The Blue Hawk (1976)

by Peter Dickinson

Other authors: See the other authors section.

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264	3	101,938	(4.02)	40
In an ancient kingdom, a boy and his hawk challenge the gods All his life, Tron has been destined to join the priests who rule his strange desert kingdom. When the old king grows sick, a ritual is called for to restore his health: the sacrifice of a blue hawk, the symbol of the god Gdu. For the first time, Tron is chosen to take part in the ritual. Just before the bird is sacrificed, the young priest notices that its eyes are cloudy. The bird is sick, and to give its soul to the king would be to kill him. And so Tron steals the bird away. The priests are enraged at his disruption of the ritual. Some call for his head, but others see Tron's potential. They give him three months to train the wild bird--three months to save its life and rescue the kingdom from the wrath of the gods. This ebook features an illustrated personal history of Peter Dickinson including rare images from the author's collection.… (more)

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10
The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin (Aquila)
Aquila: Both about young people making a decision that will change the temple they belong to.
10
The Oracle Betrayed: Book One of The Oracle Prophecies by Catherine Fisher (Sakerfalcon)
Sakerfalcon: Both books deal with corruptly-led religions in a desert setting, and follow the trials of a young protagonist who attempts to set things right. Excellent worldbuilding from both authors.
00
Small Gods by Terry Pratchett (souloftherose)
souloftherose: Although The Blue Hawk is aimed specifically at children/young adults and Small Gods is an adult book, I think both books examine and raise interesting questions about faith and religion and readers who enjoyed one may well enjoy the other.

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Peter Dickinson performs some amazing tricks with this young adult novel. The powers of the Gods (O the sun, Aa the moon, and others) infuses pretty much every page, and yet, objectively, nothing necessarily fantastic ever happens. The culture is incredibly detailed and consistent. This is a fascinating world but not a nice one. Tron is naive, but not simple. Having known nothing else Tron is true believer in the many rituals that determine everyday life. And yet believable, he brings great change to a system that resists change, precisely because his belief is so strong.

Highly recommended, right up there with Earthsea. (

)

ChrisRiesbeck | Aug 4, 2020 |

A slightly-spoilerish tip: This is not happening when you think it is happening. In fact, the genre is not what you think it is, either. I didn't get this the first time I read it. Pay attention!

sonofcarc | Apr 29, 2014 |

This is a very interesting story set in ancient Egypt - although perhaps not quite the ancient Ehypt we would recognise. In this world the gods are real enough that they speak to a young boy and guide him into an action that causes a sequence of momentous events, beginning with the death of the king and ending... well I won't say where it ends, as that would spoil the story - but as a story it hangs together very well indeed, and is more than worth the time spent readig it.

I am suprised this book has not generated more reviews as it really is very good. The world is richly imagined and drawn. There is love and friendship here, power and politics, and plenty to set you thinking about the nature of change, of the world and of our place in it. (

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sirfurboy | Jul 22, 2009 |

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▾Other authors

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Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Peter Dickinson	—	primary author	all editions	calculated
Herring, Michael	Cover artist	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Sandin Löfqvist, Kerstin	Introduction	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Smee, David	Cover artist	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Westrup, Jadwiga P.	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

▾Series and work relationships

Belongs to Publisher Series

En bok för alla (1987)

▾Awards and Honors

Awards

Guardian Children's Fiction Prize (Winner – 1977)

A Horn Book Fanfare Best Book (1977)

Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing (Shortlist – Commended – 1976)

Notable Lists

Library of Congress Children's Literature Center Children's Books (1964-1978)

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▾Common Knowledge

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Canonical title

The Blue Hawk

Original title

Alternative titles

Original publication date

1976

People/Characters

Tron, novice priest of Gdu

Important places

Important events

Related movies

Epigraph

Dedication

First words

The House of O and Aa boomed to the deep voices of the priests.

Quotations

Last words

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

Original language

Canonical DDC/MDS

Canonical LCC

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▾Book descriptions

In an ancient kingdom, a boy and his hawk challenge the gods All his life, Tron has been destined to join the priests who rule his strange desert kingdom. When the old king grows sick, a ritual is called for to restore his health: the sacrifice of a blue hawk, the symbol of the god Gdu. For the first time, Tron is chosen to take part in the ritual. Just before the bird is sacrificed, the young priest notices that its eyes are cloudy. The bird is sick, and to give its soul to the king would be to kill him. And so Tron steals the bird away. The priests are enraged at his disruption of the ritual. Some call for his head, but others see Tron's potential. They give him three months to train the wild bird--three months to save its life and rescue the kingdom from the wrath of the gods. This ebook features an illustrated personal history of Peter Dickinson including rare images from the author's collection.

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Book description

The Blue Hawk is powerful, sacred, untameable. Its sacrifice will bring glory to the gods, strength to the nation - and the success of evil plans by sinister priests. But when the gods command Tron, a temple boy, to rescue the bird and overturn the sacrifice, the destiny of the kingdom is placed in his hands.

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