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| Review Summary |
Nepenthe, an orphan, was raised by the palace scholars and at sixteen is now a gifted translator. The young queen of Raine, Tessera, has just assumed the throne when Nepenthe goes with a friend to pick up a book from the mages' Floating School. The mages want the book to be translated. When some illusions frighten her friend away from the school, Nepenthe takes the book. It seems to speak to her heart, so she decides to translate it herself, instead of giving it to one of the senior translators. Slowly she begins to decipher it's strange thorn like alphabet. It begins to tell the true story of the legendary ruler Axis and his mysterious mage, Kane. Translating the book becomes a secret obsession for Nepenthe.
Meanwhile, the ancient mage, Vevay, is disturbed. She is trying to guide the new queen of Raine. She senses trouble, but cannot put a pattern to it. Then she has a vision of the first king of Raine, awakening. Legend says he sleeps until he is needed to defend his realm again. This confirms her fears that trouble is brewing. She is afraid that one of the dukes is plotting to take the throne from Tessera. However the real threat is much more dangerous than an ambitious duke. Little does she realize, Nepenthe is entertwined with the danger that threatens Raine, and the choices she makes will change the course of her world.
Michelle, Resident Scholar
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Ace, Feb 2004, 22.95, 320 pp.
ISBN 0441011306
The King of the Twelve Crowns of Raine is dead and his fourteen year old daughter Tessera is crowned Queen on Dreamer's Plain. She is woefully unprepared for her office since most thought she has years to train to be a good leader. Already the second crown led by Ermin of Sealton is plotting to overthrow the queen as his nephew Bourne is placed in the Floating School of Macie to learn how to be a weapon for his uncle in the coming battle.
Bourne is not interested in power or being the nephew of a high king. His interest is in Nepenthe, a scribe in the huge library in the castle. She is an orphan who was taken in by the Librarians and grew to love books and knowledge. She is currently interested in the ALPHABET OF THORNS a work about an Emperor who lived three millennia ago and the sorcerer Kane who loved him. Little does Nepenthe know that she is the bridge between past and present and the future of the world rests on her shoulders.
Patricia A. McKillip always writes about worlds of wonders and magical adult fairy tales that have a universal appeal with their happily ever after endings. ALPHABET OF THORN is an exceptional work of fantasy with vulnerable heroines, dashing heroes and a villain that is all too believable in his quest for power. The land of Raine is a wondrous place, one this reviewer would love to visit (only if Bourne is borne away).
Harriet Klausner
Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 10%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 20%
Tone of book
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION?
- fantasy world/fantasy past
Coming of age
Yes
Youngster becomes
- ruler
Political power play
Yes
Political plotlets
- factions fight within govt for control
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Main Character
Identity:
- Female
Profession/status:
- Prince/Nobleman/King
- scholar
Age:
- a teen
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- Prince/Nobleman/King
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a little/some
- a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Setting
Earth setting:
- during "Tolkien" (fairytime) times
A substantial portion of this book takes place on a non-Earth planetary body:
- humans in a primitive/fantasy society
Takes place on Earth?
Yes
Planet outside solar system?
Yes
Style
Person?
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
scientific jargon? (SF only)
- none/very little science jargon needed
How much dialogue?
- significantly more dialog than descript
- significantly more descript than dialog
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