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.

One cannot pick up a Patricia McKillip novel and expect it to be like anything else one has read. My first, The Tower at Stony Wood, so confused and befuddled me that by the time I finished, I no longer cared about the characters or the plot. After trying and loving the Riddle-Master trilogy, I returned to her newer books with Alphabet of Thorn, a little worried that my initial experience would be repeated. Thankfully it was not. Though the characters are from very different backgrounds and initially seem unconnected, I found myself drawn to almost every one of them; indeed, if this were a movie, I would certainly nominate it for a Best Ensemble award. There is Tessera, the new queen of Ombria who everyone has labeled an idiot child; Laidley, the stoop-shouldered apprentice librarian with thinning hair who is in love with Nepenthe; Vevay and Gavin, old, faithful lovers who together guard Raine; the legendary Axis and Kane, who in conquering kingdoms and worlds nearly destroyed themselves; and even Axis' forgotten wife, to whom is given this fabulous description: "She grew to become an affectionate mother and a discreet wife. So the poets mention her rarely and without interest. Her life was not the stuff of passion or tragedy, at least as far as they could see."

Slightly less compelling are Bourne and Nepenthe, our leading couple. Theirs is one of those love-at-first-sight relationships that might better be described as lust-at-first-sight. Even when Nepenthe expresses worries that Bourne might be a restless nobleman out to take her virginity and break her heart, she leads him dazedly to her bedchamber anyway. In this relationship, premarital sex is treated in such an offhand way as to make it even more offensive than Axis and Kane's near-incest. What has happened to McKillip since she wrote of the pure love between a princess of An and a boy who once put a seashell to her ear and let her hear the sea?

Of course, the original concept of Alphabet is intriguing. Being a bibliophile as well as a lover of languages, the idea of the fate of a nation being locked down in the royal libraries with a story written in an unreadable language is fascinating to me. More importantly, and what really surprised me in the end, is the fact that the seemingly disparate plot lines suddenly come together at the end of Chapter Twenty-Five in a terribly shocking way. Unfortunately the author only allows herself two chapters after that for the true climax and wrap-up, and the second of the two feels very rushed indeed, with only some of our major characters making an appearance. These objections aside, Alphabet of Thorn is still a wonderful memento of one of today's greatest fantasy authors. ( )

I should have given this amazing book a five. I would have if the ending had been more satisfying. From the beginning to near the end, the book engulfs the reader into a mystical world. The world is unlike any other you have read about. It is fantasy, yes, but not cliche fantasy that is so typical in books these days. The magic in the book seems real, and powerful, the very book is bewitching!

I thought the book was going to be about Nepenthe, and while it is primarily about her, there are many other characters that equally share the spotlight. Kane and Axis, for example, whose story I enjoyed as much as Nepenthe's. Then there is Tessera, the Queen of Raine; Bourne, a mage, Yevena, a powerful and old mage and of course Kane and Axis. They all share the spotlight to transform the book into something unique and interesting.

However, the ending was highly unsatisfying. When it seemed all the characters had reached their climax, when finally the reader would realize how important the characters are in the story...the crisis ends and everyone goes back to being happy, before all the chaos happened. While I do hate stories that end with page after page of resolution, the ending of this book seemed like an afterthought. It was as if the writer didn't write the ending, it didn't fit in with the rest of the novel.

I don't mind happy, sweet endings...but when I closed the book I had a wretched picture in my head of all the character's standing around with big smiles on their faces and laughing...you know, like you see in those cheesy movies? ( )

The link to my review.