The Bards of Bone Plain

Starred review from October 25, 2010
World Fantasy Award–winner McKillip (The Bell at Sealey Head) offers a rich, resonant story of poetry, riddles, mystery, and magic. Phelan Cle never wanted to be a bard—that's his decidedly unmusical father's ambition for him—but now that he's about to graduate from Bardic School at Caerau, he's determined to make it easy on himself. He chooses what should be a straight-forward thesis topic: Bone Plain, where legend says all poetry originated, where Nairn the Wanderer, the Fool, the Cursed, the Unforgiven, one of the greatest bards in history, failed the mysterious Three Trials and disappeared forever. History surrounds the school and the nearby standing stones, where archaeologist Princess Beatrice digs up an unusual artifact that may hold the key to the mysteries of Bone Plain. McKillip seduces readers with lyrical prose; intriguing, complex characters; and resonant riddles-within-riddles.

Starred review from December 1, 2010

Phelan Cle, needing to write one more paper to graduate from the bardic school on the hill, decides to focus on the enigmatic tale of Bone Plain and the life of Nairn, the legendary Wandering Bard. At the same time, Phelan's alcoholic father, Jonah, spurred on by the king's youngest daughter, Princess Beatrice, conducts archaeological forays throughout the city, seeking bits of lost history and something that just escapes his grasp. McKillip's (The Bell at Sealey Head) finely tuned feel for the mythic aspects of stories informs her fantasies with the underpinnings of archetypal power, yet her characters remain endearingly human, with recognizable flaws and strengths. VERDICT This masterfully told tale by an author sensitive to nuance and detail will please McKillip's many fans.

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2010
Readers already familiar with the author will enjoy a fascinating tale of music and bards, legends and reality, and, most of allmagic. For those exposed to McKillip for the first time, a treasure awaits them in the pages of this story. Set in a medieval-like period, where kings still rule and their courts are the center of the social order, the book throws in a more modern element of archaeology, with its constant reach into the past, seeking explanations. The story starts with Phelan Cle and his enigmatic father, characters who become exquisitely developed over the course of the tale. Woven in alternating chapters is the legend of Nairn, the Wandering Bard. The reader is pulled from the current trials and tribulations occurring in Phelans life into the legend of Nairn, until the reality and the legend slowly become mirrors of each other, and then finally fused together. Almost (Thomas) Hardy-ish in the level of description, the author never loses the reader in description for descriptions sake. Each element described serves to further the story.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)