The Forgotten Beasts of Eld (1974)

Best forgotten. I read it because it was a prizewinner some time ago and was highly praised. In fact the opening third of the book has a wonderfully atmospheric feel to it. We have strange persons with strange powers, principally a girl who inherits her father’s power to control others. Like him she uses it to collect the forgotten beasts of Eld (the name of a mountain/place not a reference to the past). This part of the book has a vague, misty, impressionistic feel which is rather fine. We are in the fairy tale wood long, long ago and there is even a local (good) witch. Time seems to pass in a different way. Our heroine has no human connections except the witch and doesn’t know what life is. But then she has an infant left in her reluctant charge and she learns to love him until he is taken back as an adolescent to be the heir to the throne. Then the novel goes downhill. As a result of her adopted son’s return to the world she is connected to it. She is almost mind-raped by the king’s wizard at the king’s behest so that he can control her. However all the wizard does to her is what she has been doing to her ‘forgotten’ beasts for years. In spite of this she gets very cross and rushes off to start a civil war in the interestingly described house and extended family of one of the local noble families. She is going to use the forgotten beasts as part of her war plan. Then at the last moment she has an unlikely change of heart and lets her beasts go free. About time you might think. They then rampage in their various ways, the civil war happens anyhow, the old king dies and her lad becomes king. And she lives back in her old house happy ever after with the man who had originally brought her the infant to look after. I reckon she must be in her forties by this time but better late than never.
It’s a broken-backed story which handles some parts where atmosphere is important very well but gets lost on the way back there.

I believe I enjoyed this book when I first read it, but I can't remember a thing about it, which is a sign that it wasn't memorable. I'll put it on my re-read list as most of her books are very good. ( )

I’ve heard several people say this is their favorite McKillip. Not so much for me (so far it might be Alphabet of Thorn). It’s fine, I enjoyed it, but it’s not my favorite. [Nov. 2008] ( )

There was a thread of sadness running through this entire book. Every character seemed lonely and isolated, and none were really living up to their potential, even if it was a conscious choice on their part. The beasts weren't allowed to remain magnificent and the people seemed to disappoint both themselves and the people they were surrounded by. There were important and true underlying themes, but I don't know that I truly enjoyed the book; it made me melancholy. ( )

Based on this one book, McKillip may well be a Great Stylist of SF. Her writing is fluid, spare, and luminous with imagery. With a strong internal vocabulary, she creates a mood that is atmospheric and at times even gothic.

The Forgotten Beasts of Eld has all the narrative elements of a traditional fantasy novel - lost heir, warring clans, fantastic beasts, Celtic names, wise magical women. But here, the protagonist is not the lost prince, but his wizard woman guardian. Sybel's emotional life drives the novel; to make the gothic comparison again, her character feels influenced by Jane Eyre, aloof, imaginative, and passionate.

Sybel begins as a character drawn starkly in two dimensions, but she slowly gains facets of complexity, creating conflict and discovery that drive the novel. I enjoyed her greatly as a character, but also feel hesitant to give the book five stars until I reread it. Despite an emotionally charged text, Sybel's motivations are often subtextual. There's a disconnect between the emotion on the page and some of her more extreme actions, leading to believability issues. I look forward to rereading it and deciding whether Sybel's actions are supported by the text or if the author was being a little heavy-handed in order to prop up the structure of her plot. ( )