"Forgotten Beasts of Eld" by Patricia A. McKillip (BR)

[Travis]

Hi, Friends,

This is the place for our buddy read of The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip, starting this Saturday, February 23.

Who's in?

Please mark spoilers and report chapters so we can all follow along!

[Cheryl]

Ok I've grabbed the copy at openlibrary.org. I'll try to read it promptly in case anyone else here uses that resource.

[HeyT]

I'm still in for this. I already have a copy ready to begin.

[Kristin B.]

I totally jumped the gun on this one! It came in unexpectedly from the library so I just dove in. It was a quick read.

It was interesting when I started reading because I had just finished A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe and Eld is about as different from that as you could possibly get. It was a strange mental shift.

Most of my thoughts are not at all spoilery, they are more concerned with the writing style, but I'll throw them behind a tag just in case.
(view spoiler)[ It felt a bit simplistic, which was surprising after the foreword talked about how magical and breathtaking it was. It was a beautifully told story, it just didn't feel complex at all.

It was a joy to read though because it was really gorgeous. The world building and descriptions of scenes and the animals were very evocative. I loved the different creatures and how they interacted with Sybel and Tam. (hide spoiler)]

The only actual plot point that I wanted to mention (view spoiler)[ is that I was thoroughly amused that this all powerful wizard, Mithran, was in it for a whole five minutes. That was great (hide spoiler)]

Looking forward to seeing what everyone else thought!

[Rachel]

I’m in once I finish current two books....

[Travis]

Chapters 1 and 2:

(view spoiler)[As with Riddle-Master, the other McKillip I've read, I'm drawn to this world even as I feel such distance from the characters, especially Sybel. Her flat and disconnected responses to others leave me wondering how I'm meant to read her: isolated and unsocialized? neuro atypical? bloodless? At one point she tells Maelga, "I do not understand loving and hating, only being and knowing." And that seems exactly right... I enjoy the opportunity to engage with such a protagonist, but I'm also a bit confused about her motivations and feelings when she does express them, for instance her desire to capture the Liralen. Why is that such an urgent drive for her?

I also have a question about the collection of beasts. Are we meant to think of it as a benign thing do do? Or is it something more akin to enslavement?

Finally, was Sybel's mother was taken against her will? If so, it seems weird that this isn't commented on at all but just seems to be a matter-of-fact part of the story... (hide spoiler)]

[Cheryl]

I'm just about to begin, but I need to ask, what prompted this BR, why are we reading this now?

[Travis]

Cheryl wrote: "I'm just about to begin, but I need to ask, what prompted this BR, why are we reading this now?"

I can't remember exactly. I think it's a book and a writer that have been on many folks' radars for awhile.

[HeyT]

I think it was also in one of those Tor.com list articles.

[Cheryl]

Fair enough. I did start, am only a bit in, and have already caught up to the blurb. Not my usual fare... I wonder where it's going, and whether I'll stick with it....

[Cheryl]

Travis wrote: "Chapters 1 and 2:..."

I have almost exactly the same questions. As of now (view spoiler)[ as Coren is being treated for being wounded by the dragon (hide spoiler)] my theories are that (view spoiler)[Sybel, at age 16, just hasn't been socialized. All she knows is what her father taught her, which is almost nothing to do with people. And the desire to collect these splendid beasts is apparently genetic/ atavistic. The beasts, I think, appreciate being remembered, named, treasured... but they're still captive. I don't think they're being hoarded as resources for a megalomaniac or whatever though, rather, they are almost like subservient companions, like a queen's ladies-in-waiting kind of a status. (hide spoiler)].

[Kristin B.]

Cheryl wrote: "Travis wrote: "Chapters 1 and 2:..."

I have almost exactly the same questions. As of now [spoilers removed] my theories are that [spoilers removed]."

Having finished I would say Cheryl is about right. And we see some character growth as well.

As far as Sybel's mother (view spoiler)[I feel like she was possibly taken semi against her will, but in a way consistent to the society that's being depicted. Women are married off whether they want to be or not. Sybel, being raised by her father, wouldn't really have had questions about this. She didn't really have a reason to wonder, and since the story is mainly from her point of view, it wasn't something that had much time spent on it. As far as she is concerned her father was intelligent and taught her about the animals. He was aloof and not particularly warm or comforting, but didn't seem cruel either. (hide spoiler)]

[Cheryl]

Very mild spoilers ahead; not worth hiding imo but take care if you're sensitive:


I'm done now too. Lots of character growth. Thank goodness, because Sybel is not always very likable.

All through, though, my favorite character is Coren. I'd love to read a prequel about him and his friendship with Norrell. (Nirrell? I read a scanned ebook so it's not easy for me to check afaik.)

I do appreciate that she's a wizard who treasures her books and who is introspective, conflicted, etc. This book reminds me a lot of Dragonsbane by Barbara Hambly in those ways, and I suspect fans of one will enjoy the other.

[Lesley]

Cheryl wrote: "I'm done now too. Lots of character growth. Thank goodness, because Sybel is not always very likable."

I feel the same way. I haven’t quite finished reading yet, but (view spoiler)[the character growth was what drove the story for me. I sort of liked that she wasn’t a sympathetic protagonist, that she was flawed from the start and that it sets up the central conflict in the book between the two places she finds love. That being said, the conflict does feel a bit forced and her decision to exact revenge and yet somehow keep Coren and Tam from finding out she was behind it wasn’t very believable. (hide spoiler)]

[Ariana]

I liked this! It felt kind of simple, but I don't mean it in a negative way. Almost like an allegory about revenge and love. (view spoiler)[It was a little disturbing at the end to feel like the animals would have left all along if they'd been free... It didn't feel like Sybel was holding them against their will, but then they're excited to leave once she frees them. I kind of wanted to believe that they had an understanding based on mutual respect, and not Sybel dominating the animals. I think I'm going to believe that Sybel calls them and they choose to stay with her and she takes care of them, and when she "frees" them it's freeing then from their arrangement, vs. freeing them from her control. I don't care if this isn't supported by the text. (hide spoiler)]

[Cheryl]

I felt the same way about the animals, Ariana... and I appreciate your extrapolation.

[Travis]

I'm maybe 2/3 of the way in and feeling the same frustrating disconnect from the world and the characters. It's almost like looking over the author's shoulder and seeing her move the pieces around and make the characters talk rather than entering into and understanding a world the author has created. The dialogue is also strange to me, stilted and unvarying in tone between characters.

[Cheryl]

Travis, it is in a different style, that's true. Since I don't read a lot of fantasy, I just attributed it to the 'fashion' of some of the works in the genre. I made an *ass*umption, you see. But it worked for me!

I was able to focus on what the characters were doing and saying, instead of how ow why they were saying it... and that made the developments all the more interesting. For example, I loved how Sybel would say something (to herself, or Tam, or Coren) with utter confidence, and then later alter her stance... and isn't that what we all do? Aren't we all very often so sure of ourselves, especially when we're in our early 20s? But if we're wise, we'll learn, and be more flexible & open to nuances, and maybe change our minds.

[Travis]

Cheryl wrote: "Travis, it is in a different style, that's true. Since I don't read a lot of fantasy, I just attributed it to the 'fashion' of some of the works in the genre. I made an *ass*umption, you see. But i..."

This is such a useful perspective!

[Rachel]

I found this really compelling. I guess I'd call it a fable about consent and free will? Not sure I have much useful to add since I came in late but I'm happy I was pushed to read it by thisBR

[Cheryl]

I like the idea of considering it as a fable. I use that word for children's books often, but I didn't think of applying it here... but it *is* a useful frame, ty!

[Travis]

I agree. That helps me better understand the way the characters felt to me more like figures or even archetypes than people.

[Rachel]

I ended up giving it 5 stars- as I caught myself stroking the cover. I figure that must mean I like it!
Plus the urge to tear through the story. It’s interesting how instead of saying he makes her happy it’s phrased as ‘only around Coren does she know how to smile’

[Cheryl]

Rachel wrote: "... It’s interesting how instead of saying he makes her happy it’s phrased as ‘only around Coren does she know how to smile’ ..."

And surely this is the kind of style that makes some of us praise the writing. I do like it.

[Kristin B.]

Rachel wrote: "I ended up giving it 5 stars- as I caught myself stroking the cover. I figure that must mean I like it!
Plus the urge to tear through the story. It’s interesting how instead of saying he makes her ..."

Yeah, generally petting the book (or my kindle) is a good indication that I really enjoy a story. There's usually a hug thrown in there as well. :)

[HeyT]

I'm late to the party but I finished this last night and I really enjoyed it. It felt kind of dreamy as I read it and when it was over I had a really comforted feel like snuggling up with a warm blanket on a cold day.

[Cheryl]

:smiles: