thelittlebookowl

Title / The Forgotten Beasts of Eld

Author / Patricia A. McKillip

Publication Date / 1974

Page no. / 208

Overall Rating / ★★★★★

Forgotten Beasts of Eld is a fantasy standalone that follows Sybel, a sixteen year old girl who has grown up alone on Eld Mountain. Her only companions are mythical beasts, until a man brings a baby for her to raise. Having had little to do with humans for most of her life, the baby begins to awaken feelings in her that she’s never known before.

There is much more to this story, but I think this is one of those books you want to read without knowing too much about, if that makes sense. From the very beginning, the writing will pull you into the story and it won’t let go until the end. This was my first book by this author and I normally find that it takes me a little while to get into a book by a new to me author, but that wasn’t the case with this one. The plot is compelling throughout and I enjoyed every second of reading this book. The world building is fantastic and I loved all of the mythical beasts.

Sybel is a fantastic protagonist and her progression through the book is so well done. All of the characters are complex with distinct personalities and interesting back stories. There is no good vs. evil in this book and this is reflected in the many shades of grey seen in the characters. This is quite a short book, in terms of many fantasy books, but it fits a lot into the small length. It is impressive how much McKillip is able to explore in this book.

Overall this is a fantastic book and I would highly recommend checking it out, especially if you love mythical/folklore influences in your fantasy books. It won the World Fantasy Award in 1975. Have you guys read this book? I would love to know what you thought. I hope you are all having a wonderful day and I will see you next time.

Pippa