The Books of Pellinor by Alison Croggon
[Rated PG-13 for themes of death, torture, grief, animal death, and alcohol use]
I’m just finishing up a reread of the Pellinor series by Allison Croggon; it’s a comfort series for me, which is not to say that it’s always comfortable to read. It’s a series that always makes me think of high fantasy, without some of the pretentiousness that I think can occasionally haunt high fantasy. It starts out with Maerad, a girl who’s been a slave as long as she can remember, meeting a mysterious stranger while milking a cow. Said stranger shows her a world of kindness and beauty that is being threatened by a nameless force (if you’ve read it, I hope you enjoy that pun).
As she begins to see the world for the very first time, she’s introduced to the wonders of baths, the miracle of found family, and the confusing mysteries of love. As a girl who longs to do nothing more than learn the scripts of her newfound people, it comes as an unwelcome shock to discover that her arrival has been foretold and her future seems to be full of darkness. She traverses the countryside while learning that life is about more than just survival, though her path seems to lead her directly away from leisure and learning and toward danger and difficult choices.
I think one of the things I find so interesting about this series is that the main heroes of the whole thing are called Bards. No, they’re nothing like stereotypical D&D bards, cavorting about with sexual abandon. They are people with gifts of music, lore, and healing who seek to use it to help the world. In most cases, the bards are just truly exceptional individuals that make every room they enter better. In this world, making music and celebrating love are revered, which I think is something we could definitely use a little more of.
One of the fun things about this trilogy is the creatures and strange magics that inhabit the land. There are creatures that are thematically similar to elves called Elidhu, who are elemental beings of great power and beauty. There are giant dogs made of storms, creatures of swirling ice and snow, and shapechanging monsters who attack mostly at night. I’m always a sucker for a good monster to be honest, so these draw my attention quite a bit.
When I mentioned earlier that it wasn’t always comfortable to read, what I mean is that there are deeply introspective sections that, even though I’ve never been orphaned or enslaved, I can still relate to. And the response to these dark moments is always an inspiring one that drives you to want to get up. It makes you want to fight for a world that is truly beautiful and united in the ways of the Light (that’s a reference to the book, I’m not making any religious statements, I promise!). While the relationships between the characters are in-depth and full of love, they’re also full of those little fights and annoyances that embattle every relationship built on honesty, giving them extra weight and meaning.
Now I do have to mention one thing—and this is definitely a spoiler, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know! There’s a slightly problematic relationship at the very end of the series, when the 17-year-old Maerad starts a relationship with her much older teacher. In fantasy novels, it seems that the age limits are lowered in regard to things like alcohol, sex, and the like. As a reader, I applauded the relationship; it was overdue and made good sense after everything they’d been through and the amount of trust they’ve had to give each other. As an adult in the modern world, I have to admit that it might not be what we would call right. Consider yourself warned!
If I were to describe this series, or at least the characters in it, in one word, that word would be resilient. In the same sense as Lord of the Rings, the characters withstand what they never should have to and overcome. Now—please know, I’m not saying this is as good as Lord of the Rings. We all know the major players in fantasy, and, as good as this is, it’s not Tolkien level. If you’re looking for a more young adult version of LoTR with a female protagonist (for 2.5 of the 4 books, at least), look no further!
