
The Forgotten Beasts of Eld
by Patricia A. McKillip
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Pub Date Sep 29 2017 | Archive Date Feb 01 2018
Description
Newly available in print and e-book editions
"Rich and regal."
—The New York Times
Young Sybel, the heiress of powerful wizards, needs the company of no-one outside her gates. In her exquisite stone mansion, she is attended by exotic, magical beasts: Riddle-master Cyrin the boar; the treasure-starved dragon Gyld; Gules the Lyon, tawny master of the Southern Deserts; Ter, the fiercely vengeful falcon; Moriah, feline Lady of the Night. Sybel only lacks the exquisite and mysterious Liralen, which continues to elude her most powerful enchantments.
But when a soldier bearing an infant arrives, Sybel discovers that the world of man and magic is full of both love and deceit, and the possibility of more power than she can possibly imagine.
A Note From the Publisher2>
Patricia A. McKillip is the beloved author of twenty-seven fantasy novels, including The Riddle-Master of Hed, Harpist in the Wind, Ombria in Shadow, Solstice Wood, and The Sorceress and the Cygnet. She received the inaugural World Fantasy Award for The Forgotten Beasts of Eld and later received the World Fantasy lifetime achievement award. She is also a three-time Mythopoeic Award winner. She recently published the novel Kingfisher and the collection Dreams of Distant Shores. McKillip lives in Oregon.
Advance Praise
Praise for The Forgotten Beasts of Eld
A Paperback Wonderland Best Book of 2017
“Like the Ring trilogy or the Earthsea books . . . This magical moonlit fantasy has dignity and romance, heart-stopping suspense, adventure, richness of concept and language and—perhaps rarest of all in romantic fantasy—a sly sense of humor.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Like much of McKillip's work: gorgeous, evocative, and fragile.”
—Kirkus
“This is my favorite book of all time. If I had to pick a desert island book, it would be this one.”
—Gail Carriger, New York Times bestselling author of the Parasol Protectorate
"Patricia McKillip's FORGOTTEN BEASTS OF ELD is stunning. I grew up in a boarding school, so I can't say how great it is without profanity. It's truly great, concentrated, thoughtful, vicious, exalted fantasy, and everyone should read it, and it seems criminal to me that I haven't until now. Reading ELD felt like finding a missing star: it's always been there, shaping space, and reading it made so many other books make sense. I read it in a down moment, and it filled me with joy and awe at the power of love, writing, and fantasy."
—Max Gladstone, author of the Hugo Award-winning Craft Sequence series
“An extraordinary book, and McKillip deserves all the praise
she received for creating such a masterful, brave, intricately crafted
universe. 10/10 stars”
—Starburst
“Intimate, gorgeous, quiet and deep, The Forgotten Beasts of Eld remains
as resonant as ever.”
—Tor.com
“[The] Forgotten Beasts of Eld is a remarkable novel to come from such a young person: wise and deep and lucid and crisp.”
—Antick Musings
“Some books stay with you. It's been over forty years now since I first read The Forgotten Beasts of Eld and succumbed to its enchantments. With its rich and lyric prose, its wondrous mix of characters (beasts included!), and its thoroughly enchanted world it was unlike anything I had read to that point. Forty years later I still cherish the experience. Some books truly do stay with you.”
—Bruce Coville, author of the Dragon Chronicles
“There is a magic and grandeur to McKillip's focused prose, a kind of resounding clarity that lives and echoes in the mind long after the story is done.”
—Ben Loory, author of Tales of Falling and Flying and Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day
“With elegant, lyrical prose, Patricia A. McKillip creates a timeless fairytale of love, revenge, and the cost of each. The Forgotten Beasts of Eld is a book I return to, time and again, always finding some new layer to the tale. Like the wondrous beasts within its pages, this book is both beautiful and dangerous; you can't read it without being changed.”
—Kelly Sandoval
—Usman T. Malik, author of The Pauper Prince and the Eucalyptus Jinn
“I read The Forgotten Beasts of Eld many years ago and was smitten; it’s part of the reason I became a fantasy writer. In some ways, it feels more like a dream than like a novel, more like a spell cast over the reader than like prose. It is delicious and wise—a true classic.”
―Susan Fletcher, author of Dragon’s Milk and Shadow Spinner
“More than 40 years after it was first published, McKillip’s
World Fantasy Award-winner is unquestionably a classic of the genre, and it
reads as timelessly as ever in this new print and ebook edition.”
— B&N Week’s New Sci-Fi & Fantasy spotlight
“5/5 stars. This novel, like so many of McKillip’s stories,
reads like a waking dream, one readers will want to escape into again and
again. This is one of those books that can’t come with enough
high recommendation.”
Seattle Review of
Books
“5/5 stars. Myths and legends
come alive, riddles abound, and magic seeps through each word. This is an
utterly enticing story, with a fascinating heroine”
—Night Owl Reviews
“The Forgotten Beasts of Eld is a true genre classic.”
—The Illustrated Page
“This book entails every aspect
that fantasy writing is about, and it is truly breathtaking.”
—She’s Going Book Crazy
“The Forgotten Beasts of Eld surpassed all my expectations and reignited my love for fantasy fiction.”
—Sabrina’s Library
“A beautiful wizard, magical, sentient animals, lovely prose, and complex attachments have made The Forgotten Beasts of Eld a classic adored and re-read by those who first discovered it decades ago.”
—A Garden Carried in the Pocket
“Patricia A. McKillip is one of my favorite authors. I never get tired of reading (and rereading) her fantasies. For me, they are all magical reads! She really knows how to create characters that I end up loving. Sybel and Coren are no exception.”
—Lark Writes
“Before Daenerys was Mother of Dragons, Sybel commanded beasts of all kinds. McKillip offers up a powerful character full of passion, determination, obsession, and love. The Forgotten Beasts of Eld is a tapestry woven of beautiful phrases and poetic language, which builds in repeating patters to form a dazzling whole.”
—A. C. Wise, author of The Kissing Booth Girl
“The Forgotten Beasts of Eld is a cold mountain wind that blows through the soul and leaves it cleaner and lighter afterwards. I first read the book twelve or thirteen years ago, and its power has only grown with time, taking on increasing urgency and relevance in these latter days. Fear, hope, love, hatred, and all that makes us human assume magical forms in McKillip's characteristically gorgeous prose.”
—E. Lily Yu, author of “The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees”
“A remarkable work of literature.”
—The Royal Library
“I admit it: I have been seduced by Patricia A McKillip’s The Forgotten Beasts of Eld . . . gorgeous, lyrical prose.”
—Guardian
“Beautiful and deep. . . this has become a tale I will
gladly read again, and shall always have a treasured spot in my library.”
—My Way by Starlight
“5/5 stars. This World Fantasy Award winning novel is a true
treasure.”
—Looking Glass Reads
“Whether you read this magical weaving as a straight fantasy
or look deeper and call it allegory, I guarantee you will fall under its spell.”
—Fresh Fiction
“McKillip's elegant prose lends this dark fairytale a
dreamy, mythic quality. A fantastic read featuring a fantastic heroine.”
—Best Fantasy Books
“A masterful wordsmith. McKillip has no peer when it comes to incantatory prose, and her wizardry spells you into a waking dream in this breathtaking tale.”
—Black Gate
“McKillip’s prose is utterly enchanting, steeped in a fairytale-like storytelling.”
—Book Beyond
“This novel is a bonafide masterpiece, as well as a modern classic, and one of my all-time favorite novels. Every fantasy fan should read it.”
—John R. Fultz, author of Seven Princes
“The book is full of magic, wonder and fantastic creatures.
It tells a heartwarming story of an independent woman who grows as a
person and learns some important life lessons. This really is a wonderful read,
and I fully understand why McKillip is recommended so highly.”
—Speculative Herald
“McKillip’s
world is clear and intricately drawn, with Sybel’s secluded life juxtaposed to
the kingdom in turmoil just beyond her reach. The combination makes for a
magical reading experience.”
—Foreword Reviews
“A beautiful wizard; magical, sentient animals,; lovely
prose; and complex attachments and relationships have made The Forgotten Beasts of Eld a
classic adored and re-read by those who first discovered it decades ago.”
—A Garden Carried in
the Pocket
“I read [Eld]
first when I was a girl, and I still count it as one of my favorite books of
all time.”
—Jeffe Kennedy, author of The Shift of the Tide
“Almost destroyed because of a man’s fear and greed, Sybel, a beautiful young sorceress, embarks on a quest for revenge that proves equally destructive. Winner of the World Fantasy award, this exquisitely written story has something for almost every reader: adventure, romance and a resonant mythology that reveals powerful truths about human nature.
—Amazon
“The Forgotten Beasts of Eld is a gorgeously told tale of love and the human cost of war and revenge. It has a love of riddles, inventive magical beasts, and a well-drawn cast of believable characters with a strong, engaging female protagonist.”
—Worlds Without End
“It feels ageless, eternal, light and perfect like a star.”
—SF Site
“The best fantasy novel of the year and perhaps of the decade. It’s a mythical kingdom fantasy with a marvelous heroine, satisfying strange beasts, and chilling sorcery.
—Locus
“This book gave me chills . . . It is simply SO GOOD and has a beautiful fluidity to it that makes it so easy to fall into.”
—From Cover to Cover
“If you read this book, you’re in for a treat. Filled with wondrous magical land, weird creatures, unexpected plot with fight for country power, love and revenge.”
—Staree
“Patricia McKillip weaves an incredibly rich, poetic, wise and mystical story, holding her readers spellbound.”
—St. Louis Dispatch-Post
“The Forgotten Beasts
of Eld is a stunning masterpiece of fantasy. 10/10 stars.”
—Fantasy Cafe
“A magnetic and magical writer . . . a terrific book.”
—Green Man Review
Praise for Patrica A. McKillip
“McKillip’s is the first name that comes to mind when I’m asked whom I read myself, whom I’d recommend that others read, and who makes me shake my grizzled head and say, ‘Damn I wish I’d done that.’”
—Peter S. Beagle, author of The Last Unicorn and Sleight of Hand
“World Fantasy Award winner McKillip can take the most common fantasy elements—dragons and bards, sorcerers and shape-shifters—and reshape them in surprising and resonant ways.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“I read—and reread—McKillip eagerly. She reminds me that fantasy is worth writing.”
—Stephen R. Donaldson, author of the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant
“Cool elegance.”
—Chicago Sun-Times
“Patricia McKillip is the real thing and always has been. She shows the rest of us that magic can be made with words and air; that is it worth doing and worth doing well.”
—Ellen Kushner, author of Swordspoint and Thomas the Rhymer
“Lush imagery and wry humor...McKillip’s rich language conveys real strangeness and power.”
—Starlog
“McKillip skillfully knits disparate threads into a rewardingly rich and satisfying story.”
—Amazon
“McKillip’s luminous prose and compelling characters combine to produce a masterwork of style and substance.”
—Library Journal
Marketing Plan
· - Promotion at major trade and genre conventions, including BEA, Readercon, the International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts, the World Science Fiction convention, and the World Fantasy Convention
· - Features, interviews, and reviews targeting literary and genre venues, including the Washington Post, NPR, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and the San Francisco Chronicle
· - October 2017 Gail’s Book Club selection on gailcarriger.com
· -Author appearance tour dates in Oregon and national TBD
· - Planned galley distribution and book giveaways to include NetGalley, Goodreads, Edelweiss, Tor.com, and additional online outlets
· -Advertising and promotion in national print, online outlets, and social media
Available Editions
EDITION | Other Format |
ISBN | 9781616962777 |
PRICE | CA$22.50 (CAD) |
PAGES | 240 |
Links
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