Chalice

Marisol the humble beekeeper is one of the loveliest heroines imaginable. I want to sit down and have a cup of tea with her! I know Ms. Mckinley is not one to be pressured into sequels, but I would love to see more stories set in this world. The pacing is slow, of course, but the world building is what draws me to Mckinley's writing in the first place, so I shan't complain. The agrarian community she's created here is beautiful in its simplicity and the unexpected depths of the bonds that hold it together (quite literally! There are magical lines/veins running through the earth itself!). If you don't like Mckinley's writing style, then don't read this. But if you, like me, live for long draughts from the calming streams of deep and humble magic, then you will love this, too.FYI: My review philosophy reserves five stars for something that a) I cannot imagine living without, b) fits the purpose for which I bought it so perfectly that I can't wait to tell others about it, and/or c) the quality is such a tremendous deal for the price that I couldn't possibly rate it any lower. Four stars, which I choose more often, means that I am very satisfied, but not astounded in one of the above ways ;).

I put off getting this book for two reasons: the price, and the fact that some reviews suggested it was slow-moving. When the first factor shifted, I picked it up, and was very glad I did.As I'd expect from Robin McKinley, it's beautiful, reflective, and original. The setting is an estate in a world where a number of ritual roles, including the Chalice and the Master, work together to protect the land and make it flourish. It's a wonderful extension of the idea of ritual kingship and the king and the land being one, but the Master is not a king; he's minor nobility, at best, and the story's antagonist is his Overlord.This particular Master has been brought back from the priesthood of Fire, where he has passed through three stages of transformation which have made him something other than human. (I was reminded of Max Gladstone's novels.) His brother, a bad Master, died through his own ungoverned wildness; unfortunately, he was the older brother, and sent his younger brother away to the priesthood rather than listen to his advice. People don't generally come back from being priests of Fire, and the new Master has to be careful about touching things (and people) lest he burn them.The estate's Chalice is a young woman who had the role unexpectedly thrust upon her when the previous Master and his Chalice died together. She hasn't been properly trained; she's a beekeeper. She has to pull together what she can out of instinct and old books to keep the estate from falling into chaos, or being taken over by a nominee of the Overlord. The story is told from her (third-person limited) point of view.Especially early on, there is a very high proportion of sequel (the character reflecting on events) to scene (the character acting and responding to events). This is, no doubt, what has sparked the complaints of the book being slow-moving, and I did feel that perhaps the balance had tipped too far occasionally. What kept me reading was the wonderfully original setting, and the compelling challenge that the Chalice faced.Spoilers follow:I saw one piece of plot (the Chalice marrying the Master) coming a long way off, even though the author threw up several obstacles in the way of that outcome. I felt that one of the obstacles (the Master's nonhuman, fiery state) was dealt with rather abruptly, but satisfactorily, while the other (it was against all convention and, almost, law) seemed to end up just getting ignored. I felt that whole arc could have done with more careful development and better resolution. I appreciate that it wasn't the focus of the book, but it still felt a little rushed and neglected.The language is beautiful and fluent, and the only editing issues I saw were some odd cases where full stops have been inserted where they don't belong, plus one repeated word in a sentence.If you enjoyed The Goblin Emperor; Ann Leckie's Ancillary trilogy; or Marie Brennan's Lady Trent, you probably have the patience, and the aesthetic sensibility, to enjoy the gradual and intricate unfolding of this book. If you were bored by those books, this isn't the book for you either.

A young untrained beekeeper is chosen as the land’s Chalice, after the previous Chalice suffered a harsh and sudden death while dabbling in forbidden magic. A new Master is also chosen to heal the land, and he isn’t completely human.Mirasol, the new Chalice tends to her bees, who are yielding enormous amounts of honey, and tries to learn her duties with the aid of ancient books and manuscripts.Will she and the new Master succeed in foiling the schemes of their greedy overlord? Can they heal their land and gain the respect of its people?Every stream, every gesture, every bee, every sentence in “Chalice” is filled a new and beautiful kind of earth magic. McKinley’s half-wild, untrained sorceress reminded me a bit of Andre Norton’s witches, but hers is not a land of half-awakened evil like Norton’s Escore. Rather it is a magically abused land crying out for love and healing. This is a uniquely beautiful fantasy.

I was surprised & delighted enough by the first few pages of this understated yet powerful McKinley offering that I couldn't bear to wait for the library hold with 2 people ahead in the queue and bought the book immediately!Having been raised in a bookish but frugal family, our trips to the public library were frequent and fabulous, instilling within me an appreciation for the (rather worn, well-loved and shabby) edifice itself, as well as the concept of borrowing books to be (devoured in a gulp and then swiftly) returned. : )However, McKinley roped me in with "Chalice" and her incredibly complex and interesting way of describing the shape of the world as much through the gaps left as though the carven detail. Everything from Mirasol's changing use of language--from relaxed to uncomfortably formal--to her magic-working and its homey contrast to the cold, political forces at work, neither embroiders too much or leaves the reader unable to glean the author's satisfactory & defiant message.I will be reading this novel again and again and undoubtedly finding new things to appreciate and delight in, and I recommend it wholeheartedly!