In The Forests Of Serre

In the Forests of Serre Book Review

Patricia A. McKillip's novel, In the Forests of Serre, takes the reader through a magical world where nothing is what it seems and marvelous things can occur and unravel. McKillip weaves her magic to tell the spellbinding tale of two lovers, unwilling to love each other, but in weird circumstances, find that their destiny will entangle in a journey full of magic, suspense, and love. The novel starts off in the kingdom of Serre, where the main character, Prince Ronan, had just arrived from fighting in a war. He had lost both his wife and son previously and hoped that the war would kill him. Unfortunately, he meets up with the Mother of All Witches, Brume, who curses him for killing one of her white chickens; if he was to ever enter the forest again, he would never find a way out. Prince Ronan didn't heed the curse, thinking that it was not as bad as the death of his wife and son. When he got back home, the king informs him that he has been arranged to be married off to the Princess Sidonie of Dacia, a kingdom known for its powerful sorceress. Ronan is mad and refuses to marry the princess. Later that day, the prince is captivated by a firebird and follows it into the forest where he will never find a way out unless he finds the witch again. His intended, Princess Sidonie, would find that her fate is entangled in that of Ronan's and that the Forests of Serre are more than they seem. Here starts the journey full of magic, sorcerers, and magical creatures in the Forests of Serre.

McKillip weaves her tale beautifully and her words cast a spell over the readers, bringing them into a magnificent world of magic and dreams and leaving them completely enchanted. Her

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prose is detailed and lush and naturally flow. Her enchanting writing is what compels the readers to want to read more and never put the book down. For example, "... [The firebird] flew silently through the twilight, its wings trailing plumes and ribbons of flame, its tail covered with jewels of fire. Its claws and beak and eyes seemed of hammered gold that melted into fire and then hardened again into gold. It sang a note. She [Sidonie] felt the sound fall through her heart like a pearl falling slowly, with infinite beauty, through liquid gold."(57). In this passage, the author elaborately describes the firebird and the reader can hear and see it as thought it was there right beside him/her. Not only is her writing beautifully done, but also McKillip's choice of characters is thoughtfully done. They weren't people who had no better things to do than fight bad sorcerers and went around trying to destroy evil. They were simply people, though not ordinary ones, who were forced to enter a journey full of danger, suspense, and magic. The characters were likeable and people that we would like to read about. Sidonie, though a princess, wasn't snobby and was courageous; she was willing to marry if it would save her father and her country. And Ronan, though a prince, had the ability to make mistakes and was a little bit delusional. But his imperfection only emphasized his good qualities, making him so likeable. In addition, all of McKillip's characters had the capacity of evil and good; not even the Mother