Product Description

As the newly appointed Chalice, Mirasol is the most important member of the Master’s Circle. It is her duty to bind the Circle, the land and its people together with their new Master. But the new Master of Willowlands is a Priest of Fire, only drawn back into the human world by the sudden death of his brother. No one knows if it is even possible for him to live amongst his people. Mirasol wants the Master to have his chance, but her only training is as a beekeeper. How can she help settle their demesne during these troubled times and bind it to a Priest of Fire, the touch of whose hand can burn human flesh to the bone?

Robin McKinley weaves a captivating tale that reveals the healing power of duty and honor, love and honey.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #86681 in Books
• Published on: 2008-09-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 272 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780399246760
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up—The demesne of Willowlands is in a state of upheaval—great fissures in the earth have opened and swallowed livestock, fires have broken out across the land, the earthlines rumble in disquiet, the people are unsettled. The former Master of Willowlands, a reckless tyrant who reveled in his power and neglected his role, died heirless. His younger brother was sent away many years earlier to become a fire priest—a calling from which none return to the mortal realm. Yet, he is one year from completing his apprenticeship, and the Circle sends for him to heal his troubled land. Mirasol is the young beekeeper called to become Chalice, to bind together the Circle, the people, and the demesne into a unified entity. She has no training or experience, and the realm is so fractured that uniting it under the rule of a Master who is no longer completely human, and who can touch nothing without burning it, seems an impossible task. As delicately structured as the chambers of a honeycomb, this novel begs to be read slowly. The people of Willowlands are interesting and well crafted, and despite a conclusion that seems rushed and incomplete, this novel is a delight. Because this story is slow paced and does not happen in complete chronological order, reluctant readers will struggle with it. However, mature teens who long for beautiful phrases and descriptive writing will find themselves drinking in this rich fairy tale as if it were honey trickling down their throats.—Heather M. Campbell, formerly at Philip S. Miller Library, Castle Rock, CO
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From Booklist
Everywhere she goes, Mirasol, beekeeper and new Chalice of Willowlands, hears laments from magical beings and humans alike about their broken world, which has never been in such crisis. The previous Master and his Chalice, killed in a fire, had abused their responsibility. Now the new Master has arrived home after his training as a Priest of Fire, no longer human and unable to touch without burning. With enemies on every border, and the land itself trembling, Mirasol must find a way to bind the Master to her land. McKinley integrates the world building smoothly into a narrative that is a sensory delight, laden with tangible tastes and scents. Themes of stewardship, beekeeping, and the power of duty and love flow through the story like the honey described so temptingly. There are a few too many convoluted sentences, but the power of the story eases the sting. McKinley fans will recognize in Mirasol a typically strong heroine who discovers her impressive powers as she finds her way. Grades 6-9. --Lynn Rutan

Review
Fans and new readers alike will greedily devour McKinley's latest...A lavish and lasting treat. --Publishers Weekly

This novel is a delight...teens will find themselves drinking in this rich fairy tale as if it were honey trickling down their throats. --School Library Journal

Customer Reviews

Honey sweet
Robin McKinley debuted with a fleshed-out retelling of "Beauty and the Beast," and later followed it up with ANOTHER retelling.

And after a few books about dragons and vampires, McKinley returns to her old territory -- she spins up a vaguely medieval tale of a woodland beauty and a charred "beast" entirely out of her own imagination. McKinley's sumptuous prose and her depiction of a "living" land add an extra dimension to a straightforward little love story that drips with sweetness.

Some months ago, the decadent Master of Willowlands and his Chalice were killed in a fire. The new Chalice is Mirasol, whose duty is to fill ceremonial cups and help bind the land.

But then the late Master's little brother arrives from the priests of Fire -- charred black and no longer entirely human. Mirasol is determined to do the best job she can for the new Master, when she isn't tending a woodland cottage covered in bees. Unfortunately the land is still unsettled despite her joint efforts with the Master, especially since his strange behavior frightens his people.

In the course of her duty, Mirasol soon gets to know her new Master -- he's quiet, kind, worried about burning people, and confused by the world he had almost forgotten. But as he struggles to keep his land balanced, the Overlord begins to scheme to put a new Master in Willowlands -- one that will do whatever he wishes. With her role as Chalice and her power over bees, Mirasol must find a way to save her beloved Master...

You wouldn't think that such a slender novel could have such a richly imagined world, where metaphysical bonds link the Master and Chalice to the very land itself. Not only does Robin McKinley conjure such a world in "Chalice," but she also wrought an intricate web of politics and tradition around the ritual roles. Poor Mirasol, trying to navigate her new role.

And McKinley's prose is as sweet and thick as Mirasol's honey ("the great windows were still twilight grey..."), but filled with a slightly bittersweet feeling. And she crams the novel with rural splendour -- trees, little cottages, old dusty books -- as well as anything having to do with bees and beekeeping. When Mirasol is with her books in the woodright, McKinley's writing takes on an exquisitely mystical edge (albeit a quieter one than her Chalice duties).

But once the Overlord's little plan comes into play, McKinley also interweaves a sense of dread and foreboding, which gets worse as the story creeps toward the inevitable clash. If there's a flaw in the story, it's that the bees serve a slightly deus-ex-machinesque function for the Master.

However, the heart of this story is the growing love story between two young people who are unsure how to do their jobs, and fear that they are failing. Mirasol and the Master (whose name is only revealed late in the book) are wonderfully realistic characters, and Mirasol's stumbles and struggles make her seem like a totally realistic country girl suddenly given a great task.

"Chalice" is the sort of story that Robin McKinley has penned before, but the land-mysticism and lush prose make it entirely unique. Definitely a must-read..

McKinley Goes McKillip
Mirasol the beekeeper has unexpectedly become Chalice to a land in turmoil. Somehow she must hold her world together, and convince others to accept a Fire Priest as Master. McKinley creates for us an alternative medieval manor house, with Master and Circle tied to their demiese through magical earthlines.

This is a beautifully written almost poetical story, but if one is expecting the Robin McKinley of Spindle's End or The Blue Sword expect disappointment. The story moves gradually and repetitively. A skimmer will find this comforting, but the careful reader is left wondering if this book was sufficiently edited, or if the author was perhaps forced to expand from novella to novel length. There is little dialogue and a much of the McKinley wit we have all grown to expect and love is missing. Reading Chalice, it felt as though McKinley was getting in touch with her inner Patricia McKillip. Much is described, and most of it exquisitely and richly, but not very much actually happens. Please don't misconstrue, I adore McKillip, but it was a bit jarring to find her style coloring a McKinley novel.

However, one puts all expectations aside, Chalice provides a truly magical journey, leaving the reader satiated with imagery that lingers long after setting the book down. One's mind savors the flavor as one's mouth would the honey from Mirasol's chalice.

Intoxicating
After seven years of misrule, the land of Willowlands is falling apart; the people and the land are suffering daily from the destabilizing of the magic that is supposed to hold their land together. When the Master and the Chalice, the two highest members of Willowlands ruling circle, die suddenly, it is left to a new Master and a new Chalice to fix the damage that has been done and to protect their land.

The new Chalice is Mirasol, and she has no experience with the magic or politics of the position. She struggles to perform her job and save the land she loves. With the help of her bees and the honey that serves as the vessel of her magic, she begins to make tiny steps forward in saving Willowlands, but time is running out, and she fears the little skill she has acquired won't be enough to shelter her land from the dangers ahead.

Mckinley creates a lush, intoxicating world that captivates from the very first pages of the book. I could hear the steady hum of the bees in the background, taste the sweetness of the honey, and see the characters who move through the land teeming with both life and magic. Mirasol is a wonderful protagonist, and the supporting characters are diverse and realistic. My only complaint with this novel is that the denouement seems more emotional than physical. I generally prefer a fast-paced, edge of your seat, action sequence at the climax of a fantasy novel, but while Mckinley could easily have written her final scene that way, she instead made it more introspective. It still works well, and there are other scenes in the book that will satisfy people looking for fantasy adventure/action sequences.

I definitely recommend this book. It's a beautiful story and highly enjoyable to read.