Robin McKinley’s Chalice
This is not to say there weren’t interesting things about it. It takes place in a realm that resembles in some ways the prelapsarian innocence of Genesis, where humans and nature still have a close bond. Its governing system involves a (male) Master and a (female) Chalice who are exceptionally attuned to the “earthlines.”
There are a couple of key differences from Genesis, though. One is that there is no transcendent God, just “the gods of the earthlines.” Another is that the story picks up after a pretty serious disruption of the harmony between people and nature. The previous Master, governed by excess of every kind of passion, was killed along with his Chalice in a fire (just a tad of symbolism there), and the “demesne” (synonymous for state?) has been deeply wounded. Enter this cast of characters: a new Chalice who keeps bees and has a “gift” for honey, and a new Master, younger brother of the old one, whose training as a “priest of fire” is set aside to return to rule.
Even such a sketchy plot summary makes it clear: there is a fair amount of complexity in this imaginative world that needs explaining. Despite an interesting situation and potential for an enriching story — a comment in some ways on the nonfictional world I live in — this tale never really got off the ground. The dialogue seems to be mostly speech-making, there mainly to convey information about the details of “Willowlands” and its rituals, traditions, and history. The pace is languid. The seriousness with which we’re asked to take honey as a healing substance was always a bit of a barrier to me. Somehow, the bridge was never quite firm enough into the imaginative realm to permit easy access. In the end, I found this story to be an ambitious and promising attempt never quite realized.
I picked up my copy of Chalice at a regional publisher’s book sale after seeing Jeane’s review at Dog Ear Diary. She gave it a similar appraisal.
How interesting. I never even thought about it being similar to Genesis, and some of my issues with the book were different than yours, but yeah, we did end up feeling the same about it!
I’ve never read anything by Robin McKinley, ‘though I think I’ve brought something home from the library at least once. What would you recommend as a good book to start with?
I remember really liking ‘The Hero and the Crown,’ but ‘Beauty’ is what I’ve read most recently. I think that’s the one I’d recommend.
Chalice sounds disappointing–which is too bad. I generally enjoy what I’ve read from Robin McKinley (Beauty is my favorite so far).