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440th out of 3,826 books
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4,010 voters
The Bell at Sealey Head
Brand new from the World Fantasy Award-winning author of Solstice Wood.
Sealey Head is a small town on the edge of the ocean, a sleepy place where everyone hears the ringing of a bell no one can see. On the outskirts of town is an impressive estate, Aislinn House, where the aged Lady Eglantyne lies dying, and where the doors sometimes open not to its own dusty rooms, but t...more
Sealey Head is a small town on the edge of the ocean, a sleepy place where everyone hears the ringing of a bell no one can see. On the outskirts of town is an impressive estate, Aislinn House, where the aged Lady Eglantyne lies dying, and where the doors sometimes open not to its own dusty rooms, but t...more
Hardcover, 277 pages
Published
September 2nd 2008
by Ace Hardcover
(first published August 28th 2008)
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I love Patricia A. McKillip's form of magic. It manifests in the speaking of riddles and opening doors. It is learned by studying the contours of an orange peel and by looking at books found in broom closets. Her settings are lavish- in lost castles and creaking old houses, in the underground of a city that can't be seen, winter battlefields ruled by ghosts created by the hunter moon, and in forests of age and complexity. When other writers say "the wood," they don't mean it in the living, tang...more
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Patricia McKillip is one of a short list of authors whose books I will buy without having read them before. Although this was not my favorite of her books (my favorites include Winter Rose and its companion novel Solstice Wood, and I love her Riddle-Master of Hed series), I enjoyed the story. McKillip does a wonderful job creating vivid settings and interweaving magic with mundane details (which is somehow so much more convincing than much of the wizardry one reads about). I felt like this novel...more
This is one of my favorite McKillip novels, second only to Tower at Stony Brook.
Imagine a small coastal town where inhabitants have always heard a bell toll the end of the day--a bell no one has seen. Although many have stopped noticing it and there are as many stories as to where the sound originates, there are a few who are determined to get to the bottom of this mystery: a stranger, new to town; a wood witch; and the merchant's daughter, who's imagination and stories keep returning to the bel...more
Imagine a small coastal town where inhabitants have always heard a bell toll the end of the day--a bell no one has seen. Although many have stopped noticing it and there are as many stories as to where the sound originates, there are a few who are determined to get to the bottom of this mystery: a stranger, new to town; a wood witch; and the merchant's daughter, who's imagination and stories keep returning to the bel...more
All of McKillip's books are brilliant, but for some reason this one drew me in less than some of her other recent stories. I was actually a little disappointed by the time I finished it. It's difficult to put my finger on exactly why. Perhaps because I'm more used to her more lyrical and poetic recent novels...the ones that feel like instead of reading, I'm diving down deep into a well of mystic ethereal storytelling. This book just didn't have the same immersive quality, and that disappointed m...more
The doors of a crumbling manor open into another world that lives under an enchantment of ritual. The only connection between the two worlds is the bell that tolls at sunset every day, until a stranger comes to town, determined to find out what lies behind the mystery of the bell.
The Bell at Sealey Head is another one of Patricia McKillip’s dream-like fairy tales, and I liked it very much, particularly because there are so many book-obsessed characters in the novel, and the solution to the cent...more
The Bell at Sealey Head is another one of Patricia McKillip’s dream-like fairy tales, and I liked it very much, particularly because there are so many book-obsessed characters in the novel, and the solution to the cent...more
While the magic is less obvious is McKillip's latest enchanting novel, The Bell at Sealey Head, it underscores everything. Most of the characters are 'ordinary' when it comes to spellcasting, but they are all rather extraordinary in the hands of a storyteller without peer. A bell tolls each day at sunset in Sealey Head, and no one knows where that bell is or what is signifies. Meanwhile, Emma, a housekeeper at Ainslinn House, opens doors to another world where she converses with the Princess Ysa...more
McKillip is just sheer magic -- I've NEVER come across a fantasy writer with her talent for writing such luminous poetic novels. They are literally a feast for the imagination. Although everything wrapped up a little too quickly and neatly on this one for me to be completely happy, I truly enjoyed reading this novel. She creates worlds that are so easy to get lost inside, and characters that you want to keep following long past the story's end. What I think amazes me most is her ability to do th...more
Originally posted at A Novel Idea Reviews
Rating: 4/5
Every day, upon the setting of the sun, a mysterious bell tolls throughout the town of Sealey Head. No one knows where the bell is, nor why it rings; nobody has a clue who might be ringing it, even. The inhabitants of this sleepy seaside town have grown accustomed to the bell, and have several theories concerning its whereabouts and purpose. But the bell comes second in priority to young Emma, who serves as a maid in Aislinn House. The old mans...more
Rating: 4/5
Every day, upon the setting of the sun, a mysterious bell tolls throughout the town of Sealey Head. No one knows where the bell is, nor why it rings; nobody has a clue who might be ringing it, even. The inhabitants of this sleepy seaside town have grown accustomed to the bell, and have several theories concerning its whereabouts and purpose. But the bell comes second in priority to young Emma, who serves as a maid in Aislinn House. The old mans...more
When I picked up this book I was taking a chance on an author that I had never heard of before. I am really glad I did. This was a really well written fantasy. Well written in the sense that her use of descriptive language was good in a way that a lot of other fantasy writing is not. The plot kept me intrigued and the characters were also fun in that archetypal way that cant help but make a reader smile (for instance the character of Ridley Dow, the mysteriously bookish scholar of the arcane) Mo...more
Unfortunately disappointing. I've read three of her works so far (The Bards of Bone Plane and the first two Riddle-master books) and I must say that McKillip here is not at her usual ability in this fantasy. Primarily the plot of the book is somewhat sub-par and, at the end, I wondered why the main characters were in the story at all. The main action happens towards the end, quickly, and with only one of the main characters involved while the rest of the book involves going to stores, planning f...more
This was better than other books by McKillip in one major way: The characters actually talked to each other. I liked this. A lot. It made the people seem more real, instead of everyone seeming like they were half way caught between dream worlds or something.
However, despite the dialogue being so much stronger, the characters lacked development. The Sproules, for instance, were only caricatures, whose hopes and desires were only an object of the author's ridicule and never taken seriously. In ot...more
However, despite the dialogue being so much stronger, the characters lacked development. The Sproules, for instance, were only caricatures, whose hopes and desires were only an object of the author's ridicule and never taken seriously. In ot...more
I'll be honest; I love McKillip's writing, but often find myself reading her work for the sheer beauty of the language, all the while a bit confused by the plot. However, The Bell at Sealey Headis a bit more straightforward than her work usually is, though the whole time I was reading it I kept asking myself "which myth is she using now?" Sealey Head is a small seaside town in an indeterminate time (though it feels a bit Victorian) and an indeterminate place (though it feels British). Gwyneth Bl...more
Considering that the majority of this book was build up, the pay off occurred very quickly and with little satisfaction.
McKillip has a wonderful talent for worldbuilding. Her setting and characters kept me intrigued no matter where the chapters' focus jumped. From Sealey Head to Ysabo's castle to Gwyneth's story, I was genuinely interested in finding out how each plotline developed. McKillip's ability to maintain that balance between all three, not to mention the different points of view within...more
McKillip has a wonderful talent for worldbuilding. Her setting and characters kept me intrigued no matter where the chapters' focus jumped. From Sealey Head to Ysabo's castle to Gwyneth's story, I was genuinely interested in finding out how each plotline developed. McKillip's ability to maintain that balance between all three, not to mention the different points of view within...more
This book and its unusual storytelling method mostly works. As I mentioned elsewhere, the story is exclusively told from the perspective of the minor characters: the maid, the innkeeper, his love interest, a victim of some magic. The major actors in the story are all seen only through the eyes of the people around them. And we see how they impact the lives of people around them, without ever getting more than a glimpse of their story. I've seen shadows of this method in other McKillip novels I'v...more
Patricia McKillip is on my list of top 3 favorite fantasy writers because her books never fail to please. Her prose reads like poetry and is absolutely spellbinding.
The Bell at Sealey Head is about a seaside village haunted by a bell that sounds every day at sunset. The narratives are split between several protagonists in Sealey Head and an erstwhile princess smothered by endless ceremonies and traditions in a magical land. The setting is typical of McKillip; she has a way of making the common...more
The Bell at Sealey Head is about a seaside village haunted by a bell that sounds every day at sunset. The narratives are split between several protagonists in Sealey Head and an erstwhile princess smothered by endless ceremonies and traditions in a magical land. The setting is typical of McKillip; she has a way of making the common...more
Enchanting
Another wonderful book from Patricia A. McKillip. This was an especially enjoyable journey for me because of the memorable characters. Gwyneth and Judd, locals of Sealey Head, are delightful, but Ridley Dow is a particularly engaging creation who leaves a lasting impression.
In addition to being charming and imaginative, as so many of the author's works are, this one is also told from the perspective of secondary characters and mixes genres effectively (a hint of Victorian fiction and m
...more
This is a very quick read, almost over before it even began. The writing is perhaps best described as quaint, and yet, despite that not being a style I would typically interest myself in, it is well executed here. The story is mainly focused on the mystery of the bell itself, and I never really felt that I came to know the characters more than a little, except perhaps for Ysabo. Still, the mystery element is well played, and so this only detract from the story a little; the story does run a bit...more
There's not much of a feeling of peril or huge things at stake and the final battle is something of an anticlimax in Patricia A. McKillip's The Bell at Sealey Head, but the book was a pleasant, atmospheric read in often poetic language populated by characters I was interested in. Like most of her books, The Bell at Sealey Head uses magic, finding yourself, and the power of words as her subjects, but here we also have people stuck in miserable ruts because it seems easier and less dangerous than...more
Jul 20, 2009
Wealhtheow
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
fans of Robin McKinley, Susanna Clarke
Shelves:
fantasy
This book reminded me of Robin McKinley's Beauty: both feature young women in an unspecified past (resembling 18th-19th century Europe) who encounter a castle just a little more magic than it should be. Enchantment doesn't overwhelm either book; it peeks from around corners and from inside the buds of flowers.
Sarcastic Miss Gwyneth Blair is being courted, but she prefers the bookworm who runs the ramshackle inn. Meanwhile, serving girl Emma is worried about her friend, the princess Ysabo. She c...more
Sarcastic Miss Gwyneth Blair is being courted, but she prefers the bookworm who runs the ramshackle inn. Meanwhile, serving girl Emma is worried about her friend, the princess Ysabo. She c...more
A sweet little slip of a book about a house in a tiny seaside town, and pantry doors that open to the house in another world under a spell, and an innkeeper who loves books, and country romances, and a bell ringing every day at sunset that only the people who listen can hear.
Pretty. This book is partly about rituals – lighting candles, getting married to the proper person, a bell that rings at the same time every day – and how important it is to be aware of the rules you’re following. I read mos...more
Pretty. This book is partly about rituals – lighting candles, getting married to the proper person, a bell that rings at the same time every day – and how important it is to be aware of the rules you’re following. I read mos...more
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This book was different and a mixture of mystery and fantasy. Throughout the book things were happening in Aislinn House, the crumbling manor on the cliffs of Sealey Head, that defy explanation. An ancient spell lies on the house where there appears to be an alternate dimension. A mystery that has gone on for more than a century is the bell that sounds one time just as the last rays of the sun go away. It has been happening for so long most of the inhabitants no longer even hear it. Legend has i...more
I love Patricia McKillip. I started with the Riddle Master of Hed and, like I do when I find a book I enjoy, I kept reading her new stories. Most authors eventually lose me. The stories become redundant, the writing style becomes parody or some other problem.
But not McKillip. Her writing and stories became better as the years went by.
Which is why I bought The Bell at Sealy Head full price from a big-box chain (I'm an avid 2nd hand book buyer). The story started out promising - moody and evocati...more
But not McKillip. Her writing and stories became better as the years went by.
Which is why I bought The Bell at Sealy Head full price from a big-box chain (I'm an avid 2nd hand book buyer). The story started out promising - moody and evocati...more
Every evening, just at sundown, a ghostly bell rings just once in the village of Sealey Head. Most of its inhabitants don't even notice it anymore, but a couple of them wonder about its mystery, and an enigmatic stranger is determined, with their help, to solve it.
This is the premise of THE BELL AT SEALEY HEAD, but the story is much richer and more layered the deeper you delve into it. There is the bookish daughter of the local merchant, Gwyneth, who is determined to write the story of the bell'...more
This is the premise of THE BELL AT SEALEY HEAD, but the story is much richer and more layered the deeper you delve into it. There is the bookish daughter of the local merchant, Gwyneth, who is determined to write the story of the bell'...more
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This was my first time to read anything of McKillip's, and I'm not sure that starting with this one was a great choice, according to many folks who have said this is one of their least favorites of hers. But I liked it. The language right at the beginning was a little too flowery for my taste, but either it was only really like that on the first few pages, or I just learned to tune it out, because I don't have that impression of the rest of the book. I think the main thing that kept me from lovi...more
I've only read the first three chapters of this, so I really shouldn't be offering any opinions.
But here's my opinion. ;-) Or my first impression anyway.
Lots & lots of characters for what is supposed to be a very small coastal town that has, presumably been losing population in recent years. We focus on two families and the servants and staff of a dying lady, and that means we focus on virtually -everyone- in these three disparate groups. Right now, I'm a little overwhelmed by this. I am hav...more
But here's my opinion. ;-) Or my first impression anyway.
Lots & lots of characters for what is supposed to be a very small coastal town that has, presumably been losing population in recent years. We focus on two families and the servants and staff of a dying lady, and that means we focus on virtually -everyone- in these three disparate groups. Right now, I'm a little overwhelmed by this. I am hav...more
Overall, I really, really liked this book. The writing was, as always, lovely and poetic. The characters were fresh and interesting, and the premise was one of the most intriguing I've ever heard of. The problems that I had with it do not subtract a huge amount from my enjoyment of it.
I was disappointed by the main characters, sitting aside at the climax and wandering around town so often. I wished frequently that the book had been focused on Ridley, or at least included Ysabo more; because whil...more
I was disappointed by the main characters, sitting aside at the climax and wandering around town so often. I wished frequently that the book had been focused on Ridley, or at least included Ysabo more; because whil...more
Jun 05, 2010
Chris
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
modern-fairy-tales,
fantasy-fairy-tales-influ
At heart this is a fairy tale about stories. Like Robin McKinley's work, this book is fantasy on the small and private level.
McKillip tells the story of a group of people (think Cranford) and the magic that is part of their lives. All the characters are well drawn and none of the characters is a cliche. In addition to the actual novel, one of the characters tells a story to her younger siblings. In fact, when this is first down, the reader feels the disappointment of that story breaking off. Mc...more
McKillip tells the story of a group of people (think Cranford) and the magic that is part of their lives. All the characters are well drawn and none of the characters is a cliche. In addition to the actual novel, one of the characters tells a story to her younger siblings. In fact, when this is first down, the reader feels the disappointment of that story breaking off. Mc...more
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In one short chapter--even though we haven't yet met all of the characters nor discerned a plot--, McKillip manages to get me immersed right into the world she created, connected with one of the main characters, and settled in with the feel of this new place. How does she do that so effortlessly?
In the small coastal town of Sealey Head (it inhabits one of McKillip's trademark worlds: pre-industrial, northern-euro-like, and maybe there's magic afoot)a bell has rung clear to signify dawn since an...more
In the small coastal town of Sealey Head (it inhabits one of McKillip's trademark worlds: pre-industrial, northern-euro-like, and maybe there's magic afoot)a bell has rung clear to signify dawn since an...more
Oct 15, 2009
Charise
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
readers who love beautiful, evocative imagery as well as a fun story.
Though it's more story-driven than McKillip's books usually are, the writing is still beautiful, the characters still rich and the magic still deep. The plot of this book was more fun and the relationships more charming than her other works; The Bell at Sealey Head just has a lighter tone that makes for a different sort of read, though McKillip's signature use of repeated motifs is still present. There are essentially two settings, moving side-by-side, a "polite society" evocative of the 18th ce...more
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Patricia Anne McKillip is an American author of fantasy and science fiction novels, distinguished by lyrical, delicate prose and careful attention to detail and characterization. She is a past winner of the World Fantasy Award and Locus Award, and she lives in Oregon. Most of her recent novels have cover paintings by Kinuko Y. Craft. She is married to David Lunde, a poet.
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