Has anyone read "An Alphabet of Thorns"?

I loved that book so much but very few people seem to have heard of it.

Just read it recently. I've started making my way through all of Patricia McKillip's stuff, finally. And as a librarian, I of course loved a fantasy novel set in and around a huge library!!

This sounded really interesting to me so I tried to find it. LT's search engine found nothing and after trying with Google I realized it's because the title is Alphabet of Thorn. In case anyone else is interested.

It's one of my favourite McKillip books, partly for the same reason as >2 kmaziarz:! Also I love the way the past and present collide, the idea of alphabets of fish and thorns, and the very un-Hogwarts-like school of magic.

McKillip is one of my favourite authors, one of the few whose books I will buy in hardback as soon as they are released. I have Bards of Bone Plain waiting to be read at present. I think she gets a bit overlooked in discussions of fantasy writing because she doesn't write the usual epic sagas that people think of as typical of fantasy.

I haven't read it but it's on my wishlist now. Her Riddlemaster series is one of my favorites and this one looks good as well.

I've read and loved everything McKillip has written, and I've got her latest at the top of my TBR stack. Everything she's done is gorgeously crafted. She's well known in the field, but one could wish, more widely read - I also buy everything she's done in hardback on release, have for years.

I love McKillip's books - I'm going to have to look at her list to see if I've missed any. I can't remember Bards of Bone Plain.

Bards of Bone Plain just recently came out. That may be why you can't remember it.

Thanks, then, I'll have it soon!

I read everything by McKillip except The Bards of Bone Plain

10: sandyg210

How was The Throme of Erril of Sherill? Saw a copy of that floating around the other day.

Throme is worth picking up, but it is definitely more YA in language than McKillip's other books. It's a quick, fun read with wordplay and humour, less than 200 pages long.

The titles I can't seem to find are The night gift and The house on Parchment Street. They look very different from her usual style.

I agree Throme was OK but not one of my favorites.

Thanks for catching that :)

Had not heard of the riddle master series, got that on my list now :)
This book is fantastic. You won't be dissapointed.

Alphabet of Thorn is one of my favorite McKillips--thanks for the reminder that I need to re-read it! :)

Sakerfalcon, I recently found a copy of The House on Parchment Street at Goodwill. The very beginning was so familiar that I was positive I'd read a library copy previously, but then I didn't remember the rest at all. It is quite different from the rest of her books, but very charming nonetheless. I don't think I've read The Night Gift, though.

>16 kdcdavis:: I've never seen a copy of either book; will probably have to track them down on amazon as I live in the UK. Even her recent books are hard to find here.

Went and got Alphabet of Thorn from the library today, just because of this post :) Can't wait to start reading it

I'd better check it out too - I've got a vested interest in fantasy with 'thorns' in the title :)

I read it! Long time ago, must have been when it was new (2004).

House is a YA-contemporary, from rather early in her career, IIRC. That genre of her works kind of gets lost since she does so much fantasy. Don't know anything about The Night Gift.