The Blue Sword

By: Robin McKinley

Narrated by: Diane Warren

Length: 12 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

From the New York Times bestselling author of Sunshine is the Newberry Award-winning classic novel that has enthralled listeners for decades.

This is the story of Corlath, golden-eyed king of the Free Hillfolk, son of the sons of the Lady Aerin.

And this is the story of Harry Crewe, the Homelander orphan girl who became Harimand-sol, King’s Raider, and heir to the Blue Sword, Gonturan, that no woman had wielded since Lady Aerin herself bore it into battle.

And this is the song of the kelar of the Hillfolk, the magic of the blood, the weaver of destinies …

©1982 Robin McKinley (P)1992 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

“This is a zesty, romantic heroic fantasy with an appealing stalwart heroine, a finely realized mythical kingdom, and a grounding in reality that enhances the tale’s verve as a fantasy.”—Booklist

Excellent!

I always loved this book. I very much enjoyed listening to it being read. I highly recommend it.

Storytelling excellence; not my favorite recording

This is one of my all-time favorite books. Every time I read it I love it more. "One of" only because I can't pick between "The Hero and the Crown" and "The Blue Sword".

The cadence of the narration isn't my favorite, and can take me out of the story at times; but honestly that's more to do with the quality of recording equipment in the '90s than anything. The narrator's style suits the story, generally.

The audio book doesn't surpass the experience of reading the printed words for me, but it does offer that handy benefit of being able to walk around or make use of hands for other than page turning.

If you haven't read the story before, and find the narration in the sample isn't to your liking - I would strongly suggest you read the book in print, if you can. There is a pure magic to Robin McKinley's writing that I've seen few other authors match.

...

Love this story. I do however wish it was a little bit more detailed/flushed out.

LOVED IT!

This is a book I can read , and now listen too, over and over. The audible version was made in the 90's and I suppose it might sound a bit dated but not enough to detract from the story. I could hear the lady turn the paper pages in the book she was reading from; which was actually enjoyable, almost like I was sitting in the room where she was reading. I will listen to it again.

one of my favorite books

I've read and/or listened to this novel a dozen times since my first reading in junior high in the 90s. My favorite.

Love this book!

I’ve read it many times and enjoyed listening to it and hearing how certain words were pronounced but would have liked a bit more inflection of emotions and character distinctions in the voice as it was read. But loved it none the less.

Good Story but Flat Reader

Although this is the first story written for the duo of books in Damar, I think it really is helpful to read this one first. The prequil, The Hero and the Crown, tells all about Aerin and a lot about Luthe, though the readers of each book pronounce his name differently from each other.

McKinley is a very descriptive writer concentrating more on painting a good picture for her readers than the conversation her characters have. For some this can seem tedious and boring but for others it will be helpful to picture what the surroundings tell us. For me, I can adjust to either as long as the story is worth the time, which this one is.

The pace is languid and slow but the reader seemed to have a sweet voice but no dramatic inflection. Had Diane Warren been more expressive during the excitement it would have been less lethargic seeming. However it's still a good story.

Loved it! Return Listener of this book.

Terrific story and characters. A sure classic! Tell all your friends about the book and author Robin McKinley.

Classic and enduring

I’ve read and listened to this book more times than I can possibly know. It never disappoints. I love all the characters, and the almost dreamlike quality of the narrative.

Excellent story! Childhood favorite still reads well at 56 years old.

The only complaint I have, from reading while I listened, was that the narrator occasionally left out a phase or two.