Nepenthe is an orphan brought up, named and taught by the librarians of Raine. She is a talented translator of unusual alphabets and languages. She meets Bourne, a trainee mage, who brings a book in an unusual and spiky script. Instead of giving it to others, she works on it in secret in her cubbyhole. Much adventure follows.

I enjoyed the story and characters, but I enjoyed the language and the concepts of magic, illusion, and the power and changeability of words much more. The words and images flowed from the page, and I drank it all in, torn between savouring words and turning the pages faster to see what happened next. Sometimes descriptive words were used in an unusual or unexpected way, yet that seemed just right.

The icing on the cake to this wonderful story was sympathetic book art. The front cover art of the edition I have seems just right for the qualities of the prose and the ideas here. There is a magical, otherworldly, wispy yet detailed quality to it, and I was strongly reminded of some illustrated fairytales I read as a child. Turning to the back cover, I was not so struck there, but it's not too bad. Sometimes book artwork (inside or out) seems discordant with the story, style and language of the book, but this did not seem to be the case here.

Highly enjoyable read - a very book-based fantasy. ( )

I love McKillip's use of language and imagery. This is a wonderfully layered fantasy with story unfolding within story. A wonderful, magical world where the stories of many characters and different lives collide and entwine. It is also a story of love tipping over into obsession. The love of books, language and knowledge within the library; the passion of first love; the love of country and what one might do to sustain love. ( )

This was one of the most gorgeous books I've ever read-- every word seemed to be singing in chorus to create a novel that's as much about its lyricism as it is about the plot-- but because of this lyricism, the plot drags a bit in what feels like a lot of extended exposition, taking up about the first 2/3's of the book, though it's worth sloughing through the parts that sing out of tune for the excellent pay-off. There was a chapter near the end where the plot and the style and everything resolved into a truly gorgeous reverie. ( )

I loved this. I've been disappointed by some of her recent books, but this-- the alphabet, the queen, the foundling transcriptors.But - the characters weren't quite -- something. Especially Kane, at the end. Her sudden turnaround. I mean, it was forshadowed, I guess. When she wondered what it would have been, to have stayed musing Axis' wife. And had such trouble giving up her daughter. And no time had passed, to her, before her beloved toddler was grown up and rejecting her.What happened with Nepenthe, and Bourne, and Laidley? Another story.

Wonderfully imagined tale. But it's too short-- just when the story really gets going, it's over.