The Forgotten Beasts of Eld
{5/5} “‘But I have his name and the sound of his voice, and the order of his words. He is a fool but he is alive, with eyes to see and weep with, hands to carry a baby and kill a man, a heart to love and hate, and a mind to use, after a fashion. In his own world, he is doubtless valued.’ ‘My child,’ Maegda whispered. ‘we are all of one world.'”
The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patrica A. McKillip, published in 1974
Sybel’s grandfather and father called special animals — who did great and terrible things — and now she looks after them. She has been trying to call the Liralen but so far has been unsuccessful. When a baby is brought to her, her aunt’s son, she looks after him — with some help from the old woman down the road. When the dragon goes out to get its gold a man sees it, so the dragon attacks him. The same man who brought the baby, Coren of Sirle.
McKillip’s writing is beautiful.
The story is about what happens when your child wants something different from you. What happens when you get involved in the ways of war and revenge, and become a different person. And circumstances in which you would keep something from your partner, something big.
It’s an astonishing work.
This is the 2nd book I’ve read by McKillip. I previously reviewed The Riddle-Master of Hed.