The Naming

The Books of Pellinor are a high fantasy series that is a more accessible version of Tolkein's Lord of the Rings with the same richness of imagery and world building but with straightforward names and a less complicated history. That said it could also be that The Books of Pellinor are less intimidating because they're not as famous or as widely read as Tolkein.

The Books of Pellinor are set in the land of Edil-Amarandh - a land which has been on the precipe of danger for years - ever since Sharma, the Nameless One stole the Treesong from the Elementals (Elidhu) and broke the song. Cadvan of Lirigon is working against the dark but there's only so much he can do - until while on a mission he runs into Maerad - a slave girl who can see show more through his invisibility. Soon they're travelling together and finding that all is not right in the land. Then Maerad leads Cadvan to a boy named Hem and nothing is the same. Maerad and Hem have an instant connection and it's not long before Cadvan realises nothing happens without a reason and that only by working together can the light prevail.

Maerad was terrific. I loved her zest for life and learning and her desire to improve her circumstances - for all she could occasionally be childish and pessimistic. Cadvan was a bit more of an enigma - he was all over the place. Like Maerad, I found myself loving and hating him depending on how vague he was and then how kind he could be. I did like how periods were normalised in this. Nowadays it's not so much an issue but when it was first published it was still more of a topic to be embarrassed about, for all it was still discussed.

The fantasy elements are terrific and will feel familiar and comfortable for fantasy lovers. There's not anything particularly new (when is there?) but it's done well. The quest unfolds satisfactorily with a good balance of action and lore and character development. I enjoyed the inclusion of the Bard verses throughout the text and at the start of each segment. My favourite was the Canticles of Pel of Norloch. The world building is well developed and fascinating but thankfully not quite as overwhelming as Lord of the Rings. The appendices streamline knowledge that appears throughout the text rather than just adding a billion more backstories and histories. Well, and add some cheeky humour. I enjoyed the idea of matter and energy as music. A science that depended on laboratory experimentation, for example, simply didn’t exist, although it is known that the Schools of the Suderain included extremely advanced mathematicians and that the Bards of Baladh formulated and used physical laws in their astronomical observations. They were aware of atoms and subatomic particles, and theorized matter and energy as musical vibratory forces, anticipating quantum physics and string theory, and the Bard Thorkon of Turbansk proposed something that looks very like the theory of relativity.

Croggon, Alison. The Naming: The First Book of Pellinor (Pellinor Series 1) (pp. 487-488). Candlewick Press. Kindle Edition.

Although there is some romance in later books, the relationship between Cadvan and Maerad is one of friendship and respect and only has a few fleeting hints of anything like love in this first book. Maerad has had a hard life and Cadvan is understanding and steadfast in his support as she learns to adjust to freedom. For all he could be harsh he was also kind.

The side characters were interesting and I liked Silvia and Nelac and I'm pretty fond of Saliman - but my favourite character was Hem. Hem was hilarious. I can't wait to see more of him.

This won't be for everyone, The Naming alone, is almost 500 pages - but for those that like strong fantasy books with a quest and chosen ones and epic lore - this is for you. 5 stars. show less

Maerad, a young female slave in a squalid village, is rescued by Cadvan who, as a bard, recognises her latent magic powers; taking her on a journey overshadowed by ever increasing peril and malevolence he begins her magical apprenticeship as she starts to gain an inkling of her apparent significance in the world of Annaren. At first glance the well-worn tropes of orphan revealed as the Chosen One with the potential to upset the current world order might seem rather humdrum and, well, ho-hum. But this opening novel of an inevitable fantasy quartet by Australian poet Alison Croggon is a cut above the ordinary.

A second reading of The Gift allowed me time to savour more fully the sensual nature of Croggon’s writing without the show more distraction of the narrative’s headlong dash. Everyday food, colours, clothes, landscapes, objects are all described with the poet’s eye for detail and (for the pleasures in life such as warm baths) obvious relish. There was also more opportunity to absorb the intricacies of the extracts from her created world’s poetry, with their images, alliterations, rhyme and metre.

Leisure also brought more understanding of the details of this world. Things like names took on more significance. Many Annaren names, especially those of the more virtuous, seemed to relate to Welsh, such as Cai, Cadvan (for modern Welsh Cadfan), Maerad (modern Mared), Brin (for Bryn), Idris and Owan (for Owain or Owen). The more sinister characters were more distinctly Old Testament in tone, with names like Likud and the substitution of the letter ‘k’ for hard ‘c’ found in virtuous characters (typically as with Enkir).

The slow pace that some readers have complained about perfectly reflects the journey, both physical and personal, that the young Bard has to undertake from her slavery to the recognition of her innate powers. Yes, there are echoes of The Lord of the Rings – what post-Tolkien fantasy isn’t indebted to it? – but Maerad is more proactive and more reflective and her character is rather more rounded than, say, Frodo’s. Croggon has publicly acknowedged the influence of Tolkien’s essay on fairy stories on her Pellinor story, and there is the same love of words and invented languages, but there is a real sense that her characters drive the plot rather than the plot driving the characters as is the case with The Lord of the Rings.

My only real reservation is over the conceit that the Pellinor series is based on documented events happening any time over 10,000 years ago (in reality around the end of the last Ice Age) that may or may not be something to do with Atlantis. I think the storyline works better without this distraction, though I appreciate that this helps to create a learned context for Pellinor history and culture; I accept too that I may be missing a nuance or two here.

While The Gift doesn’t end with the conventional cliffhanger there still remains pleasurable anticipation for what is to come in the succeeding volumes. A final note of praise is also due for the finely drawn and lettered maps by Niroot Puttapipat which add immeasurably to the joy of revisiting Pellinor. show less

Okay I'm going to come right out and say I loved this book. I'm not sure where to start so I guess I'll start with the actual story and characters. The first book is all about journeying from one place to another and is a beginning to quite an epic tale. The main character, Maerad, is a teenager who finds out she may be the Fated One, the one who will save everyone from Darkness. I really loved her. She is realistically 16 years old, yet throughout the book she grows and faces her many responsibilities. Her mentor, Cadvan, is another character I fell in love with. Their relationship is something you don't see often; it's an intimate friendship between a man and a young woman who have decided to do their best to combat the coming show more darkness.

There is magic in this book which can be described as a type of magery by people who are called Bards. Yes, they are musical and they sing, but it's more than that also. It's unique but traditional at the same time. I found it fascinating and refreshing.

A major part of the success of this book is Croggon's writing. She is a poet and it really shows in her writing. There's a flow to her prose and the characters are so intricately drawn that you really feel like you know them. Their interactions are so precise and real that I think they are some of the best I've read. There were many emotional moments that were written quite beautifully. The Pellinor series is long, each of the four books around 500 pages, which might be daunting for some young adults. But I hope that many young readers read this series because I wish I had read something like this when I was a teenager: a story with strong, likable female lead, relationships that just aren't about obsession and infatuation, and a real quest that is sure to intrigue.

There are some criticisms about this series being a little too much like Lord of the Rings, but I think it is only in some areas. Then again, what epic fantasy doesn't owe something to Tolkien? Anyways, I want to say that this book is a lot more than that and is definitely worth checking out. I warn you though: once you start you might not be able to stop. This story continues in The Riddle, The Crow and finally The Singing. show less

3.5??

I was talking about how this is very much LOTR-esque and Philip goes "so you know how soulslike games are like Dark Souls. we should start calling books like these ringlikes" so now I have a new term for books clearly inspired off LOTR. Ringlikes.

It's been a hot minute since I've read a book so starkly light vs dark chosen-one prophecy mentor-mentee journeying in the wilds of a corrupted country finding her powers along the way but. I mean. It was a nice change of pace. It doesn't speak to me as strongly, but I do like it; I like Maered and Cadvan and the Bards if I'm a little indifferent toward the whole magic system (??). Croggon clearly invested so much time and effort into the world and especially the language(s), and that's show more what makes it good. HUUGEEE fan of the whole "this is a lost civilization from our world and I'm translating it into English from their language" so the appendices were all heavily footnoted!!! I need to stop comparing every incident to LOTR because this book stands up very well on its own. It was just that every single thing was "I have this intense feeling I need to do this so I will even though I kind of don't want to" and ik that's the whole Way of the Heart thing but hmm. I think there was just some layer the book never quite broke through between really making me feel strongly about the characters because even though I LIKE them all it's not particularly like... chewing on drywall kind of vibes. Is it just the epic fantasy chosen-one thing? Maybe? Whatever. Suffice it to say I think the book's very good for what it is. It's slow because it's primarily fighting through the wilderness, but rich in worldbuilding about it, and I'm someone who liked LOTR's songs & poetry so I ate that up in here.
Btw I am very very glad there's no real romance this is a 16 year old girl who was previously a slave and has trauma and they leave her be about it.
the thing with Dernhil caught me not off guard but a little indistinct screaming because man why are you jus kissing a 16 year old you've known for like five days. I am very sad he died about it but ?¿?? everyone's like the heart does strange things HE KISSED MAERED WITHOUT PERMISSION okay ik it was all part of her learning curve but. what.

I want a horse like Imi. I keep opening facebook and then having to close it again rather quickly because I'll see a sale ad for an all-rounder pony and bemoaning the fact that I'm a broke college student. I want a pony show less

This is a fantasy that features the young orphan who turns out to be the chosen one, or in this case, the Fated One. An ancient evil is gaining power; the forces of light are undermined and corrupted. The book is deliberately paced and has a sloggy day-by-day feel, with many more days than interesting days. Reading it in 2024, there isn't any element that hasn't been done to death, and I believe I would have said the same when it came out in 2003. Croggon's facility with language is better than average, and the verses she includes aren't wince worthy, but neither of those make up for the flat lack of entertainment.

Inspired by the same works that influenced Tolkien, this beautiful novel is the first in the Books of Pellinor quartet based in the lands of Edil-Amarandh.

Maerad is a young woman rescued from slavery who discovers that she is a Bard with a powerful yet dangerous gift. With the help of her rescuer and teacher, the mysterious Cadvan, a new world opens before Maerad's eyes, along with the truth of her heritage and clues to her extraordinary destiny. Tragedy and betrayal ensues, with an ending that will leave you reaching for the next in the series.

I was totally absorbed by this book and its characters, especially the intriguing Cadvan, with his mysterious past, and the enigmatic Elidhu. The world of the Annaren Bards is complex, full of show more the political intricacies, back-stabbing and personal agendas that are at the heart of any society. I particularly liked the descriptions of Bardic culture and the importance placed on passion for the arts and a desire for knowledge and wisdom. A fascinating group of characters keep this tale engaging and certainly had me hooked on one of the best fantasy series I have come across. show less

I couldn't finish this one. Not because it was boring, or poorly written (it wasn't), but eventually I came to the conclusion that I had read enough of these types of books - young person, thought they were normal, or less than everyone else, discovers that he/she is SPECIAL, must go on a journey/quest to discover themselves, and must fight a great evil 'cause they're the only one who can....

I got much more than halfway through before deciding to focus on other books. I may come back to this someday.