasi and why they and humans can't normally communicate, while ominous occurrences pile up in her own kingdom. That's ... it.
I wondered at one point whether Pegasus would be almost a plot without conflict, but it's not. It's just that Pegasus is completely devoted to establishing what the conflict is; presumably the other two books will resolve the conflict.
(Other two books -- yes, according to McKinley's blog, she now thinks that Pegasus will be the first of a trilogy. It seems that she couldn't manage to tell the story in only one book, so she first decided there would need to be a sequel; then after the publication of Pegasus, she had great difficulty writing the sequel until she decided it needed to be split into two more books. And now she's taking a break from all of them to write a completely different book, which might come out next year. I am kind of wondering whether she'll finish the Pegasus story at all. People who sensibly refuse to start reading a series until it's completely published, please consider yourselves warned!)
***
The backstory is: centuries before this novel takes place, a military company of humans crossed some mountains and found themselves in a beautiful land uninhabited by any other humans, but occupied by the peaceful pegasi (plural of pegasus, intelligent winged horses) who were slowly being crushed by various predators. Through the efforts of human magicians and pegasi shamans, the two peoples were barely able to communicate, and formed an alliance whereby the humans would fight off the pegasi's enemies, the humans would get the lowlands of the country, and the pegasi would keep the highlands (which they liked best anyway, but which wouldn't suit the humans). In order to maintain personal connections between the two peoples, they established the tradition of magically binding each member of the human royal family to a member of the pegasi royal family. The bound pegasi frequently visited their bound humans at the human royal palace, but not the other way around, partly because the pegasi lands were only accessible through flying. At the human palace, magicians specialized in translating for bonded pairs. So the first conflict that appeared when Sylvi and Ebon found themselves able to speak to one another was the jealousy of a powerful human magician.
You might see now how just explaining all of this occupies so much space in Pegasus. McKinley describes Sylvi's relationship with: her parents, her siblings, her role as princess, her staff, Ebon, Ebon's family, the human magicians, the many other pegasi, and various historical and legendary persons. I think perhaps it might have been possible to cut the exposition down a little bit, but after reading the story as it was written and published, I don't know how.
To make things even more obscure, Sylvi gradually realizes there's some kind of magical problem that, itself, obscures communication between most humans and most pegasi. Whatever this problem is, it acts as a sort of mental fog that prevents people from noticing that there is a problem or doing anything about it. Because it affects Sylvi too, the fog extends to the novel itself and acts as another slowing-down agent on the story, which ... really doesn't need that.
***One thing that Sylvi thinks about a lot throughout the novel is the power dynamics between humans and pegasi. She knows that, in theory, the two peoples are equals, but in practice it doesn't always seem that way. Starting with the unreciprocated attendance of important pegasi at the human court, she notices that in certain social customs the pegasi are always in the background and underrepresented. She believes that this is because most humans have never been able to communicate with pegasi, so it's hard to think of them as people. But she finds that when her ability to communicate with Ebon gives her greater insight about pegasi in general, a lot of powerful humans continue to resist learning anything from her. There must be something else besides simple lack of communication that informs the way humans relate to pegasi.
It's difficult to write clearly about what is actually wrong about the human-pegasi relationship, because even by the end of the book, when Sylvi has a better idea that something is wrong, she still doesn't know exactly what caused it. Also, not only is there something wrong with the status quo, there's something wrong with the status quo that apparently hasn't been even questioned for nearly a thousand years. And it's clear from the beginning that although Sylvi is unusual among humans in even realizing that something is wrong, even her intuitions about the situation are often mistaken.
There's a scene, early on, which made me really suspicious of McKinley's explanation of pegasi and human history:
I was kind of glad of that passage, because it put me on my guard. Without it, I might not have noticed (being either swept up or confused by McKinley's writing style) that the pegasi are the perfect fictional colonized people for the twenty-first century.
They're exotic and unknowable and beautiful!
They're a self-sustaining people, apart from their inability to defend themselves, but compared to humans their history seems completely static!
Everything that makes them different from humans makes them more interesting and appealing to humans, but it also means that they need and love humans!
They've achieved some utopian kind of social structure in which everyone is at peace and nobody ever thinks about power or aggression or feels resentful -- especially not in regards to humans!
They are being oppressed somehow, but it's really difficult to figure out how, and it seems likely that their oppression is also secretly really, really bad for humans, and only advantageous to a very small group of other humans whom nobody really likes anyway!
But because they can't talk to humans, their only hope is -- a very unique, special human girl! Whom they all cherish and to whom they show all their greatest secrets, which she instantly understands!
And the other reason this is all a bit difficult to perceive is that Pegasus isn't actually about pegasi; it's about Sylvi and the burdens she has to take on in being the only human who can communicate with the pegasi: "all the thankless years, / Cold-edged with dear-bought wisdom, / The judgment of [her] peers!"
I'm going to read the other two books (if they happen) because I did enjoy Pegasus. Sylvi's situation is complex and interesting and pretty thoroughly thought-out -- from her point of view. The pegasi are also very interesting, when one's mind is not rebelling against the story (also against their biology. Since Dragonhaven the science-loving part of my mind angrily refuses to shut up for Robin McKinley where it would otherwise shut up in a fantasy novel, and here it wouldn't rest until I'd imagined a completely new plan of vertebral body-segment evolution). And enough is left ambiguous at the end of Pegasus that the sequel could go anywhere -- it could even, maybe, subvert what I've just described and actually say something true about colonialism. I doubt that, but you never know.
I did like it better than (my memory of) Dragonhaven and Chalice. It's less rambling than Dragonhaven (which isn't saying very much, but everything McKinley writes is rambling to some degree and I think Pegasus is in the high, but tolerable range) and it's less ... vague? than Chalice.
Structurally, "vague" and "rambling" are still good words to characterize Pegasus with. McKinley does most of her exposition by interrupting herself in the middle of describing the main character having a conversation. In fact she sometimes interrupts the exposition with even more exposition.
I would say that this style of exposition mirrors a significant setting of the story -- the Pegasi Caves, which are miles and miles of underground tunnels and caverns that have been carved by the pegasi over millennia to represent scenes from their history and culture, and where someone who's just walking along can suddenly fall into a trance and have visions of the past coming to life. Actually, though, McKinley always writes like that, so I think it's more the other way around.
Because I am used to McKinley's writing, I didn't mind it in Pegasus, except on some occasions when the narrator doesn't mention something crucial to the here-and-now plot until after pages and pages of reflection, when the protagonist would have known it and have been thinking about it for a long time.
The other structural issue that you should really know about if you're thinking about reading Pegasus is that it's not a stand-alone novel. I knew this from McKinley's website, but the publisher foolishly doesn't mention anything at all about a sequel on the dust jacket. I won't say how Pegasus ends, but I think it would be a horrible jolting experience to turn the last page and not realize that there's supposed to be more story someday.
Knowing there's going to be a sequel is also helpful in making sense of the plot -- such as it is. What happens in Pegasus is: at the very beginning, the princess Sylvi is ceremonially bound to a prince of the pegasi kingdom, Ebon. Contrary to all known history, Sylvi and Ebon discover that they can communicate with one another easily without an interpreter. Then, for the rest of the book, Sylvi learns more about the pegasi and why they and humans can't normally communicate, while ominous occurrences pile up in her own kingdom. That's ... it.
I wondered at one point whether Pegasus would be almost a plot without conflict, but it's not. It's just that Pegasus is completely devoted to establishing what the conflict is; presumably the other two books will resolve the conflict.
(Other two books -- yes, according to McKinley's blog, she now thinks that Pegasus will be the first of a trilogy. It seems that she couldn't manage to tell the story in only one book, so she first decided there would need to be a sequel; then after the publication of Pegasus, she had great difficulty writing the sequel until she decided it needed to be split into two more books. And now she's taking a break from all of them to write a completely different book, which might come out next year. I am kind of wondering whether she'll finish the Pegasus story at all. People who sensibly refuse to start reading a series until it's completely published, please consider yourselves warned!)
***
The backstory is: centuries before this novel takes place, a military company of humans crossed some mountains and found themselves in a beautiful land uninhabited by any other humans, but occupied by the peaceful pegasi (plural of pegasus, intelligent winged horses) who were slowly being crushed by various predators. Through the efforts of human magicians and pegasi shamans, the two peoples were barely able to communicate, and formed an alliance whereby the humans would fight off the pegasi's enemies, the humans would get the lowlands of the country, and the pegasi would keep the highlands (which they liked best anyway, but which wouldn't suit the humans). In order to maintain personal connections between the two peoples, they established the tradition of magically binding each member of the human royal family to a member of the pegasi royal family. The bound pegasi frequently visited their bound humans at the human royal palace, but not the other way around, partly because the pegasi lands were only accessible through flying. At the human palace, magicians specialized in translating for bonded pairs. So the first conflict that appeared when Sylvi and Ebon found themselves able to speak to one another was the jealousy of a powerful human magician.
You might see now how just explaining all of this occupies so much space in Pegasus. McKinley describes Sylvi's relationship with: her parents, her siblings, her role as princess, her staff, Ebon, Ebon's family, the human magicians, the many other pegasi, and various historical and legendary persons. I think perhaps it might have been possible to cut the exposition down a little bit, but after reading the story as it was written and published, I don't know how.
To make things even more obscure, Sylvi gradually realizes there's some kind of magical problem that, itself, obscures communication between most humans and most pegasi. Whatever this problem is, it acts as a sort of mental fog that prevents people from noticing that there is a problem or doing anything about it. Because it affects Sylvi too, the fog extends to the novel itself and acts as another slowing-down agent on the story, which ... really doesn't need that.
***One thing that Sylvi thinks about a lot throughout the novel is the power dynamics between humans and pegasi. She knows that, in theory, the two peoples are equals, but in practice it doesn't always seem that way. Starting with the unreciprocated attendance of important pegasi at the human court, she notices that in certain social customs the pegasi are always in the background and underrepresented. She believes that this is because most humans have never been able to communicate with pegasi, so it's hard to think of them as people. But she finds that when her ability to communicate with Ebon gives her greater insight about pegasi in general, a lot of powerful humans continue to resist learning anything from her. There must be something else besides simple lack of communication that informs the way humans relate to pegasi.
It's difficult to write clearly about what is actually wrong about the human-pegasi relationship, because even by the end of the book, when Sylvi has a better idea that something is wrong, she still doesn't know exactly what caused it. Also, not only is there something wrong with the status quo, there's something wrong with the status quo that apparently hasn't been even questioned for nearly a thousand years. And it's clear from the beginning that although Sylvi is unusual among humans in even realizing that something is wrong, even her intuitions about the situation are often mistaken.
There's a scene, early on, which made me really suspicious of McKinley's explanation of pegasi and human history:
[Sylvi said:] Do humans ever go there? To your Caves?I know McKinley likes Rudyard Kipling, but really??? Eww!
Ebon looked at her, puzzled: head low, chin pulled in, one ear half back. Not that I know of. Humans don't come to us. We come to you. The Caves aren't a human sort of thing. [...]
Sylvi [said:] DOn't you -- mind? Mind always coming to us?
Ebon shrugged again -- she was sure, now, that it was a pegasus shrug. What's to mind? That we keep our quiet and our privacy? That we don't have to worry about providing dead flesh for you to eat? And chairs? I would not be your father, the human king, to have the winning of that old war carried on my back, and on the backs of all the kings and queens after me, until the end of humans and pegasi -- and the winning of any other wars. We are free, we pegasi, thanks to you. We are glad to honour you in this way if it pleases you -- if it means you'll go on carrying the burden for both of us.
I was kind of glad of that passage, because it put me on my guard. Without it, I might not have noticed (being either swept up or confused by McKinley's writing style) that the pegasi are the perfect fictional colonized people for the twenty-first century.
They're exotic and unknowable and beautiful!
They're a self-sustaining people, apart from their inability to defend themselves, but compared to humans their history seems completely static!
Everything that makes them different from humans makes them more interesting and appealing to humans, but it also means that they need and love humans!
They've achieved some utopian kind of social structure in which everyone is at peace and nobody ever thinks about power or aggression or feels resentful -- especially not in regards to humans!
They are being oppressed somehow, but it's really difficult to figure out how, and it seems likely that their oppression is also secretly really, really bad for humans, and only advantageous to a very small group of other humans whom nobody really likes anyway!
But because they can't talk to humans, their only hope is -- a very unique, special human girl! Whom they all cherish and to whom they show all their greatest secrets, which she instantly understands!
And the other reason this is all a bit difficult to perceive is that Pegasus isn't actually about pegasi; it's about Sylvi and the burdens she has to take on in being the only human who can communicate with the pegasi: "all the thankless years, / Cold-edged with dear-bought wisdom, / The judgment of [her] peers!"
I'm going to read the other two books (if they happen) because I did enjoy Pegasus. Sylvi's situation is complex and interesting and pretty thoroughly thought-out -- from her point of view. The pegasi are also very interesting, when one's mind is not rebelling against the story (also against their biology. Since Dragonhaven the science-loving part of my mind angrily refuses to shut up for Robin McKinley where it would otherwise shut up in a fantasy novel, and here it wouldn't rest until I'd imagined a completely new plan of vertebral body-segment evolution). And enough is left ambiguous at the end of Pegasus that the sequel could go anywhere -- it could even, maybe, subvert what I've just described and actually say something true about colonialism. I doubt that, but you never know.
November 28, 2010
i first discovered robin mckinley in 4th grade. i discovered her along with patricia mckillip (right next to mckinley on the library shelves!), lloyd alexander, tolkien, le guin, diana wynne jones, susan cooper, and more. looking back, i can see it's no wonder i became such an incorrigible bookworm! these are the authors that taught me to love reading, to love books, to love everything that books promised - fantasy books in particular: escape, adventure, wisdom, growth, love. these are the authors i grew up with, the authors who helped me grow up. i will never stop thinking of them as my favorite writers in the world.
with that said, for the past several years or so, i've felt...not disappointed, but somehow...unaffected by almost everything that's come after sunshine. at first i thought it was because i loved sunshine too much; then i thought it was because i didn't like how mckinley was moving all over the place with genre and style; and then i thought it was because, perhaps, she didn't seem to be trying as hard. when i first started reading pegasus i thought, oh no, here it is again, the same feeling... which is to say, here was a voice and style i knew very well, but almost too well - here was a story that could hold no surprises. this is when i thought: have i outgrown robin mckinley?
that was a horrible thought. to be clear, i don't think one can really "outgrow" the good authors, the true ones, whether they write for children or adults or sci-fi fans or chick-lit audiences or whatever. to believe that i had outgrown robin mckinley would be to believe that i had outgrown everything about myself that had responded to mckinley in the first place, or that those things somehow didn't matter any more. but they do, still. part of me is still that 10-year-old girl who desperately wanted to hear stories about other girls who felt ugly and stupid sometimes and yet, somehow, forged on despite that and found things to value about their own selves and the people around them. part of me still wants to believe that communication might triumph over brute power, or that a kind of magic might appear in your life when you least expect it. i don't want to ever forget these things, or give them up.
so as i read pegasus i kept trying to figure out why i didn't love it, although i did enjoy it. i still haven't found a good answer yet, but now i think it has something to do with...not outgrowing mckinley, but maybe...just...not needing her as much anymore. which is to say, while part of me is still that 10-year-old girl, it's not all of me - i've grown comfortable in my own skin - i've listened to other stories - i've lived a darker life. i don't know. because when i think about it, pegasus is really a lot like the blue sword, which is a lot like beauty, which is a lot like sunshine, and so forth. i still devour diana wynne jones books with the same ferocity as ever, but that's because i look for different things in her books. i re-read tolkien every few years and love him more with each re-reading, but that's because he anticipated those re-readings, i think. and so on and so on. i can read mckinley books and enjoy them, but i don't think i will ever have the same kind of visceral experience i had when i was younger - and i don't think i need to. or want to. that's not mckinley's fault. it's not something one can talk about in terms of "fault" in the first place.
yikes, long nostalgic introspection is long. on a side note, i have to say that while i read pegasus i kept thinking of carol emshwiller's the mount. now THAT is a book i really responded to. one could say that it's a brutally unsentimental, brilliantly perceptive version of pegasus - its darker postcolonial side, maybe. guess that says everything you need to know about me now!
with that said, for the past several years or so, i've felt...not disappointed, but somehow...unaffected by almost everything that's come after sunshine. at first i thought it was because i loved sunshine too much; then i thought it was because i didn't like how mckinley was moving all over the place with genre and style; and then i thought it was because, perhaps, she didn't seem to be trying as hard. when i first started reading pegasus i thought, oh no, here it is again, the same feeling... which is to say, here was a voice and style i knew very well, but almost too well - here was a story that could hold no surprises. this is when i thought: have i outgrown robin mckinley?
that was a horrible thought. to be clear, i don't think one can really "outgrow" the good authors, the true ones, whether they write for children or adults or sci-fi fans or chick-lit audiences or whatever. to believe that i had outgrown robin mckinley would be to believe that i had outgrown everything about myself that had responded to mckinley in the first place, or that those things somehow didn't matter any more. but they do, still. part of me is still that 10-year-old girl who desperately wanted to hear stories about other girls who felt ugly and stupid sometimes and yet, somehow, forged on despite that and found things to value about their own selves and the people around them. part of me still wants to believe that communication might triumph over brute power, or that a kind of magic might appear in your life when you least expect it. i don't want to ever forget these things, or give them up.
so as i read pegasus i kept trying to figure out why i didn't love it, although i did enjoy it. i still haven't found a good answer yet, but now i think it has something to do with...not outgrowing mckinley, but maybe...just...not needing her as much anymore. which is to say, while part of me is still that 10-year-old girl, it's not all of me - i've grown comfortable in my own skin - i've listened to other stories - i've lived a darker life. i don't know. because when i think about it, pegasus is really a lot like the blue sword, which is a lot like beauty, which is a lot like sunshine, and so forth. i still devour diana wynne jones books with the same ferocity as ever, but that's because i look for different things in her books. i re-read tolkien every few years and love him more with each re-reading, but that's because he anticipated those re-readings, i think. and so on and so on. i can read mckinley books and enjoy them, but i don't think i will ever have the same kind of visceral experience i had when i was younger - and i don't think i need to. or want to. that's not mckinley's fault. it's not something one can talk about in terms of "fault" in the first place.
yikes, long nostalgic introspection is long. on a side note, i have to say that while i read pegasus i kept thinking of carol emshwiller's the mount. now THAT is a book i really responded to. one could say that it's a brutally unsentimental, brilliantly perceptive version of pegasus - its darker postcolonial side, maybe. guess that says everything you need to know about me now!
March 17, 2011
I like the IDEA of this book, but the execution was lacking, which for me was a disappoint. Robin McKinley is a wonderful writer and one of my favorites, but her last few books have had something lacking. This is another case of that in a lot of ways.
First the good:
The world she describes is amazing. I loved the descriptions of the characters, especially the pegasi. I loved the protagonist and her family, they were all very sensible and down to earth for a royal family. I like the fact that the ruling class was made up of farmers and soldiers and people of all backgrounds. Her mom was a warrior as much as the princes were and that too appealed to me.
The pegasi are a gentle and delicate race of artists and farmers. I loved seeing the world through their eyes and hearing the descriptions of their politics and how they live.
The bad:
The storyline didn't really seem to have a point. I mean, by the END of the book, you could kind of see what her point was and where she going, but seriously, the entire time I was reading this book, I kept wondering... "Where is this going and why do I care?" The end result was that the cliff hanger ending caught me totally by surprise, such was the CRAZY DRAMA of it -that it didn't match the rest of the book AT ALL.
The antagonist was poorly described, and even the main character couldn't seem to figure out what was going on. It was such a strange mix for me -how she vacillated between very observant and just plain DUMB. I found myself liking her father and her mother more than her. That is not a good quality in a protagonist.
I gave the book three stars because it's Robin McKinley and I still want to like her writing. I also was so disappointed in the character and the storyline that I couldn't give it 5 stars.
First the good:
The world she describes is amazing. I loved the descriptions of the characters, especially the pegasi. I loved the protagonist and her family, they were all very sensible and down to earth for a royal family. I like the fact that the ruling class was made up of farmers and soldiers and people of all backgrounds. Her mom was a warrior as much as the princes were and that too appealed to me.
The pegasi are a gentle and delicate race of artists and farmers. I loved seeing the world through their eyes and hearing the descriptions of their politics and how they live.
The bad:
The storyline didn't really seem to have a point. I mean, by the END of the book, you could kind of see what her point was and where she going, but seriously, the entire time I was reading this book, I kept wondering... "Where is this going and why do I care?" The end result was that the cliff hanger ending caught me totally by surprise, such was the CRAZY DRAMA of it -that it didn't match the rest of the book AT ALL.
The antagonist was poorly described, and even the main character couldn't seem to figure out what was going on. It was such a strange mix for me -how she vacillated between very observant and just plain DUMB. I found myself liking her father and her mother more than her. That is not a good quality in a protagonist.
I gave the book three stars because it's Robin McKinley and I still want to like her writing. I also was so disappointed in the character and the storyline that I couldn't give it 5 stars.
October 6, 2010
As a sourcebook for a roleplaying campaign, Pegasus was wonderful. I loved all the bits and pieces of material culture--the hai, the carrying harnesses--the rambles on linguistics, the description of how pegasi and humans are matched up and what happens when either side doesn't grow up to be who they're expected to be. I grinned at the brief, passing reference to homosexual pegasi. I liked that, as a princess, the main character actually had to participate in ruling the kingdom, and not in a glamorous manner: her job is to handle water infrastructure. (I am possibly the only reader who wishes we'd gotten more pages detailing her actually handling it, instead of just vague references to meetings.)
And I liked the basic concepts of the book: what do two cultures do when they're fundamentally unable to talk to each other? What does it mean to be an ally with someone you barely know? I'm usually fairly critical of the "let us invent a gazillion imaginary words for perfectly ordinary concepts" disease that pervades some fantasy, but in this case, having passages that left me wishing desperately for a glossary just supported the book's theme.
You'll note I haven't talked about the book's plot. That's because . . . there isn't much of one. Though the ARC isn't marked as such, this is book one of two (and thank God I knew that before I started reading, or I would have thrown the book across the room at the end), and it's all setup. All. Setup. The villain is introduced very early, immediately vanishes, and doesn't show up again until hundreds of pages later--whereupon the book ends. Meanwhile, Sylvi and Ebon fly a lot, and try to learn to talk to each other. Other characters--like Sylvi's tutor and bodyguards--are introduced but not developed.
There were also a few bits of cultural detail that felt off to me. Why do the non-hierarchical pegasus have a royal family? If the pegasi had felt less human, the whole "oh, we are really very happy being subservient to you, our colonizers" thing they occasionally have going would have been a lot less squick-inducing for me. Since they clearly do have concepts of precedence and hierarchy, I didn't buy the "it's not in their nature to care" rationale.
But nonetheless, I will probably read book two, in hopes that all the set-up pays off somehow. If it doesn't, well, about that roleplaying campaign . . .
And I liked the basic concepts of the book: what do two cultures do when they're fundamentally unable to talk to each other? What does it mean to be an ally with someone you barely know? I'm usually fairly critical of the "let us invent a gazillion imaginary words for perfectly ordinary concepts" disease that pervades some fantasy, but in this case, having passages that left me wishing desperately for a glossary just supported the book's theme.
You'll note I haven't talked about the book's plot. That's because . . . there isn't much of one. Though the ARC isn't marked as such, this is book one of two (and thank God I knew that before I started reading, or I would have thrown the book across the room at the end), and it's all setup. All. Setup. The villain is introduced very early, immediately vanishes, and doesn't show up again until hundreds of pages later--whereupon the book ends. Meanwhile, Sylvi and Ebon fly a lot, and try to learn to talk to each other. Other characters--like Sylvi's tutor and bodyguards--are introduced but not developed.
There were also a few bits of cultural detail that felt off to me. Why do the non-hierarchical pegasus have a royal family? If the pegasi had felt less human, the whole "oh, we are really very happy being subservient to you, our colonizers" thing they occasionally have going would have been a lot less squick-inducing for me. Since they clearly do have concepts of precedence and hierarchy, I didn't buy the "it's not in their nature to care" rationale.
But nonetheless, I will probably read book two, in hopes that all the set-up pays off somehow. If it doesn't, well, about that roleplaying campaign . . .
September 26, 2018
I’m really right in the middle with this book. There’s things I absolutely loved and things that drove me quite mad. The concept was absolutely spell binding, it caught my attention right away and I’ve never read anything quite like it. I really REALLY loved the idea! But on the other hand, there were SO many things that drove me crazy! First off, the names of people and places are absolutely ridiculous and very hard to take seriously. Then we’re given names of monsters/wild beasts that threaten the kingdoms but no description of whatsoever of them or what they do. And then add in the fact that nothing happened for 75% of the book and you have a book that could have been great but just falls short!
April 21, 2011
I just got done rereading this book, so I'm going to re-review it too.
I adore Robin McKinely's writing, so it's going to sound weird when I say that I don't think she writes a very good sentence. Admittedly I read this as an unfinished proof, so maybe it got some veryvery late editing, but it seems like dear Robin has a tendency to let her sentences meander about and include disconnected ideas until by the time you get to the end you've forgotten about where you began. The chronology of some of her scenes is a little wacky too. We start a conversation on page 56 but then whoops! flashback! to another conversation 2 weeks ago and then whoops! flashforward again after 2 pages of backstory to the middle of the conversation that we were originally having. The first time I read Hero and the Crown I had no idea that the entire first half of the book is a flashback. But somehow, this really doesn't change my utter enjoyment of her books. I definitely enjoy the quirky chronology in a sort of nostalgic, i-adore-you-robin-mckinley sort of way, and her voice is so strong that I really don't mind the meandering sentences. She has good adjectives too. And she gives her characters believable flaws that they're reasonably nervous about instead of having them whine on about how not-pretty they are, or how not-cool they are in an attempt to make them "relatable." (BELLA)
Anyway the point of all this rambling is that I adore Robin McKinley's writing, sentence foibles and chronological eccentricities included. Pegasus was delightful and her world building is excellent. But one of these days I do want a map from her. That is really the only thing that would increase my enjoyment.
I adore Robin McKinely's writing, so it's going to sound weird when I say that I don't think she writes a very good sentence. Admittedly I read this as an unfinished proof, so maybe it got some veryvery late editing, but it seems like dear Robin has a tendency to let her sentences meander about and include disconnected ideas until by the time you get to the end you've forgotten about where you began. The chronology of some of her scenes is a little wacky too. We start a conversation on page 56 but then whoops! flashback! to another conversation 2 weeks ago and then whoops! flashforward again after 2 pages of backstory to the middle of the conversation that we were originally having. The first time I read Hero and the Crown I had no idea that the entire first half of the book is a flashback. But somehow, this really doesn't change my utter enjoyment of her books. I definitely enjoy the quirky chronology in a sort of nostalgic, i-adore-you-robin-mckinley sort of way, and her voice is so strong that I really don't mind the meandering sentences. She has good adjectives too. And she gives her characters believable flaws that they're reasonably nervous about instead of having them whine on about how not-pretty they are, or how not-cool they are in an attempt to make them "relatable." (BELLA)
Anyway the point of all this rambling is that I adore Robin McKinley's writing, sentence foibles and chronological eccentricities included. Pegasus was delightful and her world building is excellent. But one of these days I do want a map from her. That is really the only thing that would increase my enjoyment.
May 11, 2024
What a great book! While I had minor gripes about the weird names (except Fthoom, that's the coolest name ever!)—and obviously the ending that left me hanging, but this is part one of two, so that's to be expected—I loved this book and I think I'll be buying it. This is one of my favorites by Robin McKinley, and that's saying something!
Update: My second reading leaves me far more impatient for the sequel than my first time through did. Ack!
Third-time update: I like this book so much that I almost don't care that it ends on a cliffhanger.
Update: My second reading leaves me far more impatient for the sequel than my first time through did. Ack!
Third-time update: I like this book so much that I almost don't care that it ends on a cliffhanger.
May 27, 2011
90% description of the made-up zoology/anthropology of the imaginary flying horses of a rather vaguely depicted fantasy kingdom. 10% awkwardly forced plot.
June 18, 2012
An avid fan of Robin McKinley, I picked this up at my library expecting good things. Frankly, after The Blue Sword, The Hero and the Crown, Deerskin, Chalice, ETC., I looked past the silly title, expecting to delve into an excellent story. However, the book fell completely flat due to one huge problem: it lacks a plot. Detailing the irritatingly mundane life of Sylvi and her pegasus, Ebon, the book only establishes their relationship and builds a world.
Studying creative writing in college, it has been emphasized to me time and time again that in a piece of fiction something must be at stake. Something must ride upon the outcome of the conflict to invest the reader. While McKinley scrabbles together a conflict in the last 30 pages, plodding through the 370 preceeding feels pointless - there is literally nothing in terms of plot to draw the reader on, no questions raised, no real conflict presented.
Sadly, this is not the only point where the writing fails. McKinley's gift for subtlety (to me, best exemplified in books such as Rose Daughter and Spindle's End), her talent for giving just the right amount of information and sometimes leaving the reader in the dark, is completely unapparent in Pegasus. Slyvi, engaging as a character overall, is placed in situations that make her seem idiotic when the reader knows her to be intelligent, as she catches on to clues the reader understood immediately twenty pages later, after it's been explicitly revealed.
This is thanks to McKinley over-writing and including far too much description. While some of the exposition is unavoidable (and almost intereseting), most of it is clunky and dull. McKinley spends the book telling - telling us what happened in the kindom 800 years ago, what is for dinner, how Sylvi feels (which fluctuates between well done and overworked and annoying), what a cloud looks like. And yet we never get a good description of the palace, of Sylvi (other than her height), of most human characters and most physical settings. For all the time telling the reader facts, little is actually shown aside from weather or other things so mundane it can be a struggle to get through the passage (another extremely basic writing rule violated!). This is very problematic in a book filled with rocs, taralins, norindors, etc. - non-typical creatures that after reading the book I still have no idea how to picture. Furthermroe, McKinley's (essential and actually well-written) description of the pegasi comes far too late in the book to dislodge the normal, horsey image most of us start off with.
So why two stars for a book with no plot and absolutely nothing at stake (until, perhaps, the last 30 pages)? Despite the extreme over-exposition, McKinley does have a talent for buliding worlds. Her characters were likeable enough to draw me in and interest me in the outcome. And those last 30 pages. Reading this, I just felt the book needing a great deal more editing and needed to be cut down to at least a third the size. That conflict brought up and truncated at the end is a hint of the book I want to be reading - i.e. one that would actually have a story, and a conflict with something at stake. Instead, the moment it gets interesting the book ends. So, while I am now drawn in and somewhat invested in these characters, I would strongly recommend that you don't put yourself in the same position. From such a talented author, there is no excuse for something so below her usual standard of beautiful and carefully constructed books. The fact that I, an amateur writer, can off the bat point out so many problems in the writing itself is ridiculous.
Studying creative writing in college, it has been emphasized to me time and time again that in a piece of fiction something must be at stake. Something must ride upon the outcome of the conflict to invest the reader. While McKinley scrabbles together a conflict in the last 30 pages, plodding through the 370 preceeding feels pointless - there is literally nothing in terms of plot to draw the reader on, no questions raised, no real conflict presented.
Sadly, this is not the only point where the writing fails. McKinley's gift for subtlety (to me, best exemplified in books such as Rose Daughter and Spindle's End), her talent for giving just the right amount of information and sometimes leaving the reader in the dark, is completely unapparent in Pegasus. Slyvi, engaging as a character overall, is placed in situations that make her seem idiotic when the reader knows her to be intelligent, as she catches on to clues the reader understood immediately twenty pages later, after it's been explicitly revealed.
This is thanks to McKinley over-writing and including far too much description. While some of the exposition is unavoidable (and almost intereseting), most of it is clunky and dull. McKinley spends the book telling - telling us what happened in the kindom 800 years ago, what is for dinner, how Sylvi feels (which fluctuates between well done and overworked and annoying), what a cloud looks like. And yet we never get a good description of the palace, of Sylvi (other than her height), of most human characters and most physical settings. For all the time telling the reader facts, little is actually shown aside from weather or other things so mundane it can be a struggle to get through the passage (another extremely basic writing rule violated!). This is very problematic in a book filled with rocs, taralins, norindors, etc. - non-typical creatures that after reading the book I still have no idea how to picture. Furthermroe, McKinley's (essential and actually well-written) description of the pegasi comes far too late in the book to dislodge the normal, horsey image most of us start off with.
So why two stars for a book with no plot and absolutely nothing at stake (until, perhaps, the last 30 pages)? Despite the extreme over-exposition, McKinley does have a talent for buliding worlds. Her characters were likeable enough to draw me in and interest me in the outcome. And those last 30 pages. Reading this, I just felt the book needing a great deal more editing and needed to be cut down to at least a third the size. That conflict brought up and truncated at the end is a hint of the book I want to be reading - i.e. one that would actually have a story, and a conflict with something at stake. Instead, the moment it gets interesting the book ends. So, while I am now drawn in and somewhat invested in these characters, I would strongly recommend that you don't put yourself in the same position. From such a talented author, there is no excuse for something so below her usual standard of beautiful and carefully constructed books. The fact that I, an amateur writer, can off the bat point out so many problems in the writing itself is ridiculous.
September 5, 2012
As a princess, Sylvii has been raised for the day when she will have a pegasus. The day of bonding. She’s been drilled: in the history of the treaty between humans and pegasi; in the language of the pegasi—a language so complex it still requires a magician interpreter; and in the manners which accompany nearly every state occasion involving a pegasus.
But no one prepared Sylvii for Ebon. The large black winged prince pegasus who steps into her life on the day of bonding. And talks. Fluently. In her head.
No one prepared Sylvii for the fact that she would be able to talk back fluently to Ebon.
Or that the greatest and most powerful magician in the realm would be diabolically opposed. To her and Ebon and their ability to render hundreds of years of magical influence . . . irrelevant.
Wow! It’s been a long time since my last Robin McKinley read, and my high-fantasy chops are definitely rusty. Pegasus is full of elaborate detail and world-building: the history of the Sword, the history of the Treaty, the elaborate requirements for every palace ritual. Definitely enough detail to drown in. But then Ebon shows up! His voice is hilarious, straightforward, and barrels right through Silvii’s ritualized world. The friendship between them is alive. And real. And world-shattering.
But no one prepared Sylvii for Ebon. The large black winged prince pegasus who steps into her life on the day of bonding. And talks. Fluently. In her head.
No one prepared Sylvii for the fact that she would be able to talk back fluently to Ebon.
Or that the greatest and most powerful magician in the realm would be diabolically opposed. To her and Ebon and their ability to render hundreds of years of magical influence . . . irrelevant.
Wow! It’s been a long time since my last Robin McKinley read, and my high-fantasy chops are definitely rusty. Pegasus is full of elaborate detail and world-building: the history of the Sword, the history of the Treaty, the elaborate requirements for every palace ritual. Definitely enough detail to drown in. But then Ebon shows up! His voice is hilarious, straightforward, and barrels right through Silvii’s ritualized world. The friendship between them is alive. And real. And world-shattering.
August 1, 2011
Gorgeously written? Hardly. This book was frustrating to read. It is normal for writers to veer off the point of their sentence to briefly explain something, but to write a whole book on constantly veering trains of thought? Was this book edited at all? I'm not a stupid reader but I certainly felt like one, reading this. I could have given it two stars because the plot was good, good enough for me to finish all 404 pages, but that would be because I was considering the cover art and the general set up (I'm a horse lover through and through, and spent many of my childhood hours imagining scenarios just like this.)
It is unusual for me to immediately understand a book the instant I finish reading it, but even after going back and re-reading several key sections, the point of the novel evades me.
The book opens and describes the odd distanced relationship between humans and Pagasi, living a can't-live-with-you,-can't-live-without-you type of existence. In fact, the book describes this relationship about a thousand times, worded differently each time. After too much boring background for the first three chapters and a total of about ten pages of actual dialogue, there's a paragraph break, and then the sentence "Three years later...". After this point, the plot finally begins to move forward, looping around confusingly and pausing now and then to describe and re-describe some more things.
You know that person who can't find the right word, so they compensate by describing the thing they can't think of in every way they know how? Well, if you hate them, don't read this book.
The main character, Sylvi, struggles during the whole book, first to feel like she belongs (being the king's fourth child and only daughter), then to cope with her apparent telepathic communications with Ebon (a pegasus with a pure black coat and a refreshingly and ironically human way of talking compared to the pompous humans) to befriend said Pegasus to the point where they need to touch each other to be happy (shiver), then to convince the whole kingdom that this odd unity between them is completely normal, and balance a three year-dispute between herself and a magician with a temper, all while being irritatingly worrisome throughout the whole novel. Not to mention the stress placed on her to train her ass off in what I thought was insane foreshadowing for an epic battle that would end in Sylvi riding Ebon (which was forbidden but, surprise surprise, the two got away with doing several times a week during the night) to victory, slaying the barely pronounceable creatures that threatened the kingdom and taking her rightful place as queen after the tragic but inevitable deaths of her predecessors while simultaneously creating a harmonious relationship between the two races. Nothing of the sort happened. The book just sort of ended with the magician proving that she and Ebon should be separated forever, the king firing said magician, and Sylvi crying until she looks up and sees that the Pegasi have left the room, the end, no more, because who cares that we've only just reached the climax of the book with regards to the dangers of said barely pronounceable creatures? let's separate the poor girl from the only non-relative she loves because the cruel magician is, apparently, the guy to come out on top.
This book, in about seven thousand attempts to explain how untouchably beautiful and perfect Pegasi are, shits on humans. Way to try to make us feel awkward and ugly for 400 pages without any sort of consolation prize.
A whole chunk of this book was spent capitalizing on the troubled communication between races, and I'm going to give the author the benefit of the doubt and suggest that the confusing language was used intentionally to create empathy for the characters in the book. Well played, even though I find it hard to believe that this is the case.
So, there's my review of Pegasus. Unnecessarily long and descriptive while avoiding the plot and ending in a blob of Huh-what was that? Wait, it's over?
*Sigh* I suppose it was a pretty little story, and as always, I respect the author for getting published in the first place, but the words just didn't have that wow-that-flows-nicely-and-contains-invaluable-truth! factor.
It is unusual for me to immediately understand a book the instant I finish reading it, but even after going back and re-reading several key sections, the point of the novel evades me.
The book opens and describes the odd distanced relationship between humans and Pagasi, living a can't-live-with-you,-can't-live-without-you type of existence. In fact, the book describes this relationship about a thousand times, worded differently each time. After too much boring background for the first three chapters and a total of about ten pages of actual dialogue, there's a paragraph break, and then the sentence "Three years later...". After this point, the plot finally begins to move forward, looping around confusingly and pausing now and then to describe and re-describe some more things.
You know that person who can't find the right word, so they compensate by describing the thing they can't think of in every way they know how? Well, if you hate them, don't read this book.
The main character, Sylvi, struggles during the whole book, first to feel like she belongs (being the king's fourth child and only daughter), then to cope with her apparent telepathic communications with Ebon (a pegasus with a pure black coat and a refreshingly and ironically human way of talking compared to the pompous humans) to befriend said Pegasus to the point where they need to touch each other to be happy (shiver), then to convince the whole kingdom that this odd unity between them is completely normal, and balance a three year-dispute between herself and a magician with a temper, all while being irritatingly worrisome throughout the whole novel. Not to mention the stress placed on her to train her ass off in what I thought was insane foreshadowing for an epic battle that would end in Sylvi riding Ebon (which was forbidden but, surprise surprise, the two got away with doing several times a week during the night) to victory, slaying the barely pronounceable creatures that threatened the kingdom and taking her rightful place as queen after the tragic but inevitable deaths of her predecessors while simultaneously creating a harmonious relationship between the two races. Nothing of the sort happened. The book just sort of ended with the magician proving that she and Ebon should be separated forever, the king firing said magician, and Sylvi crying until she looks up and sees that the Pegasi have left the room, the end, no more, because who cares that we've only just reached the climax of the book with regards to the dangers of said barely pronounceable creatures? let's separate the poor girl from the only non-relative she loves because the cruel magician is, apparently, the guy to come out on top.
This book, in about seven thousand attempts to explain how untouchably beautiful and perfect Pegasi are, shits on humans. Way to try to make us feel awkward and ugly for 400 pages without any sort of consolation prize.
A whole chunk of this book was spent capitalizing on the troubled communication between races, and I'm going to give the author the benefit of the doubt and suggest that the confusing language was used intentionally to create empathy for the characters in the book. Well played, even though I find it hard to believe that this is the case.
So, there's my review of Pegasus. Unnecessarily long and descriptive while avoiding the plot and ending in a blob of Huh-what was that? Wait, it's over?
*Sigh* I suppose it was a pretty little story, and as always, I respect the author for getting published in the first place, but the words just didn't have that wow-that-flows-nicely-and-contains-invaluable-truth! factor.
September 9, 2010
- From Bookyurt.com -
First off, thank god there’s going to be a sequel. The last time I was this worked up over an ending was Gail Carriger’s Changeless. If there wasn’t a sequel, I would be tearing my hair out. And Robin McKinley is a notoriously sequel free writer, so the minute I finished Pegasus there was a mad dash for my laptop. Everyone should know going in – it’s okay, the story will continue!
Robin McKinley has been a life-long favorite of mine. As a kid I was a voracious reader but I would only read books about horses. Finally, my 4th grade homeroom teacher shoved The Blue Sword at me and said, here! There’s a horse on the cover! It was literally the first fantasy book I ever read. To this day I’ve continued to be a fan of Robin’s books, and to this day she remains the most polarizing author I know. Everyone who reads her books either loves her or hates her, there is no middle ground. The closest thing I’ve ever seen to it is how people react to Baz Luhrmann movies (Moulin Rouge).
Robin has a distinctive style of non-linear storytelling. She weaves the world around you, slowly filling in the pieces in a kaleidescope manner. Her world building is dense and detailed; she truly imparts a sense of magic in the stories she creates. Her style is more sophisticated than the vast majority of YA on the market. I’m a speed reader, I literally fly through books. Robin McKinley is the only author I’ve ever read who slows me down, who makes me take my time. Her language is like honey – dense and enveloping.
Robin’s stories tend to center around characters trapped between two worlds, and Pegasus is no exception. The tension between the human and pegasi cultures is beautifully wrought and utterly believable. It’s impossible not to like Sylvi and Ebon as they struggle against the culture, history, and politics that would keep them apart. It’s both lovely and heartbreaking. The forces that would destroy their relationship are closing in, and just as the wave is about to break, the book ends.
Which brings me to my one complaint about Pegasus – the ending. (Though I’m much more forgiving now that I know there’s going to be a sequel.) To be honest it didn’t feel like there was an ending at all, I just ran out of pages. It was too abrupt, even for a cliffhanger. The story is incomplete – it’s like Pegasus was meant to be one much longer book and it was arbitrarily chopped in half once it reached a certain page number. The book literally leaves off in the middle of an argument – one side finishes speaking and the book ends before the other side can respond. I can feel the weight of all the things left unsaid still hanging in the air. It is aggravating beyond belief. I want to know how it ends!
So obviously this book enthralled me, in classic Robin McKinley style. Now I just have to endure the interminable wait for the sequel…
Byrt Grade: A
First off, thank god there’s going to be a sequel. The last time I was this worked up over an ending was Gail Carriger’s Changeless. If there wasn’t a sequel, I would be tearing my hair out. And Robin McKinley is a notoriously sequel free writer, so the minute I finished Pegasus there was a mad dash for my laptop. Everyone should know going in – it’s okay, the story will continue!
Robin McKinley has been a life-long favorite of mine. As a kid I was a voracious reader but I would only read books about horses. Finally, my 4th grade homeroom teacher shoved The Blue Sword at me and said, here! There’s a horse on the cover! It was literally the first fantasy book I ever read. To this day I’ve continued to be a fan of Robin’s books, and to this day she remains the most polarizing author I know. Everyone who reads her books either loves her or hates her, there is no middle ground. The closest thing I’ve ever seen to it is how people react to Baz Luhrmann movies (Moulin Rouge).
Robin has a distinctive style of non-linear storytelling. She weaves the world around you, slowly filling in the pieces in a kaleidescope manner. Her world building is dense and detailed; she truly imparts a sense of magic in the stories she creates. Her style is more sophisticated than the vast majority of YA on the market. I’m a speed reader, I literally fly through books. Robin McKinley is the only author I’ve ever read who slows me down, who makes me take my time. Her language is like honey – dense and enveloping.
Robin’s stories tend to center around characters trapped between two worlds, and Pegasus is no exception. The tension between the human and pegasi cultures is beautifully wrought and utterly believable. It’s impossible not to like Sylvi and Ebon as they struggle against the culture, history, and politics that would keep them apart. It’s both lovely and heartbreaking. The forces that would destroy their relationship are closing in, and just as the wave is about to break, the book ends.
Which brings me to my one complaint about Pegasus – the ending. (Though I’m much more forgiving now that I know there’s going to be a sequel.) To be honest it didn’t feel like there was an ending at all, I just ran out of pages. It was too abrupt, even for a cliffhanger. The story is incomplete – it’s like Pegasus was meant to be one much longer book and it was arbitrarily chopped in half once it reached a certain page number. The book literally leaves off in the middle of an argument – one side finishes speaking and the book ends before the other side can respond. I can feel the weight of all the things left unsaid still hanging in the air. It is aggravating beyond belief. I want to know how it ends!
So obviously this book enthralled me, in classic Robin McKinley style. Now I just have to endure the interminable wait for the sequel…
Byrt Grade: A
May 23, 2011
They do say that 'forewarned is forearmed', and I may have gotten lucky: I went into this book expecting it to be slow and centered around worldbuilding. Lo and behold, it was, and because I was prepared I could enjoy it for that aspect.
I like food metaphors for books, and Pegasus is like spending a few hours at a buffet. You're going to be there the whole time, so you don't have to rush, but you want to- but gorging yourself only makes you feel bloated and uncomfortable. By which I mean that in my opinion, this book is absolutely wonderful if you're willing to take the time to savor it, and if you only read it in small doses. I don't think this could be comfortably read in a single sitting; you'd get bored. But stretched out over days the heavy worldbuilding seems more gradual, and McKinley's writing really shines.
If I broke down the stars I gave this book, it'd look like this:
+1 for writing style; she uses language beautifully.
+1 for the human culture, especially the way she placed gender ever so subtly.
+1 for the pegasus culture, especially the Caves and the way they use their tiny hands.
+1 for the voice and character of Sylvi, who I really identified with.
I would have given this book five stars if not for the ending. It's pretty clear McKinley isn't used to writing sequels, and she has to for this one, so she set herself up for it and rather badly... but I'll still read it when it comes out.
I like food metaphors for books, and Pegasus is like spending a few hours at a buffet. You're going to be there the whole time, so you don't have to rush, but you want to- but gorging yourself only makes you feel bloated and uncomfortable. By which I mean that in my opinion, this book is absolutely wonderful if you're willing to take the time to savor it, and if you only read it in small doses. I don't think this could be comfortably read in a single sitting; you'd get bored. But stretched out over days the heavy worldbuilding seems more gradual, and McKinley's writing really shines.
If I broke down the stars I gave this book, it'd look like this:
+1 for writing style; she uses language beautifully.
+1 for the human culture, especially the way she placed gender ever so subtly.
+1 for the pegasus culture, especially the Caves and the way they use their tiny hands.
+1 for the voice and character of Sylvi, who I really identified with.
I would have given this book five stars if not for the ending. It's pretty clear McKinley isn't used to writing sequels, and she has to for this one, so she set herself up for it and rather badly... but I'll still read it when it comes out.
November 19, 2010
The best part of this book is the cover art, which is gorgeous. I could hardly tear myself away from lovingly stroking the cover in order to actually read it. Once I did, however, I found myself extremely disappointed.
This book felt like an author's early work to me. If I had read it without an author attached I would have assumed it was someone's first novel. The pacing was clunky, and all the historical flashbacks in the first third or so was awkwardly done and took away from the here-and-now action of the plot, and I think would have worked better as a prologue. There were some good ideas here, and I do so love stories that involve this sort of mental bond, but I found myself bored throughout nearly the entire book up until the climax.
I think a lot of what contributed to my dissatisfaction with this book is that the antagonists rarely showed up. The primary antagonist, Fthoom, makes appearances precisely three times in a book that spans a time period of more than four years. The secondary antagonists, the monstrous creatures encroaching on the kingdom's borders, are never actually seen in scene. Sylvi just hears about the attacks and worries about family members who are out actually battling them. So overall instead of having rising action, peaks, falling action, etc., this book more or less existed on a plateau as far as action goes, and that made it not very exciting to read.
I probably won't read the sequel when it comes out.
This book felt like an author's early work to me. If I had read it without an author attached I would have assumed it was someone's first novel. The pacing was clunky, and all the historical flashbacks in the first third or so was awkwardly done and took away from the here-and-now action of the plot, and I think would have worked better as a prologue. There were some good ideas here, and I do so love stories that involve this sort of mental bond, but I found myself bored throughout nearly the entire book up until the climax.
I think a lot of what contributed to my dissatisfaction with this book is that the antagonists rarely showed up. The primary antagonist, Fthoom, makes appearances precisely three times in a book that spans a time period of more than four years. The secondary antagonists, the monstrous creatures encroaching on the kingdom's borders, are never actually seen in scene. Sylvi just hears about the attacks and worries about family members who are out actually battling them. So overall instead of having rising action, peaks, falling action, etc., this book more or less existed on a plateau as far as action goes, and that made it not very exciting to read.
I probably won't read the sequel when it comes out.
October 7, 2013
I find it difficult to even give this book one star so I chalk up that one star for writing. The writing was good, I will admit--the descriptions were lush and scenic--but all together too long. This is not Middle Earth and I do not require a lengthy description about a land that is basically like every other mythical land in every other fantasy book.
The book centers around Princess Sylvi and her pegasus, Ebon. Nearly every member of royalty is given a pegasus on their twelvth birthday by credence of a treaty from thousands of years ago (the treaty bonded the pegasus and humans together). Normally, the pegasus and human bondmates cannot talk to each other without the help of shamans but Sylvi and Ebon find that they can communicate. Now this may seem like: great! tension in the story!--but no. The bonding takes place near the beginning and the rest of the story basically goes nowhere from there. Why can Slyvi and Ebon talk to each other? Who knows! The author certainly never seems to want to tell us and by the end, I frankly don't really have any interest in finding out. And if there is a sequel, it's not really worth it to read through this first book just to find out what happens in the second.
The book centers around Princess Sylvi and her pegasus, Ebon. Nearly every member of royalty is given a pegasus on their twelvth birthday by credence of a treaty from thousands of years ago (the treaty bonded the pegasus and humans together). Normally, the pegasus and human bondmates cannot talk to each other without the help of shamans but Sylvi and Ebon find that they can communicate. Now this may seem like: great! tension in the story!--but no. The bonding takes place near the beginning and the rest of the story basically goes nowhere from there. Why can Slyvi and Ebon talk to each other? Who knows! The author certainly never seems to want to tell us and by the end, I frankly don't really have any interest in finding out. And if there is a sequel, it's not really worth it to read through this first book just to find out what happens in the second.
Read
April 4, 2011Robin McKinley was a favorite author of mine when I was in high school for her retelling novels of Beauty & the Beast, Beauty and The Rose Daughter. (Both of which are good, although I prefer Beauty.) I also liked Sunshine, a YA book she wrote several years ago that dealt with the darker side to vampires. So, of course, I couldn’t pass up the chance to read her newest novel.
Pegasus is a fantasy novel, through and through. It takes place in Balsinland where humans became allies of the Pegasi, a race of flying creatures that resemble horses, in order to fight off the beasts that threaten the extinction of the Pegasi. This alliance has lasted for one thousand years. The Pegasi are not as big or strong as horses and you can never ever ride them, as mandated by law. They have their own language, government and culture, and live in a place where no human has ever been. They’re almost revered for their beauty. And due to the alliance, each member of the human royal family is ‘bound’ (not married!) to a member of the Pegasi royal family.
Thus starts the story of Princess Sylviianel and Ebon. Sylviianel, Sylvi for short, is bound to Ebon on her twelfth birthday and they become quite close very fast because, you see, Sylvi and Ebon can understand each other. (Every bound human and pegasus before them has required the services of a specially-trained Speaker magician to interpret.) And some people don’t like their closeness, but you’ll have to read the book to find out what happens after that.
I loved the relationship between Sylvi and Ebon. They’re best friends and kids, so they get into trouble and overstep their boundaries, but you don’t care because they’re great together. At times I thought the treatment they received from some people to be unduly harsh because it’s normal for children to do something faux pas, but then I can see why they would be so harsh since Sylvi is a princess and Ebon a prince, and they’re held to higher standards.
I also loved the world Robin McKinley created, where beasts abound and are sometimes as smart, if not smarter, than humans, where special grass gives Pegasi the ability to fly, and caves can make you relive parts of the past. It would have been nice to have a map (hint, hint, Robin) to reference while reading, but sometimes we can’t get everything we want.
My one hang-up was the prose. It was hard to get into when I first started reading, but after awhile I got used to it. What I didn’t get used to was the need for so much repetition of what people had said before and what Sylvi was thinking. I realize this book is aimed for kids 12 and up, so maybe the editors involved thought it necessary, but I certainly didn’t think it was.
I have high hopes there will be a follow-up to expand upon the ending we were given. Because it wasn’t an ending. There has to be more after that, or else I’ll be back at a later date for a much needed rant about how to properly end books.
If you’ve ever read a Robin McKinley story before, or if you would genuinely enjoy reading a gentle, slow-paced, but engrossing fantasy book, I would recommend this for you.
Reviewed on WhatchYAreading on August 26, 2010.
Pegasus is a fantasy novel, through and through. It takes place in Balsinland where humans became allies of the Pegasi, a race of flying creatures that resemble horses, in order to fight off the beasts that threaten the extinction of the Pegasi. This alliance has lasted for one thousand years. The Pegasi are not as big or strong as horses and you can never ever ride them, as mandated by law. They have their own language, government and culture, and live in a place where no human has ever been. They’re almost revered for their beauty. And due to the alliance, each member of the human royal family is ‘bound’ (not married!) to a member of the Pegasi royal family.
Thus starts the story of Princess Sylviianel and Ebon. Sylviianel, Sylvi for short, is bound to Ebon on her twelfth birthday and they become quite close very fast because, you see, Sylvi and Ebon can understand each other. (Every bound human and pegasus before them has required the services of a specially-trained Speaker magician to interpret.) And some people don’t like their closeness, but you’ll have to read the book to find out what happens after that.
I loved the relationship between Sylvi and Ebon. They’re best friends and kids, so they get into trouble and overstep their boundaries, but you don’t care because they’re great together. At times I thought the treatment they received from some people to be unduly harsh because it’s normal for children to do something faux pas, but then I can see why they would be so harsh since Sylvi is a princess and Ebon a prince, and they’re held to higher standards.
I also loved the world Robin McKinley created, where beasts abound and are sometimes as smart, if not smarter, than humans, where special grass gives Pegasi the ability to fly, and caves can make you relive parts of the past. It would have been nice to have a map (hint, hint, Robin) to reference while reading, but sometimes we can’t get everything we want.
My one hang-up was the prose. It was hard to get into when I first started reading, but after awhile I got used to it. What I didn’t get used to was the need for so much repetition of what people had said before and what Sylvi was thinking. I realize this book is aimed for kids 12 and up, so maybe the editors involved thought it necessary, but I certainly didn’t think it was.
I have high hopes there will be a follow-up to expand upon the ending we were given. Because it wasn’t an ending. There has to be more after that, or else I’ll be back at a later date for a much needed rant about how to properly end books.
If you’ve ever read a Robin McKinley story before, or if you would genuinely enjoy reading a gentle, slow-paced, but engrossing fantasy book, I would recommend this for you.
Reviewed on WhatchYAreading on August 26, 2010.
January 28, 2012
Robin McKinley's "Pegasus" is the kind of story that you have to digest in small morsels in order for it to grip you in its vivid, fairy tale progressive storyline. It worldbuilds quite a bit in the distinction between its established realms, and for those who might expect direct clashes and conflict at every turn, it might not be to their preference.
Despite the rather abrupt ending, I really enjoyed it - it was the kind of fantasy tale that immersed me from beginning to end. I think it was easier for me to listen to this in audiobook form because it forced me to take my time with the story and figure it for the journey through the protagonist's experiences, rather than for expectation of what could (or would) happen next. The characterizations and relationships are distinct, and the conflicts are there, but take quite a bit of time to see (as do any politically noted divide between officials in a royal setting and having a young character being in the center of it all).
The story revolves around 12-year old Sylvi, a young princess who undergoes a coming-of-age ceremony in which she is bound, by relationship, to a pegasus named Ebon. Humans and Pegasi are assumed to have limited communications with each other, even among those that have been bound for some time. Upon turning 12, each member of the royal family is to be bound to a member of the Pegasi family. Magicians are often called upon as liaisons to help interpret this relationship, though the terms of it seem unclear. However, Sylvi's relationship with Ebon comes across as abnormal since she can hear and communicate with him quite naturally. This causes a rift in both the palace relations as well as the Pegasi, primarily on the part of the loud protests from a magician called Fthoom. Fthoom is designated as the main antagonist of this novel, though he's more of a background threat in spurts than a direct one.
Sylvi herself is a bit of a rebel in that she doesn't completely embrace her duties as a princess. She befriends and bonds with Ebon, going out on nightly exhilarating rides with him, and ultimately learning more about the world of the Pegasi as time moves forward. As she comes of age, she undertakes a journey to the Pegasi world that ultimately transforms her, and makes her realize that the relationship between their worlds is far more fragile than she expected, threatening to tear the two societies apart.
I think watching Sylvi gradually develop - sometimes stumbling in her role of what people expect of her and what she discovers, was the part of the novel that I appreciated the most, as well as her steadily developed relationship with Ebon. McKinley's beautiful writing also wrapped me into the collective story, and while there are places where the momentum of the story moves slowly and the sequencing toggles between flashbacks and taking the time to worldbuild between the realms, I didn't have a problem with it at all.
"Pegasus" was the first novel I've read from McKinley and given its poetic, developmental style - I definitely want to read the following book in this series, as well as explore more of her work in the future.
Overall score: 4/5
Despite the rather abrupt ending, I really enjoyed it - it was the kind of fantasy tale that immersed me from beginning to end. I think it was easier for me to listen to this in audiobook form because it forced me to take my time with the story and figure it for the journey through the protagonist's experiences, rather than for expectation of what could (or would) happen next. The characterizations and relationships are distinct, and the conflicts are there, but take quite a bit of time to see (as do any politically noted divide between officials in a royal setting and having a young character being in the center of it all).
The story revolves around 12-year old Sylvi, a young princess who undergoes a coming-of-age ceremony in which she is bound, by relationship, to a pegasus named Ebon. Humans and Pegasi are assumed to have limited communications with each other, even among those that have been bound for some time. Upon turning 12, each member of the royal family is to be bound to a member of the Pegasi family. Magicians are often called upon as liaisons to help interpret this relationship, though the terms of it seem unclear. However, Sylvi's relationship with Ebon comes across as abnormal since she can hear and communicate with him quite naturally. This causes a rift in both the palace relations as well as the Pegasi, primarily on the part of the loud protests from a magician called Fthoom. Fthoom is designated as the main antagonist of this novel, though he's more of a background threat in spurts than a direct one.
Sylvi herself is a bit of a rebel in that she doesn't completely embrace her duties as a princess. She befriends and bonds with Ebon, going out on nightly exhilarating rides with him, and ultimately learning more about the world of the Pegasi as time moves forward. As she comes of age, she undertakes a journey to the Pegasi world that ultimately transforms her, and makes her realize that the relationship between their worlds is far more fragile than she expected, threatening to tear the two societies apart.
I think watching Sylvi gradually develop - sometimes stumbling in her role of what people expect of her and what she discovers, was the part of the novel that I appreciated the most, as well as her steadily developed relationship with Ebon. McKinley's beautiful writing also wrapped me into the collective story, and while there are places where the momentum of the story moves slowly and the sequencing toggles between flashbacks and taking the time to worldbuild between the realms, I didn't have a problem with it at all.
"Pegasus" was the first novel I've read from McKinley and given its poetic, developmental style - I definitely want to read the following book in this series, as well as explore more of her work in the future.
Overall score: 4/5
November 21, 2010
Can I just say, I love the opening line?
"BECAUSE SHE WAS A PRINCESS SHE HAD A PEGASUS." So simple, yet so perfect....
Sylvi is a princess, the fourth child of the king, who when she turns twelve years old, will be bonded with a pegasus. This is a tradition that the royal family follows even after one thousand years from when the first human soldiers came upon the pegasi and ended up forming a treaty that both still follow. The pegasi were important in helping the humans defeat the deadly creatures that have overrun their land. In turn, the humans helped protect the pegasi, where all would live in harmony together forever.
Even though these two races can barely communicate, they continue to work together to keep the peace, and eliminate any threats against their safety. Sylvi thinks the pegasi are very strange, yet beautiful. She doesn’t necessarily want to be attached to one and finds it all very invasive. But when she has her binding ceremony with the Ebon, the son of the Pegasus king, both she and Ebon are shocked that they can understand one another by using telepathy. Ebon is overjoyed that he and Sylvi can talk this way, while Sylvi is concerned because her father’s chief magician Fthoom feels this is an abnormality that may shake the very foundation of what the humans and the pegasi have together.
Soon Ebon and Sylvi secretly go flying and become very close, even though there is an unwritten rule that humans shouldn’t touch the pegasi. And then when Sylvi is on the verge of her sixteenth birthday, something truly wonderful occurs. She’s invited to come to the land of the pegasi that no human has ventured to in hundreds of years. Sylvi is frightened of what she’ll find there, and if she’ll be able to be comfortable around these four legged creatures, who may have a secret plan for her.
Pegasus is glorious, with a lovely fairy tale like feel to it. This book is perfect for all ages, where Robin McKinley shows how wonderful friendship and family is, mainly from Sylvi’s point of view. Sylvi is a delightful storyteller who hates playing the part of a princess because she longs to play with Ebon, her best friend and confidant. Ebon is a wonderful character as well, and the love they both share for one another may bring a tear to your eye.
The language and history is rich and so well thought out. The beauty is in the words; the explanation of the world Sylvi and Ebon live in is so alive where you can’t help but become a part of it.
Some may be confused by the amount of flashbacks and long paragraphs that are more telling than showing. But this didn’t take away my enjoyment while reading and it may just be a personal preference on the part of the reader who has an issue with this. There’s an impending sense of danger, and the ending is quite the cliffhanger where many things are left unresolved.
Pegasus is a masterful story with engaging characters and a melodic setting that’s not to be missed. This is my first book by Robin and won’t be my last. A very much recommended read.
"BECAUSE SHE WAS A PRINCESS SHE HAD A PEGASUS." So simple, yet so perfect....
Sylvi is a princess, the fourth child of the king, who when she turns twelve years old, will be bonded with a pegasus. This is a tradition that the royal family follows even after one thousand years from when the first human soldiers came upon the pegasi and ended up forming a treaty that both still follow. The pegasi were important in helping the humans defeat the deadly creatures that have overrun their land. In turn, the humans helped protect the pegasi, where all would live in harmony together forever.
Even though these two races can barely communicate, they continue to work together to keep the peace, and eliminate any threats against their safety. Sylvi thinks the pegasi are very strange, yet beautiful. She doesn’t necessarily want to be attached to one and finds it all very invasive. But when she has her binding ceremony with the Ebon, the son of the Pegasus king, both she and Ebon are shocked that they can understand one another by using telepathy. Ebon is overjoyed that he and Sylvi can talk this way, while Sylvi is concerned because her father’s chief magician Fthoom feels this is an abnormality that may shake the very foundation of what the humans and the pegasi have together.
Soon Ebon and Sylvi secretly go flying and become very close, even though there is an unwritten rule that humans shouldn’t touch the pegasi. And then when Sylvi is on the verge of her sixteenth birthday, something truly wonderful occurs. She’s invited to come to the land of the pegasi that no human has ventured to in hundreds of years. Sylvi is frightened of what she’ll find there, and if she’ll be able to be comfortable around these four legged creatures, who may have a secret plan for her.
Pegasus is glorious, with a lovely fairy tale like feel to it. This book is perfect for all ages, where Robin McKinley shows how wonderful friendship and family is, mainly from Sylvi’s point of view. Sylvi is a delightful storyteller who hates playing the part of a princess because she longs to play with Ebon, her best friend and confidant. Ebon is a wonderful character as well, and the love they both share for one another may bring a tear to your eye.
The language and history is rich and so well thought out. The beauty is in the words; the explanation of the world Sylvi and Ebon live in is so alive where you can’t help but become a part of it.
Some may be confused by the amount of flashbacks and long paragraphs that are more telling than showing. But this didn’t take away my enjoyment while reading and it may just be a personal preference on the part of the reader who has an issue with this. There’s an impending sense of danger, and the ending is quite the cliffhanger where many things are left unresolved.
Pegasus is a masterful story with engaging characters and a melodic setting that’s not to be missed. This is my first book by Robin and won’t be my last. A very much recommended read.
July 25, 2014
Sylvi is the youngest daughter of the king. On her twelfth birthday she is ritually "bound" to a pegasus, as all royalty are. But for her, the binding is not just a rote gesture--she can actually hear the pegasus in her head! Everyone is shocked that she and Ebon can communicate, and the very idea shakes the magicians' guild to the core. Sylvi tries to find a way to bring humans and pegasi together, even as rocs threaten the kingdom and the head magician threatens her bond with Ebon.
SO DISAPPOINTING. The writing is tangled and muddled. Suddenly we'll be three years in the future, but then it seems McKinley forgot to add some details, so we get a memory from a year ago, and then back to three years into the future, but then oh wait we forgot to add this other inconsequential anecdote so back two years, and so on and so forth. It reads like short story or a bare outline that got clumsily expanded. This might have made it difficult to keep the timeline straight except that absolutely nothing changes or develops over time. Sylvi spends the entire book thinking she should tell her parents she can communicate with pegasi. 400+ pages without any resolution to that storyline. Sylvi and Ebon start flying together, and that storyline goes absolutely no where. Same for whether the magicians are mistranslating, or questions about the Alliance formation, or the magic grass the pegasi live on, or what Fthoom is up to. No development of any of this--just plot hooks introduced and left hanging. And speaking of Fthoom, this reminds me of why I literally dropped the book in disgust when I finished it. So for 400+ pages no actual plot takes place. There's no sense of danger, no sense that anything is changing or developing. And then about ten pages from the end of the book, abruptly a roc attacks the kingdom and Sylvi's older brother goes to fight it. While he's gone, Fthoom declares that he's found an ancient document. It's the deathbed confession of a roc (the ancient enemy of pegasus and human alike) in which the roc declares that pegasi and humans can never be close, because they will never understand each other, and trying to understand each other will destroy them. Everyone at court freaks out and immediately the pegasi are forced to leave. But--why would anyone trust a roc's word? Even if the ancient document is real, and a roc really did say that an alliance between pegasi and humans would destroy both cultures--why believe them? It's in the rocs' best interest to drive their enemies apart, after all! OBVIOUSLY this is not true.
So. Basically. No development of anything (I still have no idea how this kingdom functions, what its economy is like, if it trades, if it has serfs or what), no plot until the last ten pages, and a nonsensical plot at that. There is no way I'm reading the rest of this series, because just reading this book actually made me angry at how badly it was written.
SO DISAPPOINTING. The writing is tangled and muddled. Suddenly we'll be three years in the future, but then it seems McKinley forgot to add some details, so we get a memory from a year ago, and then back to three years into the future, but then oh wait we forgot to add this other inconsequential anecdote so back two years, and so on and so forth. It reads like short story or a bare outline that got clumsily expanded. This might have made it difficult to keep the timeline straight except that absolutely nothing changes or develops over time. Sylvi spends the entire book thinking she should tell her parents she can communicate with pegasi. 400+ pages without any resolution to that storyline. Sylvi and Ebon start flying together, and that storyline goes absolutely no where. Same for whether the magicians are mistranslating, or questions about the Alliance formation, or the magic grass the pegasi live on, or what Fthoom is up to. No development of any of this--just plot hooks introduced and left hanging. And speaking of Fthoom, this reminds me of why I literally dropped the book in disgust when I finished it. So for 400+ pages no actual plot takes place. There's no sense of danger, no sense that anything is changing or developing. And then about ten pages from the end of the book, abruptly a roc attacks the kingdom and Sylvi's older brother goes to fight it. While he's gone, Fthoom declares that he's found an ancient document. It's the deathbed confession of a roc (the ancient enemy of pegasus and human alike) in which the roc declares that pegasi and humans can never be close, because they will never understand each other, and trying to understand each other will destroy them. Everyone at court freaks out and immediately the pegasi are forced to leave. But--why would anyone trust a roc's word? Even if the ancient document is real, and a roc really did say that an alliance between pegasi and humans would destroy both cultures--why believe them? It's in the rocs' best interest to drive their enemies apart, after all! OBVIOUSLY this is not true.
So. Basically. No development of anything (I still have no idea how this kingdom functions, what its economy is like, if it trades, if it has serfs or what), no plot until the last ten pages, and a nonsensical plot at that. There is no way I'm reading the rest of this series, because just reading this book actually made me angry at how badly it was written.
January 17, 2011
I both liked and disliked this book.
Princess Sylvi's twelfth birthday is right around the corner. On this special birthday she will be bound to a pegasus, the beautiful creatures that live in the country, and that the humans formed an alliance with many many years ago. Sylvi is scared to be bound to a being she does not understand and can not speak to, but on the day of her binding she finds she can speak with her pegasus, Ebon. But this unprecedented binding does not come with out consequences.
I have to admit I am a sucker for a pegasus. I will also admit to the very very girly fact that the only stuffed animal I still have in my adult possession is the baby black pegasus from the movie Fantasia. Robin McKinley's writing in the novel is beautiful. Her ability to describe and picture these creatures is fantastic. I could see every movement for playful Ebon. She did an amazing job with showing me the country side, the beauty of the pegasi, and giving me characters to fall in love with.
But this novel is to long. Cut back on your words a little bit Ms. McKinley. I mean I get it, the pegasi are graceful, beautiful creatures, lets move on to what this story is about. I found that with several sections with this book I had to PUSH throw to keep reading. I don't know about everyone, but I want my reading to flow and entertain me, not to be a chore I have to get through. Now this is not true for all of the book, but I could have done with 100 to 150 pages less. And I was surprised that some things were described in depth, and others were completely glossed over. The creatures that are endangering the pegasi (I can not think of any of their names now other then roc) that are killing them off, and one of the main reasons the alliance was formed, or not described almost at all. They are mentioned by name, but not what they look like, what they are doing to endanger both humans, and pegasi alike.
And a book that takes 400 pages to say only half of the story. It literally stops in mid-conflict/plot line. Just BAM!
If you are a fan of Robin McKinley's work you will most likely love this novel. I might read the sequel to this book if 1) I remember, and 2) it is not another 400 pages.
Princess Sylvi's twelfth birthday is right around the corner. On this special birthday she will be bound to a pegasus, the beautiful creatures that live in the country, and that the humans formed an alliance with many many years ago. Sylvi is scared to be bound to a being she does not understand and can not speak to, but on the day of her binding she finds she can speak with her pegasus, Ebon. But this unprecedented binding does not come with out consequences.
I have to admit I am a sucker for a pegasus. I will also admit to the very very girly fact that the only stuffed animal I still have in my adult possession is the baby black pegasus from the movie Fantasia. Robin McKinley's writing in the novel is beautiful. Her ability to describe and picture these creatures is fantastic. I could see every movement for playful Ebon. She did an amazing job with showing me the country side, the beauty of the pegasi, and giving me characters to fall in love with.
But this novel is to long. Cut back on your words a little bit Ms. McKinley. I mean I get it, the pegasi are graceful, beautiful creatures, lets move on to what this story is about. I found that with several sections with this book I had to PUSH throw to keep reading. I don't know about everyone, but I want my reading to flow and entertain me, not to be a chore I have to get through. Now this is not true for all of the book, but I could have done with 100 to 150 pages less. And I was surprised that some things were described in depth, and others were completely glossed over. The creatures that are endangering the pegasi (I can not think of any of their names now other then roc) that are killing them off, and one of the main reasons the alliance was formed, or not described almost at all. They are mentioned by name, but not what they look like, what they are doing to endanger both humans, and pegasi alike.
And a book that takes 400 pages to say only half of the story. It literally stops in mid-conflict/plot line. Just BAM!
If you are a fan of Robin McKinley's work you will most likely love this novel. I might read the sequel to this book if 1) I remember, and 2) it is not another 400 pages.
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