Deerskin

Deerskin by Robin McKinley

Generally speaking, I enjoy light fantasy fiction. Robin McKinley hasn't disappointed in the past with novels such as Beauty: a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, or The Outlaws of Sherwood. I even really liked reading The Hero and the Crown when I was in high school. Deerskin, however, was not to my liking. I thought the storyline was rather lame and disjointed. I do recommend reading any of the above mentioned titles. They are very entertaining, especially Beauty.

Deerskin is that kind of fantasy novel when the main characters have odd names, so be prepared for that. In a nutshell, it is the story of a princess who is born to parents who are so self-absorbed and popular rulers, that they pretty much forget their daughter exists. The story turns bizarre when the Queen gets ill and dies and the King goes mental. A couple years after the mother has died, the princess is so lovely that the King (who has gone quite nutty and violent) decides he wants to marry his daughter. Instead of immediately running away (which I could not for the life of me figure out why she didn't) she locks herself in her room. Well, the King breaks in, rapes and beats the poor girl and leaves her for dead. FINALLY, the princess pulls herself together and runs away.

During the running away part, the princess, Lissar, has sort of a mental break and can't remember why she's hurt or who she is. Her only companion is her faithful dog whose been her only friend and who the King also beat up. Lissar finds a cabin in the woods and manages to stay alive through a long (apparently 5 years) winter. In the spring, she is visited by the "The Moonwoman" her heals her broken body, changes her appearance and gives her special gifts.

Lissar calls herself Deerskin now (because of the dress she is wearing) and runs for days towards the local kingdom (not her own). She eventually tends the Prince's dogs, and yes, the prince falls in love with her. There are a few twists and entanglements, but there is a happy ending.

I would not have finished this book if I hadn't already invested about 100 pages and was too confined to my bed to search out other things. If you like fantasy or are a devoted Robin McKinley fan, maybe you'll like it better than I did.

Researching new material

I just went to the library and loaded up on new stuff. I'll be recovering from surgery for a bit, so plan on some great reviews (well, at least acceptable) in a couple of weeks.

Happy reading!