Chalice

In a land where everything should be bound together, everything is torn apart, and those who were sworn to protect it have abandoned responsibility and become corrupt and blind. The checks and balances run unchecked and everything is in imbalance. What do you do when you are one of those called to put it all right? How do you learn without anyone to teach you? Where do you even start?

In the tradition of fantasy books since Tolkien Chalice is a study in rising to the occasion despite seemingly impossible odds. The seemingly endless supply of creativity that Robin McKinley displays in creating the lands and people in all her novels has been drawn on in new and unexpected ways for her newest novel. Unlike some other fantasy novels, the characters inhabit an incredibly believable land and have a very earth-oriented magic that binds them together.

It's not a land of dragons or deserts or whimsical fairy tale. Mirasol is a simple beekeeper, but Willowlands, her beloved home, is a troubled place. The Master's family is feuding and the governing body is ripped apart in a tragic accident. The exile must return to claim the mastership or all will be chaos. . .

True to form, McKinley's characters are full, lovable (or hatable), and full of spirit. Click here to read an excerpt.