"Refreshing...haunting...an utterly engrossing fantasy!" - The New York Times
"This is the story of Aerin Dragon-Killer...a story you will never forget." - Back cover
It is true that there are some books you never forget. The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley is one such book. I know we often say "I'll never forget the time that _________" or "I'll always remember _______". I say that often with books and have indeed even done so in various reviews on this site. Nevertheless, I can say with complete confidence that The Hero and the Crown is unforgettable, because I have remembered passages almost verbatim in the 25+ years since I last read it.
When I was in seventh grade, we had to read two major books in my English class: a historical fiction novel and a fantasy novel. Every year, the Advanced English class read Johnny Tremain and The Hobbit. My sister -just two years ahead of me in school- read both of these before I did. As expected, when it was my turn, I met Johnny Tremain, Rab Silsbee, and Lavinia Lyte. But our teacher made a change in the curriculum and, mercifully, I did not have to read The Hobbit; my class read McKinley instead of Tolkien. (Call me a traitor to English literature but, while I do enjoy Tolkien's masterful crafting of fantasy and different universes and beings, reading his work is laborious, tedious, and downright mind-numbing. There. I said it.)
I had never in my life heard of Robin McKinley nor of her stories set in the magical country of Damar. Her first story taking place in this setting is The Blue Sword (1982), featuring "Harry" Crewe as its protagonist: an orphan girl who is destined to heroically carry the (you'll never guess) Blue Sword. I have been meaning to read this book since I was about 13 years old, and have just last week purchased a copy of it. So, congratulations to me on finally becoming an adult and making choices.
The Hero and the Crown is the prequel to this two-part series, despite being published two years later (1984). Aerin is both a princess and an outcast in her own family and kingdom, living decades (centuries?) prior to Harry. The daughter of King Arlbeth of Damar and his second wife, a supposed witchwoman from the demon-haunted North, many of the Damarians and Aerin's own relatives view her as a novelty to be largely avoided. With the exception of her father, her cousin Tor (who is next in line to the throne), and her maid Teka, Aerin spends most of her time isolated from her people. As such, she has lots of time to herself where she can think, read, learn, and sneak off for the increasingly perilous adventures that will ultimately lead to her fulfilling her destiny.
It isn't often that you come across a fantasy novel that is fast paced. While The Washington Post stated that The Hero and the Crown "Confirms McKinley as an important writer of modern heroic fantasy, a genre whose giants include C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Ursula K. Le Guin...", she lacks the long-windedness of some of these better known authors. Tolkien, as the long revered standard of fantasy fiction, has been known to spend fifty pages on details like Hobbit tobacco or a particular type of bark. Readers are duped into thinking this will be important, else he wouldn't spend so much time on it, only to later discover that it had absolutely no bearing on the story and, in fact, he would never return to the subject. Such details and descriptions are marvelous for the imagination, but alienate readers beyond fully committed LARPers. Sometimes, less is more. One thing that I particularly love about McKinley's style is that she doesn't draw out battles or important plot developments beyond what is necessary. There are probably three major climaxes within The Hero and the Crown, but the book itself is only 246 pages (Puffin Books). Indeed, it is often catalogued as a young adult book, but it doesn't necessarily read as such. Certainly, young adults could read it -the story itself is very accessible- but it may prove linguistically complicated for kids who aren't considered advanced readers. I was 12 or 13 when I read it and, while certainly within my realm of understanding, I remember lists of assigned vocabulary words (think: vestigial, fortnight, apothecaries, poltergeist, self-aggrandizement) that made this more than a casual read for me at that age.
McKinley's conciseness does not come at the cost of her beautifully descriptive writing. A wonderfully grim passage describes the malevolence encountered by two of the main protagonists at a particularly harrowing point of the story:
"A blast of grief, of the deaths of children, of crippling diseases that took beauty at once but withheld death; of unconsummated love, of love lost or twisted and grown to hate; of noble deeds that proved useless, that broke the hearts of their doers; of betrayal without reason, of guilt without penance, of all the human miseries that have ever occurred; all this struck then, like the breath of a slaughterhouse, or the blow of a murderer."
While her words and stories are certainly memorable, it is perhaps McKinley's characters that are the most unforgettable.
Aerin: The willful, courageous protagonist who -instead of being idle- takes her pain from rejection and withheld truths and actively turns them into burning curiosity, a desire to learn and prove her worth to herself. In a genre where the ladies are most often in the background bestowing favors and tokens on the male heroes, it's nice to see a girl taking the lead.
Tor: Aerin's cousin, betrothed (ew, but not uncommon for these "long ago, far away" fantasy royals), and next in line for the throne, Tor is portrayed as level-headed, calm, collected, and compassionate. He is Aerin's biggest ally from childhood and throughout the story.
Luthe: A broody, reclusive, and ageless wizard, Luthe's frustrations with Aerin and her people are sometimes misdirected. Nevertheless, he saves her life on multiple occasions and teaches her all he can to help her save Damar...while simultaneously falling in love with her.
Maur: The colossal black dragon who darkens the sky and whose wickedness -even in death- oppresses and destroys all it touches.
The folstza and the yerigs: The wild cats and dogs of the mountain who voluntarily form Aerin's personal army on one of her adventures...and who stick around with her indefinitely.
The setting, the story, the climaxes, the characters -- all of these elements combine to make a fantasy novel that lives up to the acclaim it earned by winning the Newbery Medal. McKinley's imagination is unmatched as she weaves a tender, compelling, and exciting story that you won't want to put down even after it ends.
