SPOILERS: Deerskin by Robin McKinley

[kate_nepveu]

Over on my book log, I've just posted a comment on Deerskin, by Robin McKinley, in which I talk around some problems I had with the book. For the curious, I put spoilers behind the cut tag. This will probably not make any sense at all if you haven't read the book.

Comments

[sienamystic]

Deerskin doesn't present the same kind of problems for me, but I have found that sometimes McKinley works better if I let her imagery wash over me without trying to work it out too much. Her endings can sometimes be too...what's the word I want...sensory? for me, where I want something a little more concrete that I can get a handle on. I do see the point you make about Lissar's healing being an interesting one, but it's not one that I would have ever noticed as a minor flaw in the underlying structure of the story.

The book of hers that I find the weakest (although I know that's not what you mean by it being her "except" book) is Spindle's End, which I found generally dull and posessed of the most "woo-woo" ending of all her books. I haven't had any urge to reread it, and I actually think I sold the book back to the used book store right away. Blue Sword, Hero and the Crown, and Sunshine are all on the top of the list of books I cherish, however, and I enjoy the two Beauty retellings. I even tolerate Outlaws of Sherwood, despite the fact that it became clear very early that Robin and Marion was not the story she was most interested in telling.

[kate_nepveu]

I've never been able to get more than 15 pages into _Outlaws_; as I've said above, _Sunshine_ is still on the to-be-read pile. I love _Spindle's End_, but for the people, setting, and prose; the ending is pretty abstract, though _Deerskin_ is up there too.

My favorite of hers is probably _The Blue Sword_, but that's for comfort reading purposes rather than strict quality.

[pixelfish]

I like Outlaws actually.

"Sensory" is exactly the way I think of certain endings, particularly Spindle's End and Sunshine. (As I said, I don't remember anything about the second Beauty book so I don't think I can really comment on it.)

My favourite is also the Blue Sword--which keeps manifesting itself subtly whenever I write. (My YA novel in progress could best be described as The Far Pavillions meets The Blue Sword meets Captains Courageous.)

[schulman]

The Far Pavillions meets The Blue Sword meets Captains Courageous

I would pay to read that, and I've never even heard of the Far Pavillions. (Just ordered it, though; if it stands in that company, I'll like it.)