The Gift by Alison Croggon
Book 1 of the Pellinor series
Genre: epic fantasy
About This Book:
The Gift, otherwise published as The Naming:
In the classic spirit of epic fantasy comes this glittering saga of a young girl who learns she possesses an uncanny gift—and is destined to use it to save her world from a terrifying evil.Source: Info in the About This Book was taken from the series's website at http://booksofpellinor.com/pellinor/index.html on 04/03/2010.
Maerad is a slave in a desperate and unforgiving settlement, taken there as a child when her family is destroyed in war. She doesn’t yet know she has inherited a powerful gift, one that marks her as a member of the noble School of Pellinor and enables her to see the world as no other can. It is only when she is discovered by Cadvan, one of the great Bards of Lirigon, that her true identity and extraordinary destiny unfold. Now, she and her mysterious teacher must embark on a treacherous, uncertain journey through a time and place where the forces of darkness wield an otherworldly terror.
The first book in a projected quartet, Alison Croggon’s epic about Maerad and her remarkable yet dangerous gift is a beautiful, unforgettable tale. Presented as a new translation of an ancient text, The Naming evokes the rich and complex landscape of Annar, a legendary world just waiting to be discovered.
My Take On This Book:
The Pelinor series was originally published as a trilogy. Then by the end of the third book, titled The Crow, the story has no ending! I was fit to be tied!! I was so mad!! What kind of story gets published without an ending?!! Robert Jordan's Wheel Of Time obviously (that's not a compliment). It was a few years after The Crow was released, that the last book, titled The Singing was published and there was an end to the saga. The fourth book in a trilogy! By then I have forgotten what went on in the first three books. And that took a lot of the pleasure in my journey with Maerad and Cadvan... which is a pitty! Because the story-telling quality is one of those rarely compelling ones where the author totally takes you away to another world! I could feel the wind on my face, the tiredness in Maerad's bones, the joy in the bards' song... simply, a 5 out of 5.
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