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The Blue Sword

(Damar #1)

Robin McKinley

4.18 · Rating details · 60,520 ratings · 2,929 reviews

This is the story of Corlath, golden-eyed king of the Free Hillfolk, son of the sons of the Lady Aerin.

And this is the story of Harry Crewe, the Homelander orphan girl who became Harimad-sol, King's Rider, and heir to the Blue Sword, Gonturan, that no woman had wielded since the Lady Aerin herself bore it into battle.

And this is the song of the kelar of the Hillfolk, the m ...more

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Mass Market Paperback, US / CAN Edition, 256 pages

Published March 1987 by Ace Books (first published October 1st 1982)

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Mar 08, 2013 Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, fantasy, comfort-read, ya-fantasy, you-go-girl-kickass-heroine, animalia

Feb. 2018 reread (for the umpteenth time) with my real-life book club. One of my all-time favorite comfort reads!

If you're wondering why YA fantasy lovers praise Robin McKinley (and based on her more recent novels that's a fair question), this book is one of the reasons.

The Blue Sword is one of those magical fantasies that I've read more times than I can count, and love beyond reason. I also think this 1982 book has been a little bit forgotten over the years, at least if you're not a Robin McKin Feb. 2018 reread (for the umpteenth time) with my real-life book club. One of my all-time favorite comfort reads!

If you're wondering why YA fantasy lovers praise Robin McKinley (and based on her more recent novels that's a fair question), this book is one of the reasons.

The Blue Sword is one of those magical fantasies that I've read more times than I can count, and love beyond reason. I also think this 1982 book has been a little bit forgotten over the years, at least if you're not a Robin McKinley fan, and that it beats most of what passes for YA fantasy nowadays. It's certainly (IMO) much better than most of McKinley's more recent works, so if you've tried one of her later books and think she's not for you, you need to give this one a try. (Or The Hero and the Crown. I recommend both without reservation.)

This story is set in a fantasy world very reminiscent of British colonial-era India in the 1800's. A young woman named Angharad, known as Harry to her friends, has traveled across the sea to the outskirts of this desert country, known as the Royal Province of Daria (nope--no echoes of the British empire here) to join her brother at a military outpost. Harry is tall and quiet and a little awkward and doesn't feel like she fits in, despite the fact that there are only a few unmarried women at this outpost and their company is in high demand at dances and dinner parties among all the young soldiers.

But more important things are afoot: Sir Charles, the officer in charge of the outpost, is trying to negotiate with the Hillfolk, a nomadic desert people who ride magnificent horses. BTW I love the intelligent, brave horses and cats in this book; that's probably one of the reasons it's so near to my heart.

Corlath, the leader of the Hillfolk, is trying to get Sir Charles to commit the ~~British~~ army to help fight against a horrible magical horde from the north whose attack is soon coming. In the process of negotiations, Corlath catches a glimpse of Harry, and his kelar, the magical power in his blood, insists that he kidnap her and take her with him to the hills. So he does, not knowing why, but knowing it is necessary for some reason.

So begin the adventures of Harry, as she learns to ride a Hillfolk horse, fight with a sword, and come to terms with the kelar that runs in her own blood as well as Corlath's. She also needs to come to terms with her own heritage, her relationship with Corlath, and what her role will be in the fight against the inhuman Northern army.

This story takes place in the same world as The Hero and the Crown, which is set in an earlier time but was written later, so you can read these books in either order. And you should. They both have a permanent place on my "favorites" shelf, for good reason. In these early books, McKinley pulled me right into this magical world; I felt like I was living and experiencing all these adventures with Harry and Aerin (from Hero and the Crown). I'm just sad that there are only two novels, and a handful of short stories, that Robin McKinley wrote about this world. ...more

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Feb 23, 2010 Tatiana rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: fans of Kristin Cashore, Megan Whalen Turner

Recommended to Tatiana by: Heather

Shelves: newbery, fantasy, 2010, ya

This book proves once more that standards for YA fiction have gone significantly down over the last 10 years. You just rarely come by this kind of writing any more.

"The Blue Sword" is an age old story of a young woman who after years feeling not belonging, invisible, and insignificant, finds her strength after being kidnapped by a mysterious Hill-king who possesses magic powers. Gradually she discovers an ancient magic inside herself, comes to terms with her abilities, acquires friends and love ...more

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Apr 04, 2016 Mayim de Vries rated it did not like it

Shelves: avoid-lifes-too-short-for-bad-books

“There never was a choice. I ride the only way open to me, and yet often and again it seems to me I am dangerously unfit for it.”

A penniless orphan of average beauty (it starts like a bad romance, no? WAIT FOR IT) called Harry (I DARE you not to think about Prince Harry’s bearded face now!) is forced to leave her home in the ~~England~~ Homeland empire and accept hospitality of strangers in Damaria, a desert land recently colonised but still inhabited by mysterious nomad Hillfolk.

The opening chapt ...more

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Aug 27, 2008 Kogiopsis rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorite-2011-reads

Added at the bottom: the perfect song for this book. Seriously, if it's ever made into a movie, this song should be in the trailer.

The description on this book's GR page is not my favorite synopsis. I think my little well-loved paperback says it better:

This is the story of Corlath, golden-eyed king of the Free Hillfolk, son of the sons of the Lady Aerin.
And this is the story of Harry Crewe, the Homelander orphan girl who became Harimad-sol, King's Rider, and heir to the Blue Sword, Gonturan, tha ...more

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Nov 22, 2009 Gail Carriger rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, ya, fantasy

There are many out there who think The Hero and the Crown the better book, but I read The Blue Sword first and Harry is my one true love. That's part of it. I always liked the romance line better in The Blue Sword. And there's something remarkable in that, because for most of this book the two are separated. Yet I believe in their match unquestionably. Alanna was my first girl with a sword and magic, Harry was the first one I felt was like me. ...more

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Aug 09, 2007 Eliza rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: EVERYONE EVER.

Shelves: romance

I've read this book so many times over the year that this time I went out and bought a new copy because my cover is in tatters. But I reread it again and loved it again, unsurprisingly. McKinley still amazes me with how fully realized Damar is as a place, how familiar the Homeland and its desire to civilise feels, and how freaking scary the Northerners are. (Seriously, y'all. Motherfuckers are SCARY.)

This is the perfect escapism book, partially because that's what Harry, our delightful heroine, ...more

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Aug 04, 2013 mark monday rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy-60s-70s-80s

a pleasure to read.

wonderful heroine. reminded me a bit of Brienne from ASOIF although quite a different character overall. I loved her nonchalant displays of bravery and independence, her easy acceptance of her own difference from others, her drama-free perspective on the world(s) around her, her quiet and her calm.

opening chapters felt distinctly like an alternate version of colonial era Britain. interesting path into a high fantasy novel.

best kidnapping ever! I never feared for her safety and ...more

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Dec 24, 2012 Becky rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2013, politicalish, reviewed, ebook_nook, fantasy, romance-y

This is my first Robin McKinley book, though I do have a couple others in my possession that need to be read.

I wasn't really thrilled with this one though. Up until about 50% I was liking it quite a bit, though I couldn't tell you why, because nothing at all had happened. But it didn't take long (or, rather, it took too long) and I started to feel like the story would never actually start, and now that I've finished, all I can say is that it didn't really do anything for me.

It seemed that ever ...more

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Feb 17, 2013 Althea Ann rated it it was amazing

Re-read for book club.

I got this book when I was eleven, I believe, and that was the perfect age. I have read this book so many times that picking it up again, after many years, was like hearing an old favorite song come onto the radio... each phrase resonating clearly in memory, bringing with it emotional associations.

So - I can't claim to be wholly objective about the book. I can say that if I has read it for the first time now, it would not have been as meaningful to me. Interestingly, I re-r Re-read for book club.

I got this book when I was eleven, I believe, and that was the perfect age. I have read this book so many times that picking it up again, after many years, was like hearing an old favorite song come onto the radio... each phrase resonating clearly in memory, bringing with it emotional associations.

So - I can't claim to be wholly objective about the book. I can say that if I has read it for the first time now, it would not have been as meaningful to me. Interestingly, I re-read the sequel to this book, 'The Hero and the Crown' not so long ago. (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...). When the sequel came out, I was mildly disappointed by it, but as an adult, I actually think that it holds up better over time.

Part of this may be that while 'The Blue Sword' is in many ways purely a romantic fantasy, it is also inspired by historical fact. When I first read the book I did know about British Colonialism (thanks, 'The Secret Garden'!) but I knew nothing about the Anglo-Afghan conflict, which the events here are based on. It's jarring to reconcile the essentially uplifting story here with the bloody, nasty, reality. Don't get me wrong, the book in no way endorses colonialism. The problems and ethical issues are all acknowledged here - but they're presented subtly, sometimes between the lines. Our main POV character is Harry, a young woman who's been brought up in a certain type of society, and although she is an admirable person, her perspective on things is realistically limited by her experiences and what she perceives as 'normal.' I actually think that the presentation of the political issues is just about perfectly handled for an audience of preteens and young teens.

The main focus of the story is not political, but is on Harry as a character. In many ways, Harry is a Mary Sue - a term that has been thrown around a lot over the past few years as a term of denigration. I am pretty much opposed to that concept. No, books with 'Mary Sue' characters might not be delving into the sordid depths of the human character or aiming for a Booker Prize, but I think that they are a valid and important type of literature. Sometimes, we need wish fulfillment. Having a wonderful character to project yourself into can be incredibly valuable.

Harry has always felt like an outsider in her stuffy faux-British society, which sees her as wild and headstrong. Orphaned, the responsibility for her lies on her brother, a soldier. He's relieved to have an aristocratic couple posted overseas in the diplomatic service agree to take her in. Harry is keenly aware of her position as a charity case - but quickly finds herself falling in love with the new country she's been brought to. It resonates with her on a deep level, and finally she feels that she might be somewhere that she belongs.

However, her life is upended once again when the king of the hilltribes, Corlath, comes to the house where she is living on a diplomatic mission. The mission might be a failure, but Corlath's 'kelar,' his hereditary magic, 'recognizes' Harry at first sight - and insists that he take her as a hostage.

Events unravel from there, and we see Harry progress from being a child, subject to the wills of others, to a person strong enough to do what she believes needs to be done, even directly in defiance of others' wills. And of course, to become a legendary hero and to save the day.

The writing is wonderful - I love McKinley's mix of down-to-earth, practical details and elevated, fantastic passages. Another notable aspect is the depictions of animals - both cats and horses feature prominently in the book, and are shown with a genuine love and affection. The book also has a well-balanced mix of action and romance. It's a wholly chaste romance, but emotionally intense, and again, it's just perfect for a pre-teen. If you know someone in that age group, don't let them grow up without reading this! ...more

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Jun 02, 2009 Mariel rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: blue

Recommended to Mariel by: black

Robin McKinley's The Blue Sword blue me away. (What can I do for swords?) I don't know how to handle the feeling in a review. I'm in it to the hilt. It's sheathed in my memory.... No, I got nothing! (Blue words!) (Stop it, Mar!)

Reading that someone likes world-building and atmospherics doesn't really convey why I thought this was awesome so I won't try and be a normal reviewer for once. McKinley knows what she's doing. She's a master(sword bater!). This is not a glorified fanfic. All of those th ...more

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Feb 10, 2012 Keertana rated it liked it

Shelves: kick-ass-heroines, why-the-hype

I don’t get it. I just don’t. Robin McKinley’s The Blue Sword has been acclaimed as one of the most remarkable fantasy novels of our age, but I am unable to see why. I suppose the best way I can describe The Blue Sword is to tell you that it is similar to a camp-fire story – entertaining, filled with action and heroes, a rather under-developed romance, and ultimately, a story that needs to be told again and again with more and more details filled in every time. In fact, I would go so far as I don’t get it. I just don’t. Robin McKinley’s The Blue Sword has been acclaimed as one of the most remarkable fantasy novels of our age, but I am unable to see why. I suppose the best way I can describe The Blue Sword is to tell you that it is similar to a camp-fire story – entertaining, filled with action and heroes, a rather under-developed romance, and ultimately, a story that needs to be told again and again with more and more details filled in every time. In fact, I would go so far as to say that while I loved the world-building in this story, much of it felt like a mere outline which McKinley had forgotten to go back and develop in many parts. Thus, while I most certainly liked this novel, I by no means loved it and nor do I see exactly what is so remarkable about it.

I suppose it all really comes down to the writing style and execution of this story, not to mention the characters. Harry Crewe, our enigmatic heroine, is kidnapped from her foster home and taken to the Hills where the Damarians, mysterious hill-folk that can perform magic, reside. It is a dangerous time for her nation as the Northerners, an inhuman race, plan to attack and the hill-people of Damar whose numbers have steadily dwindled for years, are in grave danger. Thus, their king, Corlath, looks to the Outlanders for aid and, when receiving none, feels a strange pull towards Harry, who seems to have an affinity for the magic of the Hills as well. It is then that Harry realizes her true destiny as the savior of these people and along with the legendary Blue Sword, sets out to meet her fate.

The Blue Sword sounds interesting enough and I suppose it is, but it took awhile to get into. I felt as if the writing style was deliberately distant and slow-moving and it took awhile to become accustomed to it. In fact, I’m still not sure if I quite am. McKinley tends to describe many aspects of Damarian life such as customs of the hill-folk, the beautiful horses they ride, and even the setting of her lands, but she fails to make the reader connect with anything much beyond that. Not only does her writing wander a bit, she also shifts between using the Damarian and Outlander names for certain things which becomes cumbersome and irritating after awhile. Yet, I found the biggest downfall to be in the characters themselves.

While I loved the strong themes of woman empowerment in this story, I never felt a connection with Harry in the least. Not only is she vastly different from other characters, she is incredibly mature – so mature that she does not question the reasons for her kidnapping as she begins to innately understand them, but nor does she question any of the other actions in this story. Furthermore, while we are told about Harry’s conflicting emotions concerning the Damarians and the Outlander heritage she has grown up with, it is hard to sympathize or feel for her due to the narration. Thus, I was quite annoyed with Harry for her utter placidness and inability to take action until the last part of the novel. Yet, while I enjoyed the battle scenes in the end, I never felt as if I could pinpoint or understand Harry’s growth – it was all very sudden and hard to truly see. Furthermore, the friendships she made were never elaborated on and became strong with a simple smile, which leads the reader to believe that there are missing pages from their copy of the book. So really, Harry was not the only under-developed character in this tale.

That being said, I still did like reading The Blue Sword. It had many technical flaws in its writing and narration and while I could not connect with the characters and don’t feel as if I know Corlath, the enigmatic Damarian king who later becomes Harry’s husband, I think the setting and political intrigue of this novel is remarkable. Yet, I firmly believe that in the hands of a different author, The Blue Sword could have been the fantastic tale other readers gush over. For all my enjoyment of this story, I don’t think I will be reading much more of Robin McKinley in the future, not matter how wonderful her storytelling is proclaimed.

You can read this review and more on my blog, Ivy Book Bindings. ...more

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Sep 12, 2011 Erik rated it liked it

Shelves: detailed-review, scififantasy, young-adult

This book is better than it ought to be, and I'm honestly a bit bamboozled why I received it as well as I did (or why it has such a good rating here on Goodreads). Let me break it down, then, into the Good, the Bad, and the My-Theory-On-Its-High-Rating, starting with...

The Bad

1. Many technical aspects of this book are just bizarre. There are point of view switches MID PARAGRAPH. Much of the story is told in a third-person-limited focusing on Harry Crewe, a girl sent to the wild and uncivilized D ...more

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Apr 06, 2010 Stephanie rated it it was ok

Partly through reading this book I began a list of "Things you must have in your typical girly-adventure novel."

1. Main character must acquire godlike combat skills in a matter of weeks even if she has never demonstrated any previous ability. Check.

2. Main character must have cool sword with cool name. Check.

3. Main character must have animal companions. (In this case, stallion and giant cat.) Animals must be prettier, smarter, and more useful than anyone else's. Check.

4. Strange and interesting ...more

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Jun 15, 2017 Charlotte rated it it was ok

This is colonialist, white savior wish fulfillment to a tee. My Fantasy Robins have been letting me down lately WHYYY.

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Jul 15, 2008 Melissa McShane rated it it was amazing

Shelves: own, fantasy, young-adult, favorites

Re-read 6/26/17: See below, plus the audiobook version was really good despite a couple of odd mispronunciations by the reader. There is so much I didn't get about the relationship between Harry and Corlath (from the initial abduction on) when I was young that I appreciate better now.

Read 6/23/13: Back when I was twelve or thirteen and tearing through the YA shelves at the library, I picked this book up and immediately set it aside because the first paragraph seemed boring. I did that at least s Re-read 6/26/17: See below, plus the audiobook version was really good despite a couple of odd mispronunciations by the reader. There is so much I didn't get about the relationship between Harry and Corlath (from the initial abduction on) when I was young that I appreciate better now.

Read 6/23/13: Back when I was twelve or thirteen and tearing through the YA shelves at the library, I picked this book up and immediately set it aside because the first paragraph seemed boring. I did that at least six times before, something having changed inside my head, I finally decided to read it. It is still my favorite book by Robin McKinley and a wonderful adventure story, initial maunderings about orange juice aside. (I am now old enough to appreciate McKinley's writing, but between this and Patricia McKillip's Riddlemaster series I wonder at the things that used to be designated as YA.)

I wonder, too, that Harry's character as a relatively unfeminine, tall, horse-loving young woman doesn't put me off; these days (as I am now old and crotchety) I have little use for stories about girls Oppressed By Society who have complete disdain for the womanly arts. I think it's because Harry, for all her unfeminine ways, is still very much a woman and still responds to her surroundings as such--just not the way most of her peers would. In Damar, surrounded by "natives," she finds many other women who behave the way she wants to and are still feminine. I think, despite what McKinley says, that Harry's journey into this foreign country would have been a homecoming even had she not had blood ties to it.

I love Harry's relationship with Corlath, and not just the romantic one; they are each troubled by the other from the moment their eyes meet and she doesn't look away. She is his equal, and more, which makes their romance sweeter and more solid than if it had based on love at first sight, though you could argue that it *was* based on that. The characterization is all around good work, really. If I have a problem with the book, it's that I don't know how I feel about the wrapping-up McKinley does in the last chapter. I enjoy it, but I feel it may be sloppy, which is disquieting, so I tell that part of my brain to shut up and I go on enjoying it.

This is one of the books I make my kids read. They, too, have trouble getting past the orange juice, but they, too, love it when they're finished. ...more

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Sep 23, 2020 Nenia ✨️ I yeet my books back and forth ✨️ Campbell marked it as wishlist

This book is currently on sale for $1.99!

I remember reading this book when I was young and all I remember from this book are

1) the heroine spent the entire beginning of the book bitching about how much she hated orange juice

and

2) I had to throw my copy out after I spilled soda all over it

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May 23, 2013 Jessica rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: award-winners, fantasy, childhoodfavorites, all-timefavorites

Also lots of love. So much love. I loved Aerin's story, and I think The Hero and the Crown is very complete, but I would happily read more books about Harry and Corlath, I really, really would! ...more

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Mar 01, 2008 Debbie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, fantasy-scifi

Effusion warning: the following is not a review - it's more like a wordy shrine to Robin McKinley.

This is one of my favorite books of all time. One of the many reasons is that I discovered it all by myself (well, not quite by myself; a librarian put it on the shelf where I could find it - thank you, librarian!).

I was browsing the shelves at the Lee Library, and I think it was the title that first caught my attention. If I remember correctly, I took it down and flipped through it. I wasn't comple ...more

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Feb 25, 2013 C.E. Murphy rated it it was amazing

I had a hard time reading this for purely physical reason: my copy of THE BLUE SWORD is very probably 30 years old, and the fragile yellowed pages are losing their tenuous grip on the broken spine. I was afraid it would fall apart in my hands, and thus was weirdly careful with not only the book but the reading of it. I believe I'll seek out Robin McKinley at the nearest possible opportunity, ask her to sign my beloved and battered book, and retire it with honors alongside my equally ancient and I had a hard time reading this for purely physical reason: my copy of THE BLUE SWORD is very probably 30 years old, and the fragile yellowed pages are losing their tenuous grip on the broken spine. I was afraid it would fall apart in my hands, and thus was weirdly careful with not only the book but the reading of it. I believe I'll seek out Robin McKinley at the nearest possible opportunity, ask her to sign my beloved and battered book, and retire it with honors alongside my equally ancient and beaten-up signed copy of DRAGONSONG.

The truth is, had discussion about HERO in my last Recent Reads post not pointed it out to me, it probably never would have occurred to me how passive a character Harry is. She is (in essence) The Chosen One, just as Garion is, and throughout the book, the story impels her forward rather than her own choices driving the story forward. The major break from that is of course her departure from Corlath's army, but with how it's written, even that is arguably her kelar forcing her rather than her own will.

It doesn't matter. Not to me, anyway. THE BLUE SWORD is very close to my heart, because it's one of the very first books--possibly the first book--I read with an awareness of genre, with an awareness that I was reading A Fantasy Novel. I first read it when I was ten, the year after it came out, as one of the books for Battle of the Books, and it utterly swept me away. I was in love with Harry, I was in love with Corlath, I was, dear God, in love with Tsornin.

And I still am. I was right, in re-reading HERO: Aerin is the stronger heroine, and HERO probably the stronger book. And indeed, upon re-read I discover that Harry's big magic scene at the end of THE BLUE SWORD is acid-trippy as well, though not as mind-numbingly weird as Aerin's. As an adult, it's easier to admire Aerin's stubbornness and the trials and tribulations she goes through to achieve her happy ending, and to appreciate that Harry essentially gets it all handed to her on a platter.

But when you're ten and you're caught up as Harry was, stranger in a strange land, but a land that speaks to you, and you are taken away to be important in that world...well. Yes. It's ultimate wish-fulfillment, and McKinley has said as much about that book, but it's okay. And I think that will never go away, so I think THE BLUE SWORD retains its place of preference in my heart. After all, a little wish fulfillment never hurt anybody. :)

But *God* I wish there were more Damar books. I know she doesn't write sequels, I've known all her reason for twenty years, I respect them, I'm not pleading with her to write more, but *oh* how I wish there were more. ...more

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Jan 18, 2009 Carrie Vaughn rated it it was amazing

Probably my favorite book. This is coming with me to my desert island.

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Oct 16, 2011 Terence rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Terence by: GR Friends' reviews

Shelves: for-the-younger-generation, sf-fantasy

I missed my “Robin McKinley window” by about thirty years. If I had had the good fortune to come across this novel when I was fourteen, I’m sure I would have sought out more of her work and enjoyed them to the same extent as I enjoyed authors such as Andre Norton or Lloyd Alexander (whom I did have the luck to meet around this time in my life). As it happens, I’m too experienced a reader (and, mayhap, too cynical?) to fully appreciate the spirit in which the book is written. There were too many ...more

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Oct 31, 2008 Melody rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I loved this book. With all my heart. It starts with a girl who doesn't quite fit, then builds from there. There are demons and heroes and enchanted swords and true love. Also legends and big loving cats and semi-supernatural archers. Did I mention evil? Oh, and kings and proto-British cavalry? And horses from the fever-dreams of Alec Ramsey! Palatial tents. The best kinds of friendship, the kinds which transcend rank and sex and age.

The plot is classic, the story arc undeniably satisfying, and ...more

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Sep 22, 2014 Logan rated it did not like it · review of another edition

My suspicion of all silver-medallion-marked books remains unshaken.

I really don't know what went wrong here. Clearly the main audience of this book (female) thinks it is a childhood classic. Therefore a) I must be the incorrect gender, b) missed the age window, c) was born in the incorrect era to enjoy it. It really, really makes me wonder if the people who love it were born in a certain period, are of a certain gender, and were a certain age when they first read it.

The story did not capture me My suspicion of all silver-medallion-marked books remains unshaken.

I really don't know what went wrong here. Clearly the main audience of this book (female) thinks it is a childhood classic. Therefore a) I must be the incorrect gender, b) missed the age window, c) was born in the incorrect era to enjoy it. It really, really makes me wonder if the people who love it were born in a certain period, are of a certain gender, and were a certain age when they first read it.

The story did not capture me at all. My impression is that this was something...
(view spoiler)

Dislikes: from a guy's perspective, describing a one-on-one duel with an opponent by saying "her sword flashed and the sash fluttered to the ground" is extremely lame.

I thought her whole attitude to this thing was rather bland. In fact, the main character, almost all the characters seemed rather bland. Pretty much a ho-hum, whatever comes, comes, attitude.

This "kelar" (magic) thing the main character has is ridiculous. It's completely unexplained but it can do anything: visions of the future? Sure. Speak an ancient language? Why not? Turn you into an amazing warrior who can defeat seasoned riders and fighters? Yup. Make a mountain float up in the air and crush your enemies DBZ-style? Piece of cake. Connect you to an ancient mystical female warrior? Of course. Break through walls? Nothing to it. But it makes you angry and gives you a headache. Just sayin'.

Technical issues: the prose bothered me for some reason. I felt like I never got to know the characters, like I was being told the story of a story, rather than getting to read one. Perhaps it was this "superior" tone that made me dislike "Wrinkle in Time" as well (don't hurt me!). But it felt so lifeless and mind-numbing that I'd often find myself having to re-read the page or skip back to figured where in the world I am. It ALL BLURRED TOGETHER, from one scene to the next. I do a fair bit of reading and this is the first book in a long while that made me space out in the middle of a page.

It also bothered me that in the middle of a paragraph it would switch from third person to first without any kind of typographical indication that suddenly this was the person's thoughts. Lastly, the editing seemed lacking in areas, which is odd because I understand the author used to be an editor. Maybe it's hard to edit your own stuff?

I tried to give it a fair shot, really I did. In the end I guess I'm just out of place, time, and gender. ...more

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Jul 14, 2009 Amy rated it really liked it

Shelves: hankering-to-read-or-re-read, favorites, books-i-wouldn-t-mind-owning, re-read-in-2019, books-i-have-re-read-time-and-time, fantastic-fantasy, re-read-in-2016, favorite-characters

2019 Review
My earlier review describes this book as a security blanket. I find the analogy remains apt. The first few words of The Blue Sword (quoted below) still relax me like almost nothing else. I enter a little bubble of contentment just thinking about them.
I know this world. I know these words.
But like a favored blanket from my childhood, I no longer need this book. The sentences remain familiar and comforting. I can trace the weave of the words, the faded colors, and the frayed edges. I ...more

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Sep 18, 2015 Sarah rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I'm on the fence about this book :) It had some major flaws, mostly that it was so focused on the main story that it lacked some depth. The character gets abducted and becomes this warrior with little passing thought to what she's actually experiencing. She goes with the flow but doesn't really stop to question that flow. It's actually really weird. The Hillfolk appear to be a highly romanticized and idealized version of the Ottoman Turks, with the Outlanders appearing to be basically English, i ...more

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Aug 12, 2011 Vicky rated it it was ok

Shelves: young-adult, fantasy

I think I liked this book better when I was a young adult. I enjoyed the story: a girl, going by the unusual nickname of Harry, gets kidnapped by natives (called Hillmen), learns their ways and effectively becomes a native, discovers she has magic, and becomes the key to saving her new people from the big, bad, nonhuman Northerners. It's a fun, if not totally original, adventure. And the writing is overall pretty good.

My biggest complaint was that there hardly seemed to be any conflict in the st ...more

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Jul 07, 2012 Brandi rated it liked it

2.5 Stars, but I rounded up because of the world building.

This is a story about a girl named Harry who goes to stay with a nice childless couple in a desert after the death of her father. Her brother is stationed at the little outpost there, and unlike most of the people, Harry finds that she really loves the desert. After hearing some rumors about the people who live in the Hills being magical, Harry chances across their king one day and everything changes. She is taken by the king and becomes 2.5 Stars, but I rounded up because of the world building.

This is a story about a girl named Harry who goes to stay with a nice childless couple in a desert after the death of her father. Her brother is stationed at the little outpost there, and unlike most of the people, Harry finds that she really loves the desert. After hearing some rumors about the people who live in the Hills being magical, Harry chances across their king one day and everything changes. She is taken by the king and becomes one of the Free Hillfolk by choice. She goes to battle against their enemies and in doing so becomes legendary.

I so wish I could say I loved this book, but it was pretty hard for me to get through. I felt that the entire story was written in a very shallow way, and that if only I could dust off the glass I could see the real story underneath. There are a few POV issues as well, and it's not even consistent switches. Sometimes it would be just a sentence or so, and other times it would be a few pages. There was no change in fonts between when a character was thinking or talking, the names of the horses switched randomly between their Hill name and Outlander names, and the relationships were never given any depth. In fact, one such set of relationships grew from a smile and then was suddenly BFFs on a mission. I wanted so much more from this than I got, and I just feel let down. I wonder if I had read this as a young girl if I would feel differently, and I think I would since the story itself has a great premise, but at this point in my reading life I want to feel every grain of sand that stung her face, and every moment that she felt tension for her King, or her battle. Instead I found myself re-reading sentences, or paragraphs, throughout the entire story as well as forgetting some of the characters.

A good part for me were the relationships with the animals! Harry has a big cat that sleeps with her and a stunning horse. The world building was good and very descriptive (couldn't she have kept that up with the characters?!) and some of the magic was really interesting, but so under explored that it's a negative as well as a positive. There was a satisfactory wrap up (it wasn't an epilogue, but read like one) and that made me happy even as I thought it could have been deeper. I wouldn't personally recommend this, but I also wouldn't say that this is a bad story. Just not my style or taste.

...more

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Mar 16, 2012 Kat rated it really liked it

Shelves: high-fantasy, kidnapped-heroines-and-captors, the-great-k-and-k-shelf, ya

With a girl named Harry, you can’t go wrong!

The Blue Sword is one of those gems you’ll find on a pile of forgotten books. Books with smelly, yellow tinted pages in a secondhand bookstore. I had never heard of Robin McKinley. And unfortunately, neither did my dad back in the days when he read me bedtime stories.

What we have here is a classic high fantasy tale, very much in the tradition of Tolkien’s work, in which an orphaned girl, Angharad Crewe (it’s not hard to get why she insists on being cal With a girl named Harry, you can’t go wrong!

The Blue Sword is one of those gems you’ll find on a pile of forgotten books. Books with smelly, yellow tinted pages in a secondhand bookstore. I had never heard of Robin McKinley. And unfortunately, neither did my dad back in the days when he read me bedtime stories.

What we have here is a classic high fantasy tale, very much in the tradition of Tolkien’s work, in which an orphaned girl, Angharad Crewe (it’s not hard to get why she insists on being called Harry, is it?) travels to a remote colonial town deep in the desert to live with narratives. Here she learns about the ancient hill-folk, with their beautiful horses and their strange magic. The proud hill-people are in trouble though, the promise of war is looming over them. So they turn to Harry’s new community for much needed help, but in the end, only Harry is brave enough to accept the challenge…

..and only because she is abducted by the king of the hill-folk.

McKinley wrote a coming of age story targeted at a young adult audience, that has all the elements I enjoy in high fantasy; adventure, magic, world building, battles, beautiful animals (which is not necessarily a fantasy element, but I need to point out that the author put a lot of love into her descriptions of horses and big cats; awesome stuff for horse-crazed little girls indeed! Sigh…it’s such a shame that I didn’t get to read this book at an earlier age) and a dash of romance. Thankfully, you mustn’t expect another irrevocable-can’t-breathe-and-function-without-him-love-story. The romance thread is very subtle, discrete (again, think Tolkien).
Anyway, if you love a bit of red hot romance in your stories, you will just have to get your fill by reading between the lines and making up the rest.

That brings me to my one and only pet peeve; McKinley’s writing style is excellent and sophisticated, yet rather distant; she hardly describes emotions and feelings. I’m probably used to the overly emotional writing style in the wave of ya books that are flooding the market nowadays, in which the heroines prove their everlasting love for life and their objects of desire by erratic, melodramatic behavior and flowery lines.
Mmm..it's just so good to read a well written, heartwarming fantasy story from the 80's! ...more

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Sep 27, 2015 Lindsay rated it really liked it

I'm actually rounding this up from what I expect would be a 3.5 star rating. The heroic story was great, with an excellent story of a newcomer to an exotic culture who adapts, then excels, complete with training montage and heroic battle. But this is on top of a really problematic setting that makes me reluctant to recommend it to people.

Angharad "Harry" Crewe's father passes away and she is sent from "Homeland" to her brother in colonial Daria on the borders of the northern desert power of anci I'm actually rounding this up from what I expect would be a 3.5 star rating. The heroic story was great, with an excellent story of a newcomer to an exotic culture who adapts, then excels, complete with training montage and heroic battle. But this is on top of a really problematic setting that makes me reluctant to recommend it to people.

Angharad "Harry" Crewe's father passes away and she is sent from "Homeland" to her brother in colonial Daria on the borders of the northern desert power of ancient Damar . Harry feels a strange attraction to this land and really doesn't miss her country of origin at all. The king of the hill tribes of Damar visits the Homelanders to ask for help against a horde of demonic peoples from the north but is rebuffed. During the visit the king, Corlath encounters Harry, and for reasons unknown even to him, ends up kidnapping her and taking her back to his homeland where her heroic story begins.

It gets all the stars for me because this is a female hero main character whose strength is with her sword and her performance as an elite warrior. This was in the early eighties, when even now, that is still rare.

As a pure adventure tale this is great, but it's pretty clear that the setting parallels actual places and the history of those places is nowhere near as rosy as it is presented here. Homeland is England, Daria is India, Damar is Afghanistan and the northern demonic horde are clearly Russians (especially given what was going on in the world as this book was being written around 1980-82). The colonials live in Daria and are very well-established there, but there is not a single named Darian character, living or dead, in the entire book. They're completely irrelevant, and not even acknowledged by Corlath's people. This is an adventure story, and there's clearly no room to go into the Homeland colonial state, but even the basics aren't there, and knowing anything about the real-world versions of these places, that's really jarring. And before you dismiss that I'm reading in stuff from the real world that's not in the text, just reflect on the term "idealized colonial power", because that's what you're seeing with this setting. ...more

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Mar 26, 2008 Cass rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Everyone.

Recommended to Cass by: John Wiswell

An amazing ride. Beautifully descriptive with plenty of action and magic, The Blue Sword has earned a place on my "books I read over and over again" shelf.

The Blue Sword I found most fascinating and enjoyable for its setting. It takes place over three locations: Home, Damar, and The Hills. Theses places put me in mind of England, Gibraltar, and Morocco for the transitions from cool and simple green lands filled with leaves and gentle horses into unknown deserts filled with magic and mystery. Tru An amazing ride. Beautifully descriptive with plenty of action and magic, The Blue Sword has earned a place on my "books I read over and over again" shelf.

The Blue Sword I found most fascinating and enjoyable for its setting. It takes place over three locations: Home, Damar, and The Hills. Theses places put me in mind of England, Gibraltar, and Morocco for the transitions from cool and simple green lands filled with leaves and gentle horses into unknown deserts filled with magic and mystery. Truly, this book could be read just for the description of tents and horses. As a girl who was never into the Black Beauty series and never romanticized horses as a child, I nevertheless found the horses and riding to be some of the best descriptions in the book.

What romantic interest there is between the characters is unexpected, not at all formulaic and therefore sweet and wonderful when it takes you by surprise.

The hill magic, kelar is also a fantastic addition to the text and rather than feeling pasted on or "Hey look, magic!" it is a rare part of life that is treated as both a gift and a maddening annoyance.

The presence of a female warrior protagonist is refreshingly human. Harry is far from the standard chainmail bikini clad, sword wielding, confidence oozing chosen one. As a reader I empathized with her confusion, bruises, discomfort, and annoyance. Harry often has moments of stating that she would really rather skip the mystery and know what is going on. When she gains skills and defeats foes, there is a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. My favorite part is that I actually didn't know what was going to happen. Harry is not the sort of heroine where you don't even frown when she meets the main bad guy because of course he'll be defeated. However, the situation is not so doomed as to be completely hopeless, where a victory would be utterly improbable and the result of a deus ex machina. You have faith in Harry's fighting abilities, as well as concern at the hordes she encounters.

I loved this book. Love love love love loved it. ...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
/r/Fantasy Discus...: May 2020: The Blue Sword	3	90	Jun 15, 2020 06:33PM
Play Book Tag: (Poll Ballot Tally) The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley - 4 stars	1	8	Apr 05, 2020 10:21PM
Fantasy Buddy Reads: The Blue Sword [Jun 1, 2018]	34	45	Jun 07, 2018 08:28AM
Classic Trash: The Blue Sword: Finished (Spoilers)	7	14	May 29, 2018 09:09AM
Classic Trash: The Blue Sword: In Progress (No Spoilers)	7	11	May 13, 2018 07:02PM
Gail Carriger Fan...: August 2017: The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley	1	11	Jul 31, 2017 07:07PM

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About Robin McKinley

Robin McKinley

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Born 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 ...more

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Quotes from The Blue Sword

“[Harry] had always suffered from a vague restlessness, a longing for adventure that she told herself severely was the result of reading too many novels when she was a small child.” — 220 likes

“...My friend, there are some things that I cannot tell you. Some I will tell you in time; some, others will tell you; some you may never know, or you may be the first to find the answers.” — 143 likes

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